Omecal Heavy Duty Shower Bath Chair Review 2024

Are you a bigger, taller, or heavier person? Do you have a mobility issue that makes bathing a challenge? If you answered yes to either of those questions, then you may have started thinking about finding a shower chair to give you a handy perch in the bathtub or shower to make things easier.

Unfortunately, there are so many different options available that the search can quickly become overwhelming. You can suffer a kind of “analysis paralysis” just trying to narrow the field.

We totally understand, which is exactly why this review was written. We’ll be quick to say that the Omecal heavy duty shower bath chair isn’t a perfect fit for everyone. It’s fairly large as bath seats go. If you have a small bathroom or a pocket shower, it might simply overwhelm the space.

That said, for the right user, this model could be a great choice. In the sections that follow, we’ll tell you everything this model has to offer, and we won’t pull punches when it comes to defining its limitations. If that sounds good to you, let’s jump right in and take a closer look.

An Overview of the Omecal Heavy Duty Medical Shower Bath Chair

The Omecal heavy duty shower bath chair is a big, sturdy shower chair. That’s the first impression you’ll get when you see the chair for the first time, and it’s not wrong. You’ll also probably think to yourself that it’s not a very attractive piece of furniture.

That’s a fair criticism, and it’s true that the design team here put all their effort into function and didn’t pay much if any attention to form.

It might not be outright ugly, but it certainly won’t win any beauty contests either. Most people are okay with that, though, since this chair isn’t a piece of furniture that’s likely to be seen by many. It’s functional. It’s got a job to do, and it’s pretty good at it. There are no extra points for pretty.

Before we make any other observations, though, let’s take a moment to do a quick stats review. Here are the basics:

There’s a lot to like where these numbers are concerned, and a few things that give us pause.

First and foremost, with a seat height adjustment range that spans all the way to 21.2” and an impressive 450-pound weight limit, this chair was clearly designed with bigger and taller people firmly in mind.

Having said that, check out the modest seat width and depth. In a normal chair, designed to be used in your living room for periods of extended seating, this would be a major problem. In this particular case, though, it’s somewhat easier to overlook. 

After all, you’re not going to be spending tons of time sitting in the chair, so the modest seat dimensions probably won’t be a huge factor. Still, it will be a tight squeeze for some, and it pays to take careful measurements before committing to purchase this. 

In our view, the seat should have been at least three or four inches wider and at least two inches deeper. Also, we hope the company will expand the seat size in future model revisions.

Given its relatively limited and short-term use, though, it shouldn’t be an absolute dealbreaker for most folks.

We love the weight of the chair too. It’s especially impressive, given how much user weight the chair will support.

Mostly, this comes down to the company’s choice of materials: high grade, tubed aluminum for the legs, and sturdy plastic for the seat and seatback.

Both are excellent choices here, and both serve to keep the weight to an absolute minimum, making it easy to move the chair out of the way when it’s not in use.

Overall, then, we’re impressed by these numbers, with the exception of the somewhat underwhelming seat dimensions. As we said at the start, though, this is a big chair. It will (barely) fit in a standard-sized tub if you turn it sideways, and it won’t fit at all in a pocket shower. If that’s what you’ve got, even if you’re impressed with the chair to this point, it’s just going to be a non-starter for you.

The numbers only tell part of the story. For the rest, we’ll need to take a deeper look, and that’s next!

Adjustability, Comfort & Extras

One thing to say right up front just to get it out of the way: Shower chairs aren’t big on comfort for the same reason they won’t win any beauty contests. They’re designed to be functional, not pretty or comfortable, and overall, that’s a good way to do it. Most people won’t be spending long periods sitting in them anyway, so the relative lack of comfort won’t be an issue. You’re in, you shower, and you’re out!

On the adjustability front, there’s only one thing to talk about, and we touched on it earlier. You can adjust the height of the legs, which has the effect of raising or lowering the seat. The height adjustment range starts at 16.1”, which is a couple of inches below the usual big and tall range, and extends all the way up to 21.2”, which is well inside the big and tall territory.

That paints this as being a chair designed for people about 5’6” to 6’6” which, when combined with the impressive weight limit this model supports, makes it accessible to more than 95% of the market. 

Note that depending on how long your legs are, you could probably use the Omecal heavy duty medical shower bath chair even if you’re a bit shorter than 5’6” but the shorter you are, even on its lowest setting, this model will be an increasingly uncomfortable fit for you.

Adjusting the leg height is simple. On the inside of each leg, you’ll find a button. Press the button to release the catch, then slide the leg to the desired length. Repeat that process for the other three legs, and you’re all set!

It’s the “extras” this chair offers that really make it stand out, though. Here, there are three things to talk about: One minor, and two that are important.

We’ll start with the minor one first; this chair has a convenient handle built into the seatback that makes moving it into and out of the shower a snap. Given its scant weight, even if you have a pretty serious mobility issue, you shouldn’t have any real difficulty moving this chair around.

Second, the feet are rubberized, which makes the chair able to find a solid purchase on the bottom of your bathtub or shower. You won’t have to worry about the chair sliding out from under you as you move to sit in it.

Third, and most important and impressive in our view, is the design of the chair arms. They’re flanged outward and coated with a rubberized, non-slip grip, so you’ve got a good handhold to grab onto while you’re getting into the tub or shower and positioning yourself in the chair.

The handgrips, combined with the rubberized feet, allow you to use this chair with confidence. Even if you have a more serious mobility issue and normally require help, you might find that you can get into and out of this chair on your own. Even if you feel tempted to try, please don’t do this unless you consulted it with your doctor, though!

Assembly is Required

As is the case with most of the furniture you can buy online these days, if you order one of these, it will arrive in a giant box and unassembled. You’ll have some work to do before your new shower seat is ready for first use.

The good news is that the assembly process is clear and doesn’t require any tools. One potential downside is the fact that this chair is a Chinese import, and the production quality isn’t quite up to Western standards.

From a practical point of view, that means that you may run into a piece or two that won’t fit together quite as smoothly or as seamlessly as you’d like, which may require a bit of elbow grease to force the pieces together initially.

Even given that possibility, though, the entire assembly process should take no more than fifteen minutes. Once it’s put together, you’ll find it to be both sturdy and capable.

Pros & Cons of the Omecal Heavy Duty Medical Shower Bath Chair

In no particular order, here are the things we think you’ll like best about this shower chair:

On the other hand, it’s not without its issues. Here are the chair’s two major negatives:

Omecal Heavy Duty Shower Bath Chair Review Conclusion

We feel that the Omecal heavy duty shower bath chair’s many positive attributes far outweigh its two negatives. This is a good, solid product that doesn’t cost a lot of money. For the right user, and in fact, for most users, it could be a great chair. 

There are a few people, though, who will almost certainly find it unsuitable. If you’re especially short, or if you have a tiny bathroom, this isn’t the shower chair for you. For everyone else, we recommend it.

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Official Manufacturer Support

References & Resources

• Teak Care: 3 Easy Steps to Maintaining Your Teak Shower Chair, AquaTeak.
• Safety for Seniors: Preventing Falls In The Bathroom, Belvedere Home Care.
• Hospital Bathroom Ergonomics: Safety, Usability and Accessibility Issues, Research Gate.