Drive Medical Bariatric Heavy Duty Crutches, Gray, Tall Adult

I am a big guy at 6ft and 300lbs. I read the tough reviews about the arm cups being tight and being a really big guy with big forearms, I had to open up the forearm cups. It does take some serious force to open them up, but I can deliver serious force being a big guy. when you open them up, they stay opened up and feel secure. Not only can you set these up by length using the ball detent things like every cane/crutch out there, but there was a ring screw at the junction between the two sliding pieces where you can really cinch them down tight, making a crutch feel like it was welded together.These crutches do weigh something, but they feel very light to me. If they weighed less, I would be worried. The rubber ends were very appropriate and using these is relatively noise free.The main problem was my technique and I am working on that. Doing stairs using one leg is terrifying with these crutches primarily because while you are lifting your one good leg, you are completely being supported by two sticks. Probably not a big deal if your day job is a cirque du soleil rope act, but as an engineer I wonder how anyone uses these things at all with a few flights of stairs. Going across flat ground is fine but very tiring. This is why I ordered them a couple months before my surgery so I could get used to them when both legs are basically working fine-ish.

Top thing you need to know: These things were built to hold up under significant weight loads. As such they are built very sturdy and are not light weight. They are not super heavy, but they are definitely not 'sporty' light weight crutches.I bought these for my wife while she was recovering from a significant broken upper leg boke breakage. While she is not in the weight range these were really designed for, I knew they would be built stronger. So many other crutches you find here get bad reviews for breaking under different loads in fairly short time periods.If I ever had to buy something more, these would be my go to. However, my wife was starting to say after 6 months of use that she wishes they were lighter. But she doesn't need them any more as she has healed nicely.For first timers trying to find the right crutches, but worried that the forearm type isn't for them, you should take a look at videos on Youtube on how to use them. Several physical therapists have done simple videos showing the right way to use forearm crutches in general (including the big scary thing: Stairs). We also stumbled on a guy showing how to use the lighter (and far more expensive) type outdoors on hiking trails. He was just plowing along and his camera operator had trouble keeping up. That is when I realized he only had one leg. He can use them, so can you!Also take a look at the seller's actual website (not amazon page). This is all they do (medical equipment like this). Not just some reseller sourcing the cheapest things from anywhere. I will do business with this company again if I should ever need to.

Secure feel and adjustable while lightweight. These are the key benefits to me of these crutches. Because of threaded sleeves eliminating free play, these crutches don't rattle. Instead, they are quiet compared to most crutches and have little to no free play.The vinyl coated steel that wraps around the upper forearm is adjustable. Some people might think otherwise because it requires more effort than a weakened person may be able to employ, but it can be adjusted to fit snuggly. I like mine to be loose enough that my forearms are squeezed, but tight enough that the gap left by them not forming a complete circle is small enough to prevent my wrists from slipping out when I let go of the hand grips and raise my hands overhead (this latter adjustment was at the advice of my physical therapist.I have walked up to two miles using the crutches as an aid to prevent falls while I learn to walk with a prosthetic leg. The crutches work well for this purpose because they are light.I have standard under the armpit crutches. I got forearm crutches because they provide more mobility. They are especially handy when walking on irregular surfaces like one encounters when walking in parks and in the woods or countryside.I have a wheelchair, walker, underarm crutches, forearm crutches, trekking poles and a prosthesis. Most of the time I use forearm crutches for the outdoors or as an aid to reduce weight on my remaining knee when I walk up and down stairs. It is extremely difficult to use underarm crutches on irregular or sloped surfaces; this is where forearm crutches shine. I prefer underarm crutches when I am not wearing the prosthetic leg because that type of crutch is less wobbly for me when bearing my full weight entirely on the crutches. One should understand that I am overweight, so even though I have moderate upper body strength and score high on balance test, I nevertheless feel less arm strain when using underarm crutches. In short, forearm crutches increase mobility, especially on irregular terrain, while underarm crutches deliver a more secure gait on flat surfaces.I don't like how hard the plastic is for the handgrips but this problem is easily addressed by using padded handgrip covers that are manufactured for the purpose (I used them on my walker and switched to my forearm crutches) and sold on Amazon.