Smaller stairlift brand reviews

While you may have heard of Stannah and the bigger stairlift brands, companies such as Thyssenkrupp, Bespoke Stairlifts and MediTek are not household names. But our survey tells us two are winners with their customers.

To find out whether these smaller brands would suit you, we asked 888 people who had bought, rented or acquired a stairlift to rate them on key aspects of their stairlift, such as reliability, comfort and value for money, and compared their responses to those given by owners of other brands of stairlifts.

See how they scored in key areas using the scores in the table below – plus the average price of new and second-hand of stairlifts from these smaller brands.

About smaller brands

These tend to be either sold direct or, more commonly, through authorised dealers who will do your home visit, arrange the installation and provide after-care. 

The manufacturer will generally help you locate a dealer near to you.

Bespoke Stairlifts

Bepoke - a small Yorkshire-based firm in the UK, but with a worldwide presence - sells its stairlifts through a network of dealers, with prices starting from £2,530.

You’ll be covered by a manufacturer’s guarantee for a year and then pay for an additional warranty when it ends: £400 for 12 month cover for a curved lift and £200 for 12 months’ cover for a straight lift.

A number of our respondents bought one reconditioned or second-hand, although our scores only include new stairlifts.

Bespoke says price negotiation is possible: in our survey, 83% of people buying Bespoke tried to negotiate.

One in five saw a decrease in price, with 49% saying the price didn’t move, and 15% getting additional features thrown in although the price didn’t change.

Table notes: The customer score combines customers’ overall satisfaction with their likelihood to recommend, and is not directly linked to the star ratings. '-' indicates no score. Sample size – 35. Survey conducted in May 2020.

MediTek

Although MediTek cased trading in early 2018, you’ll still see their stairlifts for sale, mainly as reconditioned models or for short-term use, and some dealers do stock parts.

See how they did in our survey, in the table below.

Table notes: The customer score combines customers’ overall satisfaction with their likelihood to recommend, and is not directly linked to the star ratings. '-' indicates no score. Sample size – 35. Survey conducted in May 2020.

Thyssenkrupp

This German company has been trading in the UK for 20 years, both direct to the public (through Thyssenkrupp Home Solutions) and through a network of authorised and trained dealers such as mobility shops. 

It also sells to councils, as do other brands such as Stannah, and offers reconditioned option with approximately 45% discount on straight and 35% on curved lifts.

Thyssenkrupp also sells as T K Encasa.

Prices range from £450 for rental of a straight stairlift to £3,000. Curved lifts cost from £850 if rented, through to £7,000, depending on the staircase.

Thyssenkrupp stairlifts come with a lifetime manufacturer’s guarantee: there are a range of warranty options from £80 for one year, including two service visits, through to more comprehensive extended warranty options.

Find out how Thyssenkrupp customers rated this brand in the table below.

Table notes: The customer score combines customers’ overall satisfaction with their likelihood to recommend, and is not directly linked to the star ratings. '-' indicates no score. Sample size – 34. Survey conducted in May 2020.

Platinum

Another brand that customers rated - although not in large enough numbers for us to report on it this time - is Platinum.

This Yorkshire-based manufacturer sells UK-wide and internationally through a network of dealers.