Acorn, Bruno and Stannah: compare stairlift models

Choose a shortlist around three requirements

Begin with three questions: can the proposed system serve the required route, can the intended person use the assessed arrangement, and can an identified business install and support it at the address? A positive answer to only one is not enough to choose a lift.

Write a brief before comparing companies. Include which floors need access, whether the stairs turn, whether the installation is inside or outside, and the intended boarding positions. Note any doors near the rail, shared use of the stairs and any concern about transfers or controls. You do not need to diagnose a mobility problem to explain what the household needs help accomplishing.

Use that same brief for each inquiry. A recommendation for one straight flight and a recommendation that continues around a landing are different solutions even if both use the phrase stairlift. Ask each surveyor to describe the full route and any remaining transfer or access task.

This guide compares selected current US manufacturer information for Acorn, Bruno and Stannah. It is not a complete market inventory or a ranking based on product testing. We have not ridden these models, measured a showroom chair or audited a local installer. The tables identify evidence to check during a real assessment.

Compare models before comparing brand names

The figures below are published specifications checked October 25, 2026. Have the supplier confirm the rating and configuration on your US order; a product page does not certify the equipment being offered for your home.

Acorn specification discrepancy: its FAQ lists up to 350 lb. [3] The model tables differ; the applicable variant remains unverified. Obtain written clarification.

Do not turn this table into a score based on the highest number. Capacity, available seat dimensions, the rail route and the person's ability to use the installation answer different questions. The weight-limit guide explains those checks in more detail.

Compare the route, rail and stopping positions

Acorn describes its 180 as using a modular curved rail; Bruno describes the Elite Curved rail as made specifically for the staircase. [2] [6] Those construction descriptions do not prove one arrangement fits your home better or can be installed sooner.

Ask each surveyor to show where the rail begins and ends, where the chair parks, and where the user gets on and off. Include doors, corridors and intermediate landings in the drawing. Ask what space remains for another person using the stairs with the lift folded and unfolded. A photograph of a tidy installation elsewhere cannot answer those questions for your house.

Compare rail options by the problem they solve. If a lower doorway needs to stay usable, ask how the proposed arrangement addresses it and how any moving rail section operates. Have the supplier identify whether that option is included, available at extra cost or incompatible with the assessed configuration. Do not assume a feature advertised elsewhere in the range is available on your quoted model.

For a home with a turn, clarify whether the proposal provides continuous travel or separate lifts requiring a transfer between them. The cheaper equipment arrangement is not automatically the workable one. If a transfer is proposed, it needs assessment in the actual space with the person's requirements considered.

Finally, request the expected installation sequence and any preparation outside the supplier's scope. Separate equipment availability from a booked installation date and from any local approvals. Use the installation guide and your city guide to organize those questions.

Try the proposed seat and controls where possible

Bruno lists powered swivel and footrest options for Elan, while Elite Straight also lists larger seat and footrest options. [4] [5] Stannah's Siena page describes seat-width choices and a powered footrest. [8] Availability on a website is not confirmation that a feature is included in your order.

Ask whether a demonstration of the proposed configuration is available. If the demonstration uses a different chair or a different powered option, record that difference. A successful demonstration can inform the decision, but it cannot replace checking the final stair route and landing clearances.

• Seat: can the person sit in the intended position without the arms or controls interfering?
• Feet: is the proposed footrest arrangement appropriate, and is there clearance along the journey?
• Controls: can the intended user reach, understand and operate the required controls?
• Boarding: how does the chair turn or stop at each landing, and is assistance needed?
• Folding: who will fold the seat or footrest, and which actions are manual?
• Equipment nearby: where will any walking aid be available after leaving the seat?

These are assessment prompts, not a self-administered safety test. An installer assesses the equipment and route; an occupational therapist or another appropriate healthcare professional can assess uncertain mobility or transfer needs. Do not improvise a transfer simply to see whether a showroom chair can be used.

Have the written recommendation describe the needed features in plain language. This makes it easier to compare an alternative model without losing the reason an option was selected.

Know which business will support the lift

Acorn describes a direct purchase, installation and aftercare route. [9] Bruno provides a dealer locator by product and location. [10] Stannah publishes an accredited-distributor directory alongside its direct operations. [11] Confirm the actual contracting and service businesses for your address.

Ask who performs the survey, who fits the equipment and who answers a fault report after installation. Request a named service contact and the process for obtaining replacement parts. A brand's national presence does not establish a particular technician's availability, a local stock level or a repair deadline.

When a dealer is involved, verify its current relationship with the manufacturer rather than relying on a logo alone. Ask whether it services the proposed model, whether another business handles some work, and what happens if it later stops selling the brand. For a direct purchase, ask the same practical questions about local attendance and escalation.

Neither arrangement automatically wins this comparison. A useful offer identifies who is responsible, what is included and what happens when the original contact cannot help. A broad promise of aftercare is less informative than a written service scope and a clear route for getting a problem assessed.

Read the repair guide for service questions. No business mentioned here has been tested by Hello Upstairs or confirmed as available for your installation.

Compare the installed total and the service agreement

Ask for a complete proposal covering the same agreed route and essential features. List equipment, options, installation, preparation, applicable taxes and any required approval costs. If something is excluded or unpriced, keep it visibly unresolved. It is not a zero-dollar line.

Next, identify what the household would pay after installation. Separate routine maintenance from a component warranty, labor coverage, travel charges and an optional service plan. The warranty comparison helps organize those distinctions, but the terms supplied with your order determine the promise being made.

A lower purchase figure may include less preparation or a shorter service commitment. A higher one may include an option the household does not need. Ask each supplier to reconcile the differences before deciding whether the price gap is worthwhile. Avoid turning an incomplete proposal into a confident value rating.

Use the quote comparison tool to enter the actual written amounts. Record the proposal date, model and source for each figure. Do not replace missing numbers with an online brand average or an assumed discount.

Also clarify cancellation, later removal and relocation. The removal guide and moving-a-stairlift guide cover the questions to settle. A curved installation advertised as custom or modular does not, by itself, establish a future resale value or suitability for a different staircase.

Keep a decision record you can explain

For each proposal, write one sentence under four headings: route confirmed, user fit assessed, complete cost and service responsibility. Attach the drawing, relevant specification and written terms. An unanswered item remains a question for the supplier.

Illustrative decision: a household receives one proposal that requires a landing transfer and another that gives continuous travel. It first resolves whether the transfer arrangement is suitable. Only then does it compare the acceptable proposals' cost and support. This example explains the sequence; it is not a customer case study or a recommendation of a brand.

Ask for the final model and option list before paying. If the installer later proposes a substitution, revisit the relevant capacity, seating, rail and service details rather than accepting a different product under the same brand name. Save the revised proposal so everyone is working from the same agreement.

After choosing, keep the supplied manual, installed-unit identification and service contact together. The maintenance guide explains how to organize model-specific care. A good comparison ends with a clear, supportable installation plan for this household, not a universal winner that ignores how the lift will be used.