Handicare stair lifts

Every model has a weight limit, meaning the heaviest person the manufacturer says the lift can safely carry. Every model also has a fold depth, which tells you how far the lift still juts out from the wall once you have folded up the seat, arms, and footrest. A lift with a small fold depth leaves more stair space free for everyone else at home.

Of the sixteen lifts covered on this site, 350 lb is the middle weight limit. The Handicare 1000 lands right there, and it comes in a heavy-duty version too. The 1100 and the Freecurve are rated for lighter riders.

The Handicare 1000 works well for a heavier person. It carries up to 350 lb, or 440 lb in the heavy-duty version. When folded, it still reaches 15.25 in out from the wall, so it takes up more of the stairway when not in use.

The Handicare 1100 is the narrow one. Folded, it sits 12.625 in from the wall, and it carries people as heavy as 310 lb. Either of the two straight models needs stairs at least 28 in wide.

All 11 straight lifts reviewed here should work on stairs 28 in wide, going by the usual guide, so most straight staircases leave you plenty of choices. Drop to 26 in and only a single straight lift fits, and it does not come from Handicare.

The one Handicare lift here built for stairs with a bend or a landing is the Handicare Freecurve. It asks for stairs no narrower than 30 in, and it carries people up to 275 lb. One dealer posts it at $9,999, though what you actually pay depends on how your stairs are laid out, since a curved rail gets built to match each staircase.

For a new curved lift with installation, the NCOA puts the usual cost between $8,000 and $12,000. Here is the Freecurve next to some other curved lifts.

If the rider weighs more than 275 lb, the Freecurve is not rated to carry them. The Harmar Helix and the Bruno Elite Curved both take more weight.

A chair lift is just another name for a stair lift; the two terms mean one product. When Handicare dealers quote a price, it usually covers the lift alone, and installation gets billed separately.

For a new straight lift put in and ready to run, the NCOA gives a usual range of $2,500 to $5,000. Expect $1,500 to $3,000 for a used straight lift. A longer staircase calls for a longer rail, and that nudges the price up a bit.

These numbers work from a standard 15.5 ft rail. Each extra foot runs about $75 more.

Savaria does not list the Handicare 950 among its current models, and this site does not compare it, so this page has no verified figures for how much weight it takes, how far it folds from the wall, or what it costs. If you want a current Handicare lift for straight stairs, look at the 1000 or the 1100.

Like the 950, the Simplicity is not one of the current Handicare models compared here, so there are no confirmed details for it on this page. For plain straight stairs today, the Handicare 1100 is the range's cheapest listed lift, with one dealer asking $3,299 for the lift alone.

Lifts like these run on batteries that recharge whenever the lift rests at its parking spot. The sources cited here talk about stair lift batteries in general terms rather than Handicare batteries specifically.

Stannah puts the usual battery life at three to five years. How long yours lasts comes down to how often the lift runs and whether it stays parked away from its charging point. The NCOA quotes a shorter span of one to three years, with each replacement battery costing $200 to $300 unless a warranty covers it. Handicare covers parts for 24 months through your dealer, so it is worth asking the dealer if that includes the battery.

Every Handicare model comes with a 24-month parts warranty, and the dealer who sells and installs your lift handles it. A few other brands cover certain parts longer. Harmar, for instance, backs the gear rack on its straight lifts for 10 years, and Stannah warranties the motor gearbox for life, with one year on parts and labor.

Since Handicare sells through local dealers, one dealer's price may not match another's. The figures on this page each come from a single dealer, so treat them as a baseline when you compare quotes.