Which is the best garage door opener company?

[markseven]

I have never bought a garage door opener (GDO). I did some research and it looks like all brands have some negative reviews.

What should I look for in a GDO? A lot of the product descriptions tout quiet operation, however, I like to know when my GDO is in operation because my wife frequently forgets to close it. That said, I don't want one that is going to vibrate like hell.

Do you prefer Genie, Chamberlin, Craftsman, Sommer, or another brand?

Sommer GDOs are made in Germany which for me automatically give it an edge over the others. Anyone own a Direct Drive?

[flyboyx]

go with a screw type opener if it fits your budget. probably the genie. i doubt one brand is much better than the others.

you might look to see if consumer reports has done reviews.

[markseven]

Thanks man, I appreciate the input. We had a screw type previously, it got messy with the grease.

It worked as intended never broke though.

I checked consumer reports, they want you to pay for a subscription to read the reports…


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[e30_world]

Best opener is marantec belt drive. They are whisper quite and tough as nails. Pricey tho. Try and stick with a belt drive with a solid track. Most off the shelf GDO will have everything packed in a box. This means the track will be in 3-4 pieces and causes the trolley to bounce and add stress. I'd also go torsion bar up front vs side springs. Most all local installers are
The same. You could try Costco, for the warranty. Good luck.

[markseven]

Best opener is marantec belt drive. They are whisper quite and tough as nails. Pricey tho. Try and stick with a belt drive with a solid track. Most off the shelf GDO will have everything packed in a box. This means the track will be in 3-4 pieces and causes the trolley to bounce and add stress. I'd also go torsion bar up front vs side springs. Most all local installers are
The same. You could try Costco, for the warranty. Good luck.

Thank you!

This is the first I am hearing of Marentec, but they are another German manu and I am intrigued. No one sells them locally and Amazon stocks only the remotes. Am in for a long wait if something fails and I need parts?

What are your thoughts on this:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BS28SP8/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_dp_ss_1?pf_rd_p=1944687762&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B00EW5LYB8&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=1FGKDZ5714FHQF93YBEN

[spdracrm3]

direct drive/jackshaft drive

i installed a liftmaster 8500 direct drive in my garage in Seattle and loved it ,super quiet and no vibration and comes with all kinds of security add ons /backups that will let you know if door is closed from your bedroom or work with internet

it leaves the area above the door free which is nice also

http://www.amazon.com/Liftmaster-8500-Mount-Garage-Opener/dp/B00BS28SP8

https://www.liftmaster.com/for-homes/garage-door-openers/elite-series/model-8500

[markseven]

i installed a liftmaster 8500 direct drive in my garage in Seattle and loved it ,super quiet and no vibration and comes with all kinds of security add ons /backups that will let you know if door is closed from your bedroom or work with internet

it leaves the area above the door free which is nice also

http://www.amazon.com/Liftmaster-8500-Mount-Garage-Opener/dp/B00BS28SP8

https://www.liftmaster.com/for-homes...ies/model-8500

Thanks for sharing your experience with the LM 8500! I don't have tall / wide cars do the overhead space is not precious. The security features are nice to haves, not must haves for me. I would get this in a hot New York second if the price was closer to $200...

Are you Brian, IronMan's son?

[spdracrm3]

"Are you Brian, IronMan's son?"

no sorry no relation, names Angus used to live in Renton WA, now located in Castle Rock CO.

its nice to be able to use the area above the garage door for storage ,and also if you want to put a lift in you can used this style opener and reroute the door tracks upward to clear car up on lift. not really much more than others if your starting from scratch for a good lift

[e30_world]

Thank you!

This is the first I am hearing of Marentec, but they are another German manu and I am intrigued. No one sells them locally and Amazon stocks only the remotes. Am in for a long wait if something fails and I need parts?

What are your thoughts on this:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...5714FHQF93YBEN

Where as they are "cool" I've seen a lot of problems with them on low ceilings. If you have 16" or more you'll be fine using it. If you require low head room track, it's not going to work properly. But almost anything lift master makes is pretty good. IMO

[markseven]

"Are you Brian, IronMan's son?"

no sorry no relation, names Angus used to live in Renton WA, now located in Castle Rock CO.

its nice to be able to use the area above the garage door for storage ,and also if you want to put a lift in you can used this style opener and reroute the door tracks upward to clear car up on lift. not really much more than others if your starting from scratch for a good lift

Got it. The overhead storage would be nice!

I think Brian's username is SpecRaceM5 or something like that :)

Where as they are "cool" I've seen a lot of problems with them on low ceilings. If you have 16" or more you'll be fine using it. If you require low head room track, it's not going to work properly. But almost anything lift master makes is pretty good. IMO

Cool, thanks for the insight. How about reliability on the Marentec? As mentioned above, their distribution channel is a little obscure.

[doorman]

i installed a liftmaster 8500 direct drive in my garage in Seattle and loved it ,super quiet and no vibration and comes with all kinds of security add ons /backups that will let you know if door is closed from your bedroom or work with internet

it leaves the area above the door free which is nice also

http://www.amazon.com/Liftmaster-8500-Mount-Garage-Opener/dp/B00BS28SP8

https://www.liftmaster.com/for-homes...ies/model-8500

This 100%!
I love mine
As long as you have torsion springs.
Dollar for dollar any Chamberlain/Sears spin off is good enough for a well balanced torsion/extension spring door.
No Stanley
No Genie screw drive if your winters get below freezing
This is year 23 for me in the overhead door industry.

[doorman]

Best opener is marantec belt drive. They are whisper quite and tough as nails. Pricey tho. Try and stick with a belt drive with a solid track. Most off the shelf GDO will have everything packed in a box. This means the track will be in 3-4 pieces and causes the trolley to bounce and add stress. I'd also go torsion bar up front vs side springs. Most all local installers are
The same. You could try Costco, for the warranty. Good luck.

Raynor and Allister used to make a damn good opener. Not sure if they still kept up the quality though.

[e30_world]

I haven't heard of anyone needing any on them. They are built very well. High end distributors should stock them no problem.

[marshallnoise]

Interesting thread. My biggest beef is that my remotes, with fresh batteries, sometimes work about 90 feet away and other times they don't work 5 feet away. It's a Genie screw drive.

Who has the best remote reception?

[marshallnoise]

Interesting thread. My biggest beef is that my remotes, with fresh batteries, sometimes work about 90 feet away and other times they don't work 5 feet away. It's a Genie screw drive.

Who has the best remote reception?