
Bruno Independent Living Aids
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About Bruno Independent Living Aids
Bruno is a third-generation, family-owned-and-operated company committed to designing and manufacturing the highest-quality stairlifts and accessibility products to help people with mobility challenges retain their independence. Made-in-USA Bruno stairlifts are manufactured exclusively in Wisconsin, United States - and proudly installed by local experts who live in, support and serve their local communities.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- High weight capacity
- Good warranty
- Affordable option available
Cons
- Only available through dealers
Bottom Line
Bruno Independent Living has a good range of stair lifts, with important safety features and some stylish options. Though the curved models have fewer aesthetic options, they are still compatible with most staircases.
Featured Reviews
So far, so good. It is safe, and there’s no problem learning how to use it. I just push the button and ride. I feel much better in my home with the Bruno stairlift. I will highly ...
Read full reviewBruno stair lift models
Bruno Independent Living manufactures all their stair lifts in the USA. For those wondering how to install a Bruno stair lift, you don’t need to worry about having technical expertise — only official dealers and authorized technicians can and should install a Bruno stair lift. Bruno stair lift batteries are rechargeable, so the stair lifts can run even during a power outage.
Bruno indoor stair lifts
- Elan Stair Lift (300-pound capacity): The Elan Stair Lift, also known as the SRE 3050, is Bruno’s most popular stair lift model. One great feature of the Elan is that it can be continually charged, not just at the top or the bottom of the railing like some models from other companies. Since the Elan requires only 5 inches from the wall to the front of the rail, it leaves maximum open space on the steps. You can also flip the seat up, so it’s out of the way and doesn’t obstruct the stairs. Installed safety sensors will stop the stair lift in the case of an obstruction on the stairs. The Elan is battery-powered, so it functions during a power outage.
- Elite Stair Lift (400-pound capacity): The Elite Stair Lift is a step up from the Elan model. The quiet, smooth Elite features additional seat adjustability, including adjustable space between the armrests and height of the seat and footrest. The Elite model also has a higher weight capacity, at 400 pounds. Like the Elan, it can charge all along the strip, not just at the top and bottom of the landing. With the Elite, you can also opt for a larger footrest, larger seat, power swiveling seat, power footrest, manual or folding rail and a variety of colors. The Elite indoor straight stair lift includes a free limited lifetime warranty.
- Elite Curved Stair Lift (400-pound capacity): The Elite curved indoor stair lift features a rail made to the exact specifications of your stairs to ensure an unobtrusive fit. Since the rail is custom made, a variety of optional top and bottom “park positions” are available to extend the stair lift away from the stairs and out of view. The Elite curve offers a 400-pound lift capacity and features a generous standard seat size with multiple comfort adjustments. You can customize an Elite by replacing the manual folding footrest and swivel seat with power options. An optional larger size chair and footrest and custom colors are also available. The Bruno Elite indoor curve includes a limited lifetime warranty at no extra cost.
Bruno outdoor stair lifts
- Elite Outdoor Stair Lift (400-pound capacity): The Outdoor Elite has been made to withstand even the most extreme conditions, ranging from 0 degrees to 125 degrees Fahrenheit. Weatherproof features include the use of durable paint on all steel surfaces, marine-grade vinyl and a complimentary cover. The Outdoor Elite can flip up out of the way of the stairs and will come to a stop if it senses an obstruction blocking its path. Bruno’s Elite outdoor straight stair lift is battery-operated and will run even in a power outage, and its batteries are continuously charging anywhere the stair lift stops along the rail. The Bruno Outdoor Elite comes with a five-year limited warranty.
- Elite Curved Outdoor Stair Lift (400-pound capacity): Like the indoor curved stair lift, the Elite Curved Outdoor Stair Lift is custom-made for outdoor landscapes that don’t have straightforward stairwells. The curved Elite outdoor model is engineered to withstand a wide range of temperatures and includes outdoor paint, marine-grade vinyl and a lightweight cover, which all add to the durability of the stair lift. A five-year limited warranty comes with every Bruno outdoor curved stair lift.
Model | Weight capacity | Best feature |
---|---|---|
Elan Stair Lift | 300 pounds | Low price |
Elite Stair Lift | 400 pounds | Chair adjustability |
Elite Curved Stair Lift | 400 pounds | Works with almost any type of curved staircase |
Elite Outdoor Stair Lift | 400 pounds | Weather-resistant paint and cover |
Elite Curved Outdoor Stair Lift | 400 pounds | Customizable to wide range of outdoor arrangements |
Bruno stair lift cost
Bruno Independent Living doesn’t advertise prices on its website. You’ll have to reach out to the company directly to obtain a quote. Generally, stair lifts in the United States cost between $2,000 and $10,000. A straight stair costs less, and a curved stair lift costs more. The Bruno Elite stair lift price is higher than that of the Elan model, which is Bruno’s most basic model. If you’re looking for a bargain, it’s best to check out the Elan model, which is Bruno’s most popular purchase. Financing is available for Bruno stair lifts through most Bruno dealers.
Bruno stair lifts also come with a warranty. Indoor straight and curved stair lifts have a limited lifetime warranty on the major components, like the gearbox, motor, drivetrain and rail. The major components on outdoor stair lifts have a five-year warranty. All other components on every stair lift have a two-year warranty. There is also a 30-day labor coverage after installation in the case of a manufacturing defect. These warranties are only valid if the stair lift is installed by an authorized Bruno dealer.
Do we recommend Bruno Independent Living?
We recommend Bruno Independent Living stair lifts. They have a good selection of both indoor and outdoor stair lifts. The safety features and rechargeable batteries are a plus. Bruno has a long history of reliability, and you can rest assured going with them for your stair lift is a great decision.
Bruno Independent Living Aids Reviews
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Reviewed June 13, 2023
I purchased the stairlift from Bruno because I reviewed the National Geriatric Organization and they had a positive review for Bruno as their pick. I looked at how they were made and where they were made. Bruno was American-made completely and not just assembled in the USA and it was important to me to have good service records after it was installed. The sales visit was very good. The only thing is the rep told me that the rail was all one piece and that was also a selling feature for me. But when they came to install it, it was in two pieces. The installer said they all come that way. Also, when the installer came, I was told that they would help me with the rail. I said I would take it off and help me judge how far up I could put it so that the chair would go underneath but he wanted nothing to do with that. He wanted to get his job done and that was it. That was a little different from how the salesman portrayed what it was gonna be like with the installation.
It's a 36-inch normal stairwell and it's straight up and down, 15 steps. And that was one of the things, it had a more narrow profile and the rail was vertical rather than horizontal. It took up less room from the wall as well as it folded up to a much smaller amount of space, only 11.5 inches whereas some of the others took more clearance up. And on a 36-inch wide stairway, that leaves you 2 feet. That was another nice thing about the Bruno. It was the best clearance, basically, for those using the stairs.
When you get to the top, you swing it around and then when you go to come back downstairs, you swing it back. He told me if it doesn't click, sometimes it won't start down the stairs. But this one, I clicked it but it was still not going. He said I was rocking it a little bit. We're rocking it and, finally, it started going. But I didn't like that either. It seems like when you hear the click, you shouldn't have to sit at the top of the stairs and rock the chair back and forth to make contact. I felt like there was something wrong with the installation.
Other than that, it's very smooth. We bought the extra fold-down rail and fold-up rail at the bottom and it was kind of expensive, but it's really nice how it does that. When he first put it in, it jumped a little bit and was a little bit clicky. He fine-tuned it and made it much better. The lift is wonderful and I'm satisfied with the product except for that one issue.
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Reviewed June 9, 2023
Westchester Stairlift installed the Bruno stairlift. They did a very nice job. I'm very happy with them. They were very easy to work with. They were very understanding, trying to run around and working a schedule between me running back and forth to the hospital. They were willing to work out whatever time they needed to be here. The stairlift is a straight run, but it's a colonial, so I don't have any room at the bottom of the stairs. I had to get the retractable folding bar as the added option. The folding mechanism pushes the stairlift out further from the wall. I asked the guy to move it one more inch and I didn't even have to take the railing off the wall. It makes it a little bit tighter. My father is 6’5”, so he's got to open his legs to make sure that he misses the railing. But it's an old house, and the stair’s only 3 feet across.
It's nice having the double remote call buttons. I was surprised I couldn't find anything that didn't have to screw into the stairs where it wasn't wall mounted instead. But that's a major design difference on how the chair would have to be manufactured and the railings, etc. One thing I would change of the stairlift itself, mechanically, would be if they could figure out a way of making the footrest a little bit longer because my father has a size 14 foot. It gets a little hard for him to keep the foot on the little platform. About another inch longer when it's folded down and another inch or two wider might make it a little easier for a guy of that size to keep his feet on it. The other thing is one of the armrests could have a little hook on the bottom of it. This way, at least if somebody's trying to do something by themselves as opposed to having somebody helping, they can hook an item onto the handle so that their hands are a little more free.
Reviewed May 10, 2023
My case manager asked me about having Bruno come out and show me what the product was. I got delayed in waiting a length of time until we found somebody to put in the stairlift here. It took just about a whole year to wait to get the stairlift put in. We live on a farm. My husband and I were both home when the people came. My case manager was here and she explained my need for it and that I had to have it. The people explained everything. The stairlift was ordered and installed. The only thing is I don't like the bulkiness of the stairlift. And yet, it has to be to fit you. That aside, I wouldn't be without the stairlift.
You push the arms in the seat out of the way when you're not using it. You pull it down into place to use it, which is fine. I have three dogs that are learning to work around with me with it. They all have learned to sit back and watch until I'm in the stairlift and fastened into place then they go upstairs before I do and I follow them up.
I had to adjust to knowing how the stairlift worked. I had to teach my dogs what to do. You have to think about who's gonna be around it. I had an emergency and the fire department came and picked me up off the floor on Saturday night. I had the experience of, now how in the world do we get past that thing in the hallway to go to the hospital? We had it go around the corner there at the bottom of the stairs and move up out of the way. It was my husband who remembered that you could do that. On the whole, this stairlift has made me able to go back up to sleep upstairs. Prior to having the stairlift, I was still trying to do my best to get upstairs. I'd have to use the handrail and go up hand over hand and pull myself upstairs. That was really bad on my shoulders. I may have a rotator cuff tear.
Reviewed April 6, 2023
We live in an upstairs apartment. We have a 12-year-old and we've been carrying him up and down as needed when going out. It’s just getting to the point where he's getting taller than me and he's getting heavy. I'm having back problems. We started looking at resources for something for him to be able to get up and down the steps. The stairlift was mentioned to us so we went forth with getting that taken care of.
Someone from Bruno came out and he was friendly, quick, and did everything he needed to do. Everything went great. He talked to both me and my son and went through thoroughly step-by-step how we were to go about doing this. On the installation day, it was spring break for my kids so they were home. The guy came and said he was gonna install the lift. He passed where it was going and made sure it was the right place. He got to work and was there for three and a half hours trying to get it done. Anytime my kids would go out, he would be very friendly with them. The kids wanted to go outside and watch him do it. We watched the camera on our TV. He did all of his work. We had some problems with my neighbors that were fighting. I apologized to the installer and he was very understanding about it.
The stairlift is great and my son loves it. It has impacted his life for the better. He is able to go from his wheelchair to the lift chair at the bottom of the steps. At the top, I would have to carry him in. Other than that everything works perfectly for him. If you're going down the steps, the lift goes along the left side and comes up to the top of the steps. It didn't come into the home. But with the way our steps are, that’s the way we wanted. It has a cover to it and we just store it upstairs. The only problem we really have is my stairwell is really narrow.
Reviewed March 10, 2023
I have a two-story home and I requested a stairlift from the insurance company. I was working in conjunction with JK Medical Supply and I told them that I wanted a really good stairlift. I told them that I wanted the best that the insurance company would allow and they led me to purchasing a Bruno stairlift. Jonathan did all the measurements and I was very impressed with the way he did that. I was also impressed with the layout for the engineers. I have a custom staircase with a lot of 90° angles and some offsets. And when the fellows came to install the stairlift, they were top-notch gentlemen. Everything came in boxes and nothing came tossed around in the back of the truck. They laid down a nice heavy duty drop cloth to put all the parts on it and assembled the unit perfectly. It took them a little longer than two hours, from start to finish, because it was a very intricate build.
I use the stairlift four times a day going up and down and since I got it, I’m not sequestered to the first floor anymore. I'm disabled from a spinal injury and I had a massive fusion, so it’s very hard for me to walk upstairs. I can do one or two, but there are 17 stairs to go up, plus the landing. So, the stairlift gets me up to my shower and my bedroom. But when I would go down to the bottom level where there’s a back-to-back 90-degree turn, the stairlift would land at the bottom of my stairs. Then, it would turn around so it would not be in the way of the front door and it would bump a little bit. Their rep said that that was normal but maybe somebody could come out and take a look at that to see if that is the way it has to be.
Also, I know that there's an option for a larger footrest but they gave me the standard one. Nobody measured my feet and it's such a small footrest for me. My legs don't do a full 90-degree and I have to bring my feet up, then I got to push it onto the rest. And my feet hang over a bit, especially my left foot. It hasn't hit anything, but it's very uncomfortable to hold my feet. I spoke to JK Medical Supply about it and their rep said that he'd see what he could do. Other than that, I couldn't be more happy with this fine piece of equipment. The chair is great and very nice-looking. It matches my house nicely, too.
Reviewed Sept. 1, 2023
The product is good quality, but it doesn't cater to people with special needs. I was disappointed. The chairlift wasn't comfortable. And I couldn't reach the footrest because my legs' swelling prevented me from bending my leg back enough for me to reach the footrest. Bruno Independent Living Aids tried. They were very cooperative. The rep came over. He tried to help me. He gave me a chance to make up my mind if I wanted to keep it or not, and I didn't know what to do because I was desperate. I have no way of getting out of this house. They don't come up with any solution, like to extend the footrest if you can't reach, to make different provisions in the design to accommodate people that have a problem like mine or something similar.
Reviewed Sept. 1, 2023
My son, his wife, and a niece thought it would be a good idea to get a chairlift before the prices keep going up on things. A gentleman came and was very nice. He explained everything very well and was very thorough. I had my niece here with me if I missed anything and to see if she and I both liked this product. There were two to choose from and we liked the Bruno one the best.
The installation did not take a very long time. It seemed to run along smoothly. I am on the second floor. My husband's business is on the first floor, which is ground level. I am 16 steps to get up into my house. This is why this chairlift appealed to me. My chairlift is straight up and down and I can pivot the chair. When I come up to the top of the steps to the landing, I just turn the chair and I can step right onto my landing. The chairlift is very well-built and I like everything about it like the way it operates. It works well. I don't wanna use the chairlift now as I wanna use my legs. But I have tested it a few times. About once a week, I get on it and try it. When my son or my niece is here, they like to put the groceries on it to help bring it up.
Reviewed Aug. 22, 2023
The sales rep was wonderful and he dressed like a professional. He was professional in every respect and that's what really impressed my mother and stepfather and he was very courteous, which was what appealed to me. The install was 10 days earlier than scheduled because they had an opening. The installers came, installed the stairlift, and it's perfect. My stepfather loves it and uses it.
Reviewed Aug. 17, 2023
A salesman came out and measured. I told him I was on a fixed income. He told me to try for the Lowe's credit card 'cause they work with them a lot. I did and was approved. It didn't take the installer that long to install the stairlift. He showed me how to use it. Though the stairlift could be faster, I like it. It helps a lot. I can come and go when I want.
Reviewed Aug. 14, 2023
We were given a chairlift -- an older one that only went to one floor. A gentleman from Frontier Access & Mobility came out and looked at it. He indicated that it probably wouldn't work well for our needs so he had the design for the Bruno done. They brought it out to us and it looked good so we told him to go ahead. The installers were fantastic and did a great job. I love the stairlift. It does what it's supposed to do and I get up and down the stairs easily with it.
But there could be a better way to fasten the remotes someplace. I put one at the bottom of the stairs in a little holder thing. I tried Velcro but the Velcro keeps coming loose and it drops off. We have to get to ours because when it goes around the corner, we have to move the remote in order to point it back at the chair, so it'll continue down the stairs. We go down a level and it goes across a landing, down a step, cross a little bit of a landing, and then down to the stairs. Also, it would be nice if the chair would turn around at the bottom. It only goes one direction and we have to squeeze out in order to get out of the chair. It'd be really nice if it was able to turn the rest of the way around.
Bruno Independent Living Aids Company Information
- Social media:
- Company Name:
- Bruno Independent Living Aids
- Year Founded:
- 1984
- Address:
- 1780 Executive Dr
- City:
- Oconomowoc
- State/Province:
- WI
- Postal Code:
- 53066
- Country:
- United States
- Website:
- www.bruno.com