The Top 5 Stair-Assist Chairs

Bruno Stairlifts offers five models of indoor stair lifts. Each is customizable with features like power swiveling or an automatic folding footrest. These slim, sturdy chairs can hold up to 400 pounds without taking up the whole staircase.

Bruno works through dealers in your area who can visit your home to conduct a free assessment. It’s a friendly, family-owned company with customer-first policies.

​Bruno stair lifts also come with their share of safety features to keep riders moving smoothly throughout their day. The Bruno Elan and Bruno Elite models each have a seat belt, easy armrest controls, and obstruction sensors to make the trip from floor to floor easy and safe.

These chairlifts charge their two 12-volt batteries at the top or bottom of the stairs (wherever they land) while at rest. So, in the event of a power outage in your home, the stair lift won’t be compromised.

Like most stair lifts, Bruno requires professional installation. The process may depend on the dealers in your area who work with accessibility devices like these. The dealer we spoke to said prices and installation time vary with the complexity of your staircase.

But, according to Brent from Accessible Systems, Bruno has the “best warranty.” After comparing Bruno to other top companies, we had to agree. Bruno was one of only a few with a lifetime warranty on major components like the gearbox, drivetrain, and rail. All parts are covered for two years after installation, and labor coverage warranty lasts 30 days after installation.

Handicare has straight stair lifts but more customizable seat options for curved staircases. Both have the option of a Smart or Perch seat. Both the Smart and Perch seats are easy to clean, water resistant, and come in six color options.

Smart seats: The Smart seats from Handicare can adjust their height and width to accommodate different riders. You can also upgrade these seats to include a power swivel for entering and exiting the chair more easily. The Smart seats tend to work better for larger riders who may want to sit down fully.

Perch seats: The Perch seats from Handicare are best for those with pain or limited mobility in their hips and knees. As the name suggests, Perch seats don’t require riders to sit down completely. The shallow seat puts riders at a higher position, making the ride smoother and more comfortable. These seats are also better for narrow staircases because the seat is so shallow.

Handicare also has additional seat styles for curved staircases. In our research, we found that these curved stairs tend to have fewer options for chairs and styles. It was good to see Handicare providing more options for those with more complex stairs. The downside is, stair lifts for curved staircases tend to be more expensive and labor intensive.

In addition to the Smart and Perch seats, the curved stair lifts from Handicare come with options for the Style or Simplicity seats.

Style seat: The Style seat comes in three different color options and optional power features. You can add an automatic folding footrest, automatic swiveling, or both to your new chair.

Simplicity seat: The name says it all. The Simplicity swivel seat doesn’t come with color or power options. It’s a budget-friendly option for those with curved stairs who don’t need as many adjustments or features.

Ameriglide provides prices up front. Many of the companies we researched provided only price ranges for their stair lifts. But the prices you see on the Ameriglide website may still be subject to changes for features like the seat or power swiveling.

Part of that price cut comes with stair lift chairs that are self installable. We like the idea of a discount, but it seems like a dangerous place to cut corners. If you decide to go with Ameriglide, be sure to opt for a professionally installed chair.

While those with installation experience may be able to, we recommend going with certified technicians. We saw reports of incomplete orders and missing parts for self-installed chair lifts from customers on BBB.

The company and its technicians have earned glowing reviews on Better Business Bureau for timely service and knowledgeable help. At the time of publication (April 2021), Acorn has earned over 4 stars from more than 300 happy customers.

Acorn also provides a check-in one year after installation to see how you’re enjoying your stair lift and provide complimentary maintenance if needed. Unfortunately, Acorn doesn’t provide a lifetime warranty like Handicare or Bruno. But you can extend your warranty beyond the first year and continue your annual repair services an extra fee.

This special dive system makes Harmar stair lifts a little stronger and smoother than others in its category. One chair in particular, the SL600HD can carry loads up to 600 pounds. Other chairs in the straight stair lift series can carry up to 300 and 350 pounds.

Harmar also offers a generous warranty on its chairs. All parts on your stair assist chair are covered for two years, the gear rack is covered for a decade, and the batteries are under warranty for a year. Only a couple other companies we saw covered batteries under warranty.

And on the Harmar website, you’ll find lots of helpful information about the individual stair assist chairs. Details like incline and speed aren’t as readily available on other sites we checked out.

Because prices vary between dealer and brand, we recommend shopping around before deciding on one model. But, for all the variables, we chose Bruno for its sterling reputation and highly rated chairs. The company has fewer options but all three are custom-crafted to meet the needs of customers.

Aging in place or providing home care is expensive, but investments like a stair lift make independent living achievable.

We’ve reviewed a lot of safety gear in our day. With products like stair lifts and other accessibility devices, there’s no one solution out there for everyone, so we focused on the companies, their reputations, and options they provide for customers.

We spent a full day reviewing company warranty information, customer reviews, and installation processes. We also filled out quote forms for each company to get an idea of pricing and how they handle customer requests.

Additionally, we spoke with two representatives from different mobility dealerships to learn more about their products. Our expert advisor also gave us background and recommendations based on her medical experience.

Learn more about how we approach reviews like this one from our methodology page.

• Best Portable Wheelchair Ramps
• Best Mobility Scooters
• Best Folding Canes with Seats
• Ultimate Guide to Aging In Place

1. Medicare.gov, “Patient lifts.” Accessed November 9, 2022.