Stair chairs have become increasingly popular over the last few years. This is in part because of reductions in manufacturing costs that have been passed down to the consumer. A stair chair, or stair lift, is a device that is used to allow people to easily traverse a set of stairs. It consists of a chair or small platform that travels up and down the stairs via a track that is secured to the stairs or walls. There several companies that sell stair chairs, and one of the more popular companies is Acorn Stair Lifts.
Acorn Stair Lifts is an international company that employs over 800 people worldwide. Established in 1992, Acorn began by buying new and used stair chairs and reselling them. They completely refurbished the used ones at their facility in the UK, but were quickly overwhelmed by the demand for their products. In order to meet demand, and to guarantee that the customer was receiving a quality product, they began manufacturing their own stair chairs, and have not looked back since.
While Acorn Stair Lifts had been refurbishing other company's stair chairs, they had become alarmed by the number of design flaws in these products. By manufacturing their own, they were able to guarantee high levels of safety and reliability. Their goal was to provide a stair lift that was easy to install, simple to use, and required little maintenance. The result was the Acorn SuperGlide Stair chair, which continues to be one of their most well known products.
Until Acorn began manufacturing stair chairs, they had traditionally been powered by AC current. The engineers at Acorn realized that there were many advantages associated with DC, battery, power. DC power many advantages include higher safety, smooth operation, and the ability to still operate during power disruptions. Acorn pioneered this technology, and currently almost all stair chair manufacturers now offer a DC powered stair lift.
Acorn Stair Lift's main headquarters and manufacturing hub is located in Yorkshire, New England. They have facilities all over the world, including distribution centers in Orlando, Florida and Ontario, Canada. With over 30,000 stair chairs manufactured each year, they are the biggest manufacturer in the United Kingdom. They have dealers all over the world and supply stair lifts to customers in over 70 different countries across the globe. Their dealers are located in places like Argentina, Belgium, Japan, France, Ireland, Austria, Africa, and Portugal, and it is safe to say that they are the most diverse stair lift manufacturer in the industry today.
If you are in the market for a stair chair, then you have likely seen the many different manufacturers. Acorn provides quality products that are built to last and can be depended upon to provide many years of safe operation. With over 15 years of experience in the stair chair industry, they have continued to think of the customer's safety first and have largely contributed to developing new and advanced technology that is geared towards creating a safe, reliable, and relatively maintenance free product.
Brad Brubaker is an experienced technical writer. For more information on used stair lifts visit http://www.a1-medical-supplies.net. They also have information on new stair lifts and other types of home medical equipment.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Brad_Brubaker
acorn stair lift
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Friday, July 18, 2008
Acorn Stair Lift - How Does It Rate?
The Acorn Superglide 120 is the number one selling stair lift on the market. But is the number of home stair lifts sold by the company due to hype and slick marketing, or does Acorn sell in large numbers because it's the best?
Safety should be the buyer's first concern when looking for a stair chair lift. It should be a mobility aid and not a health and safety hazard. Also, you need to determine what features it should have to best serve your requirements. The price of the it should be your last concern.
Acorn models come fitted with many safety features as standard. Like most top rated stair lifts, the Acorn Superglide is powered by DC 24 volt rechargeable batteries. This ensures that you're entirely safe from electrocution. Pressure sensitive sensors are fitted to 5 surfaces on the chair; on the footrest and carriage. This ensures that the chair will immediately stop should any obstacle be encountered.
The swivel seat is standard and will only operate when the seat is in the correct locked position.
As standard, an inertia lap belt is supplied, but there is the option of fitting a static, 3-point fixed-over shoulder harness.
Most importantly, electronic and mechanical breaking systems are fitted as standard to prevent any uncontrolled descent of the chair.
One shouldn't assume that all companies provide the above safety features. The Summit stair lift, which is cheaper than the Acorn Superglide, only comes with sensors on the footrest - there is nothing to detect any obstacle on the rail itself. Also, the Summit does not feature a breaking system anywhere as near sophisticated as the Acorn machine.
The Acorn also comes with mechanical joystick and two wireless remote controls. The chair is of a slim line design and can be folded to free up space on the stairs. You can also get outdoor versions and you can get an Acorn Superglide Perch stair lift, which is great for those who have trouble in bending knees.
Few other manufacturers offer so many features as standard and at the same cost of an Acorn machine.
Well, it all sounds too good to be true, but does the Acorn stair lift have any negative points?
In fact, it does. Acorn only makes a straight stair lift. Therefore, you won't be able to use this company's product if your stairs are curved, have middle landing, half turns etc. Other manufacturers like Bruno and Stannah make curved stair lifts. In order for a manufacturer to claim to make the best machines, it really should be making curved models. Curved machines require more advanced manufacturing techniques and one would have to ask if Acorn lacks these.
Also, the Acorn website touts that the Superglide is very easy to install. The company says that if you can put up a set of shelves you can install an Acorn stair lift. The Accessibility Equipment Manufacturer's Association strongly recommends against self-installation for many safety reasons as well as local law violations and lack of warranty. Both Stannah and Bruno advise against self-installation and state that installation of any kind should only be carried out by a qualified technician.
One can't help thinking that Acorn promotes self installation because it helps boost sales.
The Superglide is one of the best stair chair lifts for straight stair cases. Most consumer reviews seem to back this up. But, if you do buy an Acorn stair lift, do have it professionally installed. If the dealer tells you that there isn't any need and it will only add to cost, find another dealer who will install it for you.
Follow the links for the Acorn stair lift and the Bruno stair lift and other stair chair lifts.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Robin_O'Brien
Acorn Stair Lift
Safety should be the buyer's first concern when looking for a stair chair lift. It should be a mobility aid and not a health and safety hazard. Also, you need to determine what features it should have to best serve your requirements. The price of the it should be your last concern.
Acorn models come fitted with many safety features as standard. Like most top rated stair lifts, the Acorn Superglide is powered by DC 24 volt rechargeable batteries. This ensures that you're entirely safe from electrocution. Pressure sensitive sensors are fitted to 5 surfaces on the chair; on the footrest and carriage. This ensures that the chair will immediately stop should any obstacle be encountered.
The swivel seat is standard and will only operate when the seat is in the correct locked position.
As standard, an inertia lap belt is supplied, but there is the option of fitting a static, 3-point fixed-over shoulder harness.
Most importantly, electronic and mechanical breaking systems are fitted as standard to prevent any uncontrolled descent of the chair.
One shouldn't assume that all companies provide the above safety features. The Summit stair lift, which is cheaper than the Acorn Superglide, only comes with sensors on the footrest - there is nothing to detect any obstacle on the rail itself. Also, the Summit does not feature a breaking system anywhere as near sophisticated as the Acorn machine.
The Acorn also comes with mechanical joystick and two wireless remote controls. The chair is of a slim line design and can be folded to free up space on the stairs. You can also get outdoor versions and you can get an Acorn Superglide Perch stair lift, which is great for those who have trouble in bending knees.
Few other manufacturers offer so many features as standard and at the same cost of an Acorn machine.
Well, it all sounds too good to be true, but does the Acorn stair lift have any negative points?
In fact, it does. Acorn only makes a straight stair lift. Therefore, you won't be able to use this company's product if your stairs are curved, have middle landing, half turns etc. Other manufacturers like Bruno and Stannah make curved stair lifts. In order for a manufacturer to claim to make the best machines, it really should be making curved models. Curved machines require more advanced manufacturing techniques and one would have to ask if Acorn lacks these.
Also, the Acorn website touts that the Superglide is very easy to install. The company says that if you can put up a set of shelves you can install an Acorn stair lift. The Accessibility Equipment Manufacturer's Association strongly recommends against self-installation for many safety reasons as well as local law violations and lack of warranty. Both Stannah and Bruno advise against self-installation and state that installation of any kind should only be carried out by a qualified technician.
One can't help thinking that Acorn promotes self installation because it helps boost sales.
The Superglide is one of the best stair chair lifts for straight stair cases. Most consumer reviews seem to back this up. But, if you do buy an Acorn stair lift, do have it professionally installed. If the dealer tells you that there isn't any need and it will only add to cost, find another dealer who will install it for you.
Follow the links for the Acorn stair lift and the Bruno stair lift and other stair chair lifts.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Robin_O'Brien
Acorn Stair Lift
Friday, July 11, 2008
Acorn Stair Lift
A stair lift is a device that can help people who are either disabled or elderly to go up and down the stairs in their own homes. There are plenty of different companies who now build stair lifts including Acorn Stair Lifts and each model that they produce will be able to cater to a person’s specific needs and requirements. Most types of stair lifts you see today have been specifically designed for use within the home, but there are some which a person can use for outdoors as well.
Certainly by having some form of stair lift in their home a disabled or elderly person will be able to maintain some sort of independence in their life. But each one of the stair lifts produced by either Acorn or other manufacturers of these devices will allow that person to travel safely and easily up and down the stairs in their home.
Acorn Stair Lifts since their formation have manufactured and installed many hundreds of thousands of stair lifts into people’s homes around the globe. By installing these within a person’s home Acorn have been able to ensure that these people can continue to live in the comfort of their own homes until such time as they feel that they are unable to.
Certainly as we get older and if you suffer from any form of disability (no matter how minor) it can be extremely difficult for you to get up and down stairs comfortably and safely. For many as we grow older or suffer from some kind of disability mobility is a problem and climbing up and down stairs can be a very big challenge as well as a big risk involved. Therefore these people will often turn to having a stair lift installed to help reduce the difficulties that they face of gaining access to the upper levels of their home.
All the Acorn Stair Lifts available today to purchase are powered by batteries and so there are no messy cables to worry about as everything is contained within a box that is built onto the chair. Plus many people who have already had one of these stair lifts installed in their homes have found the ride to be extremely smooth especially when the device is stopping and starting. Plus should there be a power cut in your home at any stage then you will know that your stair lift is going to still be able to get you up and down the stairs in your home.
Ricky runs a stair lift information site. Visit his website today for more information on straight stair lift and handicap stair lift.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ricky_Lim
acorn stair lift
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