Bariatric Bedside Commode: 500 to 1,000 lb Picks and Widths
Six bariatric bedside commodes rated 500 to 1,000 lb, with each page's weight label, the widths it prints, height range, price and what to measure first.
You need a toilet a few steps from the bed, and the commode you tried puts its arms closer together than your hips. Buying by the word bariatric does not settle it: two of the six picks below print a seat width of 13.75 inches and three print 23 inches or more, because, on our reading, the pages are measuring different things. Below are six bedside commodes rated 500 to 1,000 lb, with each page’s own weight label, widths and height range, and who each one suits.
The short answer
| Pick | Best for | Price (reference) | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drive Deluxe Bariatric Drop-Arm Commode | The highest rating of the six, with drop arms | $198 at Medical Department Store | 1,000 lbs; 23.25 in seat |
| Big John Commode Chair | Up to 700 lb, with the Big John Standard Toilet Seat, 19 in wide | $350 | 700 lbs. Capacity |
| Lumex Imperial Collection 3-in-1 Drop Arm Commode | Drop arms with a printed width between them | $328 at Grayline Medical | 600 lb; 25 in between arms |
| Drive Bariatric Folding Commode | Folding away between uses, up to 650 lb | $123 at HME Medical Shop | 650 lbs; folds; height from 15.5 in |
| NOVA Heavy Duty Bariatric Commode 8582 | A tall bed or long legs (highest top of the three pages that say seat height) | $210 at Harmony Home Medical | 500 lb; seat height to 24.25 in |
| Vive Bariatric Commode | Up to 500 lb at the lowest price of the six | $99.99 | 500 pounds; folds |
Two kinds of seat width
On our reading, these six pages use seat width for two things. Three list a seat 23 to 23.25 inches wide (Lumex, NOVA, Drive drop-arm); in the photos it is a flat seat with an opening (our reading), and the Lumex calls it a platform seat. Two print 13.75 inches, which the Vive’s FAQ calls its toilet seat; Drive’s folding commode lists it as Seat Dimensions.
For your hips, the number that matters is the space between the arms (our reading). Three pages print one: 27 inches in the Vive’s text, 25 on the Lumex, 23.75 on the NOVA. The Big John’s page gives 24¼ inches inside width without saying where it is taken. Drive’s product and catalog pages give Width Between Legs instead.
| Pick | Rated to (page’s label) | Seat (page’s label) | Width (page’s label) | Height (page’s label) | Arms | Price (reference) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drive drop-arm 11135-1 | Weight Capacity 1000 lbs | Seat Dimensions 23.25 (W) x 18.5 (D) in | Width Between Legs 26 in | Height Adjustment 17.5–22 in | Drop (release mechanism) | $198, Medical Department Store |
| Big John BJBC | 700 lbs. Capacity (seat alone: 800 lb., catalog) | Toilet seat 19 in wide | Inside width 24¼ in, outside width 28¼ in | Adjustable Height 19–23 in | Stabilizing handles | $350 |
| Lumex 6438A | Maximum Weight Capacity 600 lb, evenly distributed | Seat Width 23 in, Seat Depth 18 in | Width Between Arms 25 in; Overall Width 31 in | Seat Height Range 19½–23½ in | Drop independently | $328, Grayline Medical |
| Drive folding 11117N-1 | Weight Capacity 650 lbs | Seat Dimensions 13.75 (W) x 16.5 (D) in | Width Between Legs 29.25 in | Height 15.5–22 in | Plastic armrests | $123, HME Medical Shop |
| NOVA 8582 | 500 lb weight capacity | Seat Dimensions 23.25 W x 18.75 D in | Width between arms 23.75 in; Overall 27 in W | Seat Height 17.5–24.25 in | Fixed | $210, Harmony Home Medical |
| Vive LVA1059 | Supports up to 500 pounds | Seat Width 13.75 in | Width at the armrests 27 in | Adjustable Seat Height 16–22 in (list); maximum 20 (FAQ); 16.5–22.5 (images) | Fixed | $99.99 |
The six picks
Drive Deluxe Bariatric Drop-Arm Commode (11135-1)
The highest rating of the six picks: Weight Capacity 1000 lbs, on the product page and on Drive’s catalog page. The seat is a large snap-on seat, 23.25 inches wide and 18.5 deep, on gray powder-coated steel tubing. The arms release so you can slide across from the bed rather than stand up (our reading of the drop-arm design). Drive lists its weight as 21 lb. Drive’s page carries no public price; Medical Department Store listed it at $197.97 on 1 October 2026.
Drawbacks: Drive's product page and catalog page print no width between the arms, only 26 inches between the legs, and their text does not list use over a toilet. Drive does not say where its 17.5–22 inch Height Adjustment is measured.
Big John Commode Chair (BJBC)
Big John’s page lists 700 lbs. Capacity and includes the Big John Standard Toilet Seat, 19 inches wide, which the catalog sheet rates at 800 lb on its own; plan on the chair’s 700 (our reading). Height adjusts from 19 to 23 inches, and the page gives a depth of 26¼. The page sells it for the bedside or over a toilet. Of the six picks, it and the Vive are the two whose makers print a price on their own pages.
Drawbacks: The highest reference price of the six picks. Its page gives 24¼ inches inside width and 28¼ outside without saying where either is taken, so ask Big John before ordering if your hips measure close to 24 inches.
Lumex Imperial Collection 3-in-1 Steel Drop Arm Commode (6438A)
Drop arms with a printed width between them: 25 inches between the arms, over a platform seat 23 inches wide and 18 deep. The arms drop independently below seat level, and the backbar comes off for use as a bedside commode, raised toilet seat or toilet safety frame. Height adjusts in 1 inch steps from 19½ to 23½ inches, the same range as on the product sheet. Welded steel, with a pail, cover and splash shield. Graham-Field’s page shows no public price; Grayline Medical listed it at $327.99 on 1 October 2026.
Drawbacks: Its 600 lb is printed as Maximum Weight Capacity, evenly distributed; the page does not say what that requires, so ask Graham-Field if you are near 600 lb. Overall Width is 31 inches, the largest outside figure on any of the six pages, so measure the space beside the bed.
Drive Bariatric Folding Commode (11117N-1)
The pick if the commode has to fold away between uses: Drive says it easily opens and folds for storage and transportation. Rated 650 lbs, its printed Height, 15.5 to 22 inches, starts lowest of the six picks’ printed figures, though Drive does not say where it is measured. It has plastic armrests, a back that comes off without tools, and a 12 qt bucket with cover and splash shield. Drive lists its weight as 19 lb, and the catalog page repeats the figures. Drive shows no public price; HME Medical Shop listed it at $122.65 on 1 October 2026.
Drawbacks: The 13.75 inch seat is what Drive calls a snap-on seat with lid; in the photos it is a toilet-style seat (our reading). Drive's product page and catalog page print no width between the arms, only 29.25 inches between the legs, and their text does not list use over a toilet; a dealer, HME Medical Shop, says it can go over an existing toilet.
NOVA Heavy Duty Bariatric Commode with Extra Wide Seat (8582)
The pick for a tall bed or long legs: 17.5 to 24.25 inches of seat height, the highest top among the three pages that say seat height (Lumex, NOVA, Vive), and its spec image gives the same range. It prints both widths, a 23.25 by 18.75 inch seat and 23.75 inches between the arms, on a steel frame 27 inches wide overall. NOVA sells it as a stand-alone commode or over a toilet, with a bucket, lid and splash guard. NOVA’s page shows no price; Harmony Home Medical listed it at $209.95 on 1 October 2026.
Drawbacks: Rated 500 lb, the lowest rating of the six picks, shared with the Vive. The arms are fixed, and the page says NOT FOR USE IN SHOWER.
Vive Bariatric Commode (LVA1059)
The lowest reference price of the six picks, on a frame that folds. Vive’s text says the stainless steel frame supports up to 500 pounds, and lists it as a bedside commode, safety rail toilet frame or elevated toilet seat. Its spec list gives Width at the armrests 27 inches, Width at the base 27 and Depth 18; one dimension drawing shows an unlabelled 24 inches at the armrests, 27 across the back rail and 30.5 across the feet (our reading of the drawing). The back rail is removable. Vive’s own store listed it at $99.99 on 1 October 2026.
Drawbacks: The page gives three seat height ranges: 16 to 22 inches in its spec list, a maximum of 20 in its feature text and FAQ, and 16.5 to 22.5 on two images. The arms are fixed, and the seat is a 13.75 inch toilet seat, slightly oval, per its FAQ.
How to choose: four numbers you can measure
- Your weight, against the rating. At 500 lb or under, all six ratings cover you; up to 600, all but the NOVA and Vive (the Lumex evenly distributed); up to 650, the Drive folding, Big John and Drive drop-arm; up to 700, the last two; above 700, the Drive drop-arm alone, to 1,000.
- Seated hip width, against the width between the arms. Sit on a hard, flat surface and measure straight across the widest part of your hips, as our bariatric chair guide does for armchairs. Compare it with a between-arms figure, not a seat width: 23.75 inches on the NOVA, 25 on the Lumex, 27 in the Vive’s text; a drawing on the same page shows an unlabelled 24 at the armrests. For the Big John (24¼ in inside width, not placed) or either Drive, ask the maker.
- Floor to the back of your knee, against height. Sit with your feet flat, measure to the crease behind your knee, and choose a range that includes your number (our rule of thumb): from 15.5 inches (Drive folding) to 24.25 (NOVA). Of the six, Lumex, NOVA and Vive say seat height; the Drive and Big John pages do not say where their height is measured.
- The floor beside the bed. The pages print 31 inches Overall Width (Lumex), 28¼ outside width (Big John), 27 overall (NOVA), and 27 at the base in the Vive’s text, 30.5 across the feet on its drawing; the Drives give 26 and 29.25 inches between the legs.
Before you order
- Read the maker’s figures. Dealers retype or add figures: Grayline’s title gives the Lumex height as 19½ to 23 inches, against Graham-Field’s 19½ to 23½, and Medical Department Store prints Width - Between Arms 25.75 inches for the Drive 11135-1, which Drive’s pages do not give.
- Over a toilet, measure the room. Four of the six pages list that use; compare the room’s width with the outside figures above.
- For the shower, check the page. The NOVA’s rules it out; for seats made for the shower, see our bariatric shower chair guide.
More bedroom and bathroom guides are in the home and bedroom section.
Where these numbers come from
Ratings, dimensions and features are from each maker’s page, sheets and images linked on each pick, read on 1 October 2026. The Big John and Vive prices are the makers’ own; the other four are the named dealers’, the same day. Comparisons between picks and readings marked as ours are our own.
Frequently asked questions
What is the weight limit on a bariatric bedside commode?
It depends on the model. The six picks in this guide print ratings from 500 lb (the NOVA 8582 and the Vive) to 1,000 lbs (the Drive Deluxe Bariatric Drop-Arm Commode), with the Lumex 6438A at 600 lb, the Drive folding commode at 650 and the Big John at 700. Of the six, only the Lumex page adds the words evenly distributed to its figure.
How wide is the seat on a bariatric bedside commode?
On our reading, the six picks' pages use seat width for two different things. Three list a seat 23 to 23.25 inches wide (Lumex, NOVA, Drive drop-arm); in the photos it is a flat seat with an opening (our reading), and the Lumex calls it a platform seat. Two print 13.75 inches, which the Vive's FAQ calls the width of its toilet seat. For your hips, compare the width between the arms instead: 27 inches in the Vive's text (a drawing on the same page shows an unlabelled 24 at the armrests), 25 on the Lumex, 23.75 on the NOVA. For the Big John (24¼ inches inside width, not placed) or either Drive, ask the maker.
Can a bariatric bedside commode go over a toilet?
Four of the six picks' pages say so: the Lumex, the Vive, the NOVA 8582 and the Big John. The two Drive pages do not list that use in their text (a dealer, HME Medical Shop, says the folding model can go over an existing toilet), so ask Drive before planning on it. Over a toilet, the height range is what sets how far it raises you (our reading).
Can I use a bariatric bedside commode in the shower?
Check the page for the model you buy. Of the six picks here, the NOVA 8582's page answers it directly, NOT FOR USE IN SHOWER, and lists Can Be Used in Bath or Shower: No. Shower chairs and shower commode chairs are a separate kind of seat, covered in our bariatric shower chair guide.
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