Side Folding or Front Folding? Two Great Ways to Travel Light

Carbon fibre changed what a folding power chair could be. Both the Powerlite Side Folding and the Powerlite Front Folding weigh in under 15kg without the battery, both fold down small enough to live in a car boot, and both are built on the same lightweight carbon frame.

So this isn’t really a question of which chair is better. It’s a question of which one folds the way you need it to — and both answers are good ones.

The Side Folding (IK2PCS): roomy, comfortable, and the lighter of the two

The Side Folding chair is the one to look at if comfort over a longer day is your priority.

It has the more generous seat of the pair — 460mm wide and 420mm deep — which makes a real difference on an afternoon out rather than a quick trip to an appointment. That seat sits on a hammock cushion, which gently contours to you and takes the edge off uneven footpaths.

It’s also the lighter chair at 13.2kg without the battery, and the slimmest when folded at just 275mm wide. That narrow profile is genuinely useful — it slides neatly down the side of a boot, into a hallway cupboard, or behind a seat where a wider fold simply wouldn’t go.

A couple of thoughtful touches round it out. The double plate footrest gives each foot its own independent platform, which many people find more comfortable and easier to get on and off. And the twin push handles are the classic arrangement most carers already know instinctively — one hand each side, easy steering, easy to grab in a hurry.

The Side Folding shines when: you want maximum seat comfort, you’re storing the chair in a narrow space, and you’d like the lightest possible lift.

The Front Folding (IK2PCF): compact, nimble, and ready for anything

The Front Folding chair folds forward into a remarkably short package — just 630mm long — which is the smallest folded footprint of the two by a clear margin. If your storage challenge is length rather than width, this is the chair that solves it. Think small hatchback boots, tight caravan lockers, or overhead storage.

It’s also the more agile of the pair. A 750mm turning circle is genuinely tight, and you feel it in supermarket aisles, cafés and hallways where every extra centimetre of swing matters. Pair that with a 13° climb angle and the Front Folding handles steeper driveways and ramps with confidence.

Support is a strength here too. The 500mm backrest is the taller of the two, giving more contact through the upper back — welcome on longer sits or if you like a bit more to lean into. The seat uses a solid cushion for a firmer, more stable base, which many users prefer for transfers and posture. And the 970mm push handle height is a real kindness to taller carers, who won’t need to stoop.

It also carries the higher user weight rating at 150kg, and swaps twin handles for a single crossbar — one continuous grip that some carers find more comfortable, and one less thing to adjust.

The Front Folding shines when: you need the shortest possible fold, you navigate tight indoor spaces, you want the extra back support, or you’d like the steeper climb capability.

Side by side

Specifications may vary by ±10mm.

The short version

If you want the roomiest seat, the softest ride and the lightest lift, the Side Folding is your chair.

If you want the smallest fold, the tightest turns and the strongest climb, the Front Folding is your chair.

Either way you’re getting the same carbon fibre engineering, the same effortless folding action, and the same freedom to just put the chair in the car and go. The only thing left to decide is which shape of freedom suits your life best.

Ask for the brand. Talk to your Ikon Mobility dealer about trying both — a few minutes in each chair usually makes the choice obvious.

ikonmobility.com.au