Is Craftsman's Garage Door Opener Any Good? Here's What Users Say

While it might not be the most critical thing to have during the summer months (except in very hot climates), in the winter, having a garage to park your car in is huge. In addition to keeping your vehicle out of the elements and free of snow, it can limit the time you have to spend outside at the start and end of your morning commute. A quality garage door opener can make a garage even better. After all, who wants to get in and out of their car to open the garage door manually?

Ahead of purchasing a garage door opener, there are a few things you need to know if you want one that works correctly. You should understand what horsepower garage door opener you need, which variety of opener is right for you, and which brand you should go with. There are numerous options to choose from, including those from well-known tool brands. For instance, Craftsman has its own chain-drive garage door opener, which is Wi-Fi and MyQ compatible, can be operated with a phone, and boasts 0.5 horsepower, to name a few of its key features. Craftsman's garage door opener has been around for a while, giving plenty of users an opportunity to try it out and share their thoughts. Overall, it seems this unit is a winner in more ways than one.

The Lowe's product page for the Craftsman garage door opener features several reviews from customers who've installed it. The majority were more than satisfied with their purchase, giving it five stars. Users have highlighted the intuitive setup, with reviewer LGsteamdryer writing, "This opener did not disappoint at all. I took my time and installed it in order per the instructions. The installation was flawless, and programming was simple if you followed the instructions." Speaking to the abilities of the opener itself, there are numerous comments praising its strength and noise level. "The opener works quietly and with much less vibration than the one it replaced," said JohnD of their experience using it so far. They installed it on their own, though you can have it done through Lowe's. Installation isn't one of the most unexpected services Lowe's offers, but if you're not comfortable setting it up yourself, it's available. 

Adding to the positives, if you already own certain older Craftsman garage door opener models, you shouldn't have to fully replace everything if you buy a new one, as an unnamed verified purchaser explained: "If you have an older model with a 'T' shaped rail, the motor will connect to the old rail with no problem. The mounting is the same." The opener's phone app connectivity garnered a lot of attention as well. Lowe's reviewer Debi highlighted this element in their comments, voicing appreciation for the door monitoring and the ability to check if your door is open or closed. "Incredible. Best $159 I ever spent," they added. With all of that said, Craftsman's garage door opener doesn't have a spotless record. Some issues have cropped up with this seemingly decent product.

According to most users, Craftsman's garage door opener is a solid purchase. However, in some cases, owners found the physical quality of the opener lacking.  For example, John shared in their review, "When the opener entered its automatic force sensing step, I smelled something burning inside the opener," adding that it failed to close despite being installed correctly. Another Lowe's customer, Josh, recalled that the motor on their opener failed after just two uses, and they had to track down some missing parts from the box on their own. "Save yourself some time and frustration and DON'T BUY THIS OPENER," concluded their review, titled "Worst garage door opener I've ever owned."

Meanwhile, there are those who had issues getting the opener to connect to other devices. For example, Bruce said he'd struggled to get the opener to connect to their vehicles' built-in remote, explaining, "2011 gmc Sierra won't link up on built-in remote. Also, won't work with 2018 bmw." He went on to say that customer service didn't help and he ultimately returned the unit. User Jason cited similar connectivity problems in their one-star review: "Installed for 2 days and nothing but problems. 1 remote doesn't work, vehicle homelink won't program, twice as loud as the 15 year old unit it replaced, and issues with myq."

On the whole, Craftsman's garage door opener can be finicky and have spotty quality control. Still, even though it may not have a place among the best-rated Wi-Fi garage door openers around, most users seem happy with all it can do and the performance they get for the price.