When my wife was scheduled for knee replacement surgery, I started looking into grab bars ... and finding a zillion brands, finishes, types, shapes, etc. After considering some of the fancier and FAR more expensive options, I came to my senses and focused first on specifications, namely, tubing wall thickness, welds, and attachment plates (flanges).
The Moen bars are really basic, but the specs are decent, it's a brand name bar, and they were returnable if I didn't like them when they showed up. I ordered them and they are just fine.
What I didn't want to do - with any brand bar - was try to blindly attach them to studs. I do a lot of home improvement work and I can pretty reliably find studs with a finder and occasionally a magnet, but I also didn't want to risk placing a critical screw too close to an edge or into a weak spot in the stud, like a loose knot, and there was no way I was going to use drywall anchors for something so critical. Finally, I found by reading descriptions and instructions that the flanges for almost all grab bars are circular. While that offer a lot of options for screw placement, their sizes are such that most will only accommodate 1 or 2 screws per plate, the other available holes not being over the stud, which wasn't comforting.
So, I opened the walls, installed blocking between the studs, patched, and installed the bars with 3 heavy gauge construction screws in each flange - checking first to ensure that the flange cover would fit over the screw heads. The bars are solid as a rock. The flange welds would probably fail before the screws or blocking would. There is no wobble, no hint of movement whatsoever, no matter how much you push or pull.
I'm happy. My wife is happy. They look good. Plus they eliminated a couple of extraneous towel bars and hooks as I bought 36" bars so as to serve double duty. One is always bare, the one on the opposite wall has a few items on the far end that isn't actually used for grabbing.
| Brand | Moen |
|---|---|
| Material | Stainless Steel |
| Color | Stainless |
| Item Weight | 1 Pounds |
| Product Dimensions | 35.32"L x 3"W |
| Style | Transitional |
| Finish Type | Brushed |
| Manufacturer | Moen Incorporated |
| Part Number | 8732 |
| Item Weight | 1 pounds |
| Country of Origin | China |
| Item model number | 8732 |
| Is Discontinued By Manufacturer | No |
| Size | 32 Inch |
| Finish | Brushed |
| Pattern | Grab Bar, 32 in |
| Installation Method | Wall Mounted |
| Item Package Quantity | 1 |
| Cutting Diameter | 3.15 Inches |
| Special Features | 311111Casters |
| Included Components | Mounting Hardware, Installation Instructions, Grab Bar |
| Batteries Included? | No |
| Batteries Required? | No |
| Warranty Description | Limited Lifetime Warranty |
| Assembled Diameter | 3.15 Inches |
