Overhyped overpriced and poor performing/barely functional. Go back and look over the threads in the sub and you will see no one has ever recommended one at all.

Most of them use ultrasonic rangefinders. They can help determine curb drop offs or low hanging signs.

I’m not blind, but work with assistive technology and I have many clients who are blind. I have zero clients (including my most tech savvy- iPads and smartwatches and laptop users) who are using a smart cane or the range finding canes - they are heavy, they have problems in rain, the tech is flaky, etc. I haven’t been impressed by any of the ones I have seen. In one way or another, none of the tech solutions beat the traditional cane. It doesn’t stop someone from coming up with the same idea every couple years.

I tried one once and frankly, way too heavy. Also didn’t work that well on city streets at least for NYC where I tested it

Have a friend that had one. They suck.

Usually very expensive and heavy. Also hard to replace or fix if it technologically fails and you’d have to buy another one for those times or simply go back to the old ways and at that point it may not help because you’ve become dependent on the cane with all the features. The thing is some of these things a iphone can do or just good mobility skills that can’t be replaced anyway would already serve this purpose.

Not many people have or want such a product.

I’ve never heard any good things about them from other blind people.

They’re heavy. I found the weight of a heavy duty carabiner on the handle of my cane too much, and switched it for a lightweight one. The weight of all the electronics at the handle would be really painful on the wrist.

They work badly, or worse, break, in rain or cold. I live in Canada, and don’t want a cane I can only use for half the year.

They’re super expensive. Hundreds of dollars for a cane I can only use half the year? No, thanks!

And from what I’ve heard they don’t give you much information that you can’t get through either good mobility skills, or a smartphone app. I’ve also heard they’re not very accurate at warning of objects (either missing things, or giving false positives).

Some kind of wearable accessory, like the Buzzclip, sounds more feasible—at least it’s not attached to my cane handle where it can impede it’s use—but I don’t know how durable, expensive, or accurate they are. They just sound like the have more potential to be a useful navigation accessory in a way that a smartcane does not.

They're mostly pieces of over-priced garbage that don't do anything you can't already do with your phone. They just add weight/fragility to the cane and can detract from actual useful things the cane gives you like tactile feedback.

They are not worth the money. The cane is a simple tool, if you have the training and are determined you can become an independent traveler.

Another great option would be to work on your echolocation skills. There are two different types active and passive. Passive Echolocation is when you listen for naturally occurring sounds like traffic or animals. Active Echolocation is when you make a noise yourself to hear what’s around you, this is what people who are blind or low vision do and bats as well. This is a built in technology that we are all born with :)

I like the Wewalk app. Not sure about their canes though.

I would appriciate canes having powerful LED lights, because I could surely use extra lights in the dark, without carrying extra lights in hand or anywhere on my body. But if it makes canes hevy or fragile, I don't want it.

Lighter canes are already so fragile, I've had 1 guy bending my cane by just accidentally stepping upon it. I would rather have it breaking legs of others who dair to step upon it.

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Pretty sure a dog will do all the same things and it’ll be cuter as well.