Picking the best garage door openers can be a challenge these days. Most companies now have several options available for either the sectional door or roller door. Prior to this, opener brands only made one model of opener for a sectional door and one for the roller door.
With all of these new options comes confusion on what door opener is best for your garage door – and your hip pocket.
Because there are so many choices, I have put together this handy article so you can make an informed decision.
**Before we go forward I want you to remember that the best option is going to depend on the type and size of your garage door. If you have a single sectional door then the best opener for you will be different then if you have a double sectional door. **
The first thing I’m going to do is only consider brands of openers with a known reputation and broad support in Australia. Or at least genuine support for the product in your state.
Start with a brand of opener that has a solid reputation and history in Australia.
The following list of the best garage door opener brands that have a strong reputation and support in Australia.
- Merlin
- ATA (Automated Technologies Australia)
- Gliderol Openers
- Vicway (VIC)
- Steel-line
- B&D
- Jaytech (WA)
- ECO Door openers (VIC)
By sticking with brands that are well known within the industry we avoid brands that don’t have support from repairers. This is important for warranty backup, availability of extra remote controls or spare parts.
With more than 40+ garage door openers to choose from, and a wide selection of power options, you will quickly realise that finding the best opener isn’t straightforward.
But the options can be narrowed down by matching the specifics of your door with a selection of openers available. On one hand you want an opener with the power and reliability to operate your door. On the other hand you don’t want to spend more than is necessary.
Best Garage Door Openers For Single Sectional Doors
While the VT1000E comes with a 1000n peak power motor it only has a 2 year warranty. This would suggest that the opener is better suited to lighter doors or doors that are used less frequently.
Most other brands provide a sub 1000n in their model offerings but the Vicway VT380M starts there. This is because Vicway dealers are usually installing openers on older doors as a replacement to openers that have hit their use-by date. The VT380M is a simple but attractive opener with really quiet operation. It’s a good choice for any single or double sectional door.
The Steel Line SD800 boasts 800n of peak power but is only suited to doors up to 12m2 or 110kg. These indicators would make the SD800 suited to single sectional doors that would, quite naturally, get less use than double doors.
The Commander Essential opener from Merlin has 600n peak pulling force to suit standard doors upto 13.5m2 and comes with the option to add the WiFi App. This opener is well suited to single width openings if you want to get the best life out of the opener.
The Controll A Door S opener from B&D (with belt drive) has a peak pulling force of 800n The opener comes with many track configuration options that impact the peak force rating. You get 800n if fitted with a belt drive but up to 1200n when fitted with a chain drive and 10 point sprocket. I have included it here as an opener that will perform well on a single door.
The GDO 11 ERO™ from ATA with a peak pulling force of 650n to suit doors upto 16.5m2 or 110kg. This opener is well suited to single doors that are used frequently.
With a peak pulling force of 700n we have the PanelMax from B&D that is suited to doors upto 15m2 or 140kg. This opener is well suited to single doors that are used frequently
Best Garage Door Openers For Double Sectional Doors
The Vicway VT380M has a peak power rating of 1000n. The VT380M is a simple but attractive opener with really quiet operation. It’s a good choice for a double sectional door and a popular choice for many Victorian dealers.
While the Vicway VT1000E comes with a 1000n peak force motor it only has a 2 year warranty. This would suggest that the opener is better suited to lighter doors or doors that are used less frequently.
The Comfort 270 from Steel Line comes with 750n peak power for doors up to 16.5m2 or 165kg. The Comfort 270 will comfortably run the average sectional door but the low peak power rating suggests that your door needs to be well balanced and in excellent working order.
The Comfort 280 with a peak power rating of 1000n is a nice middle of the road option for average sized doors that will get plenty of use. Suited to doors up to 18.5m2 or 200kg the Comfort 280 is also an option for 5mtr wide insulated doors.
In the Merlin 1000n power range we have the Commander myQ that comes with WiFi included and the Commander Elite that has WiFi as an option. The myQ and Elite are well suited to the heavier insulated doors. Good option for double doors that will be used frequently by the family.
The Syncro™ ATS-3 from ATA with WiFi included. You can monitor and control access to your garage door anytime, anywhere, with your smartphone. With a peak pulling force of 1000n the Syncro™ suites doors upto 18m2 or 235kg. It will comfortably lift large sectional doors and insulated doors.
The B&D Controll A Door S has a peak pulling force of 1000n/1200n. The opener comes with many track configuration options that impact the peak force rating. You get 800n if fitted with a belt drive, 1000n with the 12 point sprocket and chain drive and 1200n with the 10 point sprocket and chain drive.
If you are looking for an opener for a heavier door or for frequent use then there are 2 options in the 1100n peak power range from B&D. The Controll-A-Door Secure is a powerful opener for doors up to 236kg and comes with 3 speed options that can be tailored to your door for best performance. The Controll-A-Door Smart comes with the same inclusions but also includes a WiFi module built in to the opener for use with your mobile phone app.
Best Garage Door Openers For Custom Doors.
The VT1200M opener from Vicway has a whopping 1200n of power. This opener will comfortably take on the job of larger sectional doors or heavy custom doors.
The SD1200 from Steel Line with 1200n of peak power is a good choice for large doors with the added weight of insulation or the super heavy custom doors with designer cladding.
The Commander Extreme and Commander Extreme X from Merlin are both designed for heavy custom doors. TheCommander Extreme has a peak power rating of 1200n for doors weighing 150kg or 286kg. The Extreme-X comes with Battery Backup included.
The Tempo™ ATS-2 has a peak pulling force of 1200n, when fitted with a chain drive, and is the workhorse of the ATA sectional door opener range. It also comes with 3 different speed options so the door can be tuned for performance.
At the top end of the power range in B&D’s offerings is the Controll-A-Door Advance with a 1200n peak pulling force. An excellent choice for super large or heavy doors that get used on a regular basis.
Best Garage Door Openers For Single Roller Doors
Upto 3000h x 3000w
The VR 880 Opener from Vicway has 800n of peak pulling force and can drive doors up to 16m2 in size. But with only a 2 year warranty I recommend the VR800 is best suited for single roller doors or double doors doors with infrequent use.
The SilentDrive Essential MR655MYQ from Merlin is a great choice for single or standard double roller doors. It has a peak power rating of 500n for doors up to 16.5m2 or 100kg. It is also ready to take the optional MYQ mobile app if you opt-in for the additional accessories.
The Roller Pro from B&D has a peak pulling force of 500n and is suited to doors up to 15m2 or 110kg. The opener comes with a 5 year / 10,000 cycle warranty that averages to around 3 cycles a day. That being the case in is great for doors with lite use to get the value from the warranty.
A great option for carports that might be affected by weather is the Shed Master GDO 8. This compact opener comes with 550n of peak power for doors up to 15m2 or 100kg. The Weather drive comes with a 2 year warranty.
Best Garage Door Openers For Double Roller Doors
Upto 2700h x 5000w
The Vicway VR 900 roller door opener has 800n of peak power and will do well on standard double roller doors. While it will drive a 15m2 door (3meters high x 5meters wide) it will be better suited on doors no more than 2.7 meters high to get good life out of the opener. It comes with a 5 year warranty that includes parts and labour.
The VR 1000 from Vicway has the power for bigger than average doors. With 900n of peak power it should provide reliability and last the distance. It is rated for doors up to 15m2 and comes with a 5 year warranty.
If you have a larger than average double roller door than the SR 1000 Marantec from Steel line will be a good choice. It has a peak power rating of 1000n and is rated for doors up to 22m2. This opener comes with a 5 year warranty on the internal motor and 2 years on the electrics.
The flagship product from ATA is the EasyRoller GDO 6 Gen2. It is compatible with ATA’s mobile kit that is an upgrade option. It has a peak power rating of 600n for doors up to 16.5m2 or 110kg. It is a solid choice for single or double doors that will get frequent use and comes with a 7 year warranty.
The SilentDrive Elite MR855MYQ from Merlin is the best choice in the range for larger double doors or doors that will get a lot of use. It has a peak power rating of 550n for doors up to 18m2 or 120kg. It has the option for MYQ mobile and now comes with a 7 year warranty.
Best Garage Door Openers For Large Double Roller Doors
3000h x 5400w
With a peak power rating of 1300n the SR 1300 Marantec from Steel Line is one powerful roller door opener. It is rated for use on doors up to 22m2 but only comes with a warranty for 2 years on the internal motor and electrics. However if you need all this power you might want to look for a lite commercial opener. (not covered in this article)
If you have a really large door then you want an opener that can lift your door and do it for years to come. The Vicway VR1100 has a peak pulling force of 1000n and is rated for doors up to 20m2. This opener is well suited to double doors up to 3 meters high that get daily use. This opener also comes with a solid 5 year warranty.
The SilentDrive Elite MR855MYQ from Merlin is the best choice in the range for larger double doors or doors that will get a lot of use. It has a peak power rating of 550n for doors up to 18m2 or 120kg. It has the option for MYQ mobile and now comes with a 7 year warranty.
Ac vs Dc
The electric motor on your existing garage door opener will be either AC (Alternating current) or DC (Direct Current) While you might be scratching your head over the importance of why I bring this up It is worth knowing the advantages for each type.
At the time of writing this article the older AC powered motors are no longer being sold. Opting instead for the quieter and smoother DC supply.
AC Motors:
- Usually very noisy
- Powerful but rough
- Don’t have slow start/stop
- Heavy
Dc Motors:
- Really quiet
- Powerful and smooth operation
- Slow Start and Stop
- Liteweight
- Generally safer
While AC motors have served us well in the past with their reliability they are also rough on the door and noisy. The newer DC openers brought us smoother operation of the door with significantly less noise. We also gained the ability to control and profile the speed during travel meaning that we can ease the door into motion and speed it up during travel. This is known as slow start / slow stop.
New-style track with belt drive or chain drive.
It wasn’t that long ago that you didn’t get a choice in the matter. If you wanted to automate your sectional or tilt door your opener came with a pole and chain combination. One end was fixed to the front wall above your door and the other end to the opener that was fitted to the ceiling about 3.3 meters back from the door.
The sprocket on the motor would drive a chain that ran down one side of the pole and back up the other side. It was the Australian way. Simple and effective.
But about 15 years ago we started to see something different entering the market. A track system with the belt that ran inside the track rather than on the outside of a pole. Over the following years improvements turned the novelty of the new system into the preferred option for sectional door openers.
Nowadays you probably won’t even get to choose between track or pole but you might get to choose between belt or chain.
As with most things, there is a trade off between two choices. On one hand the chain system is going to be stronger and will increase the peak pulling capacity of an opener. This increase in peak pulling force can be helpful for some situations. However, the chain can also rust over time and is usually noisier during travel of the opener. This is because the chain taps against the track that it runs in. On the other hand the belt isn’t quite as strong but it is quieter and wont need lubrication to prevent rusting.
The belt has become the popular choice over the years as the quality of the materials used in construction has improved. Not that we need to give it any thought now but earlier belts were made of materials that were not well reinforced. They would quite naturally stretch and were prone to twisting.
Belts used today are super strong and reinforced with steel cable. Much like what you would find in automotive fan belts. Belt drive openers don’t need lubrication and are much quieter than chain systems.
How much power do you need?
The more power it has the more it will cost. Usually. But do you really need all that power?
I think we have all been in this situation. We are confronted with confusing choices and don’t want to get the product that won’t do the job. So rather than wade through the confusing options we just end up getting the most expensive one. Yes. I’m guilty of this too.
So to avoid you having to spend more than is needed to get the job done right let’s walk through how much power your door opener needs to operate your garage door.
The following information assumes that your garage door is in good condition, is properly lubricated, balanced and is easy to move by hand. If not then get a pro service on your door before you install a new door opener.
Different opener models have different power ratings. By changing a few components in a door opener the manufacturer can produce a product that fits your needs while managing cost and therefore the price you pay.
The power rating system that is used for garage door openers is ‘n’ nutenmeters and refers to peak power demands on your opener.
The power your door needs during operation usually fluctuates during travel from open to closed and vice versa. In fact, no door requires the same amount of power during an operating cycle. The Peak Power rating shows the tolerance an opener has to these fluctuations in power demand.
Smaller doors have smaller fluctuations in power demand compared with larger doors. Hence the need for larger peak power allowances for the larger doors.
Having said this, the fluctuation in power demand of an average well serviced sectional or roller door isn’t going to be more than 200n or about 15kg. Most openers are actually set to stall out if the weight goes beyond that range. This is something that the installer will set during the installation of your opener. This force setting also protects you from being crushed by your door.
With all this in mind let’s take a look at the kind of peak power demand that is recommended for a variety of garage door sizes. This list refers to roller doors and sectional doors.
Single door up to 600 n
Double door 800n
Large double 1000n
Custom double 1200n
For tilt doors you need to have your door inspected and tested by an installer to get an opener to match your door. Tilt doors have a wider margin for peak power demands. Some ‘J’ tilt doors can never be automated and will have to be converted to track tilt hardware, where possible. In other cases the spring placement needs to be changed to balance the door for automation. Knowing what will work comes down to experience and judgment on the installers part.
Does the opener have brand support locally?
There is no point in having an opener that can’t be repaired or adjusted by local technicians. If you need to replace your garage door opener then try to find a local dealer for the brands listed.