Drive Medical 14886 Skin Protection Gel "E" Wheelchair Seat Cushion

I bought my first one of these 2-yr ago after reading lots of reviews. I decided to get it because reviewers said it didn't stay collapsed once you sit on it, but molds itself to your bottom for good support without pressure points . That is very true. Also, after constant use by an overweight 70+ person for a year, it's like new. This cushion has been the answer to setting on a hard or poorly cushioned chair for a long time and not having a sore butt, pain and aggravation due to spinal stenosis, or backache. It's often taken to meetings and to the theater. Unbearable seats are now comfortable. It has a silky blue side that does not make you hot but it is slippery, and a gray non-breathable side that won't slide but will make your butt sweat. It's usually used with the gray side down so it stays cool, yet one can easily slide on the blue side to change positions. In cold weather, putting the gray side up acts like a seat warmer. The slippery side could result in someone sliding out of their chair, but only if they weren't sitting all the way back or they slouched terribly. It is a simple thick gel pad encased in foam all around, inside a removeable cover, as shown in the photos. Two problems I have had in over two years. One is that the handle broke away after a year due to a stitching problem, but Drive replaced the whole cushion. I just weighed with and without it, and the 18x16x3 weighs 6.2#. Definitely not lightweight. I frequently carry it under my arm for fear the handle will again pull away. Second problem was that security at Reagan Airport confiscated it because the gel was opaque and they couldn't tell what was inside. I ordered another one and took the time to open the zippered cover and carefully cut the outer foam enough to reveal a few inches of the gel pad. Reagan AP again tried to confiscate it, but finally let it thru. Pack it in my checked bag was Reagan AP's solution. Due to frequent trips to DC, I finally decided to order a 2nd one and leave it there so I wouldn't have to take it thru Reagan security. But on international flights, I need it in the chair.

It's been 5 weeks now and I've gone from getting up every 30 mins and standing at my desk during my last hour of my shift, to working OT every night for the past 3 straight weeks and I'm not in pain anymore!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I feel amazing and here I used to dread coming to work and sitting down. Now when I sit I feel like I'm sitting on a fricken cloud of air! Note the first 2 weeks were still hard because I had built up about 2 years of soreness to the point where I was ready to opt for a stand up work station. This was the best $38 after shipping that I could invest. I opted for the 3" thick one here obviously because of my boney butt. So figure about 3 weeks before you feel like a new person. It's comfortable from the first day. Nice and heavy, has a handle and this 18" wide was perfect for my chair and butt. Measure your chair first to make sure and order the right size. There's a few to choose from if I remember right for this model.I was feeling helpless and was in A LOT of pain and discomfort before I started using this. I've been working in a sitting desk style job for over 10 years now and it didn't bother me until about 3 years ago. Anyway great value compared to actual office chair cushions.Best! MichaelUPDATE: The gel inside broke after about 1 year but it was still worth it considering how much it helped me. I've also just switched to a sit/stand station at work that's really helping me.

The cushion is very comfy. It's not super soft. Some people complained about it being hard but I find it comfortable and I usually have problems with most seats being too hard for me, especially in public places. They start to feel uncomfortable about an hour into sitting down.I bought this cushion for my home computer chair which barely has any cushion at all. I find that I can't sit in it for very long because the seat is so hard. I've had the cushion for 2 days now and I'm loving it. I can sit in my chair for a longer time now. The weight capacity for this cushion was listed on a few other websites as being 275 lbs. I'm a plus size girl but definitely under the capacity. Either way I was concerned that some people of average weight complained that the gel interior burst. Perhaps they got defective cushions. Hopefully mine will not burst. If it does I will definitely update here and attempt to get an exchange.**Update**The cushion finally burst after almost 2 years of use. It started to lose it's shape over time and only in the last few months before it started leaking gel did it become uncomfortable. I still think it's worth getting. It's around 25 dollars at the moment which isn't bad for about 2 years of use. I'm planning on buying another one.