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Help! Need advice to choose a stairlift for my inlaws in US
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Hello!
I have been trying to educate myself of stairlifts and have looked into all the US based manufacturers. They have a narrow staircase that is 27″ or 68.5 cm at it’s tightest point which is exactly where the 180 degree inside turn would take place.
We are trying to get a curved drop nose to end right beside the stair that sticks out into the hall. It sticks out about 6″. We do not want the track to stick out more than perhaps an inch further. I was told that Stannah could get within 5″ of the wall but I do not know if that is actually the case. A perch seat would help, but they have not offered it as a solution, even though I checked and they are approved in the US.
I am not sure how dependable Stannah is and what are the quality differences between these lifts. I could only go by the manufacturers and what seemed like biased reviews on the internet until I found this forum.
My inlaws have a limited income and we need to make a good informed decision on the stairlift. Any help would be greatly appreciated!!
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I presume you are considering the lift to travel on the right hand side ascending from your description, i feel you may be better off with a left hand side ascending lift which could terminate with a 180° stopping bend near the position of the little table.
685mm is tight but not impossible it will be dependent on the users back to knee measurements, I’ll leave it for others to suggest models as they may be more aware of what is available on your side of the pond. -
Thank you Kevin for your reply. We have considered the outside track, and it is an option, but the inside track is less noticeable and lets my inlaws put a seat by the coffee table rather than having to remove it so the chair can travel to that area. In addition at the top of the stairs there is an area to the right that allow the chair to park there rather than be in the way of the stairs with an over-run. As you can see from the picture the white border of the door to the bedroom is visible on the right. In that position I believe it would be more cumbersome than the position to the left.
I am also looking for opinions on the reliability and quality or different systems. All I have to go with is the dealer’s opinions and what seem to be biased reviews. I would like to hear from people who are more familiar and have experience with these systems to help me make the most informed decision. It is a lot of money for us and we can’t screw it up.
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That gives a clearer idea of the layout.
If cost is a major issue then you may consider fitting an infill box on the first landing area and have a pair of straight lifts, obviously the lower lift would have to be either hinged or a slide track (my current preference). Straight lifts will offer better reliability in general terms. It would just depend on the users ability to transfer safely between lifts.
If a curve lift is the only option to be considered then I would be looking towards the Thyssen Access Flow X if it’s available in the states -
Sorry couldn’t edit my reply here’s the full version
That gives a clearer idea of the layout.
If cost is a major issue then you may consider fitting an infill box on the first landing to create a flat area and have a pair of straight lifts which would probably be about half the cost of a curved lift, obviously the lower lift would have to be either hinged or a slide track. Straight lifts will offer better reliability in general terms. It would just depend on the users ability to transfer safely between lifts.
Have you also looked at through floor/ home lifts again we are going up in cost but it is something that may at least add value to a property when the time comes to sell, in the UK a stairlift kind of boxes a property as suitable for a specific age group so estate agents will normally suggest getting them removed and there’s no real resale value as the rail is bespoke to the staircase.
If a curve lift is the only option to be considered then I would be looking at a lift like the Thyssen/Access Flow X if it’s available in the states -
Thank you again Kevin! Your insight is appreciated. Unfortunately, my father-in-law does not want her to transfer at the landing. She is clumsy, has some nephropathy in her legs and it is a small space. Thanks for the suggestion. I would love the Thyssen Flow but, alas, it is not available in the states. 🙁
I can choose Bruno (Unsightly, curves are too large), Ameriglide (DIY, not very big in trying to customize difficult jobs), Harmar, Stannah, Savaria and Handicare. From what I see, Harmar and Savaria are very much alike and Stannah is akin to a deluxe model of them, but that is just what I have gathered in two weeks of researching this. Handicare has a bad reputation with some dealers but it is mixed on the web. Harmar does not have as many reviews as I would like.
I am just trying to assess if there is a huge quality difference between these items. I wish I could take a ride on them to assess.
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I can only comment on Bruno, Stannah and Handicare as models I’ve worked with. Bruno is an excellent lift when you need a heavy duty lift. Stannah the 260 is well proven, I would suggest you have the lift either configured as I described earlier in this thread or with a 90° wrap finish at the bottom rather than a hinge, a drop nose is not going to work with the stair layout, it would be a major trip hazard at the bottom and I cannot see any company putting themselves (or your in-laws) at risk. The other option would be a hinge rail, something I avoid like the plague whenever possible due to reliability and wear and tear issues on the rollers.
The Handicare 2000 is another well proven lift, the downside is the track has multiple joins, each join increases the risk of poor rack meshing giving a lumpy ride quality no matter how carefully you install, the Handicare Freelift is probably the pick of the bunch for me, for your layout, if it’s available in the states. -
Thank you so much, Kevin. I really do appreciate you generosity in sharing your insight. I did not get a notification that you responded, so sorry for the delay. I believe the Freelift is called the Freecurve here in the states. It is available and I have received a quote on it. unfortunately I do not think it will work with the 90 degree at the bottom. I believe it will stick out about 4″ too far. I liked the Bruno, but I don’t think it can accomplish the curves we want and the rail is very bulky and unsightly in the eyes of my mother-in-law.
The Stannah rep will be going back to my in-laws house to do a survey and see if they can get the rail inside. He is doing it free of charge because he is confident it can be done, saying the rail can be within 4.7″ of the wall. I think if they wall mount, rather than mount on the landing, on the bottom portion of the track, it may be possible.
If it does not work, then we would choose the hinged model, as we believe going on the inside would be the best solution as far as storing the chair upstairs, aesthetics and allowing furniture to be placed in the area where the chair would travel if it used an outside track. However, you seem to indicate that this may not be a good idea and a probable future point of failure. That is discouraging because we thought it was innocuous aesthetically and could provide a good solution.
Harmar seems to be a copy of the Stannah.
Perhaps we will have to accept that the outside rail may be the only way to go.
The Stannah rep claims that the Stanna Siena 260 is a MUCH better system than the Freecurve. He claims the Freecurve is a MUCH bumpier and less stable ride and that the parts used, and the engineering found in the Stannah is better. Of course I realize he is biased and that is why I come to places like this to engage with people who really know and don’t have much reason to lead me astray. Unfortunately there is not a lot of resources on this subject and most are paid advertisements under the guise of being reviews.
You seem to think that the Freecurve is as good or better than the Stannah 260. Am I correct? What are the benefits and drawback to each in your eyes?
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I would not say that one lift model is better than the other by any great measure. In my experience ride quality is similar, it can be affected by the number of joins in a rail and the care taken during installing to ensure the drive rack meshes consistently.
I personally try to steer away from hinges, sometimes there is no other option, but my advice will always be avoid if possible. There is an added layer of complexity and time involved in operating a hinged lift, added to the fact that there will always be a degree of excess movement passing over the join on any model – the forces involved are huge when the weight of a loaded carriage passing over it can often create mismatches, plus the interlocks required add another potential fault.Hopefully someone else on the forum can give you a more definite steer.
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Got it. Thank you so much for your input. I too hope someone else will give me some guidance.
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260 external on that staircase, droop snoop finish with mid charge point on the first bend as it will park the chair on the widest part of the stairs, due to the width of the stairs you may need an offset foot rest
260 is named after its minimum diameter of bend it will travel round, you may get away with an internal if the bend is made tighter due to to being on the incline, but it will still incur loss of space on the quarter landings and limit your parking options
personally i would favour the external rail
bruno’s are what we call FAB lifts! made for the larger person! iirc their curve doesnt have an osg/safety gear mech!
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