Stannah stair lifts

The Siena 600 for straight stairs and the Siena 260 for curved stairs are both priced as a lift fitted and running on your stairs, per Stannah's published dimensions and prices. That word "installed" is worth noticing, because quite a few rival brands quote a price for the lift on its own and then charge extra to fit it.

"From" is worth noticing too. Extra rail length can push the total past the starting figure. The rail is the metal track fixed to the stair treads, and the chair travels along it.

For a broader view of the market, the National Council on Aging puts the installed price of a new straight model between $2,500 and $5,000, a new curved one between $8,000 and $12,000, and a secondhand straight unit between $1,500 and $3,000, according to its guide to stair lift costs. Within those brackets, Stannah's straight model ranks among the higher straight prices, and its curved model among the higher curved ones.

Chair lift and stair lift are two names for one product: a seat that travels up and down a rail, carrying one person. We compare two Stannah home lifts, and the shape of your stairs decides which one you'd need: the Siena 600 for straight stairs, the Siena 260 for stairs that turn.

"Folds to" means how far the seat juts out from the wall once you fold up the arms, seat, and footrest. That is the room left over for everyone else on the stairs. These figures come from Stannah's dimensions page.

Start by measuring the width of your stairs. The Siena 600 works on stairs from 27 inches wide, a smaller minimum than you will find on most straight models we compared, most of which need 28 inches. The Siena 260 needs 30 inches, in line with other curved models.

Set against other straight lifts, the Siena 600 is among the pricier ones, but its price includes fitting, while many competitors price the lift on its own and add the fitting later.

Straight model	Weight limit	Folds to	Warranty	Price
Siena 600 (Stannah)	350 lb	14.5 in	Motor gearbox for life; 1 year on parts and labor	From $4,700 installed
Acorn 130	280 lb (350 lb with heavy-duty kit)	12.25 in	12 months	$3,000–$5,000 installed (estimated)
Elan (Bruno)	300 lb	12 in	Limited lifetime	Lift from $3,000; fitting charged separately
Pinnacle SL300 (Harmar)	300 lb	11 in	2 years on parts, 10 on the gear rack	$3,640, plus $725 to fit, at a single dealer
K2 (Savaria)	350 lb	10.75 in	36 months on parts	$3,790, plus $345–$445 to fit, at a single dealer
1000 (Handicare)	350 lb (440 lb with heavy-duty kit)	15.25 in	2 years on parts	$3,490 for the lift; fitting billed separately
Rave 2 (AmeriGlide)	350 lb	11 in	2 years on parts	$2,249 online; fit it yourself or hire an installer

In the curved market, the Siena 260 sits between the Handicare Freecurve, listed at $9,999, and the Harmar Helix, which opens at $10,995, and it comes in well under the Bruno Elite Curved, which runs from $12,000 up to $25,000 and beyond. Every curved lift is priced around the precise shape of your staircase, so those opening figures shift once the stairs are measured.

Running costs deserve a mention too. Stannah says its lift batteries tend to last three to five years, depending on use and on whether the lift keeps to its charger, per its battery page. For stair lifts as a whole, the National Council on Aging suggests a shorter lifespan: a new battery every one to three years, costing $200 to $300 each time, as its cost guide notes.

A longer flight needs more rail, and more rail costs more. Our cost tool tracks how the installed price across the market for a new straight model moves as steps are added, based on a 15.5 foot stock rail and roughly $75 for each additional foot.

These numbers cover the whole market, not Stannah alone. Since Stannah's straight lift opens at $4,700, expect any Stannah quote to sit toward the top of each bracket, rising with a longer rail just as the market figures do.

Instead of star ratings, the clearest way to size up Stannah is to line up its published numbers with the other 14 lifts.

Weight limit: across all 16 models the median rated limit is 350 lb, and the Siena 600 hits that exactly. The Siena 260 at 300 lb comes in below the median, though the heavy-duty option raises it to 352 lb. The highest capacity in the whole comparison is the 600 lb Harmar Pinnacle SL600HD, and the smallest is the Acorn 180 at 265 lb.

Guarantee: Stannah covers the motor gearbox for life, with a year on parts and labor. Bruno backs the Elan and Elite Curved with a limited lifetime guarantee, Harmar covers the SL600 motor for life plus ten years on the gear rack, and Acorn offers 12 months. So Stannah is strong on the main moving part and middling on everything else.

Stair width: the Siena 600 works on stairs from 27 inches, and that is uncommon. Of the straight lifts we compared, only a single model fits a 26 inch stair, while all 11 should work on 28 inch stairs, going by the usual guide, so narrow staircases sharply cut your options, and Stannah is among the rare brands reaching under the common 28 inch mark.

Batteries: Stannah's battery estimate is longer than the general figure from the National Council on Aging.

Stannah's published figures don't include a removal price, so ask about taking the lift out later when you get your quote. That way you'll know the cost before you commit.

If you only need the stairs clear between uses, both models fold up against the wall, so there's no need to remove the lift.

The National Council on Aging's cost guide says a used straight lift costs $1,500 to $3,000 installed. That's a price for buyers, not a guide to what you'd get back by selling yours.