To avoid these ads, REGISTER NOW!

Best openers?

J

jtuds

Member
Joined
Mar 27, 2012
Messages
17
I have 2 really old Stanleys that need replacing but I don;t know how much to spend or what brand to buy.

I have 7 foot doors so 1/2hp should do it and I've seen a lot of the companies in town carry liftmaster. But also I've read that chamberlain is good.

Anyone got an opinion?

thanks.
 
To avoid these ads, REGISTER NOW!
K

kevinwilly

Active member
Joined
Jan 10, 2013
Messages
43
VHF said:
I would say Chamberlain and Liftmaster are equally good... same parent company!
Click to expand...

Yeah, internally they are actually identical (if they are both the same type, chain drive, belt drive, etc).

They also make the craftsman ones.


I would recommend- after having one that is belt drive- to stay away from them. They are quiet, but I've had the belts get shredded, and they are a total pain to replace.

My first choice, were I to buy a new opener, would be a screw drive one, like a Genie. And then a chain drive would be my second choice.

I've got two broken chain drives in my garage (thanks to the people I got the house from), but to fix them both the parts were under 20 bucks shipped. I just haven't had the motivation to get up on a ladder and spend an hour to fix them yet. But they are DEAD simple to work on.

I'd also recommend one with a rolling code transmitter, as they are more secure. But it also costs more to get replacement remotes. I don't think people go around intercepting garage door signals too often, but you never know.
 
9

911mike

Well-known member
Joined
May 22, 2010
Messages
494
Location
michigan
I have 2 lift master 3800's which have been great and I just installed 2 new belt drive crapsman with the wifi link. They are super smooth and quite and I can operate them from my cell phone. The kids don't need a opener now and can use there phones so it saved me a few bucks buying spare openers too. Not sure how long the belts will last but I bet I can replace one in less than 5 minutes.
 
A

AndyL

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 22, 2012
Messages
1,371
Location
Vancouver
Go with liftmaster/chamberlain/craftsman (yes all made by chamberlain)

I get genies at cost, and install them all day everyday ;) but have a liftmaster 3800 and a 3280 installed in my garage - that probably speaks volumes ;)

the new genie screwdrivers go Mach speeds, but still suffer from being a genie...
 
M

Matt M PA

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 21, 2008
Messages
3,174
Location
SE PA
I am thrilled with my Sommer openers. Bought them on-line through Lowes.

The trolley actually runs in the track, and contains the motor. There's a starwheel type gear that pulls the trolley along a stationary chain.
 
M

mikec35

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 17, 2011
Messages
1,258
Location
NC
:eyecrazy::lol:"Best openers"?...How about ... Are you free tonight or is this gonna cost me? :willy_nil
 
M

mrodgers

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 15, 2007
Messages
19,800
Location
French fries on salad, PA
911mike said:
I have 2 lift master 3800's which have been great and I just installed 2 new belt drive crapsman with the wifi link. They are super smooth and quite and I can operate them from my cell phone. The kids don't need a opener now and can use there phones so it saved me a few bucks buying spare openers too. Not sure how long the belts will last but I bet I can replace one in less than 5 minutes.
Click to expand...
Wifi? Love that idea. I never thought of that.

My opener has been out of service for about 5 years. Gear is stripped, but Wifey also tossed the remotes. I think I'd rather just upgrade than buy the gear kit to fix it along with having to grab a few remotes and reprogram. It's probably 20some years old anyways. The Wifi sounds like a great idea that I wouldn't have thought of without reading it.


Story for when they break.... Just bought the Mazda Tribute. Door opener broke and we were manually opening. I was backing out of the garage when I turned my head, the door was closing right in front of the windshield. The antenna end had grabbed it and pulled it down. I hammered the throttle down and the door missed the bumper by a fraction of an inch. Had I not turned my head and saw it, it would have slammed down on the hood of our brand new vehicle. Haven't had the car in the garage since then, but more because of how full of junk it has gotten though. Because of all the junk, I haven't fixed/replaced the opener. Now she wants to park the new Toyota in the garage and it's motivated me to come back to this forum and get my junk cleaned up.
 
Last edited:
To avoid these ads, REGISTER NOW!
J

JakeKohl

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 23, 2012
Messages
1,365
Location
Greenville, SC
Schleprock said:
X2 on this best garage door opener I've owned very quiet also.
Click to expand...

I'm a big fan of my Liftmaster 3800 jackshaft mounted openers....clean, quiet...no belts or chains. Setup can be a little tricky if your door isn't installed just right but they are spectacular at clearing up ceiling space.
 
C

Cryptic1911

Well-known member
Joined
May 24, 2008
Messages
2,884
Location
Willimantic, CT
I like our liftmaster 3800's. sooooo quiet compared to chain drive openeres. All you hear is a hum, and the door clicks a little bit as it goes over the different pieces of track. Normal openers sound like an industrial sized garbage disposal chewing up a yugo
 
OP
J

jtuds

Member
Joined
Mar 27, 2012
Messages
17
I'm between the liftmaster 8360 and the chamberlain whisper drive. One's chain and one's belt. I dont particularly care either way. Just want a good price and a quality product. The wifi thing is cool but apparently with liftmaster you can;t use it unless you pay 50 bucks per opener for an account that lets you access those features.
 
B

BellyUpFish

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 24, 2012
Messages
2,942
Location
Alabama
$50 per opener per year?

The Liftmaster site says no annual fees?

http://www.liftmaster.com/lmcv2/pages/productmodeldetail.aspx?modelId=9570
 
Last edited:
H

Herb67SS

Well-known member
Joined
May 18, 2009
Messages
158
Location
Northern Virginia
Www.direct2ugaragedoors.com

Is selling the LM3800 for $279.65 each with FREE same day shipping. They also have a pair deal. That's where I got mine. Showed up at my place in 3days. That's less than I paid for the whisper drives from HD.

The garage door contractor my builder used for my new detached wanted $580 each installed. When I told him what I could buy them for on line he wouldn't believe me until I showed him the invoice. BTW- I bought the pair deal.

Took me 45 mins to install each and they work perfectl. (the installer actually helped me!) said the reason homeowners might find them a challenge to install is because they are a commercial opener and never meant for Harry homeowner to install. They are actually pretty easy to install if you just read the installation manual that comes with it It's alsoavailable on line from LM to pre read.
I love em.
I,ll never hang that junk over my cars again.
 
Last edited:
9

911mike

Well-known member
Joined
May 22, 2010
Messages
494
Location
michigan
upndown said:
Bet ya can't..:lol_hitti
Click to expand...

i bet it can! On the Craftsman's it one nut. The belt is totally open and exposed. I have installed 3 of these in the last 3 months and the entire install is less than an hour. The most time consuming part is the wiring for the sensors and the main controller as both are hard wired.

I had Wayne Dalton Doormaster openers prior to the new Craftsmans. They mounted on the torsion bar which was reall nice. Now I have these ugly over head openers which I hate. I would have gone with the liftmaster 3800's but they won't work with the Wayne Dalton Torque Master doors I have. If you have the room I would go with the 3800's. My only advice is make sure you have good balance on your door and I would raise the rear support rails to put a little positive force on the door when it's in the open position.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
To avoid these ads, REGISTER NOW!
Top Bottom