Essential Medical Supply Raised Elevated Toilet Seat Riser

I bought this elevated seat prior to my hip replacement surgery a month ago and my upcoming knee replacement surgeries next month. I liked the simpler design, which allows it to be installed using the extended toilet seat bolts that come with the extension. I also liked that I would use my existing toilet seat on top of the extension, instead of paying for a second toilet seat.

The elevated toilet seat works, and I won’t need to return it. It is stable, and it holds my weight (240 pounds). The handles also are sturdy and definitely helped me stand up after my surgery. So it is sufficient for my temporary (6-8 month) purposes.

However, there are a few drawbacks I wish I had known. First, the nuts that attach underneath are not easy to secure. Not impossible, but most toilet seats these days come with “consumer-friendly” nuts with large flanges so they can be secured with just your hand as you tighten the screw from above. These nuts require a pliers to hold them still while you tighten the screws from above. The angle is awkward at best, which is why “better” toilet seats come with more installation-friendly nuts. It was not impossible, and I have installed toilet seats with similar buts before. But it was not well designed.

The plastic is not the sturdiest, and was easily dented by one normal “drop” of the toilet seat onto the plastic. The dent has reduced over time, but I need to treat it gingerly if it is going to last through my upcoming knee surgeries. The plastic would NOT be sturdy enough as a long-term solution.

But the worst flaw is that “toilet gunk” (pee and piss) accumulates between the bottom of this elevated seat and the toilet bowl. Because it secures onto the toilet bowl using the toilet seat bolts, cleaning between the seat extension and the toilet bowl rim is difficult. I can pull up on the handles and wedge a cloth between the rim and the extension in the front; but the back of the seat extension is held down by the screws, so cleaning is impossible. It will be a MESS when I remove the extension after I recover from my knee replacement surgery. And there is nothing on the extension seat to stop urine and… gooey liquid brown stuff… from getting between the seat and the toilet. (And, for anyone who has gone through post-surgery recovery, the brown stuff does not exactly come out like it would if you had a high fiber diet in the last five days, so to speak. It squirts, as opposed to plunks). They should really have a drip edge lip extending into the bowl to break the turgor pressure, or a rubber seal of some sort that prevents fluids from migrating under the seat extension.

I will only use it while recovering from my hip surgery and upcoming knee surgery, so I will deal with it. The handles do help, and the elevation of course helps. But if I had it to do it all over again, I would look for a design that makes it easier to install and does not allow fluids to easily migrate between the extension and the toilet bowl rim.

It was relatively easy to install, and it has been great for my husband, who just had back surgery and whose legs are still very weak. Also, he is not supposed to bend his back too much. So, having the higher seat and the handles is perfect. However, the screw/wingnut combination for attaching all the parts is not very sturdy. Everything is constantly loosening and having to be retightened. Also, some areas are very small and hard to reach when it comes to cleaning without taking the whole thing apart. Those are my only complaints. Otherwise, it has been a great help to my husband, which is the most important thing.

Very functional, easy to install and just a better design than others. Using your own seat is an added comfort bonus. Worked great after a hip replacement. Very sturdy and will support 200 lbs easily.

We ordered this before my knee surgery. It was sturdy and easy to install. The handles on the sides were also sturdy and were able to be widened to fit a larger person or area in bathroom. There is a very helpful video supplied by the manufacturer and we used duck tape to seal it on the outside of the bowl all around on the seam to prevent any splash created by the height of the seat. (Complained about by other people but not a problem for us.) Yes, due to the height there was usually a little poo on the inside but I kept a bottle of toilet cleaner spray and would spray and wipe with some tissue after each use; not a big deal and kept it nice. A few months later when we removed it there was hardly anything on the seat that needed cleaning. Highly recommend and was very useful.

Very sturdy and easy to install. Perfect for those needing assistance lifting themselves off the toilet (or just needing some added height because the toilet may be too low). I loved the fact that you use your existing toilet seat and lid. Bolts supplied were sturdy and long enough to easily assemble. I highly recommend this.