I bought both the Drive Medical 790 & 796 (used in lieu of crutches during fractured foot-bone recovery). This is kind of a lengthy review, but hopefully others will find it useful, since even the manufacturer's website didn't provide enough details to answer some of the questions that came to mind as I was trying to compare models & features. Main point - for outdoor use and collapsing the steering column for stowage in a vehicle, the 790 is by FAR the better choice compared to the 796. The handles on the 790's steering column are wider than the 796, which means you have better leverage for steering control, and thus, better steering control. The 796 does come with a small basket, which is handy, but the Schwinn quick-release wire basket, although a separate purchase, is bigger, and not too hard to attach. The 790's release catch to fold down the steering column is much easier to use vs. the 796. The catch release on the 790 can be a one-handed maneuver, although you'll probably use the other hand to keep the steering column from just falling down once the catch is released. You slide up a spring button to release the flip lever, which has a tab that catches the latch-bolt as you pull down the flip lever. The 796 catch release is a push-button, but the push button is so small you can't use your finger, you have to use something like the eraser-end of a pencil to be able to push it in far enough to release the catch and fold it down, obviously a nuisance to try to do in the haste-of-the-moment of stowing it into your vehicle. Between that and the shorter steering handles, I think the 796 is better suited to indoor use. The only negative I found to the latching on the 790 is the latch-bolt is spring loaded, and occasionally, the tab on the flip-lever release could push past it, meaning you have to pull down the latch-bolt by hand (quicker), or flip the lever up and down trying to get it to re-catch. You can most easily release the catch by pulling the steering column towards the catch mechanism, which ensures it's flush to the bottom section of the steering shaft and not putting any pressure against the latch bolt, leaving the latch-bolt free to pivot down without resistance. Turning Radius: The 790 has a good-bit tighter turning radius than the 796, as you can turn the steering column/wheels further side-to-side. This is handy everywhere, although especially inside within tighter quarters. The downside to this is it can be easier to get off balance with the 790 - you have to be careful not to crank the steering all the way to the side of your good leg and lean over your elevated leg the other way, you can go right over. A little cautious forethought and you can avoid spilling yourself. The 796 is more tip-proof in that regard since you can't turn the steering as far - in that sense the 796 might be a better choice for a senior 70's-80's+. The 790 does not have a knee pad slightly offset to one side, the 796 does have an offset knee pad. For the 796, you want to make sure the knee pad is offset towards the 'scoot' leg, which also makes it more tip-proof. Interestingly, even though made by the same company, the seat columns are different diameters and thus not interchangeable (I tried, wouldn't swap). The other advantage of an offset seat is your 'scooting' foot is over a little further and less prone to rake against the rear wheel. I didn't really have a problem with that with the 790, although it's advisable to wear some sort of foot gear scooting around indoors rather than just socks or barefoot. The wheels spin very freely on the 790, you can really get moving on this thing outdoors, and if you hit a pavement/surface irregularity at speed, that could make you go down, so it's a good idea not to get too carried away with zipping along, advisable to keep rolling at walking speed. I opted to lift the front slightly over sidewalk gaps & wheelchair ramps rather than trust the front wheels not to catch and force an unwanted sudden turn. It got some usage on city streets, here they have these dimpled 'traction pads' (for lack of a better description) on the sloped part of the sidewalk ramps; the dimples are large enough and high enough that they are difficult to traverse over with a knee walker, the dimples have the handlebars wanting to twist out of your hands - no way to roll over those things quickly or easily. The 796 wheels also turn freely enough, the 796 steering column seemed to have more resistance than the 790, although that could be attributed to having less turning leverage with the shorter handlebars. Brakes/Braking: The 790 has a bicycle-style brake handle on each handlebar for each rear brake, and there is a separate brake on both rear wheels. The 796 has a single brake handle which actuates brakes on both rear wheels. The 790 has serrated metal pieces that press against the rear wheels for braking; the 796 uses bicycle-style rubber brake pads that press against the rear wheels. Both models, you can lock the brakes on, and pulling the brake handle releases the spring-loaded brake lock. Because of the serrated metal 'pads' and handles for each rear brake, the 790 has more stopping power for the brakes - having two hands braking obviously you can apply more braking force than being able to only use one hand, as on the 796; that, plus the rubber brake pads of the 796, although a replaceable wear item, can't bite against the rear wheels as much as the metal counterparts on the 790. If the rear wheels of the 796 get wet, it would be the same loss of stopping grip as a bicycle in the rain. The serrated metal of the 790, that's not much of an issue, except it can be easier to just lock up one or both of the rear wheels (thus back to keeping rolling speed within reason). In the couple months usage, I didn't discern enough usable wear on the rear wheels to be a problem - seems like it would take a long time for the metal pads of the 790's brakes to wear the wheels to the point of needing replacements. The 790 brake cables did stretch some (similar to bikes) over the couple months usage, but not enough that I couldn't re-adjust within the range of the turning adjusters - further stretching would require pulling the cable tighter through the bolt clamps (again, similar to bicycles). The knee pads on both models were well-cushioned and fine, just different designs. The 796 has the offset knee pad, the 790 doesn't, the 796 has two large square pads with somewhat more cushioning, the 790 is a molded single piece of cushioned foam, no problem for me with comfort/use of either. Using the 790 more regularly, I found the adjusting/locking knob for the knee-pad post would occasionally loosen and require re-tightening, no big deal really, just something to check every so often. Don't know how I did it, but accidentally knocked off the small retaining circlip on the underside of one of the 790's brake locking buttons - must have knocked it against something, although maneuvering it in & out of my truck was more of a hasty rather than careful procedure. Not a flaw, I suspect most would not have this happen. The 796 is tools-free assembly, the 790 involves some simple assembly of the steering column with a provided allen wrench - the biggest challenge for the 790 is getting the handlebars parallel with the front wheels. If you push the front wheels against a straight wall, you'll have more visual reference for parallel alignment. Both come in a good-sized box that's easy enough to open, I think the 796 box had industrial staples at the seams, & the 790 was seam-glued. I think both were taped shut. I found I could use the 790 to navigate my 6 outside deck stairs (which also have a railing) - the steps up to the deck (& house door) were more than deep enough for both rear wheels to rest solidly on the steps pushed against the next step, and with the handlebars turned at full lock away from the steps (towards me), the one front wheel was more
