Mangar Archimedes bath lift review

A battery bath lift that lowers someone into the tub and, crucially, will not do so unless it can lift them out.

Specifications

Specifications above come from Mangar's published feature list. Treat pricing as approximate, since Amazon pricing moves.

What it does well

• The battery interlock is the specification that matters. A bath lift that refuses to lower unless it can lift you back out is the difference between a device and a trap, and being stranded in a cooling bath is a genuine risk for a frail older person.
• It separates into three pieces, so it comes out of the bath when other family members want to use it and goes away when a visitor comes.
• No installation and no permanent change to the bathroom, which matters in a rented home and matters if the situation is temporary after surgery.
• A waterproof hand control, which sounds obvious and is not universal.
• A 364 pound rating, which is above what most bath lifts manage.

Where it falls short

• A bath lift does not solve getting your legs over the bath rim. It lowers and raises a seated person. If swinging both legs over the side is the hard part, this does not fix it and a shower solution or a walk-in bath is the honest answer.
• The user has to sit unsupported and safely for the whole bath. If sitting balance is poor, this is the wrong equipment.
• It takes up bath space and reduces how far someone can lie back, so a bath with a lift in it is a different bath.
• Battery discipline becomes part of the routine. The interlock protects you from a flat battery mid-bath, at the cost of sometimes not being able to have a bath.
• Bathing equipment is generally treated as a convenience item and not covered by Medicare, which is worth knowing before you compare it with a walk-in bath on price.

What owners report

Owner reports on battery bath lifts consistently place the safety interlock at the top of the list, and often only after someone has told the story of a relative stranded in a bath by a lift without one. The second consistent report is emotional rather than technical: people describe getting baths back after months of strip washes, and they do not describe it in mild terms. Bathing is one of the first things people lose and one of the most missed.

The recurring complaints are about the fit of the seat in older or unusually shaped baths, and about the amount of bath left over once the lift is in. Owners also note that removing and refitting the pieces is easy once but tiresome daily, so most leave it in place. If the real difficulty is the rim rather than the depth, our helping a parent bathe safely guide covers the alternatives, and an occupational therapist can tell you within one visit which problem you actually have.

Who it suits

• Someone who can sit unsupported and get their legs over the bath rim with help, and wants baths rather than showers.
• Renters and anyone who cannot make permanent bathroom changes.
• Households where the bath is shared, since the lift comes out in three pieces.

Who should skip it

• Anyone whose difficulty is getting legs over the rim, which a bath lift does not address.
• A person with poor sitting balance, who should be assessed for a supportive shower chair such as the Etac Swift Mobil Tilt-2 instead.
• Anyone near the 364 pound rating.
• Families who have not had the bathing transfer assessed. Bathroom falls are among the most common serious injuries at this age.

Alternatives worth considering

Common questions

Does a bath lift help someone get their legs over the side?

No, and this is the most common misunderstanding about them. A bath lift lowers and raises a seated person inside the bath. Getting both legs over the rim is a separate manoeuvre, and if that is the difficulty, look at a bath transfer bench, a level-access shower, or a walk-in bath. An occupational therapist will tell you which problem you have in a single visit.

What happens if the battery dies while my parent is in the bath?

On this lift, the manufacturer states it will not lower into the bath unless there is enough charge to raise the user back out. That interlock exists precisely because being stranded in a cooling bath is dangerous for a frail person. It is the feature to look for on any bath lift, and it is worth paying for.

Does Medicare cover a bath lift?

Generally no. Bathing equipment is usually classed as a convenience item rather than durable medical equipment, so bath lifts, shower chairs and grab bars are typically not covered. Some Medicaid waiver programmes, veterans' benefits and area agency on aging programmes do help with home modifications, which is worth checking through our benefits checker.

Bath lift or grab bars?

They answer different questions. Grab bars give something solid to hold while moving; a bath lift takes the lowering and raising out of the equation entirely. Many bathrooms need both. If you are fitting bars, fit permanently mounted ones: suction bars are not grab bars, must never take body weight, and can release without warning, as our drilled versus suction grab bars guide explains.

Is a bath still safe for someone with dementia?

That depends on the person and the stage, and it is a conversation for their clinical team rather than a product decision. Water temperature judgement, sitting still, and understanding instructions all matter. Our guide on bathing refusal covers the practical side, but the safety judgement belongs with a professional who knows your parent.

Keep reading

• Drilled vs suction grab bars
• Helping a parent bathe safely
• Bathing an elderly parent
• Benefits eligibility checker
• Etac Swift Mobil Tilt-2 review
• Drive bariatric shower commode review

This review draws on published specifications, manufacturer figures and the consensus of verified owner reviews. We have not tested this product ourselves, and we say so rather than implying otherwise. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.