Tension caddy vs over-door shower caddy

Two measurements, and you have your answer

1. Do you have a glass shower door? If yes, measure the thickness of the top edge and the depth of any frame on it. simplehuman does not publish a thickness range, so the only way to be confident is to compare your edge against the hanger when it arrives — and to buy from somewhere that takes returns.
2. How high is your ceiling, and is it flat above the shower? The pole works between 6 and 9 ft. A sloped ceiling, a shower in a dormer, or a ceiling with a large extractor grille directly above the tub all remove the bearing point the spring needs.

Where the weight goes

This is the difference nobody mentions. A tension pole transfers its load down to the floor of the tub or tray. An over-door caddy hangs its load on the top edge of a door that swings or slides several times a day, so the bottles move every time somebody uses the shower.

Neither maker publishes a weight capacity, which is normal in this category rather than a simplehuman failing. Why no caddy publishes a capacity is covered here. The practical rule is the same either way: heavy bottles low, light things high.

What they share

• Materials. Both publish rust-proof stainless steel and anodized aluminum.
• Warranty. Five years on both.
• Install rating. Both are Safe — no drilling, no adhesive, nothing left behind.
• Unpublished capacity. Neither states how much weight the shelves take.

Where the bottles actually go

With the tension pole you set the shelf heights, so the sensible arrangement is heavy bottles low and light things high: the lower the mass sits, the less leverage it has against the spring holding the pole up. Adjustable shelves also mean two people of different heights can each have a shelf they can reach without stretching over a wet floor.

With the over-door caddy you get one position, on the top edge of the door, and everything lives at that height. That is fine for shampoo and soap; it is poor for anything heavy, because the weight swings with the door every time somebody opens it.

What actually kills a shower caddy

Not weight — rust. A caddy spends its life in warm spray, and the cheap ones give themselves away at the welds and the screw heads within a year. Both products here publish “rust-proof stainless steel and anodized aluminum” and a five-year warranty, which is the reason they cost what they cost. What survives a shower is covered here.

Who should skip both

A shower with a curtain and a low or sloped ceiling. Neither product has anything to hold on to. A caddy that hangs from the shower arm, or silicone-backed shelves on flat tile, is the answer instead. The no-drill caddies are ranked here.

A shower where you want a permanent shelf. If you own the place and the tile is already coming off, a niche or a drilled shelf is better than either. Niche against shelf is compared here.