“Finding the best garage door opener for your situation isn’t so hard once you determine your needs”
Our garage door opener reviews will help you find the right opener for your door size, garage type and location, and your personal preferences. Garage How To has buying advice to help you make smart shopping choices.
We also have information on garage door remotes, including brand-specific remotes and universal remotes for garage doors.If you need a garage door opener, review the following information on brands, models and other helpful details before making your decision. Learn about screw drive, chain drive, belt drive and torsion drive models.
Garage Door Opener Reviews: Manufacturers and Brands
What about all the different brands? When you strip off all the private labels, there aren’t so many to choose from.
For example, Craftsman is made by Chamberlain and Genie is made by the Overhead Door Corporation. Finding the best garage door opener for your situation isn’t so hard once you determine your needs.
Check our garage door opener reviews to find a suitable replacement. You might be surprised at the affordability of a new model with modern safety and security features. Browse through the list below.
Allister Garage Door Openers / Allstar Garage Door Openers
Allister garage door openers are now known as Allstar garage door openers and include the Allister, Challenger, MVP and Pulsar lines of openers. Many, but not all parts are interchangeable between the different Allstar brands.
For example, Allister/Allstar often used Linear receivers on their garage door openers, so you must contact a parts dealer to be certain you are ordering the correct parts. Although parts are still available under the former brand names, the Allister and Allstar brands are no longer manufactured.
Linear acquired Allstar and made Linear garage door opener for awhile, but no longer does. Linear is now part of Nortek Security and Control. At the time of Allstar’s acquisition, Linear indicated that model numbers did not change from those of its previous brand names.
If you own and Allstar opener, we have a good number of Allstar manuals here.
Chamberlain Garage Door Openers (see Side-by-Side Comparison of models)
The Chamberlain Group is the world’s largest garage door opener manufacturer. They have a broad line of models, including belt drive, chain drive, screw drive and jackshaft garage door openers (wall mounted). Most garage door opener reviews rank the Chamberlain WD822KD as a top pick.
The “WD” designation stands for Whisper Drive®, and rightly so as they are a very quiet garage door opener ideal for garages with living space adjacent to or above the garage. Read the Chamberlain WD822KD garage door opener review here.
Chamberlain also does private label manufacturing for other brands, including Craftsman and Raynor. Most people understand private labeling, but it’s basically when a manufacturer makes their own products and places someone else’s name on them. Ever heard of the Xbox 360? You many think Microsoft makes the Xbox, but they are actually made by Flextronics, a Singapore-based electronics manufacturer. That’s private labeling.
Chamberlain is also behind the Liftmaster garage door opener brand, a popular line of professionally installed models. If you are not the do-it-yourself type, Liftmaster is a great option.
Belt Drive Garage Door Opener Models