Tips for Buying Stairlifts

on March 21, 2014 at 5:01 am

Congratulations for choosing to buy a stairlift, it will be a great investment that will help improve your quality of life or that of your family. There are a lot of questions you’ll have to ask yourself before you buy a stairlift and a few things you need to keep in mind, so we’ve made a list of tips and tricks for buying a great stairlift that really meets your needs:

1) Choosing to have it installed or installing the stairlift yourself:

Despite what you might read online, installing stairlifts is quite challenging, but may be a suitable DIY task for someone who is technically inclined. However, because you are (or someone in your family is) going to rely on this stairlift to work continuously you need to be certain you or someone you know has the appropriate skill level to install the stairlift properly. When in doubt, we suggest you hire a professional to do it and then if anything goes wrong with the install, it is their problem to fix.

2) Make sure the user can easily get themselves in and out of a stairlift:

There’s no point buying a stairlift if it is a bit too challenging for the user to properly get in and out of. In that case it would be worthwhile looking at either relocating or installing a lift in the home, which is generally much more expensive. It is important to make sure a stairlift is an appropriate option for the user.

3) Check out the safety features:

Different features vary between the stairlift models, so you should take some time to compare the models and see what features are best suited to the user. As well as that, you need to make sure there are some inbuilt safety features and to see whether there is enough support for the user. I know you can’t predict the future, but think about how you imagine the stairlift being used in the next ten, twenty or even thirty years and ensure it will still be appropriate for the user down the line. If not, you might want to consider another stairlift model.

4) Consider buying second hand:

You might prefer to buy new, but often there are some great second hand models available. Often the cost of buying a good value second hand model, plus installation, is cheaper than buying a self-installed model. Obviously it’s up to you what you choose, but this is an option worth exploring.

Buying a stairlift is an exciting time – you’re going to give the user a new level of freedom they might have been missing. Make sure you use these tips to find the best possible model for your needs.