The Forbes Health editorial team is independent and objective. To help support our reporting work, and to continue our ability to provide this content for free to our readers, we receive compensation from the companies that advertise on the Forbes Health site. This compensation comes from two main sources. First, we provide paid placements to advertisers to present their offers. The compensation we receive for those placements affects how and where advertisers’ offers appear on the site. This site does not include all companies or products available within the market. Second, we also include links to advertisers’ offers in some of our articles; these “affiliate links” may generate income for our site when you click on them.
The compensation we receive from advertisers does not influence the recommendations or advice our editorial team provides in our articles or otherwise impact any of the editorial content on Forbes Health. While we work hard to provide accurate and up-to-date information that we think you will find relevant, Forbes Health does not and cannot guarantee that any information provided is complete and makes no representations or warranties in connection thereto, nor to the accuracy or applicability thereof.
Nearly one in seven U.S. adults face serious difficulty walking or climbing stairs, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)[1]Disability Impacts All of US Infographic. Center for Disease Control. Accessed 3/25/2022. . For some, traveling is easy with just a cane or a walker, but for those who rely on motorized scooters, the difficulty of boarding a plane and making it from place to place with limited storage space is an inconvenient reality of travel.
Thankfully, there are portable, foldable mobility scooters that fit in an airplane’s overhead carry-on storage compartment. And Golden Technologies, a U.S. manufacturer of popular mobility products, believes it has designed the ideal carry-on scooter. Here’s our comprehensive review of the brand’s Buzzaround CarryOn mobility scooter.
What we don’t like:
A family-owned and operated company, Golden Technologies began manufacturing lift chairs in 1985. Today, it makes mobility scooters, power wheelchairs and power lift recliners for home, outdoor and travel use. Headquartered in Old Forge, Pennsylvania, the company was awarded the 2021 Business of the Year by the Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce.
The Buzzaround CarryOn Mobility Scooter is a super-portable scooter option with a sporty design. The adjustable tiller folds flat for easy travel, and the heaviest piece weighs less than 50 pounds.
Carry-on scooters don’t have a reputation for comfort, and the Buzzaround CarryOn Mobility Scooter is no exception. Its relatively straightforward stadium seat offers visibly less cushion than most of Golden Technologies’s other Buzzaround models, and it doesn’t have an adjustable seat height. However, the Buzzaround CarryOn does offer more generous padding, a more ergonomic seat shape and a higher-reaching backrest than many of its competitors. The flip-up armrests provide useful flexibility and comfort as well.
The Buzzaround CarryOn Mobility Scooter uses a self-locking seat frame to ensure the driver’s position during the ride remains stable and safe. Golden Technologies also includes a high-visibility orange safety flag with all its scooter models, which can be inserted into the scooter’s back seat pocket at half or full height.
The only routine maintenance tasks Golden Technologies recommends is cleaning the scooter and checking specific areas for wear and tear as outlined in its user manual. To get the scooter serviced, users must contact an approved Golden Technologies dealer.
Golden Technologies’s “infinitely adjustable” tiller makes great strides in user friendliness and customization options for drivers. The lack of seat height adjustability, however, detracts from the ability to custom-fit the seat. We valued the attention to detail with the driver’s controls, including the easy-to-read display and oversized speed control knob. Caregivers and riders alike can appreciate how this portable scooter disassembles easily into just two pieces, and users will find the product weight to be significant compared to some competitors but still manageable.
The Buzzaround CarryOn doesn’t make any major strides in speed or turning radius—and its maximum recommended incline is only 6 degrees—but the scooter does boast above-average ground clearance. The 18-mile travel range for its standard, long-distance 15AH battery is also impressive, but it’s reduced dramatically when traveling with the airplane-approved 6.5AH battery. Customers may also be frustrated by the fact that they have to buy the air travel-approved battery separately—especially since it’s already an expensive scooter.
Golden Technologies sells much of its inventory through authorized dealers, meaning customers can contact Golden Technologies for product information and customer resources but ultimately work with a local dealer when arranging repairs.
Different components of the scooter are warrantied differently. Here’s how they stack up:
Golden Technologies has a low customer approval rating on its Better Business Bureau (BBB) profile, though the website lists just 18 registered complaints within the past three years. Users left largely positive comments and ratings with several other review collectors, such as Google and third-party online scooter retailers.
The Buzzaround CarryOn Mobility Scooter isn’t perfect, but there’s a reason it made the cut for our Best Lightweight Mobility Scooters of 2022 list. It stacks up well against its competitors, boasting several specs and features one might not expect to find on a portable mobility scooter. The design does make some concessions to allow for its travel-friendly, fold-up size, and users may be irked by the need to buy a separate battery to carry it on an airplane. But, overall, it succeeds in offering big mobility benefits in a small, practical package.
For easy comparison to other brands and models, here are some of the most relevant of the Buzzaround CarryOn’s specifications:
Product weight: 65.5 pounds Weight capacity: 300 pounds Dimensions: 38 inches long x 19.5 inches wide Ground clearance: 4 inches Tires: 6-inch front tires, 7-inch rear tires Top speed: 3.6 miles per hour Distance on a single battery charge: 18 miles with larger battery Turning radius: 48.75 inches
You May Also Be Interested in Mobility Scooters from Our Featured Partners
On ElectricWheelchairsUSA.com's Website
On ElectricWheelchairsUSA.com's Website
On ElectricWheelchairsUSA.com's Website
Pride Mobility Go-Go Elite Traveller 4-Wheel
On ElectricWheelchairsUSA.com's Website
On ElectricWheelchairsUSA.com's Website
On ElectricWheelchairsUSA.com's Website
On ElectricWheelchairsUSA.com's Website
On ElectricWheelchairsUSA.com's Website
Mobility scooters offer more than convenience—they can make a real difference in quality of life for older adults who otherwise cannot leave home. To identify the best mobility scooters of 2021, the Forbes Health editorial team analyzed data on nearly 200 scooter products. From price to comfort to portability to usability, see which scooters stand out as our top picks here.
Information provided on Forbes Health is for educational purposes only. Your health and wellness is unique to you, and the products and services we review may not be right for your circumstances. We do not offer individual medical advice, diagnosis or treatment plans. For personal advice, please consult with a medical professional.
Forbes Health adheres to strict editorial integrity standards. To the best of our knowledge, all content is accurate as of the date posted, though offers contained herein may no longer be available. The opinions expressed are the author’s alone and have not been provided, approved or otherwise endorsed by our advertisers.
Chauncey grew up on a farm in rural northern California. At 18 he ran away and saw the world with a backpack and a credit card, discovering that the true value of any point or mile is the experience it facilitates. He remains most at home on a tractor, but has learned that opportunity is where he finds it and discomfort is more interesting than complacency.
Robby has spent his career in a variety of writing, editing and storytelling roles. He now resides near Birmingham, Alabama, with his wife and three kids. He enjoys woodworking, playing rec league soccer and supporting chaotic, downtrodden sports franchises like the Miami Dolphins and Tottenham Hotspur.