Solo Lift Pro -Product Revieww
Published in UpperEx.com

SOLO LIFT PRO REVIEW - DENNIS CROWLEY, MARYLAND

Since my accident, over two years ago, I've spent a lot of time adapting and figuring out new ways to get things done. As a right elbow disartic, my residual arm can do a lot of things, but some things have changed. For instance, we buy smaller boxes of cat litter now. I rarely restock the copier or printer at work, especially if it requires I go to the supply closet to get a new box of paper. And those mega-boxes of cereal that you save money on at the wholesale clubs? Forget picking those puppies up one- handed, unless your remaining hand is like Shaquille O'Neal's. And sometimes, if you go to the walk-in cooler at your local beverage supplier, and they have a sale on your favorite mega 30 pack, but you have to pick it up off the floor, you choose a six pack of something else instead to avoid having to wrestle it to your elbow or shoulder to carry it. Got to admit, I've often fantasized about being bitten by a radioactive spider, just so I could get the Spider-Man sticky-fingers abilities.

When I first laid my hand on the Lift Mate Solo Lift, I have to admit I thought "What is this contraption?" However, rebuilding my office and my kitchen around being a single-handed professional and cook taught me not to be so judgmental at first blush. So, I clipped the handy holster to my belt, and set off on trips to BJ's Wholesale Club, and to the office. The handy holster contains a solid plastic gripping clamp, with opposing teeth inside its jaws, and a pistol grip handle that utilizes the entire hand for gripping strength. The opposing teeth looked dependable for gripping, but would they potentially damage a flimsy cardboard box?

1st test, BJ's Wholesale Club: this is not intended to be a review or endorsement of BJ's Wholesale Club; they are just the closest wholesale club to my house. I couldn't think of any other place that had lots of big boxes to try the Lift Mate out on. I started with regular household items that just about anyone might encounter. The Solo Lift let me reach to an upper shelf, pull down an extra- plus size box of breakfast cereal, and place it on a cart in a controlled manner, WITHOUT damaging the box. First impression: this is way better than my usual method of tipping the box from an upper shelf and hoping it falls into the cart. This turned out to be a good test of added dexterity, without being much of a test of weight. Next, the mission turned to heavier household items. Into the cart went a 20 pound box of cat litter-no sweat there. Maybe a 30 pound box of cat litter would be better... no sweat there either. Case of motor oil... plunk... right in the cart with no trouble. Hmmmm... looks like this thing CAN handle a little weight. Wonder how it will fare at work?

Second test, office environment: I tried to narrow this down to some typical workspace tasks that involve moving weight around in boxes, as the Solo Lift doesn't have much application on the average desktop. So, off to the supply closet I went, thinking that the typical 40 pound box of copier paper would be more than a match for this little plastic doohickey. Not so much-as long as you have the strength to properly lift a 40 pound box in the first place, you have a convenient and strong handle with which to do it. More importantly, you have the option of placing that handle just about anywhere you want, along any edge of the box, to enable you to lift properly with your legs, rather than wrestling a heavy weight around and risking further injury. The only downside I could come up with was that, IF the lifter is not tall enough to stand straight and hold the copier paper box off the floor by the short end, THEN there might be an inconvenience or risk of injury as the upper body becomes involved.

Interestingly, grip strength was not much of an issue either. Once the Solo Lift was in the proper place along the edge of the box, the weight of the box itself was enough to pull the jaws shut and provide a solid grip. It would SEEM that if the user is capable of lifting the intended weight in the first place, the weight itself will actually make the job easier by holding the Solo Lift grip shut. This would be a good tool to discuss with a physical or occupational therapist, to minimize the risk of over lifting, or thinking that your upper body and lower back are stronger than they actually are.

Maneuverability is another issue. The Solo Lift will allow the user to pick up the aforementioned box of copier paper or case of motor oil, and carry it from one place to another safely and easily; however, it will not allow you to place the box on, say, an eye-level shelf when you get there. Therefore, sensible planning is necessary. This is probably familiar to most upperex amps anyway, as many of us are used to thinking, "how am I going to get this widget on its shelf when I get to the garage/bedroom/kitchen?"

I was only able to discern one limiting factor to the Solo Lift: its jaws are specifically designed to grip the edges of square boxes that form a 90° angle. So, if you wish to pick up an open box, or a box without a lid, this doesn't add any functionality there. The gearhead side of me thinks that some easily-designed attachments might solve that issue, but I'm sure that the designers came up with the Solo Lift probably have such nifty ideas in the works already.

SOLOLIFT PRO REVIEW BY SHERMAN HARROLD

When I received the Solo Lift in the mail I thought "This is an interesting looking toy". I did not think it could be a tool that I would ever use since I am hard on all my tools. I first tried it on the box that the Solo Lift was shipped in. I was surprised how easily it gripped the box and held on to it firmly. I looked around for something heavier. All I could find was a box of cereal. It was able to grab the slick surface of the cereal box quite firmly.

Being the skeptic I am, I still wanted to prove it would not handle any thing heavy, so I took the Solo Lift to work with me. I went out into the warehouse and found a small box, about ten pounds, and picked it up easily and carried it around. I then moved on to a heavier box, about twenty pounds, and got the same results. I thought "OK lets get serious and pick up something heavy". I found a box of paper that weighed about forty pounds. It gripped the box firmly, and I was amazed at how easily I was able to carry the box around one handed. The box seemed lighter then it really was.

Solo Lift will not be a tool I will use every day, but like many tools I have in my shop, when I need it, it will make the job much faster and easier.


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