The HurryCane- The All-Terrain Cane

I was interested in this cane when I saw it advertised on TV but I NEVER buy anything off a TV Ad or off a new website, especially when they want my credit card info. I was impressed when I saw a seller offering them on Amazon! That placed them in the "respectable" bin for me, as that shows willingness to take some buyer dissatisfaction risk, meaning they are willing to accept Amazon's pro buyer policies.I've had my cane for a week now. So far, it works as advertised. It seems sturdy. It does fold and self-assemble well and the specially designed "foot" works well. Its limited flexibility is a real improvement over the other stiff designs. For those of us who cling to self-respect, you want to know it looks nice, not industrial looking at all like most metal canes. Making it black is an intelligent touch. I like it.Two negatives that you need to be aware of: First, the safety cautions:The cane does stand easily and well BUT ONLY ON uncarpeted floors. It is a real improvement for me when I am in our kitchen, the place where I need both hands the most. It will not stand anywhere else in our short hair carpeted home. When it does fall, it is possible to get it back by stepping on the base with your toes. However, it is not as easy as the un-handicapped model makes it appear. Fortunately, I assumed that caution is in order because you might smack yourself stepping on the base. Despite my caution, I have managed to smack myself in the face once already. People who do not have experience with people who need a cane do not seem to know that needing a cane is most often a balancing, not a limping problem. It is not easy for all cane uers to control the foot pressure they place on the base when attempting to get it upright. Caution is also in order when allowing the cane to auto assemble. It does it quickly & vigorously enough to strike you in the face.The second con is my biggest dislike. The base has a heavy duty spring in it and Hurrycane does not appear to have made any effort to eliminate the metal friction noise it makes each time you touch it to the floor and again when you lift it up. I say no effort because I greatly reduced the loud noise by simply spraying some WD-40 lubricant onto the inside of the base (foot) assembly and using it a few minutes.I am going to work on it a week or so to get the sound down more before I even consider going into public with this cane. How bad is it? Before I lubricated the inside the base, I sounded like Iron Man as I walked with it.I use it daily AT HOME. For those who cling to some dignity in public, beware of the metallic noise you will make with this cane, unless you lubricate & work the metal friction out of it, something the manufacturer should have respected us enough to do.Overall, I like and recommend this cane.UPDATE(Aug 28,2012)-- I used a small amount of Petroleum Jelly & used the cane in the house to eliminate the metal friction sound the base makes. I still get a sort of thump sound when it goes up & down on the ground. That cannot be owner eliminated as its made by the flexible foot. I took it in public Sunday when I visited Walgreens. A few pharmacy customers noticed my cane and mentioned a family member has one. They told me their relative really wanted one after seeing the commercial on TV. Three wanted the stand alone feature and found it rarely stands. Two also mentioned wanting it for advertised superior gravel and snow use which they didn't find to be true. I hadn't considered the snow and gravel part as I figured it would not improve either. Its only slightly better than a traditional cane for lawn use (I tried it). I still like it because I never believed it would do much for gravel or snow use. An additional cosmetic plus is each segment is flared on one end giving it a sort of attractive bamboo-ish look. I wonder if Hurrycane considered giving buyers a choice between black and a bamboo like surface texture and\or color?

A knee injury prompted me to buy this cane. Here is my assessment of its plusses and minuses. On the down side, this cane is a bit heavier than I expected since I want to carry it in my purse on occassion, but you can't say it isn't sturdy. I'm overweight and needed something I could really lean on, even push on hard when I'm rising from a sitting position. I had been using what the English call a shooting stick (a collapsible seat on a stick base) when I was walking on uneven surfaces and needed an assist with balance. That had the added benefit of letting me rest on its seat when at sporting events, in the airport or wherever, but this knee injury was more debilitating and required a real cane, even in the house.I didn't see the infomercial and was just looking for something with a secure base for hard and uneven surfaces that was collapsible, adjustable and had a comfortable handle. I didn't even know I could tip it back up after it had fallen and that's a feature I really love because bending way down is one of the things I can't do. Nor did I know that it would stand up by itself on level surfaces, another benefit and one I've really valued. I thank other reviewers for that news.I like the strap for hanging it from my wrist if I need to and that the strap has the added benefit of wrapping around the collapsed cane to keep it together without the storage case should you want to do that.The shooting stick's collapsible seat has been great over the years for walking tours, museum visits as well as sporting events, etc., but as a serious cane it does have limitations in that there's no way to keep it propped against something without falling over and with the seat it's too bulky to put in a purse when collapsed. Also the handle which is the rear of the tipped up seat isn't comfortable for longer walks and as I've gotten older and shorter, it's now a bit taller than I want and not adjustable. While I'll still use it when my knee is healed, this HurryCane is a blessing in that it takes care of all the shortcomings.At 5'4" in shoes, the shortest height is too short for me but the next level up is perfect. It offers three higher adjustments. The metal base is nicely non-skid and non-marking on my wood floors and also good on carpet, but best of all, it does really well outside on my gravel drive and in the yard as I go to tend my gardens. I'm pleased with this purchase and recommend it.