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

When you or a loved one have a permanent or temporary disability you may be in need of a stair lift. There are so many choices out there it's hard to decide at first which is the best stair lift for you.

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

> What type of stairway do you have?
> Is your condition temporary or permanent?
> How much can you really afford?

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 colors, 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.