How to tell the difference before you buy
The Lift Shop Cabin
A Lift Shop home lift cabin is designed to exceed industry standards, delivering luxury that matches the calibre of the homes it sits in.
Through three decades of evolution we have perfected the craft of tailoring lifts that last, look beautiful and perform exceptionally. Every one of our 12,000+ installations has taught us something, and all of it is in the cabin.
A luxury home lift cabin is built around a larger drive. A standard cabin is built around a smaller one. Every visible difference follows from that: a standard lift lifts less weight, so the designer strips weight out of the cabin. Thinner walls, lighter mirrors, a smaller opening, a lower ceiling and a slower motor all trace back to the same decision.
Lift Shop delivers luxury home lifts only, without compromise. The Italian A, C and E Series are exclusive to Lift Shop. The Freedomlift, the Chinese-built lift Lift Shop once supplied, is now the standard the industry sells. We know precisely how both are built. This page shows you where to look.
Side by Side
The table below lists the nine points that separate a Lift Shop luxury cabin from a standard home lift cabin. Most of them are visible in a showroom. Two of them, load capacity and installed speed, are only visible on the drawings and the compliance plate, so ask for both.
| Feature | Luxury cabin (Lift Shop A, C, E Series) | Standard cabin (most Italian standard home lifts) |
|---|---|---|
| Cabin range | Uncommon. Unique and exclusive to Lift Shop.Download the luxury cabin brochure → | Common. The standard home elevator layout sold under many brands.View our former Freedomlift catalogue → |
| Ceiling height | 2,100mm. | 2,000mm. Usually not disclosed. |
| Load capacity | 300kg to 450kg, depending on the series. Unaffected by a 50kg stone floor. | 300kg maximum. Capacity drops as finishes get heavier. |
| Installed speed | 0.30 m/s real speed, with acceleration and deceleration zones. The E Series travels at 0.60 m/s. | Quoted as "up to" or "maximum". Often 0.20 m/s single-speed as installed. |
| Travel time, 3.5m floor to floor | One floor 12 seconds. Two floors 24 seconds. | One floor 18 seconds. Two floors 35 seconds. |
| Mirrors | Real glass. Real mirror. | High-gloss polished stainless steel. |
| Telephone | Flush-mounted and built in. | Surface-mounted plastic handset. |
| Wall construction | Fixed solid wall panels. No rubber trims. | Aluminium profile with rubber trims holding the walls in place. Trims are replaced at service. |
| Cabin entrance | A real opening with a designed door gap. | A missing side on a five-sided box. Opening must match the landing door. |
| Cabin size | Truly custom. Doors and openings can be offset. | A range of standard sizes set by the door opening. Cabin width is usually 25-35mm more than the door width. |
Ride both in a Lift Shop showroom.
Ceiling Height
A Lift Shop luxury cabin has a 2,100mm ceiling. The Italian standard is 2,000mm. The extra 100mm changes how the cabin feels the moment you step in, and it is one of the least disclosed numbers in the industry. If a brochure does not state the ceiling height, ask.
Load and Speed
Load capacity and installed speed are set by the drive, not the finishes. Neither is visible in a photograph. Both are on the drawings and the compliance plate, and both can be checked in a showroom.
A Lift Shop luxury cabin carries 300kg to 450kg, depending on the series, and a 50kg stone floor does not reduce that figure. A standard home lift carries a maximum of 300kg, and every heavier finish you choose comes off the rated capacity. Standard lifts have smaller drive systems, so the cabin is engineered light to protect the drive.
A Lift Shop luxury lift travels at a real 0.30 m/s, with acceleration and deceleration zones you can feel. Many standard lifts quote speed as "up to" or "maximum", which allows a cheaper 0.20 m/s single-speed drive to be installed. Over a standard 3.5m floor-to-floor, that is the difference between 12 seconds and 18 seconds per floor.
Mirrors
A Lift Shop luxury cabin uses real glass mirror. A standard cabin uses high-gloss polished stainless steel, which is lighter and photographs like a mirror. In person the difference is obvious.
Telephone
A Lift Shop luxury cabin has a flush-mounted phone built into the wall. A standard cabin has a surface-mounted plastic handset. Every Lift Shop lift includes a GSM emergency phone, so the question is not whether it is there but how it is finished. Standard-lift photography is usually framed to keep the handset out of shot.
Cabin Construction
A standard cabin holds its wall panels in an aluminium profile with rubber trims. It is the accepted way to save weight and cost, used on Chinese-made and Italian standard lifts alike. The black rubber is hidden in photography and replaced at service. A Lift Shop luxury cabin is built with fixed, solid wall panels and no rubber trim.
The Entrance
A Lift Shop luxury cabin has a real opening with a designed door gap. A standard cabin is a five-sided box with one side left out. Leaving the side out is lighter and cheaper, but it means the opening must match the landing door exactly, which limits the cabin sizes on offer. You can see it on the drawings and feel it on a test ride.
Cabin Size
A Lift Shop luxury cabin is custom-sized to the home, and the doors and openings can be offset. A standard cabin comes in a fixed range of sizes set by the door opening, with the cabin width usually 25-35mm wider than the door. That rule is rarely disclosed in catalogues or online, so ask for the cabin dimensions and the door width together. Every Lift Shop cabin is drawn for its shaft before it is built.
The Brochures
Compare our 2026 luxury range with the Freedomlift, the standard lift we once supplied and the industry still sells.
2026 Range
The Italian A, C and E Series. 2,100mm ceilings, real glass mirrors, flush-mounted phones and cabins sized to the home.
Download the Brochure
2017 Catalogue
The standard home lift Lift Shop once supplied. Read the specifications closely: this is the cabin the industry still sells.
View the Catalogue
Before You Buy
A 3.5m floor at a real 0.30 m/s takes 12 seconds. 18 seconds means 0.20 m/s.
Look for the cabin entrance detail and the ceiling height. A missing side and 2,000mm are both visible on paper.
Then ask whether a stone floor changes it.
Real glass gives a sharp, true reflection. Polished stainless does not.
The Showroom
Every Lift Shop showroom has cabins you can ride, time and touch. Book a visit, or request a quote on the series that suits your home.
Or talk it through with a Lift Shop consultant on 1800 440 714
A Lift Shop luxury cabin has a 2,100mm ceiling. The Italian standard for a home lift cabin is 2,000mm.
A Lift Shop luxury cabin carries 300kg to 450kg, depending on the series. A standard home lift carries a maximum of 300kg, and heavier finishes reduce that figure.
A Lift Shop luxury lift travels at 0.30 m/s, and the E Series travels at 0.60 m/s. Many standard home lifts quote a maximum of 0.30 m/s but are installed with a 0.20 m/s single-speed drive.
At 0.30 m/s, a 3.5m floor-to-floor journey takes about 12 seconds. At 0.20 m/s the same journey takes about 18 seconds.
A standard home lift has a smaller drive system. Designers reduce cabin weight with lighter walls, stainless mirrors and a five-sided cabin so the smaller drive can cope.
Not in a Lift Shop luxury cabin. A 50kg stone floor does not affect its rated load. In a standard cabin, heavier finishes come off the rated capacity.
Yes, in a Lift Shop luxury cabin. The cabin is custom-sized and the doors and openings can be offset. A standard cabin comes in fixed sizes set by the door opening, usually 25-35mm wider than the door.
No. Lift Shop supplies only the Italian A, C and E Series luxury cabins, each with an 8-year warranty as standard.
Prices move. Your quote will not. Lock it in today and it holds for 12 months.
Or talk it through with a Lift Shop consultant on 1800 440 714
