I have really enjoyed Garage Journal and I wanted to contribute my experience choosing a two post lift for my garage. After much consideration and research, I chose the Nussbaum SPL10000. Whenever I am going to spend this amount of money I do my research extensively. I want to share my findings with you and explain why I eventually chose this company.
I was only able to find a few references to Nussbaum on Garage Journal. Prior to 2020, Nussbaum lifts were only available through distributors, in January 2020 Nussbaum started selling factory direct.
After much research, I decided I wanted a 2-post American made lift for my garage. My investigation directed me towards Rotary SPOA10N700 ($5,218.39 installed), Challenger CL10V3 ($5495.00 installed) and Nussbaum SPL10000 (4295+ 695 install = $4990).
I live in Hickory, North Carolina and Nussbaum had a factory in Gastonia (just outside of Charlotte) about 45 minutes away. After getting the quotes, I went to the Nussbaum factory and toured. I was very impressed with the factory and really liked being able to see where my lift would be made, that put Nussbaum as my top choice.
As I researched the Challenger lift, some Garage Journal members wrote that the wording had changed from “Made in America” to “assembled in America”. A Garage Journal member posted: “I visited Challenger headquarters last week. The columns and overhead support are made there. The arms and carriage are made overseas.” That marked Challenger off my list. Thread here.
I was down to Rotary and Nussbaum.
After my tour of the factory, my mind was made up that Nussbaum was the best option for my garage.
Installation cost $695 and was performed by Isgett distributors. Initially, I was going to have the factory technician do the installation but there was a hiccup and Isgett performed the install. Isgett actually had to come out a second time to perform the installation due to an expansion joint in the concrete being in the way of the second post. They did not charge me extra despite having to make two trips.
Fitment and considerations:
I really like that the SPL10000 has the appearance of a symmetrical lift, but operates asymmetrically. I did not like how the Rotary SPOA10 posts were tilted inward, I understood why (for opening doors), but aesthetically that design bothered me.
I also liked that Nussbaum’s overall width was a little over 124”, slightly narrower than some of their competitors. Nussbaum offers an XL model which allows lifting height of 80” and requires 160” of height clearance. You can also do a standard height which is 142.75” and allows 73.5” of lifting height.
Fortunately, in my garage I designed (because of extensive research on garage Journal
) the third bay area with scissor trusses, allowed me to fully utilize the height.
I am very impressed with the finish on my lift. It almost looks like powder coating. It has a great texture and it seems very durable. I read many times about imported lifts that had blemishes upon arrival. I never knew the importance of welds until learning about bad welding on Garage Journal and I can say: the welds are top notch.
As I compared my lift to the similar well-known import models (not the cheapo no name lifts) I was surprised that for only a small percentage more you could have a made in USA model. Also having the factory so close I knew that if there were any issues they would make it right. The safety considerations and ALI certification also made it easier to spend more on my lift.
I researched Nussbaum extensively and part of the reason for this post and video is because of the lack of current information outside of their website. I wanted to let Garage Journal folks contact the factory, set up a tour and buy a lift from them
. The cool thing about having the factory right here is they really can customize and work with you for each part of the build. Nussbaum does sell German made lifts and I think the SPL model is exclusive to the US to satisfy American consumer interests.
You may have seen Nussbaum lifts in action in your city with the Carvana car towers. Interestingly, those were initially pioneered for advertising/selling Smart cars(we know what happened with that. Carvana uses the same Nussbaum lifts for their purpose, which it seems is working a little better for Carvana. At the factory in Gastonia they had a special line building those lifts.
If you are interested in getting more information and pricing, please contact Chris Dillinger, he was extremely helpful and responsive.
This whole saga prompted me to start a youtube channel.
Please like and subscribe!
Also, I would love feedback!
My Nussbaum SPL10 Initial Review Video
My Nussbaum SPL10 Installation Video
Google Photos Album of Install
Nussbaum USA Promotional Video
SPL10000 Information Sheet
I was only able to find a few references to Nussbaum on Garage Journal. Prior to 2020, Nussbaum lifts were only available through distributors, in January 2020 Nussbaum started selling factory direct.
After much research, I decided I wanted a 2-post American made lift for my garage. My investigation directed me towards Rotary SPOA10N700 ($5,218.39 installed), Challenger CL10V3 ($5495.00 installed) and Nussbaum SPL10000 (4295+ 695 install = $4990).
I live in Hickory, North Carolina and Nussbaum had a factory in Gastonia (just outside of Charlotte) about 45 minutes away. After getting the quotes, I went to the Nussbaum factory and toured. I was very impressed with the factory and really liked being able to see where my lift would be made, that put Nussbaum as my top choice.
As I researched the Challenger lift, some Garage Journal members wrote that the wording had changed from “Made in America” to “assembled in America”. A Garage Journal member posted: “I visited Challenger headquarters last week. The columns and overhead support are made there. The arms and carriage are made overseas.” That marked Challenger off my list. Thread here.
I was down to Rotary and Nussbaum.
After my tour of the factory, my mind was made up that Nussbaum was the best option for my garage.
Installation cost $695 and was performed by Isgett distributors. Initially, I was going to have the factory technician do the installation but there was a hiccup and Isgett performed the install. Isgett actually had to come out a second time to perform the installation due to an expansion joint in the concrete being in the way of the second post. They did not charge me extra despite having to make two trips.
Fitment and considerations:
I really like that the SPL10000 has the appearance of a symmetrical lift, but operates asymmetrically. I did not like how the Rotary SPOA10 posts were tilted inward, I understood why (for opening doors), but aesthetically that design bothered me.
I also liked that Nussbaum’s overall width was a little over 124”, slightly narrower than some of their competitors. Nussbaum offers an XL model which allows lifting height of 80” and requires 160” of height clearance. You can also do a standard height which is 142.75” and allows 73.5” of lifting height.
Fortunately, in my garage I designed (because of extensive research on garage Journal
) the third bay area with scissor trusses, allowed me to fully utilize the height.I am very impressed with the finish on my lift. It almost looks like powder coating. It has a great texture and it seems very durable. I read many times about imported lifts that had blemishes upon arrival. I never knew the importance of welds until learning about bad welding on Garage Journal and I can say: the welds are top notch.
As I compared my lift to the similar well-known import models (not the cheapo no name lifts) I was surprised that for only a small percentage more you could have a made in USA model. Also having the factory so close I knew that if there were any issues they would make it right. The safety considerations and ALI certification also made it easier to spend more on my lift.
I researched Nussbaum extensively and part of the reason for this post and video is because of the lack of current information outside of their website. I wanted to let Garage Journal folks contact the factory, set up a tour and buy a lift from them
. The cool thing about having the factory right here is they really can customize and work with you for each part of the build. Nussbaum does sell German made lifts and I think the SPL model is exclusive to the US to satisfy American consumer interests.You may have seen Nussbaum lifts in action in your city with the Carvana car towers. Interestingly, those were initially pioneered for advertising/selling Smart cars(we know what happened with that
. Carvana uses the same Nussbaum lifts for their purpose, which it seems is working a little better for Carvana. At the factory in Gastonia they had a special line building those lifts. If you are interested in getting more information and pricing, please contact Chris Dillinger, he was extremely helpful and responsive.
This whole saga prompted me to start a youtube channel.
Please like and subscribe!
Also, I would love feedback!
My Nussbaum SPL10 Initial Review Video
My Nussbaum SPL10 Installation Video
Google Photos Album of Install
Nussbaum USA Promotional Video
SPL10000 Information Sheet
. 
