When you’re suffering from mobility issues, walking up stairs can be dangerous. Fortunately, you can get a stairlift installed and it might just save your life.
But which company should you buy your stairlift from? One of these stairlift companies, of course. They’re all tried and tested and reliable. Check them out!
Bruno
Bruno is an American family-owned business and has been making stairlifts for nearly 40 years. This means it’s one of the oldest and best established stairlift companies out there.
They don’t have a huge range of models (in fact, they have two with mild variations on a theme) but this means that they’re really good at what they do.
They have one of the best customer satisfaction ratings in the stairlift world and on TrustPilot they have a nearly perfect 4.8 rating with over 1,000 reviews!
This appears to be because they’re super reliable and don’t need repairing or come to a halt at random.
The Bruno Elan is their top selling model and it has everything you need from a stairlift, though we would note that the seat is a bit narrower than some brands have.
If you have straight stairs, expect to pay around $3,500+ but curved stairs cost more as the rails need individual customization and prices start at $10,500.
1. A trusted American brand with an amazing track record of reliable lifts
2. There’s a lifetime limited warranty on their products
3. They’re cheaper than the biggest name brand “Stannah”
1. They’re not as cheap as some other stairlift companies
2. Their stairlifts are a bit noisier than some other brands
3. You have to buy from a Bruno dealer, so financing options are not guaranteed
Stannah Stairlifts
Stannah is the world’s best known and oldest brand of stairlifts. They are a British family-owned business with headquarters in London and a presence in over 40 different countries.
Stannah was founded in 1867 which means they’ve been around as long as all the other brands, we’re reviewing here, combined.
The company has a great reputation, though it does come at a price, and their users report very high levels of satisfaction (nearly 500 reviews give a 4.8 score on Trustpilot, for example).
It’s easy to find a Stannah dealer and that means you can give the lift a test ride or two before you have to commit.
And there’s no doubt that Stannah excels at dealing with curved stairs, in fact, if you can afford Stannah and have curved stairs, it should be a no-brainer decision.
You’ll also find that Stannah provides a huge range of lifts and customization options to choose from..
1. Super easy to customize a Stannah lift to all your requirements
2. The best stairlift if your home incorporates curved stairs
3. Can get stairlifts into homes when other brands say it can’t be done
1. Price, the premier brand comes at a hefty price premium with curved stairs starting at around $15,000!
2. 10 year warranty is good but not as good as some other manufacturers
3. No guarantees of financing options as you have to buy via a dealer
Handicare Stairlifts
Handicare is one of the more affordable stairlift brands and no, that doesn’t mean they cut any corners on the quality of their products.
You’ll find that they can supply a curved stairlift, for example, for as little as $5,000 which is incredibly competitive in this market.
We really love the fact that they will sell you a pre-owned model which isn’t just good for the environment but also for your wallet.
They also offer rental plans if you want to use a stairlift for a shorter period of time, however, they can’t guarantee that they will have a rental model that fits any given staircase.
One thing we would note, however, is that these stairlifts are not always suitable for the larger consumer and only one of their models is able to carry someone of 400lbs. and none of them go higher than that.
1. They say they can customize their products to fit most spaces
2. You’ll find them to be among the most affordable options
3. They offer pre-owned models if you want to get the price down further
1. Only a 5 year warranty which is relatively standard but less than some
2. The pre-installation process is rather more lengthy than we’d like
3. Not the best choice for the heavier senior
Harmar
Harmar has been in the business for just over 20 years and while they may be a relative newcomer, there’s no doubt that their customers seem very happy with the firm.
They offer one of the highest levels of customer service to their dealers and clients and you can always contact them before, during and after the sale.
They use their own patented drive system which is different from all other stairlift manufacturers and is capable of pushing up to 600 lbs. of person plus a stairlift up the stairs.
One nice thing about a Harmar lift is that it tends to be super easy to install and you can save quite a lot on installation fees when opting for these lifts.
They are made in the USA and they ship globally, we’re confident that Harmar will be around for many years to come and continue making great products.
However, we would note that using their own tech also means, you can’t buy generic parts for these stairlifts and repairs can cost more than average.
1. Made in the USA and to a very high standard
2. They offer their own patented drive which is very strong and efficient
3. They may cost less to install than other stair lift systems
1. Not as easy to repair as some systems
2. They aren’t as transparent about pricing as they could be – talk to a dealer to get costs
3. They don’t have as high a customer satisfaction rating online as other brands
Ameriglide
If it’s bang for buck that you seek in a stair lift then Ameriglide aims to provide it. They offer some of the lowest cost solutions of any company in the market.
However, there’s no doubt that this comes at the expense of quality and they also have the lowest level of customer satisfaction in the stairlift market and after care seems to be weak.
However, with stairlifts starting at just $1,699, there’s no doubt that if you don’t have a huge budget, they may be your best option.
It’s worth noting though that their cheapest options are usually reconditioned and pre-owned models.
Their warranty is a confusing mish-mash and batteries get just 30 days cover, whereas the drive train motor is covered for up to 10 years. This isn’t great but again, reflects the low prices.
They also offer financing directly from them which makes life much easier if you want to pay in installments and they offer excellent pricing transparency too.
1. Fantastic selection for all budgets
2. Transparent pricing
3. Easy Financing
1. Low customer satisfaction ratings are a big concern
2. Post installation after care appears to be severely lacking
3. Confusing warranty