excellent point, shelley. i'm only 5'2" and the 18" is about my limit. any further would definitely be wasted on me. this is true from both sides. about the hydraulic lift, that really bumps up the price even though it's a great option. i've gotten used to manually lifting and what i never had i can't miss. (i can wish, though) altogether i'm happy with what i have and don't plan to ever go higher in quality/performance. it does what it's supposed to. as a professional, you neeeed it every day. or you'd have real back problems.