Duro-Med DMI Bariatric Transfer Board, Southern Yellow Pine

Excellent quality transfer board. Very safe. Perfect size

I love how this particular board works in practice. Board is very sturdy. It is nicely beveled, so easy to slide partially underneath transferee. "Bottom-side" of board has enough texture to resist sliding from start and endpoints during transfer. All edges are very smoothly rounded off, so no damage to the seating surfaces involved in the transfer. The "top surface of the board has a nicely slick surface, makes it pretty easy to slide along. The cutouts in the board are indeed very useful as handholds. All these little features add up to a big positive difference compared to other transfer boards, especially plastic transfer boards I've tried.

I have had this board for 1 1/2 months now, here are some things I've discovered while using it. Being upfront from the start, transfers with the board still make me feel somewhat uneasy, but that is mostly due to not having used it enough to get confident on the transfers. If I don't feel safe, I'm not budging, and the board in rehab after surgery was narrow, and the gap I had to cross was looking like the grand canyon and I refused to even attempt it. The OT there was not too happy with me to say the least, but I didn't budge. I am a double above the knee amputee, so if you have legs, some of this might not apply to your situation. For every PRO, there might be a CON as well :) PROS: 1. VERY sturdy, this board is not gonna bend under a heavy load (rated up to 735 lbs) 2. Slick and smooth, which makes sliding easier. 3. Length is good, you can span an area and still have coverage from where you are coming from to where you are going. 4. Heavy but not horrendously so, its easy to lift and move. 5. Handholds are good for helping you get lined up, and for moving the board, as it makes carrying it very easy. 6. Grip pads on bottom help prevent the board from sliding on the surfaces. 7. Makes an excellent temporary table top :) I put it across the top of the arms of my Drive Medical Deluxe Bariatric Drop-Arm Commode, Grey and can cover the whole thing with white fabric, and use that as the base for some of my jewelry when taking pictures, without killing my back. 8. I also put the board on the commode seat, and using a bucket and cup, I can wash my hair without having to get into the shower, which is a total pain as its not handicap accessible for the most part. 9. Easy to store, I just slide it down between the mattress and foot board of my hospital bed. I needed the bed more before surgery than after, but no where to store it if I change beds, so there it is. I rent a room, so the board is always accessible when I need it. CONS: 1. Main CON is while the board is strong it is not strong enough to prevent damage to the underside from the wheelchair. See picture I'm including with review. These marks are from the wheelchair from rehab that I am still using while awaiting a power chair with lift. If not for that, I'd give this board a 5 star. My OT did say that is normal with any board. 2. Slick - be careful of what you are wearing! Some materials are not suited to sliding across a board in mid air :) 3. Between the length and weight (32 inches, 4.6 lbs) this board can become awkward to use depending again on the situation. Most people will need help I would guess. 4. Handholds can smash fingers if not careful, especially if you are transferring to different heights, as you tend to not think about moving your fingers until you find the board teeters to your hand side. It can feel very much like you are on the center of a teeter-tot when you hit the center, so balance is a must. 5. Grip pads, what can I say. They grip. Especially when its time to either get that board under you, or out from under you. Don't rely solely on it to hold if you are in transfer. 6. Butt pinches. It can be very easy to find the board pinching you in places you don't want pinched when getting on it. With the non slip on the bottom, I can't transfer to the car from chair without help for a couple reasons. Can't get the board far enough under me to get started, or out from under me when I get where I'm going. The only vehicle I can get into right now is my son's girlfriends car, everyone else I know has SUV's minivans or trucks, and the height difference is too great. Rather like climbing mount Everest :( They don't mind helping situate the board though, its not every day they get to shove a board up my rear. All in all, while the CON list seems long, its mostly due to not having legs. I honestly don't know if having legs would help or hinder a transfer to be honest, they don't get in my way at any rate :) I do not use the board for transferring in home, so far I just do what my OT described as a 'vet transfer' or 'VA transfer'. That means facing the wheelchair to wherever I'm going, aka bed, couch, and using my upper body strength to push off of the chair to the goal. I rather imagine I look something like a ape without legs :) when transferring. To get back in my wheelchair, I back into it same way, but that transfer does require some upper body strength and a lot of wiggling. There was a older lady in rehab who was watching me learn transfers and she announced for all in the room, that I was an "excellent wiggler". On that bit of humor, I will leave this review for you to consider, and add that I would definitely buy this board again.

Wider board works well made transfers safer

Sturdy. Works great