Medline Momentum Shower Chair Review 2024

Do you suffer from a severe mobility issue that makes bathing a challenge?

Are you looking for a chair that not only makes that a simpler proposition but also pays at least a bit of attention to comfort?

If you answered yes to both of those questions, then you’ve probably discovered, as we have, that most shower chairs just aren’t built with comfort in mind. The thinking goes that since most people won’t be spending serious amounts of time in a chair like this, comfort isn’t all that important.

While there’s truth to that, it’s also true that few people are excited about the idea of sitting on a hard, unyielding plastic surface while bathing if they can help it. The good folks at Medline understand this and built a shower chair that does something to address that problem.

Medline isn’t one of the dominant players in the industry. Still, they are a well-respected company with a long history of providing quality products like this one.

We’ll be quick to point out that the Medline Momentum Shower Chair is a niche product, aimed at a fairly narrow segment of the market.

If you’re in the target niche, you’re probably going to love this chair. If you’re outside of the target market, this model is going to be a non-starter for you.

If your interest is piqued, and you want to find out if you’re the type of user this chair was built for, read on and let’s take a closer look!

An Overview of the Medline Momentum Premium Shower Chair

At first glance, the Medline Momentum Shower Chair could almost pass for a retro, minimalist dining chair or some type of occasional seat. It would be overselling it to describe it as stylish, but as shower chairs go, it’s not an unattractive option, even if it’s only offered in a deep gray.

Of course, nobody buys a shower chair for the styling. It helps, but that’s not generally what people who need one are most interested in.

Before we take a closer look at the features that make this an excellent shower chair, let’s start by taking a quick look at the basic stats that define the model. Here they are:

A few things jump out right off the bat. First and foremost, this chair is wider than most tubs. It was specifically designed to be used in walk-in showers. It can work in a smaller shower but is probably too large for a pocket shower, so you’ll want to take a few quick measurements to be sure this chair will fit into the bathing space you have available before you commit to a purchase.

Second, the seat is height adjustable, ranging from a low of 15” to a high of 20” in one-inch increments.

The standard big and tall seat height range starts at 18” and runs to 22” or higher, so this chair does enter into the big and tall territory in terms of height, but there’s a catch.

Check out the rather modest maximum supported weight limit. Most of the furniture on the market today, regardless of type, support 300 pounds. This chair comes in at less than that, making it wholly unsuitable for heavier people.

If you’re taller and lightly built, it can work for you, but take the weight limit seriously. You don’t want to buy a chair that can’t properly support you and run the risk of having it collapse on you while you’re using it.

The seat dimensions are also a bit on the small side. That’s not an issue at all if you’re a smaller, lighter person, but if you’re anywhere close to the 250-pound weight limit, you may find it uncomfortable if you tend to take long showers. For shorter periods of sitting and showering, it shouldn’t pose an insurmountable problem.

Finally, this chair has some heft to it. It’s still light enough to move it around easily, so you can get it out of the way when you’re not using it, but this chair is a good bit heavier than most of its peers.

It’s not at all difficult to find chairs of this type weighing five to ten pounds, but they do feel a bit flimsy.

This one is substantial enough that you’ll be able to move into and out of it with confidence.

Adjustability, Comfort, and Extras

The Medline Momentum Premium Shower Chair only has one adjustable feature, and we already talked about it. The legs are height adjustable, which has the effect of making the seat height adjustable. It’s a good height range, and the adjustment process is a lesson in simplicity.

Even better, if you’re the only person in your household who needs this chair, once you optimize the height for you, there’s nothing else to do.

The big thing to talk about in this section is comfort. As we mentioned, shower chairs aren’t known for being especially comfortable, which makes this one a real surprise. It comes with a padded seat cushion that has treads that help it shed water.

Granted, the padding isn’t thick, but given that most shower chairs don’t offer any padding at all, that’s a huge step up!

The best part about the padding is that it exists, providing a level of added comfort that most other chairs in its class can’t compete with.

The second best thing about the seat pad is that it’s made of an anti-microbial material and is removable, so when you’re not using it, you can take it off of the seat and let it drip dry, so it’s ready for use whenever you are. This is a great, simple solution, and we love it. Kudos to Medline for delivering!

The seatback is small, but it does provide some lumbar support. It’s not world-class, but it’s better than you get with most chairs of this type. Unfortunately, the armrests are a bit of a disappointment. While they are padded, they’re too low to be useful for most folks.

In our view, they would be a lot more valuable if they were height adjustable, using the same mechanism used on the chair legs.

This could have been accomplished without adding notably to the overall cost of the chair. However, for whatever reason, the company opted not to. In any case, be aware that although the chair has armrests, you may not find them useful. It depends on your height and general body type.

The final thing to mention in this section is the fact that the ​Momentum Shower Safe Bath Chair comes equipped with rubberized feet.

These work beautifully with the fact that the chair is wider than most. It provides a stable, sure-grip surface that will allow you to get into and out of the seat with confidence, and without worry that the chair will slip or slide away from you.

Assembly is Required

As with most of the furniture you can buy online these days, if you decide you want one of these, it will arrive at your doorstep in a large box and in several pieces.

At first glance, it looks like a daunting assembly process, but the instructions are well written and clear. From start to finish, it should take no more than twenty minutes, plus another ten for unboxing and the initial sorting of the pieces so you can stay organized.

That’s not too bad, and even if you aren’t fond of putting your own furniture together, you shouldn’t have any particular difficulty with it.

Pros and Cons of the Momentum Shower Safe Bath Chair

This is a great chair with a lot going for it. In our view, its best features are:

In addition to that, it offers minimal lumbar support. It even includes armrests, although, as we mentioned, those might not be useful to everyone.

Unfortunately, the chair suffers from two major limitations that prospective buyers need to be aware of.

First, it’s simply too wide to fit comfortably into most bathtubs. It was designed for use in larger, walk-in showers, though it can be made to work in smaller showers in a pinch.

Second, it has modest, and honestly, a somewhat disappointing maximum supported weight limit of just 250-pounds, which is lower than average.

Final Thoughts on Medline Momentum Shower Chair Review

Overall, then, this is a really good shower chair with two significant limitations.

If you only have a bathtub and not a shower, or if you’re over the Medline Momentum shower chair’s maximum supported weight limit, it’s going to be a non-starter for you.

On the other hand, if you’re 250-pounds or less, and you have a nice, roomy walk-in shower, this chair is a delight. It’s well constructed, surprisingly comfortable, and will provide you with years of reliable service.

Ultimately then, we consider it to be a niche product. A very good chair, but also somewhat narrowly targeted. On that basis, we provisionally recommend it.

---

Official Manufacturer Support

References & Resources

• Medline, Official Brand Website.
• Bathing, Dressing, and Grooming: Alzheimer’s Caregiving Tips, National Institute on Aging.
• Bathing Tips for the Elderly, San Diego Compassionate Caregivers.
• Showering, Bed-Bathing and Hygiene for Caregivers, Ausmed.
• Perspectives of Older Persons on Bathing and Bathing Disability: A Qualitative Study, NCBI.