Stairlifts for narrow straight stairs – which are the best? On a set of narrow straight stairs, we will often choose the Stannah 600 due to its clever design. The Stannah 600 is a well designed piece of kit. Stannah have really done their homework here because some stairlifts take up too much space on the stairs. This makes them unsuitable for narrow stairs.
But the Stannah is rather clever here. Checkout it’s ride position:
Above you see the Stannah 600 against the rail – giving plenty of leg room. Here too in the workshop you can see two Stannah 600’s and their incredibly thin seat back plate.
This design makes the Stannah 600 one of the best choices for narrow straight stairs. The Stannah 600 can fit staircases as narrow as 71cm.
When To Use A Flow X – Stannah Versus Flow X
Stannah and the Flow X from Thyssen-Krupp are two of the best stairlift solutions for very narrow stairs. Particularly the Flow X – which can handle curved stairs too. We have however used the Flow X on certain straight stairs where nothing else will fit, including the Stannah 600.
Here’s a picture of one such installation, where nothing else could work:
This is a Flow X stairlift on a very narrow staircase. You can read more about this installation in our case study here.
While this was a straight staircase, the advantage of the Flow X was not only in its ability to adapt to very narrow stairs but also to deliver the client into the bedroom for safety reasons. This simply couldn’t have been done with another lift. It also meant the stairlift could be parked upstairs away from the stairs, leaving them clear for the other (non stairlift user) house member.
The minimum staircase width (at the thinest point) for a Flow X is 61cm – far smaller than for the Stannah 600.
The Flow X has the advantage of a downward facing chair position. This gives you more leg room when the leg length becomes the defining measurement for a stairlift.
In the image above (Stannah 600) you can see the back to knee or the back to toe measurement becomes the issue for narrow stairs and straight stairlifts. With the Flow X the stairlift faces downstairs and gets around this problem. This makes it more suitable for very narrow stairs, or if the user has long legs.
Summary
The Stannah 600 makes a great option for a narrow straight staircase. With a reconditioned stairlift too, you can save a lot on the cost. It can handle stairs as narrow as 71cm in width.
The Flow X is a slighter more expensive lift, even with a reconditioned model. So if budget is a concern, we generally advise people to go for the Stannah 600 – if it will fit.
If a Stannah 600 doesn’t fit on your staircase, or you need some adaptation that the Stannah cannot manage, the Flow X is the best choice. The Flow X can manage much narrower stairs (as narrow as 61cm).
Call Us
Need a stairlift for narrow stairs? Call UKStairlifts on 0800 046 3438. You can also visit our contact page here. Visit our YouTube channel here.