What Specialist Mobility Chairs Does Shape Posture Seating Offer?

Updated

Shape Posture Seating offers specialist mobility chairs from two brands, VELA and Mercado Medic, built around three features: unique braking systems, easy-roll castors that let you "walk" the chair, and an electric hi-lo lift facility. These chairs are aimed at promoting independence at work or at home for users who need mobility assistance alongside adjustable seating height. If you need a chair that combines movement with powered height adjustment, this range is the relevant part of Shape's catalogue; if you only need standard ergonomic adjustability, the company's broader ergonomic chair range is the better starting point.

What the mobility chair range includes

According to Shape's own description of the range, the VELA and Mercado Medic chairs share a common design intent:

  • Unique braking systems — braking is built into the chair so it can be secured when the user is transferring on or off, rather than relying on the user to hold it steady.
  • Easy-roll castors — the castors are designed so the chair can be "walked" rather than only pushed, which supports users who move the chair themselves.
  • Electric hi-lo lift — height adjustment is powered, so raising or lowering the seat does not depend on manual effort.

Together these features target a single outcome: independence at work or in the home across a range of user scenarios.

Who these chairs suit

The range is described for "a range of user scenario[s]" where mobility support and height adjustment are both needed. In practice, that means situations such as:

  • Moving between a desk and other parts of a room without a separate wheelchair.
  • Transferring in and out of the chair where a stable, braked base matters.
  • Reaching different working heights — a desk, a counter, or a shared table — without manual seat adjustment.

If your requirement is purely postural (lumbar support, seat depth, armrest position) and you can move and adjust a chair unaided, a standard ergonomic chair is likely sufficient. The mobility range becomes relevant when movement assistance or powered height change is part of the need.

How to choose between the two brands

Shape presents VELA and Mercado Medic together as one mobility range and does not publish a side-by-side specification on the page reviewed. Rather than guessing at differences, use these steps:

  1. State your scenario — where the chair will be used (office, home, both) and what you need to do in it (transfer, walk the chair, change height frequently).
  2. Ask Shape directly — the company invites contact by phone for advice, and its assessors work with individual requirements.
  3. Consider a bespoke assessment — Shape notes that even within its ergonomic chair selection, "some degree of tailoring is required to get the perfect fit," and its Bespoke Seating Service exists for exactly that. For a mobility chair, an assessment is the reliable way to match brand and configuration to the user.

Where mobility chairs fit alongside Shape's other services

Shape's assessment services cover Display Screen Equipment (DSE) assessments and Neurodiversity Workplace Needs Assessments, and the company also offers an equipment-only assessment where a DSE assessment has already identified a need. If a mobility chair has been recommended through such an assessment, that equipment-only route is the direct path to specifying it. For workplace provision, this keeps the chair tied to a documented need rather than an off-the-shelf purchase.

Practical next steps

  • Call for advice: Shape lists 01629 814656 for "professional and friendly advice" — the fastest way to confirm which VELA or Mercado Medic model fits your scenario.
  • Visit the showroom: Shape advertises a showroom visit as an option, useful for trying braking and castor behaviour before committing.
  • Book an assessment: if the chair is part of a workplace adjustment, book a DSE or equipment-only assessment so the specification is recorded.

Shape has been family owned and run since 1967, which the company presents as the basis for its customer service and delivery reliability — relevant if you need a chair supplied and maintained over time rather than bought once.