Side by Side Comparison of: Carex Health Brands vs Essential Medical Supply

it was as described and made very well...I liked the idea that the original toilet seat can be installed over it.

I recently had total hip surgery and needed a toilet seat elevator. I looked at several of them and chose this one. Very happy with it. Easy to install and easy to clean. You have to loosen it a little when cleaning the toilet, especially between it and the porcelain of the toilet bowl as the urine gathers under it and makes for a nasty mess. It's sturdy and the handles on the side give that added support needed. I may leave it on long after I've recovered because it makes sitting on the commode easier.

My wife has tremors and tends to fall. I actually found this seat to be quite stable, I was also happy with the quality and ease of installing. I do have to tighten up the bolts in back about once a week, I would be careful to do that even though I don't think it has created a safety problem, it just needs to be made so it doesn't slide a little side-to-side. My wife is rough on these seats, so I'm OK with that.

Arrived earlier than expected, was very easy to install and works just as stated. Great product!

Perfect for those having a hard time standind up from a sitting position. My husband said its a little piece of Heaven for him ! No more falling !

After two back surgeries and a knee replacement I can truly say this product is a terrific help. We also have three of our parents living with us (102, 95, and 90 years of age) and without this additional elevation for the toilet, we would be in a world of trouble. This seat and the installation of a pull bar on the wall enable the older folks to be independent while using the facilities. What a good product.

This is wonderful. It is just what my husband needed for help up and down. Warning -- if you already have a high toilet this might make it too high. Take that into consideration. We are both very tall so we (barely) escaped having to return it. I like that fact that it is hinged for proper cleaning. Also it is easy to install.

I purchase this for my grandfather ... and my mother who takes care of him. My grandfather is 86 years old and a three time stroke survivor. While he still has mobility getting up and down has become difficult. He gave me quite the complaint after installing it ... until he used it. Once he realized how much easier it was to get up from the toilet he was quite happy with it. My mother has a hip injury and will be having hip replacement surgery soon so I am hoping she will also benefit.

I bought this for my 76 year old Mom after hip surgery. It s a very solid seat and helps her now son much easier to get up. What I personally like best that the lid can close with this one and the arms remove so when I have other guest in the guest room it's barley noticeable thst it is a medical toilet seat. My husband said it was easy install.

Going to install when it arrives and I think it will work well. After reading reviews, I'm concerned about stability and also being able to clean this seat: Essential Medical Supply Elevated Toilet Seat with Arms. It seems like it would have to be removed completely in order to clean it and the toliet. Will use giant wire ties to secure the seat and then be able to remove and reinstall quickly. It might even be more stable than using bolts because of the lateral tension of wrapping a tie through each hole then around either side. Wish me luck!Update: The wire ties didn't work and left the seat too loose, but the extended bolts that come it with have wing nuts that are a breeze to install (and uninstall for any thorough cleaning). The seat is very tightly held in place and looks terrific, very high tech like it belongs on a spaceship lol.We got the standard size which fit the bowl that measures 16.5 inches from bolt holes to the front, outside edge. You add your favorite toilet seat and end up with 5 inches of added height which is just what our elderly mother needed. This replaced a floor standing over-the-toilet commode that was just too bulky and cumbersome for her bathroom.

This riser fits on my half-bath toilet. What I like so much about it is that when it is added to the regular toilet base, the stool is taller than a handicap accessible toilet. I am tall and after having a hip replacement, I needed a taller toilet. Once added, the regular toilet seat sits on top of the riser which allows you to put the seat down on the toilet. Had been looking at handicap accessible toilets prior to purchasing the riser. It was so much cheaper purchasing this and was very easy to install. What I like the most is that the seat can be lowered. You don't even notice the riser! The riser doesn't affect how you would normally clean the stool. I would definitely recommend this product.

have purchased a few of these and they are a consistent hit. PROS: raises the seat height while keeping the aesthetics of the toilet essentially normal--not fancy or elegant, but more or less normal. adjustable slots allow for a variety of positions to accommodate various toilet shapes. easy to install. Feels sturdy--unlike clamp on "top of the toilet" risers--at a lower cost!! Bonus!! CONS: it's still a piece of plastic under your toilet seat which may get soiled and need extra cleaning. It doesn't perfectly fit all toilets--acceptability may vary depending on how particular your user is in the function vs. fashion dept. For the ultimate experience, one needs to pay much more than $25--either get a whole new toilet, or try the "Toilevator".

Need to add double stick tape to the front to stabilize the seat.

This was a life saver for about 2 months when I was in a knee brace after surgery.May need to save it for old age, if I can remember where i put it, ha?!

I have two bad knees (waiting for knee replacement surgery) and this elevated seat was so helpful. I have used it for close to 2 years but about 6 months ago the rubber on the handles came apart. It may expected that this would happen with regular use but I think it would be a good idea to use a more durable material.

This is an extremely helpful product for an older or heavier person, who has difficulty getting up off the toilet. It fit well on our Kohler elongated toilet bowl. After enlarging the mounting holes slightly in our lid cover to accommodate the supplied mounting bolts, it sits securely on the bowl. Even after tightening the mounting bolts very tight, there is still some movement possible toward the front of the unit, which is not fastened or clamped in any way. An adjustable clamp to hold the front edge a little more securely would be useful. The handles are helpful, although they are covered with some kind of soft foam rubber, and previous experience tells me that in time they will stretch and loosen. Actually, a non-slip coating of some sort on the handles would probably last longer

Good seat height, easy to mount. Was a little small for my husband between the hand grips, but he could use it. Measurement between the hand grips is approximately 18.5 inches. Can adjust 1" closer on each side for 16.5 inch space if you need smaller. The toilet lid feet were beginning to press into the top of the elevator seat. Did not need to use riser long enough to know if this would cause any problem with integrity of riser. If used for long term, might want to try knocking the toilet lid feet off so it lays flat on the riser and distributes the weight better. I am happy with purchase, but would need one with wider access between hand grips. Hope this helps, I know how frustrating it is to try and buy something without seeing the actual product!

Had hip replacement surgery. Occupational therapy daughter did research and recommended. So glad I paid extra and got a seat with side grip handles. Need tools to install, as you have to take regular toilet seat off, place seat elevator and then put original toilet seat and lid on elevator. I really liked having my own familiar seat. I rated a 4 because one of the handles did not fit. Took a lot of work to try and fit. Would have returned for replacement, but my bad, received and installed riser day before surgery. Also, was necessary to use 2 1/2 inch rug gripper strip between original toilet edge and bottom of toilet seat elevator. Be mindful of size of person using...I weigh 160. Friend visiting weighing about 200 lbs did not fit because of handle width.

Great product for elevating the toilet seat. My moms bathroom is old and has a very low toilet, making it hard for her to get up and putting extra wear and tear on her knees. This was easy to install, and other then it occasionally moving a bit side to side if your sit down without a bit of caution, it works great. Love the handles to push off of, and it is better looking then some of the seat risers I've seen before. Overall win win!

My dad needed this product after his car accident in which he broke his hip. The height was exactly what he needed and the handles on either side really helped stabilize him when he let go of the walker or cane. It was pretty easy to install. A few things to consider - you can't clean under the elevated portion of the toilet seat without unscrewing it. Also, there is no latch to hold the front of the seat in place so there is some slight side-to-side movement at the front when you put weight on the handles. I ended up using duck tape on either side to keep it from moving. It isn't beautiful to look at but it works perfectly and the seat does not move. I would recommend it.

Very nice seat. I like that you can take one handle off if you want. The trouble that we ran into is that though the handles are removeable, the button to do the removing is underneath hidden between the eleveated seat and the original top of the toilet bowl. So, you would have to unscrew it to get at the buttons- not something you can do everytime you want to use it. We need follow the directives of another that said to use RUBBER washers and that is essential and worked well. It was very easy to put on and has been very useful.

This seat has enabled my husband to get up by himself, which makes both of us happy. The sturdiness of the installation, not so much. The long bolts provided tighten nicely, but loosen very easily, also, making the seat non-sturdy as it moves back and forth. I have tried putting non-skid things under the seat, but nothing seems to last. If anyone has a solution to this issue, I'd be glad to hear it. Still, I am happy to have the seat - just have to keep a close eye on fasteners and movement.

My dad suffered a stroke a few years ago and getting up and down from the toilet has proven difficult. This has made a huge difference for him. He is able to use the bathroom independently and can get on and off easily. The only reason I gave it 4 stars is because there is a little wiggle to the seat when attached even after my husband tightening it. Not enough that it's not secure but would have preferred it had a bit better fit as I'm not sure the impact it will have over an extended time.

In response to other reviewers who left negative comments about the stability issues. I have solved the issue and it's a small wonder why the manufacturer hasn't done this. Yes, as ordered the elevated toilet seat is unstable. You simply cannot put plastic washers up against a porcelain toilet seat. Second there is no toilet seat sold that accommodates the large bolts included with this elevated seat. You have to drill out the holes on your existing seat. This is just plain lack of insight on the part of the manufacturer. Here is the fix. On the existing toilet seat you need to drill out the clamp down holes so that the larger bolts will fit through. This is easy if you have a drill. Second; the stability can be solved by using a rubber garden hose washer sandwiched between the porcelain toilet and a metal (zinc) washer. Then put rubber pads on the bottom of the elevated seat between the porcelain toilet and the elevated seat. These rubber pads are the same pads you put on the bottom of table legs or chair legs to keep them from scuffing a wooden floor. Again, the manufacturer should could easily fix this problem if they ever cared enough to READ REVIEWS. Took me about 15 minutes to install. I only needed a large flat blade screw driver and a drill. Before installing; go to the hardware store and pick up 2 rubber garden hose washers, 2 zinc washers same size as rubber washers, and finally a package of rubber floor glides.

Screws that came to bolt onto toilet seat too big for holes in toilet seat. Quite disappointing.

Yes it did gives dad the height needed

Was going to send it back because it does not fit tight and is a little wiggly.(Is that a word?) But I used a little double sided tape and got it tighter and will keep it. The elongated holes might help it fit more toilets but sure makes it unsecure with too much play.

My wife has bad knees and uses this to get a head start on standing. We dont use the handles and I am not too pleased with the bolting hardware but there isnt much out there. Plastic cleans easily enough and it works for her. Even though they say for elongated toilets I find the size somewhat short and it would be nice if it had more of a lip that catches the inside rim.

The bolts on this seat elevator need to be tightened from time to time. Every time I visit my mother, I double check this tightness of this elevated seat to insure it remains stationary. Can't figure out why it moves since the actual seat is very solidly constructed but better safe than sorry.

Shipping fine. Toilet Seat Elevator fine -- EXCEPT for the fact that the screws that came with the elevator seat are way too large to go through the holes for the toilet seat on my mothers toilet. The toilet in her assisted living is new, with a new kohler seat and the screws that are in the seat are significantly smaller in diameter than the screws for the elevator seat. You have to use the long screws that come with the elevator seat to secure it. I went to my local Ace hardware to see if they had screws the size that will work with her Kohler seat but as long as the ones that came with the elevator seat. No luck. Anticipate I'll have to return this and find another style. I do like the idea of having the 'normal' seat and lid on top of the elevator seat, but I can't make it work in my case.

Shipping was unacceptable. Twice the shipping date was pushed back. It took 10 days to get delivered. The bolts to mount it are 3/8 and the mount on my existing seat were 5/16. I had to purchase a new toilet seat to be able to mount with their bolts. I did not want to go lighter with the bolts due to safety concerns. The seat spacer works great and is very sturdy. The handles are firmly mounted and provide secure support. I would buy it again, but would order 2 weeks before I anticipated needing it.

Difficult assembly as the pop out locking knobs jammed but byusing a screwdriver inside of the metal pipes I was able to position the locking system.....took almost an hour to assemble and install......still a bit loose after complete installation.

Unit works, but the mounting slots are so long that it keeps slipping off center. I've tightened the bolts as tight as I dare without breaking it.

This does provide a little under 4" lift as advertised, and is very stable. It fit on our standard elongated seat toilet. The down side is that it looks in the picture like it has an edge going around it that fits down into the toilet bowl. In actuality, this is only along a 60 degree arc on the front, I suppose to keep a seated man from peeing out from under it at the front. My wife needed it and it worked for her, but since it doesn't lift, I found after a few weeks on my standing and peeing down through it into the toilet, the little splashes had accumulated under it and made it pretty nasty. I had to remove the entire seat to clean under it, a rather long process process with those really long bolts.It would be much better if that edge going into the toilet bowl went the whole way around it so stuff couldn't accumulate under it so easily. If you only had to take it off a couple times a year to clean under it, it would be much easier. I ended up replacing it with a 2" high toilet seat extender that lifted and had flights on it like a normal seat (I believe is was a Bemis).

I mated this on to a Toto Ultramax Toilet; the shape was okay and fit on nice but the rear bottom back near the bolts had a gap of approximately 1/4" . When the thru bolt is tightened, it squeezes that gap closed and lifts the front up. So I put two 1/8" shims made out of rubber along the back in line with the the bolts; this corrected that problem but if asked, I could design a better attachment system for them. The bolts are standard cadmium bolts, rounded heads with wing nuts. The rounded heads prevent the seat hinge bolts holes covers from closing because they are thicker than the flat headed bolts that originally came with the seat. The wing nuts in my opinion are not suitable to bear up against the porcelain bowl without a rubber washer and metal backing one; the small surface area of the wing nut bearing against the porcelain could cause cracking so I added the washers.

Not too much to say. It's a good product and gets the job done (raising the height of the seat). The major drawback is that the bolts that hold it to the base loosen fairly easily, but it's not that much of a drawback to keep me from making this purchase.The highest rating should go to amazon.com. They really went way out of their way to research and resolve the problem I had in getting the order filled correctly.I had to return it twice because the company selling these things kept sending me the wrong size. Amazon.com not only solved this but paid all the shipping costs and gave me a voucher to pay the difference in the cost between the two seat risers. This is just one of many reasons that amazon.com has such a good reputation.

didnt work with Kohler Rialto as the deck is curved so this unit wouldn't sit flat and rocked.

Does not fit well on our one piece toilet, The tank wraps around preventing the seat to fit properly and leaves a space between the seat elevator and the toilet, making it very unsanitary. The seat design is good but not for our toilet.

Lasted less than three months before cracking and breaking. Especially with a user who is well under the specified weight limit for this item. I should've paid closer attention to a *red flag* 30 day return policy.

plastic seat is too thick and has no means to adjust it.

The bolts that hold the seat to the toilet do not fit most conventional toilet seat covers. Great idea that was negated by bad engineering on the method of attachment.

I'm not sure why, but when I was tightening the screws to install this for my mom, the front of the seat began lifting up. By the time I finished tightening them the gap between the toilet and bottom of the seat was large for me to fit my flattened hand. This seemed very unsafe. I uninstalled it and returned. As always, Amazon made the return process easy.

The seat comes with two long screws and wing nuts to attach the regular toilet seat and the elevated one to the toilet bowl. Unfortunately, most regular toilet seats have a proprietary method to attach the seat to the bowl and will not work with the supplied screws. I had to check over six different toilet seats until I found one that would work. The manufacturer needs to find a better method to attach their seat so it will work with a variety of regular toilet seats.

While this riser is the right height and the arms are great, the plastic to porcelain connection doesn't work! It slides back and forth loosening the bolts in the back. Additionally, the long bolt connecting seat to riser to porcelain base requires a seat and lid that has this capacity. Our seat and lid did not! They were fused as one unit and our plumber had to run out and buy another one that a bolt could be put through. This new seat has ridges that provide air between seat and porcelain base. These ridges have already put grooves in the plastic riser in one week! We're not sure it the loosening bolts will create the danger of falls, but it feels like they might. We're very disappointed and worried. Should we send it back? Then we're back with too low toilet with no bars to assist.

Needed this after fracturing my humerus ( never live in a raised ranch people multi level living is highly overrated) fit well but even though installed by my handy husband it was still a tad wobbly also at a normal BMI it was a close quarters fit I don't suggest this product for an overweight person carrying larger hips/buttocks unless you like getting stuck on the commode....

The toliet seat was fairly easy to assemble. However, I was a bit confused as to which washer went where. So I put the white one on top and the metal one on the bottom.Here's my COMPLAINT!! After attaching it the commode base, I noticed the padded handles are very WORN, and I doubt they will last more than a couple of months.As I am 66 years old, the bending and tightening everything to the base was stressful, So, I decided I didn't want to deal with undoing my work and having to be bothered with installing another one. I hope duct tape will help. It's a pity for what this thing cost me.

Purchased while recovering from surgery, for assistance in standing up. For that it does work. Also seems quite sturdy, and was delivered quickly and in excellent condition. However ... replaced it a few weeks later with a hinged version. Was impossible to clean thoroughly without removing it. A simple job but a real pain. If not removed, the 'liquid' which collects under it gets kinda gamey. Not fun to clean or smell. This happened whether men or women used it, though more often w/women. (Probably an anatomy thing.) The problem lies with the design, not the seller. Replaced it with a hinged version ... when cleaning it just needs to be raised unlike this model which needs to be unbolted from toilet.

This seat riser did an adequate job of raising the toilet seat to a better height, but the longer bolts did not fit into the original seat. Also, once it is installed, the only way to thoroughly clean the toilet seat would be to take it all apart. Too much work for elderly people.....we returned it.

The seat was not stable after it was attached to the toilet. The holes used to insert the bolts into is too wide and would allow the seat to move back, forth, and sideways. My father did not feel secure in the seat, so I had to remove it.

Time spent on cleaning it up is too much... the design makes it prone to mold and bacteria buildup

This was a very disappointing product. I just had a total hip replacement, and as I was sitting down, the handle on the left side of the commode came out. Could have been very damaging to my new hip. I do not recommend this product.

It does not really fit into the toilet right causing it to wiggle. It is meant for an oval toilet and that is what I have, except the first time I used it, I was tipped off onto the floor.

Too narrow too hard surface

Unfortunately the toilet seat that came with my mother's toilet (and the toilet seats that are now omnipresent in the stores are not compatible with this devise. I wish that I had been made aware of this before purchasing.

I had this product expedited it says comes with hardware. Zero hardware in the package. I needed this ASAP for my mom. When I take that out of the box the only thing in the box was the seat. People doing people not doing their job to the fullest is totally unacceptable. It came in today. Yesterday was too late having this. That's how bad it was needed. My mom has had a brain injury. This is desperately needed

Arrived on time but very disappointed with product. It came with 2 left handles. Will be returning for sure.

Difficult to clean. It is bolted under toilet seat and to clean, the entire toilet seat and.bolts have to be removed. Not much use for s handicapped person.

NOT a seat that is stable once installed. Had to add bracing inside to avoid side to side movement. Do not recommend it.

It would have been great but there was no way to attach it and your Toilet seat to the actual toilet. Toilet seats today come with the bolt hardware pre- attached. They gave you long bolts but none of the newer toilet seats can use them.

What you need to know about these toilet seat risers:I attempted to make contact with each of the reputable Amazon dealers selling their version of a riser seat. NONE of them responded to my questions. I chose this seller and product because of the high ratings. I know most people offer an initial review and never follow up when problems arise. People who left a positive review will be in for an unpleasant surprise.This comes with steel bolts and steel wingnuts. See my before and after photos of three months installed. (I guess Amazon or the Seller removed my rusted bolts photos!) There is a reason why ALL toilet seats come with Nylon bolts and nuts (hard plastic). Why would a riser come with metal???Your toilet collects condensation. Your bathroom is naturally high in moisture content. What happens to steel when exposed to this environment? RUST RUST RUST. Add to that chemicals you might use to clean your toilet. That eventually leaks on to these steel bolts. MORE CORROSION. I had one bleeping nightmare of a time getting the wingnuts off. Was about to use a sawzall to cut the bolt at the toilet rim line.Do these bolts hold your riser and toilet seat firmly? The riser has a lip which is designed to prevent it from moving forward. Does it prevent it from moving forward? Not really. Does it prevent the riser from moving side to side? NO! The holes where these bolts are inserted into the risers are oversized. Lots of play room.Is it easy to clean under these risers? NO NO NO!!! You literally need to unscrew each wingnut numerous revolutions and pull them out to get at the dirty toilet bowl rim. Completely remove the riser with toilet seat. Yes, lots of stuff gets caught in there and you'll never figure out how it happened.I thought the rubber pads under the riser help prevent it from moving? Not really. Plus, the chemicals you use to clean your toilet will end up eating away those rubber pads. They eventually fall off.Do all elongated seats fit perfectly on this riser? No. Most will overhang this riser but an inch or two.What needs to be changed with these toilet seat risers?1. Use fully threaded thick Nylon Bolts (hard plastic). I have not found them anywhere online or in the box stores. Someone should make them.2. Add plastic washers to the nylon bolts to help prevent shifting.3. Make one continuous lip all around and make it longer. This will help prevent stuff reaching underneath.4. Create a new style quick release system, instead of bolt/nut, to get easy access for cleaning toilet rim.I have four people in my home. None of us exceed 185 lbs. But it is extremely easy to shift this thing out of place. This was bought for my elderly mother who has neuropathy and difficulty standing up from a seated position.I hope this helps, but if you need a riser, what are you going to do? You have to buy one of these defective designs. I just hope you realize your bolt and wingnuts are going to rust frozen.UPDATE: A brother came over to calk bathtub gunk around the riser and the toilet bowl rim while I was gone. I called him and told him the cleaning solutions (bleach spray, toilet bowl cleaner for rust) would eat away and discolor the calk in a month. It did. Had to remove and scrape it off. Still no solution to problems noted above. I am kind of upset my photos of the rusted metal bolts were removed from this Amazon listing review!