Access Industries Select Stair Lift or Acorn Stair Lift?
Following Acorns lead, in supplying product direct to the customer for self-installation is German owned Access Industries. This is an interesting new competitor in the direct sales market, in that Access have always criticized Acorn for supplying the customer direct and providing significant savings as a result. It seems they have had a sudden change of heart!
Battery or AC Power?
Acorn stair lifts (and in fact, all modern stair lift types) are powered by a 24 volt battery pack. Access Industries Select stair lifts are powered by the domestic mains supply. So what? You may think.
Safety
Most importantly, the Acorn’s 24 volts DC power supply is ultra-safe and presents no electric shock hazard whatsoever. In addition, there are several states where you may not install AC powered equipment unless you are a fully qualified electrician.
Trailing Cable
Access Select stair lifts require a trailing cable to power them. The cable needs to be reeled out and reeled back in, each and every time the stair lift travels up and down the stairway. It is not difficult to imagine what all of this movement does to the cable, over a surprisingly short period of time. The constant flexing and tensioning causes the wires in the cable to fail - usually while the stair lift is in use. When the trailing cable fails, the lift immediately grinds to a halt - often with the user on board.
Prior to manufacturing our own battery powered stair lift, Acorn supplied stair lifts almost identical to the Access Industries design, so we have first hand experience of this type of equipment. We have lost count of the number of times we had to replace the trailing cable and cable reel on this lift type. We very deliberately ‘designed-out’ the need for a trailing cable on the Acorn stair lift, because we know it to be so troublesome.
Ride Quality
Battery power has other big advantages too. DC power is much more controllable. It allows us to provide valuable features like electronic soft start and soft stop. Aside from being more comfortable and refined, it is much safer, particularly for folks with balance problems or those with arthritis of the neck or back. AC stair lifts have harsh, jarring starts and stops and the lifts mechanisms are noisy compared to DC alternatives.
Naturally a battery powered stair lift will continue to run, in the event of a power outage - an AC unit, like the Access Select will stop dead if the household power is interrupted.
Drive Systems
Without exception, all modern stair lift designs utilize a rack and pinion drive system. The Acorn stair lift employs a direct drive rack and pinion system that does not require pulleys and belts. The Access Select also has a rack and pinion system, though it is not a direct drive. The Access design also requires a very wide, trough shaped track that creates a problematic dirt-trap. Day to day household dust and dander accumulates inside the track and is difficult to remove.
Some rack and pinion systems require periodic lubrication of the gear rack - though this is absolutely not the case with the Acorn stair lift. The Acorn drive system is completely maintenance free.
As a side note on drive and rail systems, the secret to a smooth, quiet, gliding travel is surface area contact. The larger the contact patch, the smoother the ride is going to be. Acorns rail profile is tubular rather than trough-shaped. Using 8 concave rollers affords a surface area contact patch at least 10 times greater than the wheels installed in the old-fashioned, trough-shaped system. The result is Acorns peerless, smooth, refined and near silent glide, as opposed to the bumpy, trundling action of the older design.
Controls and Safety Devices
Some stair lifts, Acorn included, feature an easy to use 'paddle' switch to control the lift. The Acorn joystick is mounted on the stair lifts folding armrest. The joystick on the Access Select is mounted on a fiddly box that is attached to the unit with Velcro tape. The remote controls supplied with the Acorn are wireless infra-red items.
Safety is absolutely paramount at Acorn. Our stair lift is protected by an electro-magnetic braking system and a self-locking gearbox. The self-locking gearbox alone, as installed in the Access Select stair lift is not really a braking system at all. Naturally, every Acorn stair lift ever made is additionally protected by an over-speed governor, which guards against the possibility of an uncontrolled descent.
We consider an over-speed governor to be essential safety equipment. So do the authorities that determine stair lift specifications for commercial use
Strangely, an over-speed governor is not even available on the Access Select model.
Safety Surfaces - In addition, both sides of the Acorn footrest and the base are protected by pressure sensitive surfaces that stop the stair lift if it collides with anything on the staircase. Also the Acorns carriage is similarly protected from collision with anything on the rail. This is not the case with the Access Select stair lift. It has the most basic protection of the footrest - and none at all to protect the carriage from crushing anything (or any body part!) that is on the rail.
Acorn also offers a beautifully engineered hinged rail system. This enables the lower portion of the rail to be folded up and out of the way, if the rail presents a tripping hazard at the foot of the stairs.
Warranty
The warranty on Acorns motor, gearbox and rail assembly is a life-time warranty, so confident are we, regarding the durability and quality of these components. How can we be so sure? We manufacture these components ourselves in our own plants. The warranty on the Access Select Motor assembly is five years.
Ease of Installation
Firstly, The Acorn Superglide is designed with ease of installation as a priority. There is no stair lift on the market today that is simpler to install than an Acorn.
The main concern, regarding installation of an Access Select stair lift is the AC power supply. Some states prohibit installation of this type of equipment, unless you are professionally qualified to conduct electrical work.
Aside from physically installing the Access Select, you may first have to re-hand the unit, if your stair lift is to go on the right-hand side of the staircase. This entails reversal of motor electrical cables and removal and re-installation of the seat post assembly. You may also be required to shorten - or even lengthen the track!
With Acorn, all of these procedures are taken care of for you, before your new stair lift leaves our premises. All that is required is for you to fix the rail to the staircase, mount the carriage and seat and plug it into a wall outlet. Nothing could be easier.
Narrow Stairs?
Acorn offers a perch lift alternative, Access doesn’t. You should also remember that when the stair lift is parked at the foot of the stairs, the footrest of the Access Select stair lift is still several inches above the floor. The mobility challenged user must step up onto this stair lift. The Acorn stair lift footrest is much, much closer to the floor, making mounting and dismounting the lift so much safer and more comfortable.
Summary
As with most things - there is a baffling amount of choice out there in the marketplace. When choosing a piece of equipment like a stair lift, it is important to ensure that you are making like-for-like comparisons. Think carefully when buying this type of product via the internet. Your first real opportunity to clearly see the features, engineering (and limitations) of your new stair lift, are when it arrives on your doorstep.
Acorn supplies more customers direct, throughout the world than the rest of the entire industry combined.
Don’t take any chances - make sure you conduct a direct like-for-like comparison of the features, technology, comfort and safety aspects of the equipment, before you hand over your money.
Read more about the Acorn Superglide Stair Lift