If you've tried to get a custom wheelchair through insurance, you know the drill. Six months minimum. Often a year. And even after your insurance approves it, you're paying $8,000 to $10,000 out of pocket after deductibles.

Zack Nelson, the YouTuber behind JerryRigEverything with 8.8 million subscribers, built a wheelchair factory that delivers custom-fitted rigid chairs in 5 to 6 weeks for $1,000 to $2,000. No insurance. No prior authorization. No justification letters for why a wheelchair needs wheels.

The story went viral this week on Reddit with 69,000 upvotes. The top comment, from a 45-year wheelchair user currently waiting for their new chair, said it plainly: "He's single-handedly doing what so many of us wheelchair users have been begging for."

Here's what Nelson built, why the insurance path is so broken, and what the Paradox wheelchair costs.

Why Zack Nelson Built a Wheelchair Factory

Nelson's wife, Cambry, is a wheelchair user. She was paralyzed at 18 in an equestrian vaulting accident. In 2019, she needed a new chair before their wedding, which was six months away. She ordered through the standard insurance process, and the chair barely arrived in time.

That experience, waiting six months for equipment you need today, is what led Nelson to start Not A Wheelchair. The company manufactures the Paradox custom rigid wheelchair and a line of off-road electric wheelchairs. The Utah factory employs Americans and uses modern CNC laser cutting and metalworking instead of the 1980s-era processes still standard in the custom wheelchair market.

Two major suppliers dominate the U.S. custom wheelchair market. Both have documented histories of six- to twelve-month delays, wrong parts shipped, repair postponements, and insurance fights that drag on for months.

Nelson built a factory to bypass that entirely.

What the Insurance Path Costs

A Reddit user in the viral thread laid out the real cost of getting a custom wheelchair through insurance. They've been a wheelchair user for 45 years. Here's what they paid for their most recent chair.

First, you need a physical therapy evaluation: mobility, flexibility, scoliosis screening. That's $0 to $300 or more, depending on your plan.

Then your PT submits justifications for each component of the wheelchair: not the chair as a whole, but each individual part. A $5 clothes guard requires a separate medical necessity justification letter. So do the wheels. Yes, the wheels. Your PT has to submit written justification for why a wheelchair needs wheels.

Insurance approves or denies each part separately. They only cover specific frames from specific manufacturers. Custom wheelchairs are classified as Durable Medical Equipment, which means a separate, higher deductible. For many families, that's $1,500 to $5,000 before insurance pays anything.

After the deductible, insurance typically covers 50% of the cost.

The user in the Reddit thread was quoted $16,475 for their chair. After deductible and coinsurance, they paid $9,737.50 out of pocket.

And then you wait six months at minimum, often twelve.

What Not A Wheelchair Charges

The Paradox, Not A Wheelchair's custom rigid manual wheelchair, starts at $999. A fully customized system with cushion, backrest, and wheels runs $1,000 to $2,000 depending on options.

Delivery: 5 to 6 weeks.

The company doesn't market its products as medical devices. They're "Not A Wheelchair," a branding choice that likely keeps them outside FDA and insurance regulatory capture. You can't bill insurance for a Paradox, but you also don't need prior authorization, justification letters, or a year-long fight over whether your child's wheelchair requires armrests.

You order it, you pay for it, and the chair ships within six weeks.

How the Pricing Works

Insurance pricing for custom wheelchairs itemizes every component separately, then marks each one up 80% or more above market value.

Memory foam cushions billed at $600 for 2.5 inches of foam. Individual wheels priced per tire type, with markups on each. Backrest systems, clothes guards, positioning straps: each one a separate line item with a separate billing code and a separate medical necessity letter.

Not A Wheelchair sells complete systems at a fixed price. The Paradox base model is $999. Upgrades like carbon fiber components, wooden handrims, and wheelchair armor are listed on the site with transparent pricing.

For families who've been through the insurance process, the transparency alone is worth something.

What Else Not A Wheelchair Makes

Beyond the Paradox, the company manufactures a line of off-road electric wheelchairs:

• The Rig: off-road electric wheelchair for adults
• The Kids Rig: children's off-road electric wheelchair
• The Big Rig: 4WD off-road electric wheelchair

Accessories include wooden handrims and wheelchair armor for rugged use. Nelson's background is in precision durability testing for consumer electronics, which he applies to wheelchair components.

The company also publishes teardowns, durability tests, and build videos on the JerryRigEverything YouTube channel. If you want to see what goes into a custom rigid wheelchair before you buy one, the videos are there.

What This Means for Families

If you're in the market for a custom rigid manual wheelchair, you now have a choice that didn't exist five years ago.

You can go through insurance: six to twelve months, $8,000 to $10,000 out of pocket after deductibles, justification letters for every component, and no guarantee the chair arrives when promised.

Or you can order a Paradox: 5 to 6 weeks, $1,000 to $2,000, no insurance, no prior authorization.

For families who've hit their deductible and have strong insurance coverage, the insurance path may still pencil out. For everyone else (families early in the plan year, high-deductible plans, or anyone who can't wait a year for equipment their child needs today), the math is straightforward.

The factory ships from Utah. The product line is at notawheelchair.com, and the Reddit thread where 69,000 people upvoted this story is still live, full of wheelchair users saying the same thing: this is what we've been asking for.

FAQ

Does insurance cover the Paradox wheelchair?

No. Not A Wheelchair doesn't market its products as medical devices, so they don't participate in insurance billing. You pay out of pocket.

How long does it take to get a Paradox wheelchair?

5 to 6 weeks from order to delivery.

What's the price range for a fully customized Paradox?

$1,000 to $2,000 depending on options like cushion type, backrest, wheels, and accessories.

Can I still go through insurance for a custom wheelchair?

Yes. The insurance path is still available. Expect to wait 6 to 12 months and pay $8,000 to $10,000 out of pocket after deductibles and coinsurance, depending on your plan.

What other wheelchairs does Not A Wheelchair make?

The Rig for adults, The Kids Rig for children, and The Big Rig with 4WD, all off-road electric wheelchairs. Full product line at notawheelchair.com.

Who is Zack Nelson?

Zack Nelson runs the YouTube channel JerryRigEverything with 8.8M subscribers, known for durability testing consumer electronics. His wife Cambry is a wheelchair user, which led him to start Not A Wheelchair after experiencing the insurance wheelchair procurement process firsthand.