The Tub Buddy (SB2) is an excellent product that enables the disabled to take a shower without needing any bathroom modification. It offers convenience and comfort, a life-changer for us, but I believe there is a safety issue that needs to be addressed as soon as possible concerning the design of how the castor wheels are attached to the rolling base legs.
Recently, a front castor wheel fell off from my rolling base. It's only by God's grace that I was not on the chair, although I was about to be. The wheel fell off because the threading inside the leg onto which the wheel is screwed is worn out. The users manual recommends that the product be annually inspected to ensure safe operation but this may not absolutely guarantee that no problem is caught early enough and problem may occur in between inspections. I believe there is a design flaw about how the wheel is attached to the chair; even without such inspections, the wheel shouldn't fall off.
The wheel is simply screwed onto the rolling base leg, without any apparent locking mechanism. Therefore, when the inside threading of the leg is worn out through normal wear and tear, the wheel would fall off, as it did in my case. I believe there should be multiple layers of prevention to keep the wheels from falling off; they should not merely depend on a simple screw-on to hold them in place. So even though I have a new rolling base legs replaced for my rolling base, I'm now using this product with great concern.
Please redesign this portion of the Tub Buddy to ensure safety for every user. Please do so before someone gets hurt. I could have gotten hurt badly but I was fortunately not on the chair when the wheel came off. Thank you for your attention in this crucial matter.
