Moen 8718 Home 18-Inch Bathroom Grab Bar, Stainless

As you get older, you need a bit more stability getting in and out of the tub. But, as a safety feature, no matter what your age, you could use a handle stepping in and out of the tub to prevent slipping. These bars are perfect for the job. The bars come with screws to install on the wall. Normally, you just locate a stud where you wish to mount the bar and screw it to the wall. Now, I live in a mobile home, and as you may know, the walls arent that thick to start with. I installed my bars by making an aluminum backer plate (3 x 4), drilled through the wall, and mounted the bar to the tub side with the plate on the opposite side. They are firm and support us getting in and out of the tub. I put one at each end of the tub because we liked the one so much, but sometimes you just use the other end, too. I may end up putting another one on the back wall for extra support when using the shower in the tub. These bars are made well, look nice, sturdy, and easy to install. Oh, did I say inexpensive? We are very happy with a pair of these grab bars giving us extra support in the tub.

Well I was assuming this was a great brand. The quality of the grab bar is good. I live in the 60-year-old lathe and plaster house. I finally located a stud and wouldnt you know it, the damn head of the screw broke in the stud even after pre-drilling. Changing the position was not a choice I wanted to make. I already had three large holes for heavy duty anchors in the other side of the grab bar. I should have known better than to use the included screws. Please do not use the anchors that are included. They are not adequate for hanging a grab bar, maybe a picture frame. The included screws look hefty enough but its no good if the head easily breaks off. You have been warned.

Bought two of these for a stroke patient who was struggling with balance and strength issues in the bathroom and in their garage entrance which has three steps. Installation was fairly easy though the disks that covered the wall mounts were annoying. I used a couple inches of blue tape to secure them mid-bar until I needed to install them in the final step. You will need a stud finder… One of the tricks that eases installation is to put only a single screw in at each end until you get it aligned and drilled properly. Then install the other four screws and tighten everything securely. Pop the covers in place. The second one was a 15 minutes and I’m a maladroit craftsman. The friend was not impressed until she tried them and discovered it gives her quite a bit more independence entering her home safely and being able to sit and stand at the toilet safely, without help. Anybody who has suffered from a stroke or has balance or muscle weakness should immediately install several of these around their home.

Were in our seventies; we needed something secure to hold onto getting into and out of the tub. This works great, even in a difficult location. I have a stud right under the edge of tiles in the shower stall. I needed to install this bar on the wall just outside the stall, butted up against the edge of the tiles, but not on top of the stud. That meant the screws would have to go in on an angle to embed into the stud underneath the tiles. That was true of the other end as well (32 bar, studs 16 o.c.). Not a problem. Some screw holes in the ring on the end of the bar are slotted; others are fixed; but the entire ring theyre in can rotate. So I was able to align multiple holes as near as possible to the studs, two on top, one underneath. The screws provided were 3 long, so they could reach and firmly sink into the studs, even on a diagonal. Its rock solid. Obviously the screw heads could not be seated flat. No problem. The ring cover fit over the top of them without any trouble at all, and snapped onto the screw ring below. It looks great, AND it gives us the secure grip we needed.

Ive installed five of these bars in two different sizes in two bathroom retrofits. They are strong and secure but one needs to be aware of what they are being mounted to -- there MUST be something strong to screw them into whether that be wall studs or, as I prefer, blocking which has been securely installed between studs during a remodel. This latter method means that you can pretty much mount a bar anywhere. My blocking in the last remodel was 16 wide 3/4 plywood run around most of the bathroom between the 24OC wall studs at waist height with even wider ply in critical locations in the shower. This gives great leeway in the placement with no worry about hitting the sweet spot.

Installed in the shower for safety

Used it replace my flimsy towel rack. Now I have a combo towel and grab bar. Very sturdy as it fits on standard 16 studs. Well made and price worked. Happy with this purchase.

I bought this Moen stainless grab bar when my mother suffered an injury that made it dangerous for her to get in and out of the shower without support. She wanted something that was not only sturdy but also attractive, and I settled on this one in part because of Moens reputation. Installation is easy, especially if you can attach it to studs on both ends; if you cant, then youll have to purchase the secure mounts separately, one for each end that isnt attached to a stud. The 36 length allows her to not only step out of the shower but also to be supported for another step forward. And when her injury heals, it can be used as a towel bar, albeit an extra thick one. -- Debbie Lee Wesselmann

If mounted properly helps getting in or out of shower or tub

I wanted to like this bar. It seems sturdy enough, but there are two problems on installation: 1. the coverplates are fairly flimsy, and slip down and lock while you are trying to install the bar. Now, this is what you want when you are done fastening the screws, but not before. Once locked, they are hard to pry open. I actually pinched and cut myself on the sharp metal edge. I finally taped it up away from the end to get it out of the way. (Not mentioned anywhere in the instructions). If you only do this once, meh, but if you were say a plumber, and do this often, you will be adding some new vocabulary to your repertoire. 2. As others have noted, the screws are soft with a small Phillips head. (Stainless can be soft). I was able to use my special anti-cam screwdriver, but not everyone has one. I was tempted to switch to a hex style, but decided to grin and bear it for just this one. Part of the issue is that you need a long driver to get past the bar, so your angle is off with a regular power driver.