Ella Capri Versus Ella Elite: Threshold, Seat Height, Door Width, Handle Location and Door Swing

The Ella Capri and the Ella Elite share the same therapy options, drains, grab bars and faucet choices, so the choice between them comes down to the door and the seat. The Capri has a lower step-in threshold, a taller seat, a slightly wider door opening, an exterior door handle and an outward-swinging door. The Elite has a higher threshold, a lower seat, a slightly narrower door opening, an interior handle and an inward-swinging stainless steel and tempered glass door. The right pick depends on how easily the bather lifts each foot, how comfortable they are sitting down and standing back up, and how much clear floor space the bathroom has in front of the tub.

Side-By-Side Differences

The Elite's actual exterior size is 30 inches wide, 52 inches long and 35 inches tall. Everything else, including the jetting packages, the drain arrangement, the grab bars and the faucet options, is the same on both models. Use the current spec sheet for each model when you need the full set of dimensions.

What Each Difference Means for the Bather

The threshold is the height you lift each foot over to step in. At 3.5 inches the Capri asks for a smaller step than the Elite's 6-inch threshold, so bathers with limited hip or knee movement usually find the Capri easier to enter. The Capri's 17-inch seat is closer to chair height, which makes sitting down and rising feel familiar, while the Elite's 15-inch seat places you a little deeper in the water. The Capri's door opening is one inch wider, which can matter for a bather who turns sideways to enter. The handle location decides where you reach to latch the door: on the outside face for the Capri and on the inside face for the Elite, so think about which reach is more comfortable from a seated position.

Door Swing and Bathroom Space

The Capri belongs to Ella's outward-swing family. Its door is a plastic composite frame with tempered glass that swings out into the room on a 3-latch gear and shaft mechanism, so you need clear floor space in front of the tub and nothing sitting in the arc of the door. The Elite's stainless steel and tempered glass door swings inward into the tub, which suits smaller bathrooms and lets the door be lifted out for cleaning. You can read more about that door in what the stainless steel inward door is. If a toilet or vanity sits close to the tub, read whether the walk-in tub door will clear the toilet before settling on the Capri. Check overall height as well, especially if you are working around a low window or countertop or adding a shower column.

Door Side and Drain Side

Both models are ordered with the door on the left or the right, and the drains are always on the opposite side from the door: a right-side door tub drains on the left, and a left-side door tub drains on the right, as you face the tub. Match the door side to where your house drain is before you finalize either model.

How the Ultra, Deluxe and Monaco Compare

The Ultra and the Deluxe both use an inward-swing door like the Elite, so if you need an outward-swinging door in that size class, the Capri is the model to look at. The Monaco belongs to the same outward-swing family as the Capri, with the same composite and tempered glass door and 3-latch mechanism, so compare the two spec sheets to see which one fits through your doorways and into the bathroom. When a tub is shorter than the alcove, an extension panel fills the gap. For a quick tour of the rest of the lineup, see the walk-in tub model highlights.

How to Decide

1. Measure the bathroom doorway, any hallway turns and the alcove using the walk-in tub size and measuring guide.
2. Decide whether the bather needs the lowest possible threshold and a taller seat, which favors the Capri, or a compact door that stays inside the tub, which favors the Elite.
3. Confirm the swing space in front of the tub for the Capri, or confirm the bather is comfortable with a door that swings inward for the Elite.
4. Confirm the door side against your house drain location.
5. Give your model choice and measurements to your installer and to your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850 so the spec sheet matches what will be delivered.

Related Guides

• Inward or Outward Swing Door: Which Should I Choose Before Ordering?
• How Wide Is the Door Opening? Published Door Widths, Swing Arcs and Clearance by Door Family
• Step-In Threshold Heights by Model and How Low It Can Go

Related Videos

Common Questions

Still Need Help?

Open a ticket at ellasbubbles.com/support or call (800) 480-6850 and have your model and serial number ready.