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[OldSchoolSS]

Extreme Garage Opener

Hey Guys,

Not sure if this is the right section. Menards has a 1/2 HP "Extreme Garage" chain drive garage door opener on sale for 88 dollars after rebate right now. Does anybody have experience with this unit?

I just bought a house a month ago and I'm tired of messing around with the door every morning and since I don't have a key for it I'm using a vice grip on the latches for a lock right now. A garage door opener would solve both issues.

Thanks,

OldSchoolSS

 

[Costner]

I've seen those units at Menards, and I'm sure they are just a rebadged entry level unit from a larger company, but I can't be sure. I wouldn't doubt that they are made in China, but you may want to look at the actual box and see if you can find anything.

They are sold under the "Xtreme Garage" label and from what I've seen the other Xtreme Garage products are cheap garbage, so I would probably avoid it. Sure it might work fine for a while, but if you ever need replacement parts would you be able to find them? I sure couldn't seem to find anything online - not even a website for the "Xtreme Garage" company.

I'd just watch for a sale on a Chamberlain / Liftmaster, Genie, or Craftsman unit. At least you can always get parts for them if something would ever fail. You will also note the only reason that Xtreme unit is $88 is because there is a $30 rebate - so the true initial cost is $118. For that money you can find a lower level (1/3hp) Chamberlain on sale. Or spend a few bucks more and you can get a 1/2hp Chamberlain on sale at Menards right now for $139 - and it even includes two remotes and a 3 button wall control panel.

 

[tdkkart]

My experience in this matter if that you will wait a LONG time, if not forever, to get your rebate back from Menards.
I have had 2 Craftsman openers, owned one for 10 years, the other for 14, never had so much as a glitch from either one. The openers in our current house are Stanley's, I'm sure they are original to the house from 1976, working just fine.

Don't cheap out on an opener. The garage door opener is one of those things that can and will cause you a major headache on a daily basis if it's not right. Think about it, you use it at least twice a day, the smallest recognizeable fault in it's operation will grind on your nerves twice a day. Most people I know don't need any more stress in their lives.

 

[OldSchoolSS]

Thanks for the recommendations guys. The door is really light, so that's why I was thinking the cheap 1/2 HP unit would do. I also thought that this unit was a rebaged unit from another company since I couldn't find any information on it online. Costner, thanks for the catch of "Extreme Garage" I was going off of memory when i wrote the post.

 

[kbs2244]

Don't forget that a Menards rebate is really what is called an "in store credit."
You can only spend the rebate at Menards.

 

[OldSchoolSS]

I stopped and looked at it tonight, the unit didn't look too bad, but it's another 20 dollars for an extra remote. So then you're up to 108 so it's pretty close to the name brands then. I passed.

 

[teaki]

The Extreme openers at Menards are a direct import from China while the brands such as Genie or Liftmaster are manufactured in US (Genie) or Mexico (Liftmaster).

 

[at_h2o]

Chinese garage openers = BAD.

If youre looking for cheap go for a simple Sears chain drive, will be about $130, but theyve been proven to work.

 

[at_h2o]

Chinese garage openers = BAD.

If youre looking for cheap go for a simple Sears chain drive, will be about $130, but theyve been proven to work.

Also, I went ahead and Googled "Xtreme Garage openers". Never head of the brand before. but their not a rebranded Genie, Sears, Lift Master, etc, which isnt good.

 

[Colburn]

As a tech I can tell you to stay away from these openers. No parts are available a d are considered throw away machines. If it breaks and you call for service, nobody will touch it.

Side note:

Chamberlain manufactures Liftmaster, Sears, Craftsman. Stanley has long been out of business and any recent Stanley branded machines are not Stanley, but cheep machines from a company that bought the rights to the name. Incidentally, they have gone out of business.

 

[Mickey O]

Thanks for the recommendations guys. The door is really light, so that's why I was thinking the cheap 1/2 HP unit would do. I also thought that this unit was a rebaged unit from another company since I couldn't find any information on it online. Costner, thanks for the catch of "Extreme Garage" I was going off of memory when i wrote the post.

Take the tension off the spring(s) and see how light it is. All garage doors are (or should be) easy to open if they have the right spring tension and the rollers are good. It's worth spending the little extra money to get a decent opener.

 

[Gary S]

I've had a number of garage door openers over the years, and haven't had a bad one yet. I never purchased a Craftsman opener myself, but I've been asked to repair other people's Craftsman openers. I've seen more problems with Craftsman openers than all the other brands together, so that is one I'd avoid.

I installed a Stanley in 1992. It is still working with no repairs.
I installed a Genie in 1976. It is still working with no repairs.
My current garage has two Linear openers built around the 1960s. They are currently in their 3rd garage and still work every day with no repairs.

I have no experience with the Home Extreme opener, but if I wanted one, I'd look into who actually makes it and go from there.

 

[Stee6043]

As a tech I can tell you to stay away from these openers. No parts are available a d are considered throw away machines. If it breaks and you call for service, nobody will touch it.

Side note:

Chamberlain manufactures Liftmaster, Sears, Craftsman. Stanley has long been out of business and any recent Stanley branded machines are not Stanley, but cheep machines from a company that bought the rights to the name. Incidentally, they have gone out of business.

Stanley has been a part of Black and Decker for several years now. I'm not aware that Stanley has ever "gone out of business" but rather, like most companies, has been constantly involved in mergers and acquisitions over the years.

 

[Stee6043]

As a tech I can tell you to stay away from these openers. No parts are available a d are considered throw away machines. If it breaks and you call for service, nobody will touch it.

Side note:

Chamberlain manufactures Liftmaster, Sears, Craftsman. Stanley has long been out of business and any recent Stanley branded machines are not Stanley, but cheep machines from a company that bought the rights to the name. Incidentally, they have gone out of business.

Also worth noting, regarding "cheap machines", Stanley Black and Decker also owns Delta, Dewalt and Porter Cable and has for the better part of the last decade. I rarely hear people trash talking the above brands.

 

[PeterT]

I have a chamberlin and my biggest complaint is the slow speed at which the door opens. It really is annoying, I should have bought a higher speed opener. THere is an adjustment, but it doesn't seem to make much difference.

 

[Norcal]

Black & Decker merged into Stanley, not the other way.

 

[where2]

When one of the gears stripped in my Craftsman opener after many many years of fine service, I was able to call sears parts direct and order parts for an opener that came with my house when I bought the house in 1998. The replacement gear was under $20!

 

[deckochip]

Well, I am not sure how to start this, but I think I need to give it a try. The Extreme Openers are Manufactured by a Taiwan owned Company Named Guardian. They operate 2 manufacturing operations, one In Taiwan, the other in China. My Company, Decko Products, is an 80+ year old Minnesota based company. We are doing the Consumer distribution for Guardian in North America. Guardian has been manufacturing Residential Garage Door openers exclusively for Napoleon Lynx up until a few years ago. The exclusive agreement ended and they were looking to expand the customer base. To address the subject at had, Guardian does make private label Openers for Menard's in their Extreme Brand.
The web site for parts & information is www.GDOhelp.com. And they have a toll free wats line to contact customer service directly. 1-877-GDO-4402 (1-877-436-4402)
Guardian is a very well run, modern factory and stands buy their products. The thing that intrigued me about getting into this business was that between Chamberlain & Genie they control almost all the residential market. And I though as a good old American boy, maybe they needed a little competition. Our goal and we believe we accomplish it, (but that is from our view) is to bring to market an opener that meets or exceeds any equivalent unit available in the market. I have comp spec sheets if anyone is interested. I just added my e-mail to the site here. To get to the original questions asked, All the parts are stocked here at Decko in Minnesota. Customer service is here too. As far as the pricing Menard's has in the market, we cannot control that, and what they put out with the rebate is way below their cost. It is their gamble as to how many folks redeem them. They don't share that with us. Yes there are a few negative comments out there on the product. I might say that they are all from folks who have not contacted us. We try to contact them if we can, but it is difficult to do. at least in our capabilities. In a nutshell, we are a small company who thinks they can play with the big boys. And we have an idea of what is involved. Good units, good warranty and good people our customers can get a hold of if they need help.
This probably has been to long already and most who have stated to read it have left or gone to sleep. Please visit the web sites, get to know us, and give us a try. anybody can make promises, the proof is in the doin - not the sayin. If you have gotten this far, thanks.

 

[Jagmandave]

Thanks for responding, it's nice to hear from the company it self, to get the other side of the story.

 

[mbatarga]

Note - the original post referring to the rebate is from 2010.

 

[LS6 Tommy]

I've had zero problems with every Craftsman (Chamberlain) I've ever installed and that's up to about 20...

Tommy

 

[Harry7139]

I purchased one of these units about 6 months ago.. (Model 425-1620) I have installed several garage door openers before and this was another routine installation.. First thing I noticed was that this unit is EXTREMELY loud.. perhaps that's why it's called "Xtreme".. Despite the noise the unit seemed to function ok for a few weeks.. Then the remote would not work half the time (extremely cheap remote )... now the remote has stopped working completely.. New battery installed, reprogrammed according to manual procedure... nothing... dead. I have contacted their customer service and have not had a response back yet.. I would definitely NOT recommend that anyone buy this unit... it's nothing but junk.. spend a few dollars more and get a Chamberlin or similar model

UPDATE: A gentleman from customer service contacted me ( Bart ).. Extremely nice fellow...sent me a new circuit board and it worked...for a few days.. I'm done with this.. My final advice is this: DO NOT BUY ANY XTREME GARAGE DOOR OPENERS.. I am now on my way to buy a new Chamberlin unit Good luck

 

[myredracer]

Bought 2 Crafsman units (rubber belt version) nearly 10 years ago. Installed one by myself and it has been fine ever since. Finally installed the other one a few months ago and cannot get the start/stop adjustment adjusted properly no matter what. Either slams onto the concrete or stops short. May have to get a pro in to set it up. Pffft. Not a very user friendly setup and adjustment. Not sure if they're all the same?

I would not use a chain drive if noise is a concern. The belt driven ones are very quiet in comparison.

 

[Off-Street Parking]

I installed a Stanley in 1992. It is still working with no repairs.
I installed a Genie in 1976. It is still working with no repairs.
My current garage has two Linear openers built around the 1960s. They are currently in their 3rd garage and still work every day with no repairs.

While their quality may be impressive, there's no way I would run an opener that old on a garage today. The fixed-code remotes just aren't secure, and you're missing out on the auto-reversing and other safety features of a modern opener...

 

[tdkkart]

While their quality may be impressive, there's no way I would run an opener that old on a garage today. The fixed-code remotes just aren't secure, and you're missing out on the auto-reversing and other safety features of a modern opener...

And fathom the fact that he's gotten by for nearly 50 years or more without any of those modern conveniences. Nobody's died or been stolen so far, no real point in changing now.