New Stairlifts

Potential purchasers of stairlifts have the choice before them of whether to get a new or a reconditioned unit. The choice seems to be clearly in favour of used stairlifts for the financially constrained, and in favour of new stairlifts for those for whom aesthetics and technology are paramount. But it is not as simple as this, for there is another consideration; the type of stairlift. If one is purchasing a straight stairlift, a used unit is likely the better choice; but for curved stairlifts, a new model will probably be better.

There are a great many more straight stairlifts than curved, and they are less expensive and their installation is more facile. Curved stairlifts are more sophisticated, requiring custom parts (sections of curved rail) and custom installation. Thus, it is much easier to take a straigh model from one house and install it into another than it is to do the same with a curved model. In the latter case, since the properties of the curved staircases will likely differ greatly, there is no way to accomplish this without totally new rail sections.

Furthermore, since a greater proportion of the final cost of ownership of curved stairlifts comes from installation, the price difference between a new and refurbished model becomes less significant.