If you want to take a load off your own shoulders or off your care providers and loved ones, a personal lift can make transferring from point A to point B infinitely easier, while cutting the risks of falls and injuries. Depending on your level of mobility/function; the specific location and layout where you’re being transferred; and, of course, your budget, there are a variety of fixed and portable personal-lift solutions on the market today.
We’ve broken the field down into three major categories: Floor Lifts, Overhead Lifts, and Unique Situations. We also have guides for lift motors and accessories.
FLOOR LIFTS
Floor lifts are the quick and easy solution for most everyday transfers in and out of beds, chairs, vehicles and commodes. Hoyer is the most well-known floor lift brand and many use “Hoyer lifts” as a catch-all term for this style of lift, but there are many companies that make floor lifts. Their general design has stayed the same for ages, with a tall vertical beam on a U-shaped base, and a piston system that articulates a moveable horizontal arm with either hooks or a spreader bar at the end to attach a carrying sling. Your run-of-the-mill manual pump-style lifts will run you $400-$900. Upgraded features like motorized controls and collapsible legs provide a much less awkward and clunky transfer experience than their hydraulic predecessors — if you have the extra funds.
The Bare-Bones Back Saver:
ProBasics Hydraulic Manual Patient Lift
While hydraulic lifts are not flashy or particularly comfortable rides for the user or operator, they at least ease the physical burden on you and/or your team. The manual hand-pump makes for a jumpy lift, and the control valve that regulates the speed of descent can be touchy. Medicare usually covers 80% of the cost, and supplemental insurance may cover the rest, but you can also put that funding toward a powered lift if you are able to.
Best for: Those on Medicare who are looking for transfer solutions beyond manual and slide board transfers.
Pricing/Availability: $419 at Accessibility Medical
The Best Deal:
Protekt Folding Take-A-Long
For folks with slightly less restricted funds, the Protekt Folding Take-A-Long has just enough extra functionality to make the price jump over a manual lift a worthwhile investment. Featuring a low-profile manual base with an adjustable width ranging from 25.6 inches to 38.2 inches, it can easily fit around most wheelchairs and underneath furniture. It offers a robust weight-capacity of 400 pounds, and its folding legs make it ready for transport if you can heft the 84-pound weight of its frame.
Best for: Those on a tighter budget, who still desire the functionality of a relatively portable motorized lift.
Pricing/Availability: $1,199 at SpinLife.
Top Rated:
Joerns Hoyer Advance Portable Patient Lift With Electric Power
From the brand that’s synonymous with floor lifts, the Advance Portable Patient Lift is marketed as the all-purpose lift built for any transfer situation. The oversized handle and uniquely styled swan legs make it easier to maneuver. Its aluminum frame weighs in at just under 70 pounds, with a working load of 340 pounds, and it folds to a width of 22 inches for a slightly more manageable stowage and travel experience.
Best for: For those looking for an all-around lift that will cover 99% of their transfer needs.
Pricing/Availability: $2,493 at Amazon.
The Traveler:
Molift Smart 150 Lightweight Portable Patient Lift
The Molift 150 is for those on the go. Its light frame and small footprint make it a versatile addition to your travel gear, regardless of the destination. The lift folds down in seconds to load into the back of a car, or it can break down into two 28-pound pieces. The optional preapproved TSA travel case makes air travel a breeze, and the offboard charger takes only three hours to recharge the batteries, putting you onto your next adventure in no time.
Best for: Anyone looking for a lightweight and nimble, yet stable and maneuverable travel lift.
Pricing/Availability: $3,563 at RehabMart.
Top Bariatric Lift:
Medline Electric Hoyer Lifts With Adjustable Base and 6-Point Cradle
Medline’s electric personal lifts are consistently rated as one of the industry’s best in-home bariatric lifts, and are touted for their efficiency and ample features that ensure the comfort and safety of both patient and operator. The lifts offer weight capacities of up to 450 pounds and 700 pounds, and their powered base makes adjusting around wheelchairs and furniture a snap. Highlights include an intuitive battery-charging system, removable battery and user-friendly control panel, plus an emergency release system so those being transferred can be lowered smoothly and safely if the battery happens to die.
Best for: Those who need a higher weight capacity in a sturdy, reliable in-home lift.
Pricing/Availability: 450-pound capacity $1,710; 700-pound capacity $3,941 at RehabMart.
Choosing the Right Lift Motor
As with most mobility solutions, the type of lift motor you choose depends heavily on your specific level of mobility and/or function as well as your transfer needs.
Fixed
Fixed lift-motors mount directly to track trolleys, and they raise and lower a heavy-duty vinyl strap that attaches to a spreader bar or other body lifter (more on those below) to pull you up. Though limited by the confines of their track systems, these permanently placed lifts offer distinct advantages over their portable counterparts:
Self-propulsion: If you have enough hand function to manipulate simple controls, then the fixed lift’s dual-motor functionality will propel you independently to your destination.
On-board charging: Say goodbye to extra batteries and external charging boxes with either a dedicated docking station in one corner of your track system, or an in-rail charging strip for a continuous charge.
Higher weight capacities: When paired with an appropriately reinforced track, many lift brands have models that can lift upwards of 1,000 pounds.
| BRAND | COST (UNIT ONLY) |
|---|---|
| Guldmann | $2,250 – $3,500 |
| Prism | $2,250 – $5,750 |
| Tollos | $2,750 – $4,000 |
| SureHands | $3,750 – $5,750 |
| Joerns / Hoyer | $4,500 – $8,000 |
| Savaria | $6,250 – $8,500 |
Portable
The fixed lift’s upside-down cousin attaches by its heavy-duty strap to a free-rolling trolley fitted with an eye hook by means of a carabiner. The lift motor travels up and down the strap and has built-in hooks for attaching a sling. Whether intended for use between separate track systems in different rooms of your home, or as a portable system to transfer you to hotel beds whose platform bases block the legs of rolling floor-lifts, this type of lift motor will get you almost anywhere you want to go.
Author’s Favorite: Amico GoLift Portable 450
The most compact lift on the market comes from Amico. The GoLift Portable 450 packs quite a punch with its 450-pound max weight capacity despite weighing just 6 pounds. Measuring less than 20 inches wide and only 5 inches tall, this unit is great for tracks with less clearance due to lower ceilings or higher-profile beds, and the 74-inch strap will still be able to pick you up off the floor if the need arises.
When I purchased a used accessible RV back in 2021, the built-in tracking system and Arjo Maxi Sky 440 portable that came with it couldn’t lift me high enough to get into bed without my wife or caregiver having to give me an extra boost. That got old quickly, as you can imagine, and the extra clearance offered by the GoLift Portable 450 made a world of difference.
Best for: Those looking for a low-profile, lightweight portable-lift option that can squeeze every inch out of tighter transfer windows.
Pricing/Availability: $2,994 at All Points Medical.
—Kenny Salvini
OVERHEAD LIFTS
Moving the lift mechanism to the ceiling or wall allows you to bypass many of the shortcomings of floor lifts, which can be cumbersome to maneuver on carpeted surfaces and take up significant space when not in use. Most overhead systems employ a stand-alone lift motor that attaches to multiwheeled trolleys which run back and forth within a track (see sidebar). These two-part systems offer a lot of flexibility depending on your transfer circumstances, because the components are relatively interchangeable.
While not as direct of a product-to-product comparison as the one above, the following is a breakdown of the different styles you’ll want to consider when choosing the best option for you.
Track Systems
When it comes to ceiling track systems, the world is your proverbial oyster, where the two major limiting factors are the breadth of your imagination and the depth of your wallet. These can be as simple as a single piece of straight track from a fixed position above your bed to another open area for a chair, or they can be complex networks of tracks with multiple turntable and gantry gate interchanges to carry you between rooms or separate areas of a single room, such as between the tub and toilet.
Single-Track/Dual-Post Solutions
The old adage that “the shortest distance between two points is a straight line” holds true with these single-track options. Those looking for direct transfer between their bed and a chair can utilize freestanding or pressure-fit options like the ones below.
Handicare Portable Overhead Lift
Castor Gantry System
Handicare’s freestanding, single-track gantry system has a generous weight capacity of 660 pounds and can accommodate both fixed and portable ceiling lifts. The overhead track comes in three different lengths and can be adjusted to seven different heights for a relatively customizable setup for rooms of all sizes.
Best for: Those looking for a semipermanent transfer solution between two points without having to modify their ceiling.
Pricing/Availability: From $2,031 to $2,766, depending on overhead track length, at RehabMart.
Joerns Easytrack 2-Post System
The Easytrack system comes in multiple configurations, which allows buyers to choose between a combination of wall brackets, bath bracket supports, or vertical supports that use pressure tension between the floor and ceiling. Go with a pair of the latter and you’ll have a portable lift with a 440-pound capacity that weighs only 44 pounds.
Best for: Those looking for a simple but flexible track system that can be easily broken down and taken from place to place.
Pricing/Availability: $1,924 at MFI Medical.
X-Y Gantry/H-Track System
These systems provide the most versatile lift solutions because you are not tethered to a single axis of motion. They consist of two parallel, horizontal tracks secured in the four corners of the transferable area. A third track spanning the two carries a motorized lift module that trolleys along that third track, providing for nearly unlimited transfer locations within that space, similar to the old gantry crane arcade games you see at bowling alleys.
Molift Quattro Freestanding
4-Post Gantry System
The Quattro from Molift adds the freedom of two-dimensional transfers without the need to mount additional fixtures on the wall or ceiling. Four beefy steel posts make a solid base for the aluminum gantry to freely traverse a space of either 9’10” by 9’10” or 13’1” by 13’1”, depending on the model you order.
Best for: Those looking for a dependable and static yet flexible transfer experience without having to cut into the walls of their apartment or home.
Pricing/Availability: From $4,299 to $4,549 at Your Medical Store.
EasyTrack 4-Post System
The EasyTrack 4-Post setup offers the freedom of two-axis lifting without the need for such a stout support frame. Unlike the more-portable 2-Post option, the 118-inch parallel support tracks do not collapse smaller, which doesn’t allow for easy transport.
Best for: Those looking for the flexibility and freedom of an X-Y lift, with the minimal post footprint of a pressure-fit system.
Pricing/Availability: $3,418 at RehabMart.
Ceiling-Mounted Tracks
The truly barrier-free transfer option. No pesky posts to circumvent and nearly limitless access to wherever you prefer to be moved. These systems need structural support from above, which requires certified installers to add a lot of hardware in the attic or crawl space above your rooms — plus even more costly modifications to any door headers if you plan to go between rooms — but the benefit of that extra cost and effort is a seamless transfer experience.
Best for: Those looking for a sleek, permanent and fully customizable transfer solution.
Pricing/Availability: From about $3,500 to $$$$$. For an extensive list of tracks, gantries and accessories, check out Dicover Your Mobility. Contact your local mobility dealer for a complete estimate.
Author’s Opinion: Unless you are building a custom dream home with your own pool, hot tub and separate bidet rooms that you need to transfer into, you can just as easily utilize a less complicated one-room system to transfer into a shower chair or other device. When I was remodeling the main suite of my home in 2019, I chose not to add supplemental tracking to my preexisting ceiling-mounted X-Y setup. The funds we saved helped us afford an upgraded shower with a steam unit.
Slings, Body Lifters and Accessories
Whether you go with a floor lift or one of the almost-infinite permutations of ceiling lifts, there is still the matter of how your body will interact with the device you’ve chosen. As always, the type of accessories you choose depends on the amount of function you have and the types of transfers you plan to make.
Slings
There is a wide spectrum of slings available in a number of lengths, sizes and fabrics to fit all kinds of transfer situations. Low-backed slings with longer leg straps allow for removal of pants mid-transfer and can still be removed once you are settled in a shower chair. Those looking for more support may prefer a full-body mesh setup that stays under you and features a strategically placed hole for bowel care.
Pricing/Availability: From $73 to $450 and up, at RehabMart.
Spreader Bars
These bars attach to Hoyer lift arms or ceiling lifts with straps, and come in various shapes, lengths and sling attachment styles. While two-point spreader bars suffice for most people, those of taller stature might consider a V-shaped three-point option, which increases the distance between the sling’s shoulder strap section and leg strap section. If you’re looking for maximum support and a higher weight capacity, a four-point spreader bar combined with the correct sling model and size will do the trick. Note: Most spreader bars are included with the purchase of your lift.
Independent Transfer Options
If you possess sufficient upper-body function, there are a handful of body lifts available that will allow you to transfer independently. Here, two stainless steel bars with ergonomic padding slide just below the armpits, with thigh supports that hang below each bar. The entire system is connected to an overhead hinge that is activated by body weight and causes the supports to gently hug and secure the body while it’s lifted.
Best Deal: Polairis HD Independent Body Lifter. As low as $977 at www.discovermymobility.com/store/patient-lifts/prisim/body-lifter/polairis-hd.html
UNIQUE SITUATIONS
Because not every person or room comes with cookie-cutter needs, some transfer scenarios require outside-the-box solutions. For oddly shaped spaces like bathrooms and other nooks and crannies, you might consider one of these lifts.
Wall Lifts
Think of a floor lift without the annoying legs that feel tippy at times and snag on rugs, furniture legs and more. Wall lifts can be installed via a wall-anchored post, mounted directly into the studs of your wall, or you can go portable with a pressure-fitting post. Featuring 180-degree rotation range, an extendable boom arm, and optional accordion extension, they are ideal for tight spaces like bathrooms, so long as you don’t mind their somewhat conspicuous aesthetics.
Pricing/Availability: SureHands has a feature-packed wall lift system, but pricing information is available only after an evaluation from a dealer. EMR Distributors’ LRT wall lift has a variety of mounting options and is available from online retailers starting at $3,798.
EasyTrack 3-Post System
Adding a second, telescoping overhead track and third post or anchoring point to an EasyTrack 2-Post setup gives you similar rotational capabilities to a wall lift.
Pricing/Availability: $2,601.96 a RehabMart.
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SureHands has the best implementation and design for personal lifts.
You mentioned their wall-mounted lift with their superior Body Support System is superior to all others.
After reading your article, I contacted SureHands suggesting the incorporation of the Body Support System with their Mobile Lifts.
For ultra tight budgets – but arguably increased risks, one could also look at non-disability related / non “human-rated” solutions such as engine hoists, gantry cranes and so on…
Just as an example – looking at Harbor Freight’s website… 1 ton Capacity Telescoping Gantry Crane $849: 880 lb. Electric Hoist with Remote Control $100 or 1 Ton Manual Chain Hoist $70… Ultra budget 1 Ton Capacity Foldable Shop Crane $269
All of these are marked as “Not for lifting people” but it is worth noting that they have much HIGHER load ratings than the products mentioned in the article…
I love my Surehands lift with the body support I cannot live without one of the best pieces of equipment I have purchased. I recently had it removed and installed in my new home.