Getting the right toilet seat riser is so essential! Considering that this is an aid for people who need help sitting down and getting up from the toilet seat, it should be stable, comfortable, and easy to maintain. The Drive Medical RTL12027RA review will paint you a realistic picture of using this product. Whether it’s worth your money or not, you can find out below.
Overview
Sometimes you can easily know whether a product is meant for you just by scrolling through the major cons and pros. These are the ones we wanted to highlight before we spill all the details.
Pros
- Easy to install
- Easy to clean
- Relatively affordable
Cons
- Can’t return it
- Can be a bit unstable
- Doesn’t fit all toilet bowls
What is the Drive Medical RTL12027RA Toilet Seat Riser Made of?
The Drive Medical RTL12027RA Toilet Seat Riser features a heavy-duty plastic construction made of recycled materials. The arm handles are made of metal and padded, to ensure comfort. These handles are easily removable and installed back.
Toilet risers are meant for everyone who has trouble sitting down on a toilet seat or getting up. Whether this is an older adult, individuals with injuries, or people after surgery.
When we opened the package, we wanted to see whether the riser is lightweight like Drive Medical claims. And we can say that it is. The weight of this product is 5lb, which is similar to other risers that we love and have used. You will find it simple to move it from room to room, and you can take it with you wherever you go.
In the front part of the toilet seat riser, you’ll see a lock that helps you secure it to the bowl. You will need to switch the lock clockwise to secure it and in the opposite direction to unlock it and remove it from the bowl.
According to the brand, the seat riser fits both standard round bowls and most elongated bowls. They claim it’s suitable for round bowls with a diameter up to 16.5” front to back and elongated bowls with a diameter up to 18.5” front to back. Since we were interested in the fit, we made sure to test it on multiple bowls before rating it. You can find more about this in the stability section. Our advice is to measure your bowl at home before deciding to purchase anything.
For reference, the seat dimensions of this riser are 16.5″(D) x 17″(W) x 5″(H). The width between the arms is 18”, while the overall height is 10”. It can carry a capacity of up to 300 pounds.
Our Drive Medical RTL12027RA Toilet Seat Riser Review
Now that we got all the basics out of the way, it’s time to review the seat riser’s performance in four different categories. If you’re interested in whether it’s stable enough, comfortable, easy to clean, or worth your money, this is where you’ll find out.
Comfort (8.6/10)
Comfort is not the first thing you’ll have in mind when you have a hard time sitting on the toilet seat. However, when buying a product that you’ll use for a certain amount of time, it should be comfortable when you sit on it.
This one will elevate the toilet seat for 5”. Whether it will be enough for you depends on your toilet seat height and your height. For me, it did a great job. It was high enough so I could properly heal from my injuries.
The hip space feels a little narrow, especially when you have the arm handles on. My weight is average for my age and gender, and still, I noticed that the handles pressured me on the sides. That’s why I think that this riser would not be a good option for bigger people.
The plastic is strong but pleasant to sit on. Although it feels comfortable, the hole is a little small, so men might encounter an unpleasant feeling of their private parts touching the plastic in the front part. The overall grade for comfort is 8.6 out of 10.
Sturdiness & Stability (7.8/10)
A toilet seat riser’s stability is one of the most critical characteristics to check on the list. If it’s not stable, it can be very dangerous for the people using it. You need to remember that you need to use equal pressure on both arms whenever you’re using a riser, especially one with handles. Otherwise, it will tilt to the site where you’re using more force, and you can end up on the floor.
For Drive Medical RTL12027RA, stability wasn’t much of an issue. Yes, a few times when we thought it was a bit unstable, but that’s probably our fault for putting more pressure on one side. The way to attach this riser to the toilet is by locking it in the front part. This is very simple and easy to do. You won’t be needing any tools.
The problem with a front lock is that you’re leaving the back part of the riser without any support. If you put too much pressure on the front aspect, the back part can lift. That’s what happened to us on several occasions, so we made sure to be careful with that issue. Although it has anti-slip pads in the back part, they still did a lousy job securing the stability in that part.
We were cautious when testing it on different shapes of bowls to conclude that it fits most round toilet bowls, but it doesn’t fit all elongated ones. Unfortunately, it’s a problem other customers faced as well.
The hole of the riser is a bit small and can be problematic. This is important for men, whose private parts can get in touch with the plastic in the front part when they’re sitting down. It doesn’t sound very hygienic, but it can happen with so many other risers. Also, it can be hard to put your arm in that limited space when you need to wipe yourself, so that’s why you might need to get up first.
There is no doubt that this is a sturdy riser. It’s made of good quality fabric. The handles are great as well, especially the padded part. We didn’t see any deformities of the material, discoloration, or persisting odor. To ensure this, you have to wash and clean it regularly. The weight capacity is 300 pounds, but that might be an overstatement. When the handles are on, it’s a bit tight on the hips, so some people can feel trapped in the riser.
Because of the slight stability issues, we give the Drive Medical RTL12027RA riser a 7.8 out of 10.
Easy to Clean (9.0/10)
Most plastic materials are easy to take care of. When you’re using an aid such as this one, it’s so vital that you can maintain flawless hygiene. Risers will get in touch with urine, so if you can’t get rid of odor or stains, it’s a waste of money.
The Drive Medical RTL12027RA doesn’t take too much effort for it to be clean. Since it’s simple to install, you can take it out and put it back without taking a lot of your time.
In several instances, we noticed that it retained urine between the riser and the toilet’s rim. That’s when you have to take it out to prevent an unpleasant odor in your bathroom and a breeding ground for bacteria. This only happened a few times, so we’re not sure if it was an issue for other customers as well.
Other than that, clean it with your regular products, and you shouldn’t have to worry. The smell is easy to remove, and the yellow color as well. Just remember to clean it often for your personal hygiene. You can use disinfectants and regular household cleaners to wipe it after every use. That way, you’ll make sure that it’s always clean enough and doesn’t get discolored. This is very important if more than one person is using it.
Our score for maintenance is 9.0 out of 10.
Value for Money (8.8/10)
One of the best things about this product is its price. Is reasonably priced for the design, quality of the material, and overall performance. It’s not very common that you find a riser with removable arm handles that is also affordable.
Not being able to return a product that you don’t like is such a letdown. For the Drive Medical RTL12027RA, unfortunately, there is no return option. The reason we hesitated before getting it is precisely that one. If it doesn’t fit your toilet or simply is not a right fit, you’ll be losing over $25.
In general, it’s an amazing product that cheks most of the must-haves on the list. It’s lightweight, easy to carry and take care of. It’s definitely worth your money.
When shopping for a toilet riser, you’ll find several similar products that are three times more expensive than this one. That fact made us want to try it even more, and it turned out to be an excellent investment. I used it for several months to recover from an injury and can’t report any significant downsides.
Final verdict 8.6
The final verdict is a positive one with a score of 8.6.
Although we felt like the riser is secure and safe, several cases weren’t as stable as it should be. We guess that the front lock is not enough to provide balance because it moves in the back part. Also, if you don’t use your hands equally on both sides, it can get unstable.
The material that it is made of is quality, doesn’t trap odor or show discoloration. You can remove it, clean it, and install it back within minutes. Something that the brand should work on is the poor fit on elongated toilet bowls.
Easy maintenance and good comfort pushed us forward to recommend it to others. So if you’ve been looking for this kind of aid for an affordable price, this is an excellent purchase. Plus, it comes with removable arm handles. Not many products at this price point have this feature.
We recommend this Drive Medical RTL12027RA toilet seat riser for all people with limited mobility who need it in the long term, but also for the ones who need it just for a few weeks.
[FAQ’s] Consumer Questions & Answers
Will the Drive Medical RTL12027RA toilet seat riser fit my elongated toilet?
The Drive Medical RTL12027RA riser is meant for universal round toilets and most elongated toilets. Make sure to measure yours according to the instructions and contact the seller to get advice.
Do I have to remove my toilet seat lid to install this riser?
It depends on the toilet. In most toilets, you won’t have to remove the lid.
Is the Drive Medical RTL12027RA toilet seat riser easy to install?
Yes, it’s fairly easy and fast to install. You’ll see a clamp that should go inside the bowl, and you should tighten it. In the back part of the riser, there are two non-slide pads that are supposed to keep it balanced and attached to the bowl.
Does the toilet seat riser come with a carrier bag?
No, it doesn’t. This unit comes packed in a box, and you’ll have to get a carrier bag separately if you need it.