The drive system is the mechanism that lifts the cab, and it decides how much of your home the elevator claims. Drive type sets pit depth, overhead clearance, and whether the equipment needs its own room. Three families cover the Cibes elevator lineup, and knowing how each drive system works makes every later choice easier.
A hydraulic home elevator lifts the cab with a piston pushed by fluid, much like a car lift at a garage, and the ride is smooth and quiet. Symmetry’s hydraulic version serves up to 6 stops across as much as 50 feet of travel at 40 feet per minute. It is rated for 1,000 pounds. Standard safety features include battery-powered emergency lowering, a manual lowering valve, and a line rupture valve that stops the cab if a hydraulic line fails.
The inline gear drive pulls the cab with a geared motor, a brake, and a counterweight, so the equipment lives inside the shaft instead of in a separate room. Its 2 horsepower motor moves the cab at 40 feet per minute, serving 2 to 6 stops with a 1,000 pound rating. It needs 96 inches of overhead for a standard cab, or 108 inches when the control box sits at the top of the shaft. An optional battery backup can carry the cab to the next level of exit, up to 40 feet at reduced speed, if the power fails.
Screw drive works like a bolt turning inside a nut, moving the cab or platform along a threaded column. Cibes built its name on this low-speed design, and it powers the Air, Ascenda, Primo, and Antera. Speed tops out at 30 feet per minute, and the equipment sits inside a compact, machine-room-less package. Pit depth runs from none to under 4 inches depending on the model, which is why these lifts suit finished floors and tight retrofits. The trade-off is capacity, since all four carry 880 pounds or less.
Symmetry is the American-made side of the family and the classic residential elevator of the lineup. Every cab is built to order in hardwood, steel, glass, or a mix of all three, in cab styles such as Asterix and Dream. You choose hydraulic or inline gear drive to suit your home, then pick from single-side, 90 degree, or opposite door layouts. Cars run up to 15 square feet with a standard 7-foot ceiling height, and every unit carries a three-year limited parts warranty. That range makes it the most adaptable Cibes home elevator for new builds and retrofits alike.
Best fit for:
Not every home has room for a full-size shaft, and these two models were designed for that reality. Both use screw drive, and both arrive with minimal construction. Each Cibes elevator in this pair solves a different problem, though. One is built around design and multiple floors, the other around simplicity and a small footprint.
The Cibes Air turns the handrail into the control, so you hold it to move and release it to stop. It serves up to 4 stops across 23 feet of travel, which suits homes with three or four floors. The prefabricated shaft ships with the lift in steel or fully glazed panels, with panoramic glass doors standard on every unit. The frame comes in more than 250 colors, with LED ambient lighting built into the front panel and a 7 inch floor display. Installation typically takes 2 to 3 days.
The Air carries 660 to 880 pounds, or 3 to 5 riders, at 30 feet per minute. Doors can be single hinged, same side, straight through, or 90 degree. A battery emergency lowering system is standard.
The Cibes Ascenda is a shaftless elevator for two-story homes, with no pit, no shaft, and no machine room. The main structural work is a floor opening between the two levels, and integrated sliding doors save floor space. Four cab sizes run from S to XL, with the XL fitting a wheelchair, which is rare among shaftless models. Wireless remote controls call the cab to either landing, and an emergency battery mode brings it down to a landing during a power outage.
The Ascenda carries 770 pounds at 30 feet per minute over up to 14 feet of travel, and it serves 2 stops. Handrail controls come on the M through XL sizes, and a fold-down seat is included on every size except the S. Entry is same side, with straight-through available on the XL.
Once you know which drive and footprint fit your house, the next step is seeing how installation works. Access Elevator’s home elevator installation process covers site assessment, permitting, and the build from start to finish.
The Cibes Primo is technically a platform lift, but it earns a place in this comparison for larger homes that need more than two stops. It serves up to 4 stops across 23 feet of travel and ships with a prefabricated shaft in steel or glazed panels. Panoramic glass doors come standard, and concealed automatic door openers are available. Among Cibes elevator options for multi-floor homes, it adds stops without a full elevator build.
The Primo carries 880 pounds, or 4 to 5 riders, at 30 feet per minute with hold-to-run controls. It follows the ASME A18.1 platform lift code rather than the elevator code, which is why speed is limited and controls need constant pressure. Installation typically takes 2 to 3 days. The Primo replaced the Cibes A5000 with a redesigned look for American buildings.
Some homes cannot accept a traditional shaft at all, and that is where the Stiltz Duo and Trio come in. These shaftless home elevators are not part of the Cibes family, but they belong in any fair comparison. They need far less structural work than a conventional shaft, which helps in tight or older layouts. The Duo and Trio each suit different households, so buyers who rule out every model above should start there.
You step into a cab that feels closer to a designed room than a piece of equipment. Your guests barely notice the ride begin, because the movement is quiet and even. You touch a satin stainless handrail beside a wood grain wall that you selected yourself. You choose the Antera elevator when the cab should be part of your home’s design, and it tops the Cibes elevator lineup for that reason.
You choose from six profile colors, including Glacial Slate Grey and Oriental Oyster White, and five wood grain finishes across the Terrace Flow and Ripple Trace collections. You watch edge lighting on the feature wall shift through 13 selectable patterns, the way a dimmer changes a room. Your floor is premium Forbo flooring in one of seven colorways, and your ceiling can be mirrored with integrated lighting. You control lighting, ventilation, and floor names from a 15.6 inch touchscreen that comes standard on every unit. You can add a Bose speaker system, so every ride sounds the way you want.
You keep your older home’s character when the Antera is built into an existing framed hoistway, and you gain simpler coordination when a factory-supplied modular enclosure suits new construction or a glass-forward layout. You ride up to 6 stops across as much as 49 feet of travel, at 30 feet per minute with a 770 pound rating. You choose same-side, straight-through, or 90 degree door layouts to match your floor plan. You also skip the equipment room, since the drive is machine-room-less and the elevator carries a three-year limited warranty.
Our showrooms let you see cab dimensions, finish samples, and material combinations in person before you commit to anything. You can visit the Jamestown headquarters or the Pittsburgh location to compare models side by side. Seeing each Cibes elevator in person often settles questions that spec sheets leave open.
Choosing among these models comes down to your floor plan, your ceiling heights, and how you want the elevator to feel. Access Elevator’s team measures your space, explains which drive systems your structure allows, and narrows the lineup to the models that fit. Schedule your in-home evaluation and arrive at every decision with a shortlist you trust. Each Cibes elevator here can be reviewed on site with a specialist.
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