Rave 2 Stair Lift: Self-Install, 350 lb Capacity

I just got my hands on the AmeriGlide Rave 2 Stair Lift, and honestly, it’s been a game-changer for our home situation. My dad’s been struggling with the stairs lately, and we were kind of dreading the whole process of finding a solution that wouldn’t break the bank or turn our house into a construction zone.
This thing holds up to 350 pounds, which is plenty for dad (though I’d never tell him that to his face!). What really sold us was being able to install it ourselves. It came with 15 feet of track, which was almost perfect for our staircase – we ended up ordering just one extra 3-foot section to make it fit right.
The battery system is pretty impressive. Even when we had that power outage last month during the thunderstorm, dad could still use it no problem. The battery just recharges itself whenever it’s parked at the top or bottom, and we typically get about 10-12 round trips before it needs a good charge.
Setting it up wasn’t nearly as bad as I thought it would be. The instructions were actually readable (unlike that IKEA bookshelf that’s still not quite right in my office). The track pieces just sort of click together, and while it took my brother and me an afternoon to get it right, it wasn’t the nightmare project we were expecting.
Safety-wise, it’s got all the bells and whistles you’d want. The seat swivels 90 degrees at the top so dad can get off without doing some kind of awkward sideways shuffle. Everything folds up too – the seat, armrests, footrest – which is great because our staircase isn’t exactly mansion-sized. When it’s folded up, it only sticks out about 11.5 inches from the wall, so the rest of us can still use the stairs without feeling like we’re competing on an obstacle course.
The footrest has this sensor thing that stops the lift if something’s in the way – which has already saved our cat who has a death wish, apparently. There’s also a seatbelt, which dad pretends he doesn’t need but definitely uses when mom’s watching.
One thing I was worried about was how bulky it would look, but it’s surprisingly sleek. Our staircase is only about 28 inches wide, and it fits with room to spare. The track is this anodized aluminum that actually looks pretty nice against our wall color – not the eyesore I was expecting.
Comfort-wise, it’s not exactly a luxury car seat, but the padded cushion (we got the beige one) is comfortable enough for the minute or so it takes to get upstairs. Dad says the armrests are in just the right spot, and they flip up which makes it easier for him to slide on and off.
The remote controls are handy – we keep one upstairs and one downstairs so he can call the lift to wherever he is. It moves at a steady pace, not too fast to be scary but not so slow that you could grow a beard waiting for it.
It’s super quiet too – way quieter than I expected. You can barely hear it from the living room, which is nice because dad sometimes uses it during my work Zoom calls and I don’t have to explain the weird humming noise to my colleagues.
To be fair, it wasn’t all smooth sailing. We did have a moment during installation where we thought we’d have to redo the whole thing because of a weird turn in our staircase, but after a quick call to customer service (who were surprisingly helpful), we figured out a workaround.
If you’re comparing options, this is definitely comfier and less institutional-looking than the one my aunt has in her place. For the price, I’m pretty impressed with what we got – it feels solid, not like one of those things that’ll break after a year.