Golden Buzzaround CarryOn review

A folding travel scooter with an airline-approved lithium battery, built around fitting under a bed.

Specifications

Specifications above come from Golden Technologies' published feature list. Treat pricing as approximate, since Amazon pricing moves.

What it does well

• Twelve inches folded is genuinely small, and the difference between a scooter that lives in a car boot and one that lives in the garage unused.
• An airline-approved lithium pack, which removes the single biggest obstacle to flying with a scooter, subject to the airline's own rules.
• Four carry handles, which sounds trivial and is the difference between an awkward lift and a manageable one.
• An infinitely adjustable tiller, so the reach can be set to your parent's arms rather than the other way round.
• Full lighting front and rear on a travel scooter, which is unusual at this size.

Where it falls short

• Four inches of ground clearance and a 48.75 inch turning radius mean pavements and shop floors, not lawns and gravel. This is a travel scooter and it behaves like one.
• The heaviest piece is 47.5 pounds without the seat and battery, which is still a real lift into a boot. If the person loading it is an older spouse, that lift is the risk you have introduced.
• A folding travel scooter has a modest weight capacity compared with a full-size machine. Confirm the rating against your parent's actual weight before ordering, and do not treat the number as a target to hit.
• As with every scooter, the user must stand to get on and off, sit unsupported and steer with judgement. None of those should be assumed.
• Airline rules on lithium batteries are set by the airline and by regulation, not by the scooter maker. Get the answer in writing before the flight.

What owners report

Owners of folding travel scooters describe them almost entirely in terms of what they made possible: the cruise, the wedding, the grandchild's graduation. The consistent report is that a scooter which folds small enough to go in a car boot gets used far more than a heavier take-apart model, even when the heavier one is more capable. That is a real and often overlooked argument for buying the lighter machine.

The consistent complaints are ground clearance and range in the real world. Owners repeatedly describe grounding out on kerb lips and steep ramp transitions, and finding that a quoted range assumes flat ground and a light rider. The other steady theme is airline paperwork: even with an approved battery, people report needing documentation and advance notice, so treat the airline call as part of the purchase rather than an afterthought.

Who it suits

• Families whose main need is travel, holidays and appointments away from home.
• Someone who can stand safely to transfer and covers modest distances on made surfaces.
• Households with no storage for a full-size scooter, since this fits under a bed.

Who should skip it

• Anyone whose standing balance is unreliable, who needs a power wheelchair assessment instead.
• People covering rough ground, grass or gravel, who need suspension and clearance.
• A person near the scooter's weight rating, who should choose a full-size machine such as the Merits Pioneer 4.
• Anyone who needs to manoeuvre indoors, which no scooter does well.

Alternatives worth considering

Common questions

Can I take this scooter on a plane?

The battery is described as airline approved, which is the necessary condition rather than the sufficient one. Airlines set their own requirements on watt-hours, documentation, whether packs travel in the cabin and how much notice they need. Call the airline's accessibility desk well before you fly and get it in writing.

Travel scooter or folding power wheelchair?

A scooter asks the user to stand for transfers, steer a tiller and sit without support. A folding power wheelchair asks none of those and is easier indoors at the destination, but is heavier to load and less comfortable for long sitting. Our scooter versus power wheelchair guide covers the difference in what each demands of the user.

Will it handle grass or gravel?

Not really. Four inches of ground clearance, small wheels and no suspension mean this is a machine for pavements, shop floors and airport terminals. If your parent's route crosses lawn or loose gravel regularly, buy a scooter designed for it.

Is 47.5 pounds liftable?

For a fit adult, yes, into most boots. For an older spouse doing it twice a day, it is how backs get hurt. Look at a boot hoist or a folding ramp before deciding this is fine, and if a caregiver is doing repeated lifting of any kind, a physical therapist is the right person to show them how.

Does my parent still need a wheelchair as well?

Often yes. A travel scooter covers distance outdoors; it does not manoeuvre in a bathroom, a restaurant or an aircraft aisle. Many families end up with both, and a therapist can tell you whether that is the right plan or whether one properly chosen chair would do.

Keep reading

• Mobility scooter vs power wheelchair
• Threshold ramp vs portable ramp
• Travelling with an elderly parent
• Pride Go Go Elite Traveller review
• Merits Pioneer 4 review
• Porto Mobility Ranger Discovery review

This review draws on published specifications, manufacturer figures and the consensus of verified owner reviews. We have not tested this product ourselves, and we say so rather than implying otherwise. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.