Ask any vendor 'which exoskeleton is best?' and you'll get a confident answer. But here's the awkward truth the market keeps demonstrating: there is no best exoskeleton — there is only the best exoskeleton for a specific task, posture and person. And one of the industrial world's oldest lifting-technology companies just spent an acquisition betting exactly that.
The myth, and why it persists
Buyers want a single answer the way they want a single crane rating. But exoskeletons are task-specific by physics: a lumbar unit for lifting and carrying does nothing for overhead shoulder work; a shoulder exo is useless for prolonged standing; a seated-support device like the Chairless Chair solves a problem the other two don't even address. Every new product makes the market broader — and more confusing.
What the 145-year-old lifting giant did about it
In a July analysis for the Exoskeleton Report, Carl Stahl — founded in 1880 as a rope-making business and today an international lifting-technology provider — explains why it acquired exoskeleton pioneer noonee in 2024 and is now repositioning the brand as a specialized exoskeleton marketplace: a neutral comparison and guidance layer across competing products, rather than a single-product vendor.
Choosing an exoskeleton today is similar to choosing a lifting solution. No one would choose a crane without knowing the load, the location of use, or the safety requirements. Similarly, an exoskeleton cannot be evaluated based solely on technical data.
The buying framework that replaces 'which is best'
- Task first: map the actual movement sequences — lifting, overhead, standing, static holding
- Load profile: weights, repetition counts, and shift duration per task
- Environment: space, heat, PPE compatibility, walking distances
- The people: fit ranges, acceptance, and who benefits most
- Compare across brands for that application — that's what marketplaces and honest integrators are for
The takeaway
Retire the question 'which exoskeleton is best?' and replace it with 'which solution fits our task, load and people?' Start with a task-and-exposure map of your highest-strain jobs, then compare vendors against that map — not against each other's marketing. The industry's own consolidation wave — lifting companies buying exoskeleton makers — tells you where this market is going: from products to solutions, and from vendors to advisors.
Sources: Exoskeleton Report (Carl Stahl); noonee