Stairlifts have been around for centuries. In fact they were first introduced in the sixteenth century. This is when King Henry VIII had an accident, injuring himself. This resulted in slaves having to pull him up and down the stairs using a pulley system.
The stairlift was then introduced to the public in the 1930's and today they are used in millions of homes on a global scale, providing freedom of movement and independence to millions people who without the help of one of these motorized lifts, would not be able to access all the floors in their home.
Before you can really understand the stairlifts, you have to understand the different staircases. Straight stairlifts are used on staircases that have a straight rail without any bends at all, while curved stairlifts will be used on staircases with a gradual or sharp bend, spiral staircases and any stairs which are not dead straight in design.
There are some benefits to having a straight staircase if you are looking for a lift to give you the freedom to move within your own home, enjoying the independence these items provide. The first thing you will find is that there are specialist companies who can provide next day installation on straight stairlifts, unfortunately if you have curved, you must expect a team to arrive and inspect and measure the stairs to custom made a lift that will work perfectly and move you up and down the stairs safely.
As you can imagine straight stairlifts are lightly cheaper than the curved options. You will find this whether you buy new or reconditioned or you choose to rent a lift for a set period of time.
The good news is that whether you need a curved or straight stairlift, they do not take up too much space. For narrow staircases there are options where the chair can be folded away to ensure there is easy room to move for those that do not require the lift. For wider staircases, the lift only goes up one side, which leaves more than enough room for everyone else to get up and down the stairs comfortable without the lift getting in the way.
It is important to note that not all stairlift specialists cater for curved rentals. While the majority of specialists will be more than happy to provide you with straight stairlift rentals, they will not offer curved, because they have to be custom made to measure your particular staircase.
When buying any stairlift, it is important to factor some important considerations into your decision to ensure you receive the best quality that is going to last and provide you with the mobility freedom you expect and deserve.
When choosing a stair lift specialist you want to choose a company with a good reputation and years of knowledge and experience in the industry. The company should have outstanding online reviews, giving you complete peace of mind when placing your order. Do not only rely on the reviews you find on their website, take the time to go online and search for the company name, going through independent online review sites and forums to read honest customer experiences from past and present customers.
Ensure any company you choose provides a host of straight stairlift solutions from rentals to sales and reconditioned to maintenance, servicing, repairs, installations and more. This way you have one phone number to call when your stairlift is not operating property or you need it serviced.
The final and probably one of the most important decisions you need to make is whether to choose battery operated or mains powered lifts. This is a decision you can make with the specialist company to ensure that you always can get up and down your stairs without any hassle or fuss.