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The lift has paid for itself a hundred times over without fail. It is still like new, having raised thousands of sheets of drywall to new heights, saved my back, arms, and neck from the punishing work of supporting weight in a way that the human body certainly has not evolved to function.
Anyone purchasing this unit will be pleased! Though we did not acquire the extension lift, we did fashion a very reliable one from a 4x4 and steel rod. It will really help the diy, especially for one-man hanging. It is also indispensable for the pro. It's like having 4 more hands with only a one-time expense.
My only qualm.....well...I wish it was transparent. It still sees much use in the off-season since neighbors and friends constantly borrow it.
Don't let that defect stop you from purchasing this unit. You never know, you just may make new friendships!
And, it has an American flag on it - purchased BEFORE 9/11.
8.) One man/women ability
Reviewed by: P. Apsey
Rating:
The reviews of this great tool speaks for itself. Just lift a sheet of drywall a couple feet to load it and the hard part is done. To make it easier on yourself, use one of those plastic carrying handels to lift. That gives your back and knees a break. Telpro has a loader which I am sure is terrific. DIY with this lift, you won't regret it!
9.) Get the real thing
Reviewed by: Dana Young
Rating:
I'd agree with all these reviews and just add one caveat: Make sure you get the real thing. There are a lot of cheap Chinese knock-offs of this lift around. I've seen several of them and, while they LOOK similar, they are NOT the same thing. The Chinese knock-offs are very poorly constructed and not worth the "savings." Make sure you buy a genuine "Panellift" brand from Telpro which is made in the US. Those guys have been building lifts since the early 70's and they know what they are doing.
10.) Big Time Injury-Saver: Excellent Product.
Reviewed by: Robbo Gio Finger Lakes, New York United States
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About ten years ago, I hurt my neck trying to hold up a sheet of drywall with my head while sheetrocking a ceiling, and decided to purchase this lift. I certainly have not been disappointed.
Not only have I remained injury-free, thanks to this product, I have found it to be simple to use, and durable--it's hoisted countless sheets of drywall into position for a decade, and has only required occasional greasing of a cable. Moreover, its design makes it easy to jockey sheets of drywall into position once loaded, and it's a cinch to move between rooms--fits through most doorways, or comes apart easily to move between floors.
This machine has even made it possible for me to hang sixteen-foot pieces of drywall, all by myself! Admittedly, it's a backbreaking task for one person to lift pieces this big onto the machine, so I've just purchased the optional loader attachment.
The lift has one drawback: be prepared to be pestered by friends and family who will want to borrow this piece of equipment, once you start raving about how well it works; if my experience is typical, it'll be in high demand.
11.) Money well spent
Reviewed by: Ken Phelps Austin, TX
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I rented one of these to do a remodling job on my house and then went out and bought one for future use. Using one of these I was able to install a ceiling in a 2000 sq. ft. home in less than 1 day...by myself. I used 4x12 5/8" sheetrock and without this lift I could not have done it myself let alone with another person in the same time period. It is very easy to use and pays for itself in one or two jobs. If you plan to do a remodling job now or in the future buy this lift your back will tank you and so will your pocketbook in the savings over having someone else do it.
12.) Stress Releaf
Reviewed by: Gideon Korner dix hills, NY United States
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I am a home owner that is renovating my house and therefore resheet
rocking all walls and celings. I started to install the drywall
by hand and nearly gave it up to a professional until I saw this
tool. This tool has taken away all the stress of drywall installation - especially vaulted ceilings. The tool allows for
complete control for measuring of a drywall sheet in place. It's like having an extension of your body that will not tire.
13.) telpro panel lift
Reviewed by: Gary Love
Rating:
This unit is very user friendly, well designed. When disassembled the components are light and easy to carry, and assembly is very simple and quick, all the pieces just slip together, without tools, in about a minute. The top is quickly adjustable to acommodate different lengths of drywall, and with the tilting top and fold away hooks it makes it a one man job loading the drywall and raising it to the ceiling. The casters roll very well making for easy alignment of the panels. My only regret is that I didn't buy one years ago.
14.) panellift
Reviewed by: Marlowe Paul Rogers City, MI United States
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I'm a building contractor, my crew is small so any extra help I can get I take advantage of it, and what a help the lift is. The lift makes hanging drywall almost enjoyable. I would be lost without it. If you are thinking of buying one,don't wait any longer,you'll wonder how you managed without it.
15.) A one man operation.
Reviewed by: Daniel Sass Lattimore, N.C. United States
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I am very surpise to find a item that works as well as you want it to. I am drywalling my house by myself. Being in the trades for forty years, you find that some times it's best to do your own work. The only problem is in a hall way, the unit base is app. fifty three inchs. The easy of fitting a ceiling panel is worth buying the unit alone. Now if it could only tape the joints.
16.) worth every cent
Reviewed by: chuckmeister57 Dale City, Va United States
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I could not have done what I did without this tool. My wife and I did our entire basement and recreational room above the garage with this lift. This was our first drywall job but certainly not our last. Highly recommended for its functionality and quality of construction.
17.) Drywall Lifter
Reviewed by: James Wright Jr.
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I purchased this product after renting one from the local rental store. I was very pleased with the rental unit and even happier with the new one I purchased on Amazon. I shopped locally for the same unit and found the best price on Amazon. Great Product!
18.) Solid and Well Worth the Money
Reviewed by: Randall R. Anderson Napa, Ca USA
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I was surprised at how well the unit was constructed and thoughtful design. The unit assembles with male and female joints allowing easy transportation. The wheels are large and smooth enough to roll over most debris on a sheet rock job. The frame that holds the sheet rock is spring loaded to allows slight movement. Thisallows you to adjust the sheet rock around interferences. The triangular wheel base collapses so that you can roll in through doorways and such which is very convenient. You just need to remember to extend the wheels when you're back to lifting sheetrock.
Besides Sheetrock the unit allows accurate fixture placement. I used the panel lift to hold a folding attic stair case before nailing. I was able to locate the unit precisely between joists prior to nailing. One other job inwhich it was invaluable was the lowering of light fixtures. As part of a demolition, I was given 40 light fixtures but I had to remove them and they were on a twelve foot ceiling. No problem. I'd raise the panel lift to secure the light, cut wires, unscrew the fixture and lower it with no damage. That one job paid for the lift. What would have been a two man job became a one man job
I purchased the optional extension to use for 15 ft. ceilings. This extension also works well. This is one tool that I had low expectations and was surprised. A definite buy for the one man operation.
19.) Dry Wall Helper that Doesn't Complain
Reviewed by: jsilvern Amsterdam, New York USA
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This is by far the best product for hanging dry wall I have ever seen. I only wish I had one 30 years ago. This product makes dry walling a breeze. And the best part is this helper doesn't complain.
20.) life saver
Reviewed by: jeff Murrysville, pa United States
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Cheaper than hiring more people. No workmans comp, no payroll, no showing up late, no complaining. All in all one of the best tool purchases I have made in the last couple of years. It truly will pay for itself in a couple of job. I even rent it out to other contractors.
21.) This helper never gets tired.
Reviewed by:
Rating:
I rented this tool one day to hang drywall on a ceiling. I am a DIYer , who has hung drywall only a couple of times prior to this job. I was able to do the work alone. The Telpro made the work easy.
22.) a darn good product
Reviewed by:
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ordered this to do my basement and to have to lend out to a few other friends doing the same. Used it on the first friend's basement and it was a certain hit. Easy to set up, move around and use. Could not have done without this tool. Even having strong-arm friends would have made the job very difficult without having this lifter.
23.) Homeowner
Reviewed by: M. Marinello Slingerlands, New York United States
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I bought this to sheetrock my garage. Unbelievable, it makes sheetrocking 5/8 12' a one man job. Well worth the money.
24.) Save Your Back!
Reviewed by: Al London, England United Kingdom
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I used one of these by chance - the hire shop didn't get the telpro 460 hydraulic version in on time for me, so they offered me this manual wind up version instead. I was dissapointed as I had 100 8'x4' fireline ( even heavier than normal ) sheets to install in 2 days and thought it would be hard work winding it. I am now glad I got this lifter, as it was quick and you can feel exactly how much pressure you are applying to each sheet. Also it's very easy to line up the sheets and to move the unit about between rooms. Don't hesitate in getting one if you've got dry walling to do. It's a top product.
25.) One man job
Reviewed by: glacknoid robbinsdale mn
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I used this to do my whole basement by myself. What a life saver. I could never have done it alone and even with the help of two other people at my disposle, which I didn't have, wouldn't have been as convenient as using this wonderful invention. With the ressesed cans for lighting in the basement I just cranked up a 4 by 8 by 1/2 inch thick sheet tight to the cans and used a rotozip with a bit designed to ride along the outside edge of the can or outlet box, and buzzed the wholes out then cranked the rock up the last inch and screwed it up tight.
26.) TELPRO SAVED MY BACK
Reviewed by: P. Apsey
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THIS TOOL IS GREAT. ONE MAN CAN DRYWALL AN ENTIRE HOUSE. JUST LIFT YOUR DRYWALL SHEET A FEW INCHES ONTO THE LIFT AND RELAX. WALLS OR CEILING, NO PROBLEM. DON'T RISK YOUR HEALTH WITH AN INJURY. THE MONEY SPENT ON THIS UNIT WILL PAY FOR ITSELF IN NO TIME.
27.) What a wonderful piece of equipment
Reviewed by: Donald Davis
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I most highly recommend the Panel Lift, it is a high quality piece of equipment. I am in the process of drywalling 2000 square feet of ceiling and wall surface. I have completed the ceiling by myself. To do the job by miself I also purchased the Model 195 loader attachment. My neighbor just had his 3 car garage drywalled by a professional. When he found out I had a lift he had the nerve to ask to borrow it. Being a good neighbor I let them use it.
28.) This tool can do more than drywall
Reviewed by: ToolNut Dallas, TX
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Everyone else has already commented on how useful this lift is for drywall so other than to add my agreement I won't comment on that. It's all of the other things we do with this lift that have always made it a must have vs. a luxury specialized drywall hanging tool in my mind.
For example we just used this last week to reframe a cathedral ceiling on an existing home. Lifting heavy LVL beams that are longer than the finished room you're working in is definately a workout done by hand off of ladders. We used the Telpro to lift the beams up into the attic. The tilt feature worked perfect and allowed them to slide up into place without damaging the walls or wearing us out. The lift made the job a breeze, just like it does for many other tasks.
We have used the lift to install HVAC duct, lift roofing materials, sheating, 11/8" floor decking, and basicialy anything heavy that we can get to stay on the lift safely and without exceeding the maximum capacity. We have even put a sheet of plywood on it as a lifting deck and used it to lift large rolls of insulation into attics. I'm not sure Telpro would endorse these uses, but since a lot of the users are DIY or generals I thought I would share my experiences using it for almost every phase of construction. Every time I have to lift anything on a job I consider the possibility of using the Telpro.
Bottom line, I think this is one of the best products on the market considering the price, it's level of KISS engineering, portability, and the amount of labor that it can offset (even paying for itself on the first job), and lastly the obvious quality. This lift should be about as common as a skilsaw in my opinion. GET ONE!
29.) Great tool if you're trying to save money on a big job.
Reviewed by: Stavros Seattle, WA USA
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I built a 1600 sf addition on my house and bought this to save money on the drywall installation. This included installing 12 foot 5/8" drywall on a ceiling with a 16 foot peak. It had been sitting in my garage for a couple of years. I pulled it out recently and used it for another job. A warning on these... don't loan these out. The rental stores always seem to have bent/damaged parts of these pulled out of stock. These are fairly heavy and ackward, so if you aren't careful with the parts, you'll wreck it. I don't recommend tossing the components off your deck, etc... Dont' get me wrong though, once these are assembled, it's a big, sturdy unit.
30.) Great Sheetrock lift
Reviewed by: Honest Ratings Carmen Sandiego
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If you ever put up sheetrock by yourself and or overhead you will buy or rent this lift. You can buy extensions for more height.
31.) it replace 3 man at work
Reviewed by: Janusz Waksmanski Spring Valley, NY United States
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In very simply worlds this machine takes a job for 3 workers.
If you install drywall on ceilings is a stupid to not have one.
If you cleaver it helps with installing big bow windows, skylights,
headers, crown moldings, you named.
Janusz Waksmanski
32.) proper use of lift
Reviewed by: pepe Rodguez borneo
Rating: 
you can use the lift in hall ways by colapsing the weels part way, it will not tip over as walls prevebt it. allso can be moved closer to wall by moving position of weels. take it all most allthe wat to cieling then move weels( thwy move in 2 dritcetions) and tighten to cieling. it willbot tip when tight to cieling.
33.) Poor Quality for Made in USA
Reviewed by: V. Hughes IN, USA
Rating: 
This is an item that I have been patiently waiting to purchase until now, when we reached the point in our remodeling project that would benefit from the ability to lift and hold sheet stock for installation. After a great deal of research, I decided to purchase a model and manufacturers lift that is considerably more expensive than many others on the market. Additionally, I liked the idea of "Made in America". This was in great part a reason for my decision to purchase this particular machine.
I was very disappointed with the assembly quality and attention to fit and finish put forth by the manufacturer of this product. I unpacked, assembled, and tested the unit. It immediately went back in the box for returned.
There were two main problems with the unit I received. Mechanically, the cross-arm that mounts atop the vertical mast did not set level. Understandably, the unit is designed with play at this point to allow for a certain amount of "self-leveling" to occur, causing the sheet stock to rest fully against the surface to which it is being applied. In the case of the unit I received, the pin mechanism which is part of the cross-arm had been poorly stamped, then welded out of square. When inserted into the vertical mast the mis-assembly completely defeated the lifts ability to "self-level". When raised, with the cross-arm was positioned tightly against a sheet. One end of the arm would rest against the sheet while the opposing end lacked contacting the sheet by almost 3 inches. This flaw was accentuated when attempting to support a 16' sheet.
Secondly, and this is a cosmetic consideration, the unit came out of the box from the factory, completely scarred and scraped. My first thought was that a certain amount of damage occurred during shipment. However, upon closer examination it was evident that the unit was packaged in this condition. The last straw came when I looked at the "Made in America" flag sticker proudly positioned at the top front of the mast, right over the most offensive scrape, completely through the paint, from one end of the mast to the other. The sticker was in pristine condition. Yes, it had been proudly applied by the team member(s) in the factory, right over the poorly assembled and even more carelessly handled equipment. There was also numerous scars elsewhere on the machine due to poor padding and packaging. The unit chewed itself during shipment.
This is not what I expected from a machine selling at this price point. As I repackaged the unit for return shipment, I couldn't help but think to myself, "This is what I was hoping to avoid by not purchasing one of the many other `Made in China' units that are available on the market.".
With the purchase of the additional extension for the mast, this unit was priced at almost $1,000.00 including shipping. Understand, I had considered the price point prior to purchase, and decided that it would be a good investment, a quality machine, providing many years of service.
This unit is definitely not worth the purchase price being asked. Consider one of the far cheaper machines. At least you'll know what to expect when you open the box.
Drywall Access Doors