[Blindtlk] Cane suggestions needed please!

Mon Mar 14 12:25:32 UTC 2011

Hi Guys,

First of all, as I say, I love the telescoping canes for their convenience and easy storage. When I used one of these, and was getting into a car, at a restaurant or whatever, I could simply collapse it and put it into my purse and out of the way.  Unfortunately though, my experience was that, when I first got these canes they worked great. Then, as they began to age, they would begin to collapse more often. I would, of course have to stop and pull them tight again. This would help for a little ways and then they would collapse again in a few more minutes. Finally, the frustration with the collapsing outweighed the love of the convenience. I do miss the telescopes though for their convenience and sleek appearance. 

My experience with straight canes, at least the carbon fiber ones is that they are more prone to breakage than the others. I've had several broken by someone tripping over them and/or getting caught in cracks and so forth.

They ought to have laws in place and cane insurance too. (I'm kidding here) But my experience is that when someone has not been paying attention, has stepped on or tripped over a cane, they have picked up the broken section, handed it to me, and then they "flee the scene." Very irritating.

Diane Graves
Civil Rights Specialist
Indiana Civil Rights Commission
Alternative Dispute Resolutions Unit
317-232-2647

"It is service that measures success."
George Washington Carver

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-----Original Message-----
From: blindtlk-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blindtlk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Robert J Smith
Sent: Monday, March 14, 2011 7:25 AM
To: Blind Talk Mailing List
Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] Cane suggestions needed please!

Hi Pastor Kelm -- Bob Smith here.  I have been using telescoping canes now 
for probably about four years so I consider myself to have a deasent store 
of knowledge about their habbits, you might say.  I like them very much, 
not because I'm ashamed of either my cane or my blindness, but I love the 
concept of something collapsing into itself to about a length of a foot or 
less.  All the sections are inside of the main section so you just have 
the thickness of the thickest main section instead of four sections in a 
folded bundle, a vast improvement for storage.

They are very light and don't ever tire your wrist out even if you are 
walking fast and swinging quickly.  You can also feel sidewalk textures 
better than you can with a thicker, heavier folding cane with a cable 
which helps.  I was even able to get through the past Indianapolis winter 
with mine quite well.  Also, another benefit to the cane being lighter is 
that in my experience, the metal tip lasts a lot longer than it did on my 
heavier fibor glass folding cane.  And, of course, the carbon fibor 
telescoping cane never bends or wiggles when it is pulled tight.  The 
current telescoping cane I have has a chain which you can use to hang it 
on things, including your belt by opening the chain's locking joint.  This 
is very handy when you are holding someone's arm and still need to carry 
something in your other hand but don't want the cane to slip out from 
under your arm and fall on the ground.

Now, being fair, there are two things that I had to learn to cope with. 
First of all, I have a spare telescoping cane that I use in case my main 
one gets broken, and I always will.  On both my canes, there is a rubber 
fitting that sits on the bottom section just above the metal tip.  This is 
used to keep the bottom most section inside the cane so that it and the 
other sections won't fall out when you pick it up tip down.  On one cane, 
the rubber fitting wore out due to friction against the inside of the main 
section when I would pull the cane out.  The fitting on the other one 
totally cracked so I took it off.  Fortunately, I can push the rubber part 
of the metal tip into the main section when I am collapsing the cane and 
that fits snugly enough to keep the cane collapsed.

Second, in the colder months, the bottom most section collapses into the 
section above after the cane cools down a ways and I have to pull it back 
out.  I only have to do this once though and then it never goes back in 
while I'm walking.  It is very easy to tell when a section is collapsed 
while you are walking, the cane sort of gives a mushy feel instead of a 
nice solid one when it's tight.  You don't have to really jerk it out 
either, just kind of a middle strength pull.  I'm stubborn though and 
choose to deal with these so-called habits anyway.  I will probably get 
this kind of cane for the rest of my life, because they feel that much 
better and are that much more convenient than a four section bundle-type 
folding cane.  If you want more advice, feel free to email off list.

Bob Smith

From:
"James Kelm" <jameskelm at earthlink.net>
To:
"Blind Talk Mailing List" <blindtlk at nfbnet.org>, <blinddog3 at charter.net>
Date:
03/11/2011 12:54 AM
Subject:
[Blindtlk] Cane suggestions needed please!

Dear friends,

    I am looking at purchasing a new spiffy hot rod car of a cane, and I 
am
hoping that some of the mobility experts on this list can help me select 
the
appropriate cane!

    I am currently using, and have been using for years, a straight 
folding
cane.  I do a lot of in and out of buildings, as well as a lot of 
traveling
within the interior of buildings.  I therefore like a cane that I can 
"fold"
and "unfold" quickly and easily, and that is convenient to stow away when 
I
am not traveling.  Because of this, a rigid cane is a big hassle for me! I
like the folding cane, but I am considering getting a telescoping cane. My
thought is that it will be convenient, and I tend to have a rather light
touch, so I do not need something that will withstand a lot of abuse.  I
also think that it might be a nifty little sport model, to be able to stow
away a very small cane, but quickly pull it out to its length when I need 
to
go.  Do any of you have suggestions, or feedback concerning the 
telescoping
canes?

    Secondly, I am considering the advantages/disadvantages of putting a
roller tip on the new cane.  I tend to use a constant contact mythod, 
rather
than a tap tap style.  Although I have not had any significant issues, I 
am
wondering if it would be a bit more smooth given my cane method, if my 
cane
had a roller tip on it.  Am I correct, or is my thinking flawed?

    Lastly, I am a statuesque 5 feet 5 inches tall.  My current folding 
cane
is 53 inches.  I am thinking that it is too long for me, and that my new
cane should be slightly shorter, maybe around 46 or 48 inches.  As I said,
most of my travel is done within buildings, and I find that the current
length of my cane is always getting caught in objects, or I am having to
pull it more closely into my body to allow it to be used in tighter 
spaces.
I often feel like either me, or my cane can fit in spaces where I am
traveling, but not both of us!  LOLL

    Thank you so much for your help!  I sincerely appreciate your guidance
and suggestions!

Your Brother in Christ,
Pastor James Kelm
Foundational Christian Family Ministry
www.fcfministry.org

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