What is the Best Stair Lift for me and my Home?

To decide which is best you need to consider the following:

What type of stairway do you have?

Type of stairway The core decision to it all depends on the type of lift you need. These will be categorized into two types. The first is the straight stair lift. As it sounds this is a straight run. It has no curves or landings in between. These generally are the cheapest.

The other choice is the curved stair lift. This lift is custom made for a stairs with a turn, twist or landing. These usually have to be custom fit and are generally more expensive. The exception to this is if there are two straight runs with a landing in between it may be possible to install two straight stair lifts.

Is it a permanent condition?

Your injury or disability may help you determine whether to rent or purchase. If your situation is only temporary and may be less than a year then renting may be the best option. This is easiest for straight stairlifts but there are one or two companies that will rent curved.

If your situation is more permanent whether due to disease, age, or handicap renting may not be an attractive option. The accumulated payments paid to rent will eventually be more than what you would spend on purchasing. What you would spend over the course of say two or more years could possibly outright purchase a lift.

How much can you spend?

You can rent, buy new, or buy used. As indicated earlier renting may be a good payment plan but eventually the amount paid will be more than an outright purchase. New units are readily available from many manufacturers and can cost anywhere from $2,000 and up depending of type and options. Several companies sell used units as well and there is always Ebay, your local newspaper, Craigslist and other sources that sell used. The prices that you will find for used stairlifts will vary and you may have to look closely for age and abuse.

Many of the stair lift manufacturers offer several options to each lift as well. Examples include a permanent versus swivel seat, choice of colours, or self installation versus installation by a representative. These choice may affect the price as well so be aware if your budget is limited.

There is no one best stairlift for everyone. It is solely dependent upon each users situation. There are many good quality manufacturers available and many good reasonable used units as well. Assessing your own situations carefully before committing to a contract or major purchase may help you to avoid getting a lift that you either don’t need or won’t be satisfied with.

About the author: Visit http://www.stairliftinfo.info to learn more about if a stair lift is for you. You’ll find many other tips and advice on finding used stair lifts, new lifts, and different types too.