As a garage door technician who has repaired and replaced literally thousands of garage door openers, I have some pretty strong opinions on the topic. I truly hate unreliable garage door openers.
Jump to reviews
Two major manufacturers dominate the U.S. garage door opener market: Chamberlain and Genie.
Chamberlain sells openers under their own name as well as Craftsman (for purchase and installation by the general public), and also makes the LiftMaster brand which is only available through professional garage door contractors.
Genie makes a line of products for purchase by homeowners, as well as the Genie Pro line of openers which are only available from, you guessed it, the pros. Most Overhead Door Co branded garage door openers are Genie Pro models with a different label on it.
After the big two there are some smaller brands such as Linear, Marantec, Sommer, Horman, etc. I wouldn’t bother with any of these if I were you, and won’t be reviewing them. I’m not saying they aren’t decent machines, but you won’t be able to find parts or experienced technicians to work on them if you have a problem.
Now is a good time to mention that everything you read here is 100% my opinion formed by my experience and is not based on any actual statistics.
Currently, two of the following brands offer truly reliable garage door openers with widely available replacement parts and accessories. And you should have no trouble finding a technician with experience working on them. With any of the others, you are taking a risk. Here is the list in order of what I perceive to be the most popular with the general public:
- LiftMaster*/Chamberlain/Sears-Craftsman/other private labeled brands
- Genie/Overhead Door
- Linear *
- Marantec *
- Ryobi
- Sommer
- Hormann
*only available thru professional garage door and opener dealers.