Savaria stairlifts

Four stair lifts appear on Savaria's site. Three suit straight staircases, and one works on stairs that bend or curve.

"Folds to" tells you how far the lift juts out from the wall once you fold the seat, arms, and footrest up. A lower number means more space for everyone else using the stairs. When folded, the K2 sticks out 10.75 in from the wall, trimmer than most of the lifts reviewed on this site.

At one dealer, the K2 costs $3,790 for a straight staircase, plus $345 to $445 for installation. The Handicare 1100 is the cheaper starting point at $3,299, though fitting is billed separately. For curved stairs, the Handicare Freecurve shows a price of $9,999, and your staircase's shape settles the final number.

All these Savaria prices fall within the ranges the National Council on Aging publishes for stair lifts overall.

Dealer prices change, and each figure here traces back to a single dealer. The number that matters is the quote a dealer gives for your stairs.

With straight stairs, a longer rail pushes the price up. Many lifts ship with a stock rail, the standard length behind the quoted price, 15.5 ft here. Staircases that call for extra rail run a bit more. Here is what the site's cost tool shows for a new straight lift.

Take 13 steps: that extra foot of rail costs about $75. At 20 steps, the added 8 ft means roughly $600 more.

The K2 works on stairs 28 in wide or wider, and it holds up to 350 lb. That capacity sits in the middle of the 16 lifts this site compares, which span 265 lb to 600 lb.

Stair width knocks out more lifts than anything else. All 11 straight lifts reviewed here should work on stairs 28 in wide, the K2 among them. Drop to 26 in, and only one straight lift fits, the Acorn 130, which rules out the K2 and the straight Handicare models.

Local dealers sell Savaria's stair lifts, and your dealer also administers the K2 warranty. Parts on the K2 are covered for 36 months. Each of the three Handicare models on Savaria's site carries a 24-month parts warranty handled by the dealer.

There is no Savaria stairlift manual held on this site. The product pages on Savaria's website carry the model details, and the dealer who fits your lift takes care of the warranty.

Batteries in a stair lift fade with time and eventually need swapping out. Stannah says they tend to hold up three to five years, varying with use and whether the lift stays parked away from its charger. The National Council on Aging figures a replacement every one to three years, costing $200 to $300 a go, unless a warranty picks up the bill.

Among straight lifts, the K2 sits mid-pack on price and close to the front on how slim it folds. Here it is next to the straight lifts covered on this site.

Warranties spread wider than prices do. The K2 covers parts for 36 months. Bruno backs the Elan with a limited lifetime warranty. Stannah covers the motor gearbox for life, with one year on parts and labor. If you weigh more than 350 lb, the Bruno Elite handles 400 lb and the Harmar Pinnacle SL600HD handles 600 lb.