The Real Truth About Acorn and Bruno Stairlifts
I have spent years working with my hands and taking these things apart. I can tell you right now that one is built for a fast sale and the other is built to outlast the house it is sitting in.
The Acorn Modular System
Acorn is the brand you see on TV the most. They use what we call a modular rail. It is made of several different pieces of aluminum track that the installer bolts together right on your stairs. This is why they can do next day installs. They have the parts in the van ready to go.
The trouble with modular rails is the seams. Every time the chair moves over a joint where two pieces of track meet, you are going to feel a little thump. It is like driving a truck over a pothole. Over ten years, those thumps add up and can shake the internal gears loose. If you want a smooth ride that feels like a Cadillac, this might not be the one for you.
Bruno: American Made Muscle
Now Bruno is a whole different story. These are made in Wisconsin. When you buy a Bruno, they do not just pull a rail off a shelf. They take a picture of your stairs with a special camera and then they weld a custom rail in the factory. It is one solid piece of steel.
When you ride a Bruno, it is dead silent and smooth as silk. There are no joints to bump over. They also use a much stronger motor. If you weigh over 250 pounds, I would not even look at anything else. A Bruno Elite can carry 400 pounds and it wont even groan.
* Acorn rails are aluminum and can get dinged up easily.
* Bruno rails are heavy steel and handle wear and tear better.
* Acorn uses a plastic gear rack that needs a lot of cleaning.
* Bruno has a hidden gear rack so you do not get grease on your pants.