Which bath transfer bench fits your bath?
A transfer bench sits with two legs inside the bath and two outside. You sit down on the outside end, lift your feet over the rim, and slide across. Nobody stands on one leg on wet enamel.
For most people a fixed bench at $249 does the job. The sliding and rotating benches earn their price when hips or shoulders can't manage the shuffle. Measure the bath first, because the bench has to clear the rim.
Measure the bath wall
Two numbers decide whether a bench fits. The height of the bath rim from the bathroom floor, and the gap between the bath and the toilet or vanity opposite.
The seat has to sit above the rim so your legs clear it. Seat heights here run from 410mm to 615mm, so check the rim against the range. The inside legs stand on the bath floor, which is lower than the room floor. That's what the leg adjustment is for, and both brands sell extension legs if the range runs out.
Width is the one people forget. The Aspire plastic bench is 770mm end to end, the Care Quip benches are 800mm, and the rotating bench is 950mm. If the toilet is 700mm from the bath, the bench won't go in.
A fixed glass screen on the bath is a problem too, because the bench needs the open side. A curtain tucked inside the bench works instead.
Which way the backrest goes
You sit facing the taps, so you can reach them. The backrest goes on the side away from the taps. Stand facing the bath, note whether the taps are at your left or right, and tell us.
The Aspire backrest swaps sides. The Care Quip benches come with the grab rail on the left or the right, so you choose when you order.
Fixed, sliding or rotating
A fixed bench is a plain seat you shuffle across yourself. It suits anyone who can lift their own legs over the rim. The Aspire plastic seat ($249), the Care Quip Transfer Bench ($249.95) and the Care Quip Bath Transfer Bench ($299.95) are the plain versions. The Care Quip frames have a soap dish and grab rail built in.
Padded benches are the same frame with a vinyl seat. The Aspire padded bench ($299) takes up to 181kg and weighs 4.9kg, the lightest here. The Care Quip padded bench ($329.95) has a three piece seat so water drains between the pads.
Whether padding is worth the extra depends on you. Some find vinyl warmer to sit on, others find plastic easier to keep clean. We won't pretend there's a rule.
The Aspire bariatric bench ($329) is the reinforced one, rated to 227kg on the same 670mm seat.
A sliding bench moves the seat along the frame. You sit at the outside end, release the lock, and the seat glides into the bath. The Care Quip sliding bench ($499.95) locks at both ends and has a lap belt. It's the one for hips that won't shuffle, as long as the user is under 125kg.
The Aspire rotating bench ($749) does both jobs. The seat turns and locks every 90 degrees, so you sit facing the room, turn, and slide in. Your legs follow the seat instead of being lifted over. It's padded, has a belt, and the legs adjust in 12.5mm steps.
Weight and seat size
| Bench | Max user weight | Seat height | Seat width | Seat | Price |
| Aspire plastic seat | 136kg | 410 to 530mm | 670mm | Fixed, plastic | $249 |
| Care Quip Transfer Bench | 130kg | 450 to 565mm | 800mm overall | Fixed, plastic | $249.95 |
| Aspire padded | 181kg | 455 to 555mm | 600mm | Fixed, padded | $299 |
| Care Quip Bath Transfer Bench | 130kg | 450 to 565mm | 800mm | Fixed, plastic, curved backrest | $299.95 |
| Aspire bariatric | 227kg | 485 to 595mm | 670mm | Fixed, plastic | $329 |
| Care Quip padded | 130kg | 455 to 565mm | 590mm | Fixed, padded | $329.95 |
| Care Quip sliding | 125kg | 495 to 590mm | 480mm | Sliding, plastic, belt | $499.95 |
| Aspire rotating seat | 136kg | 505 to 615mm | 425mm | Rotating and sliding, padded, belt | $749 |
Care Quip lists 800mm for its two plain benches, which reads as the frame end to end. The Care Quip Transfer Bench doesn't publish a backrest, so ask us if you need one.
Weight limits run from 125kg to 227kg. A bench near its limit flexes when you slide, and that's the moment you least want movement.
Getting in and out
Back up to the outside end until the seat touches your legs, then sit. Lift one leg over the rim, then the other, and shuffle across on your hands. Getting out is the same in reverse, and a towel over a wet plastic seat helps you grip.
If someone is helping, they stand in front of you on the room side. They steady your knees as the legs come over, and they never pull on your arm. With a sliding or rotating bench they work the lock and the belt.
A hand-held shower hose turns the bench from a seat into a shower. Without one, you're sitting across the bath under a fixed rose pointing at the wrong spot. Or a carer is leaning over the rim with a jug at 7am. It's the first thing we'd change.
NDIS funding for benches
Every bench on this page is under $1,500, so it's low cost assistive technology. NDIS participants can buy one from the core budget without a quote or an OT report. It has to relate to the disability in the plan. The NDIA sets out the bands on its assistive technology page.
We're NDIS registered (4050144759). Plan managed and agency managed participants order through us and we invoice direct. Self managed participants pay and claim. Our bathroom safety guide covers rails, mats and the rest of the room.
Common questions
Shower chair or transfer bench?
If the bath is your only shower, you need a bench. A shower chair is for a walk-in recess. We go through it in shower chair or bath transfer bench.
What if my bath rim is high?
Care Quip extension legs add 90mm and the Aspire set adds 100mm, sold separately. Measure the rim and the bath depth, and we'll tell you if the standard legs reach.
Do the suction feet hold?
On a smooth, clean bath floor, yes. On a textured non-slip base they grip less. The Aspire leg set includes two standard tips for that.
Will a carer still need to help?
With a fixed bench, it depends on the hips and the shoulders. With the sliding or rotating bench most people need someone for the lock and the belt, at least at first.
How do I clean it?
Rinse soap off after each wash and dry the frame once a week. Padded seats get a wipe with a damp cloth, not a scrub.
Can I return it if it doesn't fit?
Yes, within 14 days. Our refund policy has the conditions.
Measure the rim height, the gap to the toilet and which end the taps are, then call Nadim on 1300 216 888. He'll tell you which bench, and whether the $249 one is the answer.
