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Ambutech Regular and Slimline cane detailed review (self.Blind)
submitted by [deleted]
It's been 5 months since I made a post about considering buying an Ambutech cane, and shortly after I posted it the cane I was using at the time gave up on me and completely bent and cracked, so I ended up buying the Ambutech one sooner than I expected to. I thought I'd share my thoughts about my purchase, in case someone else has the same questions I did and finds a review helpful. I'll try to make it so that you don't need to go through my original post and its comments just to get the context!
# The canes
My previous cane(s): Foldable aluminum with hook-on tip (marshmallow roller by default, I eventually got a roller ball tip). The first one was 120cm, the second one was 170cm. I bought the first one from an orthopedics shop back when I started needing one, and the second one was issued by the national organization for the blind in my country.
The canes I bought: One standard and one slimline Ambutech canes, both folding and made out of graphite. The standard is 160cm and the slimline is 143cm. I got several tips, which I will talk about further down in more detail.
# Length and Sections
I was kind of worried about not getting the length right, because I wasn't sure which criteria to follow when choosing one. I just knew that my first cane was incredibly short and it made my muscles strain to get a decent distance ahead of me, and that I loved how long the second one was, but it was very, very bulky because of said length. Some people mentioned making sure theirs went up to their chin, so I used that as an estimate and got the regular diameter one to go a bit above my chin and the slimline one a bit below it, since I was getting the slimline one to test for portability and if I was going to make either smaller it was going to be that one.
As for sections, my previous canes had 4 and 5, respectively. I kept the 5 sections on the regular cane and made it 6 on the slimline. I wanted 7, but since someone on my other post mentioned it could get floppy with heavier tips I erred on the side of caution.
​
I am very happy with both! They are very comfortable, and I was afraid I had gotten used to the too-long cane but these, which are apparently a more appropriate length for my height, feel great. I walk quite briskly and the distance between my feet and the tip is comfortable and even when it snags it doesn't jam into my stomach.
# Body and tips
There's not much I can say about the material just yet because I'm waiting to see how it handles the shift from cold to hot weather. Aluminum was just not very durable, and so far graphite is light and solid and both somewhat flexible but not floppy. I like it, but again, I need to test its durability. On the standard cane, it feels incredible. Solid but light, and very easy to fold up, the shafts don't get stuck even when it's really cold out. On the slimline, it's a bit bendier but again, not floppy.
I'm using the slimline as my daily driver because it's so portable and it's way more durable than I thought it would be; I tested a marshmallow roller, a ball roller and a ceramic tip and all of them feel comfy, not too heavy and they don't make the material flop at all.
I bought both a marshmallow roller and a ball roller for the regular cane and the slimline, and an additional ceramic tip for the slimline because u/mehgcap highly recommended it.
The marshmallow tip was not the greatest in either my urban environment or more high-wear, uneven terrain like hiking trails. It's the perfect size to get stuck in all kinds of textured sidewalks, cracks, vents... I mostly ordered it because I had hoped it would be a good default two-point touch and constant contact tip but it's honestly not for me.
The ball tip, on the other hand, is pretty good. It's all that I had hoped the marshmallow tip to be, except it doesn't get stuck and it feels much more durable. The only downside is that it's massive, so it makes both of the canes take up more space than I would like them to. I think I'll be keeping it as the default for the regular cane, since it's the one I'll be using for heavier duty stuff like hikes and rough urban terrain, though, and I will be carrying bigger backpacks so the bulky tip won't be an issue.
The ceramic tip, though, was a game changer. It's so good! The audio and tactile feedback are amazing, and it's really, really compact, which is great for making the slimline even more portable. I was not expecting it to be so tiny and I was worried it would get stuck even more than the marshmallow tip but it has a rubber band that keeps it from getting stuck and it works wonderfully both with two-point touch and constant contact. I'm super happy with it and it's probably going to stay my default tip for a long time. Thanks for the rec, mehgcap!
# Design and pricing
In terms of aesthetics, I ordered a light blue bottom shaft on the full sized one and a midnight blue one for the slimline, no Hi-Lites on either of the canes themselves because I didn't particularly like any of the available shades. The tape is reflective and the shades are nice, I like the midnight blue in particular, because it's both pretty and very contrasting with the rest of the white cane, since it's darker and both the body and the tip are white. I have remaining vision so being able to locate the tip of my cane when I'm examining how high a step is, or if something is a shadow or a gap on the sidewalk is very helpful.
Here is a picture of both canes next to each other, for those of you who can get some use out of a visual comparison. I also painted the hinges and cord gold on the slimline to make it stand out and feel more like my own.
​
$1
I still feel like the 75$ shipping is a lot, but I understand that it's not a widely requested product and I suppose the company still needs to make a profit off of sales, and getting the product overseas is not the cheapest. I did get an extra 40€ charge from customs, though, for absolutely no reason, that put a massive dent in my budget. Just a warning for those of you ordering, because I'm not sure if it's a standard charge or a Spain-only thing, I thought I'd give a heads-up.
# The canes
My previous cane(s): Foldable aluminum with hook-on tip (marshmallow roller by default, I eventually got a roller ball tip). The first one was 120cm, the second one was 170cm. I bought the first one from an orthopedics shop back when I started needing one, and the second one was issued by the national organization for the blind in my country.
The canes I bought: One standard and one slimline Ambutech canes, both folding and made out of graphite. The standard is 160cm and the slimline is 143cm. I got several tips, which I will talk about further down in more detail.
# Length and Sections
I was kind of worried about not getting the length right, because I wasn't sure which criteria to follow when choosing one. I just knew that my first cane was incredibly short and it made my muscles strain to get a decent distance ahead of me, and that I loved how long the second one was, but it was very, very bulky because of said length. Some people mentioned making sure theirs went up to their chin, so I used that as an estimate and got the regular diameter one to go a bit above my chin and the slimline one a bit below it, since I was getting the slimline one to test for portability and if I was going to make either smaller it was going to be that one.
As for sections, my previous canes had 4 and 5, respectively. I kept the 5 sections on the regular cane and made it 6 on the slimline. I wanted 7, but since someone on my other post mentioned it could get floppy with heavier tips I erred on the side of caution.
​
I am very happy with both! They are very comfortable, and I was afraid I had gotten used to the too-long cane but these, which are apparently a more appropriate length for my height, feel great. I walk quite briskly and the distance between my feet and the tip is comfortable and even when it snags it doesn't jam into my stomach.
# Body and tips
There's not much I can say about the material just yet because I'm waiting to see how it handles the shift from cold to hot weather. Aluminum was just not very durable, and so far graphite is light and solid and both somewhat flexible but not floppy. I like it, but again, I need to test its durability. On the standard cane, it feels incredible. Solid but light, and very easy to fold up, the shafts don't get stuck even when it's really cold out. On the slimline, it's a bit bendier but again, not floppy.
I'm using the slimline as my daily driver because it's so portable and it's way more durable than I thought it would be; I tested a marshmallow roller, a ball roller and a ceramic tip and all of them feel comfy, not too heavy and they don't make the material flop at all.
I bought both a marshmallow roller and a ball roller for the regular cane and the slimline, and an additional ceramic tip for the slimline because u/mehgcap highly recommended it.
The marshmallow tip was not the greatest in either my urban environment or more high-wear, uneven terrain like hiking trails. It's the perfect size to get stuck in all kinds of textured sidewalks, cracks, vents... I mostly ordered it because I had hoped it would be a good default two-point touch and constant contact tip but it's honestly not for me.
The ball tip, on the other hand, is pretty good. It's all that I had hoped the marshmallow tip to be, except it doesn't get stuck and it feels much more durable. The only downside is that it's massive, so it makes both of the canes take up more space than I would like them to. I think I'll be keeping it as the default for the regular cane, since it's the one I'll be using for heavier duty stuff like hikes and rough urban terrain, though, and I will be carrying bigger backpacks so the bulky tip won't be an issue.
The ceramic tip, though, was a game changer. It's so good! The audio and tactile feedback are amazing, and it's really, really compact, which is great for making the slimline even more portable. I was not expecting it to be so tiny and I was worried it would get stuck even more than the marshmallow tip but it has a rubber band that keeps it from getting stuck and it works wonderfully both with two-point touch and constant contact. I'm super happy with it and it's probably going to stay my default tip for a long time. Thanks for the rec, mehgcap!
# Design and pricing
In terms of aesthetics, I ordered a light blue bottom shaft on the full sized one and a midnight blue one for the slimline, no Hi-Lites on either of the canes themselves because I didn't particularly like any of the available shades. The tape is reflective and the shades are nice, I like the midnight blue in particular, because it's both pretty and very contrasting with the rest of the white cane, since it's darker and both the body and the tip are white. I have remaining vision so being able to locate the tip of my cane when I'm examining how high a step is, or if something is a shadow or a gap on the sidewalk is very helpful.
Here is a picture of both canes next to each other, for those of you who can get some use out of a visual comparison. I also painted the hinges and cord gold on the slimline to make it stand out and feel more like my own.
​
$1
I still feel like the 75$ shipping is a lot, but I understand that it's not a widely requested product and I suppose the company still needs to make a profit off of sales, and getting the product overseas is not the cheapest. I did get an extra 40€ charge from customs, though, for absolutely no reason, that put a massive dent in my budget. Just a warning for those of you ordering, because I'm not sure if it's a standard charge or a Spain-only thing, I thought I'd give a heads-up.
reddit-and-regret-it 6 points 1y ago
Thanks for the review. We are looking to order my daughter her first cane. We live near the ambutech head office but the website says our address is undeliverable since our postal system recently revamped service in our rural area. Going to try to call them Monday and see if we can pick up.
nonniemous 4 points 1y ago
If you have any specific questions, or she does, I can try to help out! I'm by no means an expert, but I started using my cane relatively recently and this whole transitional process is still quite fresh. I don't know how old your daughter is (I'm 24), but if having someone young-ish to talk about this stuff would help, I'd be glad to, also :) I hope you can get in touch with the Ambutech office and you can skip what looks like a fairly messy shipping process!
reddit-and-regret-it 3 points 1y ago
Thanks. My husband also uses a cane. Our daughter is 11 with partial vision.
nonniemous 4 points 1y ago
Then I might be too old to be relatable, haha; I hope having another cane user in the household can make the experience smoother :)
DHamlinMusic 2 points 1y ago
I think I saw your original post, but can't remember it well, how long have you been using a cane and what did you use before that? I've been using a cane for not quite 2 years cuz it took a while to get services courtesy of this wonderful pandemic, and obviously didn't use anything before that as I had had vision until about 2 years ago.
reddit-and-regret-it 2 points 1y ago
I’m going to mention to him about the ceramic tip.
DHamlinMusic 3 points 1y ago
I just ordered a new cane from them last week, or more correctly my fiance ordered it as a birthday gift for me. Hasn't shipped yet but it's similar to the one I have courtesy of my state's commission for the blind, blue highlight and bottom shaft, six sections, graphite, high mileage rolling ball with the matching color stem. Was interesting to read you found yourself using the slimline as your main day-to-day cane as I was wondering how well those ones work out for that purpose and decided against getting one of those because of concerns over that. How well does the ceramic tip work for constant contact, as I was wondering about that myself and could find little to no info on the subject.
nonniemous 3 points 1y ago
I was not expecting to, but it's genuinely super portable and living in a city where most of the places I'm going to use it in are not super rough, it's actually very comfortable. I was worried it might be too flimsy but it's holding up great so far.
Keep in mind that I've been using the ceramic tip for three months only, so I don't know how it'll do in the long term, but here's my two cents: I actually mostly use it with constant contact and it's working great, it's obviously more worn than it would be if I only did two-point but it rolls over surfaces without friction, the audio feedback is really, really good and it gets caught less than marshmallow-shaped (rollers and not rollers), though I can't fathom why. I'm worried that the coating might peel off and that will lead to less accurate feedback but so far it seems alright? It gets used almost daily and for about an hour on average, and it's only got some wear.
Keep in mind that I've been using the ceramic tip for three months only, so I don't know how it'll do in the long term, but here's my two cents: I actually mostly use it with constant contact and it's working great, it's obviously more worn than it would be if I only did two-point but it rolls over surfaces without friction, the audio feedback is really, really good and it gets caught less than marshmallow-shaped (rollers and not rollers), though I can't fathom why. I'm worried that the coating might peel off and that will lead to less accurate feedback but so far it seems alright? It gets used almost daily and for about an hour on average, and it's only got some wear.
DHamlinMusic 3 points 1y ago
And just to be sure, you're using the ceramic tip for contact on things like sidewalks and the like not just in buildings on smooth floors and whatnot? Cuz I normally use a rolling ball as the sidewalks around my house are inconsistent and the rolling marshmallow with getting caught constantly.
nonniemous 4 points 1y ago
Absolutely, all outdoor use, I generally don't use canes indoors because the spaces are too narrow. The marshmallow gets caught everywhere, but this somehow doesn't, despite being smaller? I really can't figure out why, but I'm super pleased. Coming from rolling ball btw so I'm also used to the big tip being way smoother in how much it gets caught.
DHamlinMusic 2 points 1y ago
Not using canes indoors wood imply to me that you have some vision enough to get around at least indoors with much difficulty, I don't have that luxury unless I'm very familiar with the space.
TechnicalPragmatist 1 points 1y ago
I use a slim line one at least for a while heavily or more then someone with a bit of vision and it lasted. Some say don’t do that or don’t use that you’re really rough with your canes and they have held up.
Samanthia_Farthing 3 points 1y ago
i really like the ambutech canes. I have a regular and a slim line as well, and they’re both great. I also wanted to mention that you can find the ambutech canes on other websites like MaxiAids too, just in case the shipping from somewhere like that is better. You won’t be able to do all the custom colors, but if you just want one of the canes and don’t care so much about that, it could be a good option.
nonniemous 3 points 1y ago
MaxiAids also has pretty high shipping costs over here, unfortunately... I wouldn't mind, otherwise; I have done my fair share of messing around with customization with older canes, so plain ones would eventually get some color slapped onto them, haha. As long as the cane is comfortable to use, the rest is way more manageable.
mehgcap 2 points 1y ago
I find my slim line to be quite floppy, as you put it, but I think mine is longer than yours. I'm glad yours is working for you. I'm also quite happy to hear that the ceramic tip worked out so well.
Vicki7789 1 points 1y ago
I have both a regular Ambutech graphite cane and 2 slim lines (I wanted a backup and to keep one in a couple of different places). I like both, but my regular cane is my daily driver currently.
I’m going to Disney World and Universal in October (I’m from the UK so coming to Orlando for 2 weeks). Would the slimline hold up in the parks or should I bring my regular cane?
I’m going to Disney World and Universal in October (I’m from the UK so coming to Orlando for 2 weeks). Would the slimline hold up in the parks or should I bring my regular cane?
HereForHogwarts 1 points 10m ago
Hi! I just found this post and also just moved to Orlando. I have not been to Disney (might go this Saturday) but have gone several times a week to Orlando, as that was the reason I moved here. Since you still maybe have some time to order something, I hope I can help out.
Short answer is I would probably bring a Slimline and a regular graphite cane. They should not be counted as part of your luggage or carry-on limit though, because they're medical devices, but that might only apply to US airlines.
If you need more specifics, I've given way too much detail below.
Disclaimer: I am a pretty new cane user. My first cane excursion ever was also literally my second trip to Universal after moving here a couple of months ago. I have a good amount of vision in many circumstances, but then there are a few scenarios where my vision is extremely impaired. Universal is one of the only places where I've found I truly need a cane to safely get around in most situations, even during the daytime. Too many places are dark as heck with tiny children in black robes darting in front of people, especially in the HP areas! And during HHN? Forget about it, lol. So that's the context for my use case.
Anyway, I'm 5ft8, and my #1 go-to cane is a 7-section 58 inch Ambutech graphite slimline with a ceramic tip. It comes up almost to my chin and I ADORE this cane for Universal. It's floppier than I'd like and I hate using the ball with it, so I might get a 5 or 6 section in future, but it's been a game changer. I also have a lot of issues with all my joints, and this cane doesn't hurt my wrist or arm joints at all. It's just the best possible experience I've had with any of my cane setups in the parks.
Technique: I use a very light-touch constant contact technique 95% of the time, so it's like almost 2-point touch except the ceramic tip is just barely in contact with the ground the whole time it would normally be in the air. This is a really effective strategy for me personally, though your mileage may vary. If I'm looking up around at things instead of the ground, or when I have other zero visibility moments (usually during HHN scare zones or when my glasses fog up going in or out of a building), I do the traditional constant contact technique and don't have any trouble there usually. I've also had no issues with diagonal technique or true two-point as needed, or random other techniques like probing curbs or sliding the tip on the ground straight ought in front of me when there's zero crowds and a bunch of light and I'm feeling lazy and I'm pretty sure there are no curbs ahead (but don't want to risk it fully). It's really impressive how nicely this works for me around Universal. It's just such a nice way to experience the parks, if that makes sense.
My second choice could easily be my first choice if I liked roller balls more. It's my either 54 or 56 inch Ambutech hi lite 5-section graphite cane with a high mileage rolling ball. It's pretty good, a little too short for me, but you basically cannot go wrong with this combo honestly. I'm planning to buy a hook and screw tip adapter to try the ceramic tip on it because I prefer that so much, and I know the research says heavier and more rigid canes detect drop offs better with constant contact. Those are not a huge concern in most parts of Universal, but honestly it just takes one bad step to ruin your vacation. So yeah, folding regular graphite canes with roller balls are an extremely safe bet, and if I had less vision and was also completely unfamiliar with the parks, I could see feeling a lot more comfortable with the roller ball and normal graphite folding cane combo. As it is, I'm just not as confident a walker with them because the ground feels so muffled, I can't feel all the cracks and dips properly and catch my toe in them occasionally. I also like to walk really fast, so ceramic is the one for me currently.
Other cane or tip notes:
* Metal glide tip on Slimline: okay, not my favorite, possible to do constant contact in most areas surprisingly, but I just like the ceramic so much better.
* 8mm roller ball on Slimline: I keep this in my backpack in case I ever need it, but I don't like it on this otherwise excellent cane. It's super bendy and it always wants to keep rolling in its current direction, so I have to wrestle it back the other direction every single time. That means I get worn out and have to walk really slowly with it, and the only time I ever got a freaking brand new roller ball caught in a tiny sidewalk crack, it was with this setup. So if you know you definitely need to roller ball, I would probably get a regular graphite cane to go with it.
* Marshmallow tip on non-Slimline canes: these get stuck EVERYWHERE for me. I don't know what it is, but I had a miserable time with them and would not recommend. Especially in Lost Continent or Citywalk where they have these weirdly massive gaps between the smooth sidewalk tiles.
Hope that helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions before or after getting here—or if you want a visually impaired local to hang out or show you around the parks once you get here. :) And definitely let me know if you go to HHN, because I had a miserable first time due to my VI, but I love it now. Have an amazing time either way!
Short answer is I would probably bring a Slimline and a regular graphite cane. They should not be counted as part of your luggage or carry-on limit though, because they're medical devices, but that might only apply to US airlines.
If you need more specifics, I've given way too much detail below.
Disclaimer: I am a pretty new cane user. My first cane excursion ever was also literally my second trip to Universal after moving here a couple of months ago. I have a good amount of vision in many circumstances, but then there are a few scenarios where my vision is extremely impaired. Universal is one of the only places where I've found I truly need a cane to safely get around in most situations, even during the daytime. Too many places are dark as heck with tiny children in black robes darting in front of people, especially in the HP areas! And during HHN? Forget about it, lol. So that's the context for my use case.
Anyway, I'm 5ft8, and my #1 go-to cane is a 7-section 58 inch Ambutech graphite slimline with a ceramic tip. It comes up almost to my chin and I ADORE this cane for Universal. It's floppier than I'd like and I hate using the ball with it, so I might get a 5 or 6 section in future, but it's been a game changer. I also have a lot of issues with all my joints, and this cane doesn't hurt my wrist or arm joints at all. It's just the best possible experience I've had with any of my cane setups in the parks.
Technique: I use a very light-touch constant contact technique 95% of the time, so it's like almost 2-point touch except the ceramic tip is just barely in contact with the ground the whole time it would normally be in the air. This is a really effective strategy for me personally, though your mileage may vary. If I'm looking up around at things instead of the ground, or when I have other zero visibility moments (usually during HHN scare zones or when my glasses fog up going in or out of a building), I do the traditional constant contact technique and don't have any trouble there usually. I've also had no issues with diagonal technique or true two-point as needed, or random other techniques like probing curbs or sliding the tip on the ground straight ought in front of me when there's zero crowds and a bunch of light and I'm feeling lazy and I'm pretty sure there are no curbs ahead (but don't want to risk it fully). It's really impressive how nicely this works for me around Universal. It's just such a nice way to experience the parks, if that makes sense.
My second choice could easily be my first choice if I liked roller balls more. It's my either 54 or 56 inch Ambutech hi lite 5-section graphite cane with a high mileage rolling ball. It's pretty good, a little too short for me, but you basically cannot go wrong with this combo honestly. I'm planning to buy a hook and screw tip adapter to try the ceramic tip on it because I prefer that so much, and I know the research says heavier and more rigid canes detect drop offs better with constant contact. Those are not a huge concern in most parts of Universal, but honestly it just takes one bad step to ruin your vacation. So yeah, folding regular graphite canes with roller balls are an extremely safe bet, and if I had less vision and was also completely unfamiliar with the parks, I could see feeling a lot more comfortable with the roller ball and normal graphite folding cane combo. As it is, I'm just not as confident a walker with them because the ground feels so muffled, I can't feel all the cracks and dips properly and catch my toe in them occasionally. I also like to walk really fast, so ceramic is the one for me currently.
Other cane or tip notes:
* Metal glide tip on Slimline: okay, not my favorite, possible to do constant contact in most areas surprisingly, but I just like the ceramic so much better.
* 8mm roller ball on Slimline: I keep this in my backpack in case I ever need it, but I don't like it on this otherwise excellent cane. It's super bendy and it always wants to keep rolling in its current direction, so I have to wrestle it back the other direction every single time. That means I get worn out and have to walk really slowly with it, and the only time I ever got a freaking brand new roller ball caught in a tiny sidewalk crack, it was with this setup. So if you know you definitely need to roller ball, I would probably get a regular graphite cane to go with it.
* Marshmallow tip on non-Slimline canes: these get stuck EVERYWHERE for me. I don't know what it is, but I had a miserable time with them and would not recommend. Especially in Lost Continent or Citywalk where they have these weirdly massive gaps between the smooth sidewalk tiles.
Hope that helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions before or after getting here—or if you want a visually impaired local to hang out or show you around the parks once you get here. :) And definitely let me know if you go to HHN, because I had a miserable first time due to my VI, but I love it now. Have an amazing time either way!
nonniemous 1 points 1y ago
I'm going to copy the info she gave me. Hope it's useful!
"They should take the larger roller, all parks vary their terrain based on themes. So places like Magic Kingdom and Epcot are going to have the most consistent paving and terrain, the ceramic and ball tips may be better there because of crowds, and smother paving. Animal Kingdom is all rough terrain except by Dino land, they’re going to want something that’s not going to get stuck in large divots, I don’t feel like I’m well versed enough in the nuances to give an accurate recommendation. Hollywood Studios has two big sections that have a lot of textured paving that may make smaller tips a little harder to manage, usually when I see people come in with their canes they have very large ball roller canes.
They should also know that there are a ton of other resources available to them if they need it, they just have to stop by guest services once they’re in the park and they’re more than willing to accommodate literally anything ."
"They should take the larger roller, all parks vary their terrain based on themes. So places like Magic Kingdom and Epcot are going to have the most consistent paving and terrain, the ceramic and ball tips may be better there because of crowds, and smother paving. Animal Kingdom is all rough terrain except by Dino land, they’re going to want something that’s not going to get stuck in large divots, I don’t feel like I’m well versed enough in the nuances to give an accurate recommendation. Hollywood Studios has two big sections that have a lot of textured paving that may make smaller tips a little harder to manage, usually when I see people come in with their canes they have very large ball roller canes.
They should also know that there are a ton of other resources available to them if they need it, they just have to stop by guest services once they’re in the park and they’re more than willing to accommodate literally anything ."
nonniemous 1 points 1y ago
I'm gonna get back to you in a bit; I haven't been to the Orlando parks myself, and I'm also in Europe so I'm not sure if there's a standard, but I happen to have a friend who works at Disney World and I could ask her about the tiles and how rough the terrain is. Might ask for pictures as well, just in case. I'll reply again when I hear from her!
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