Professional Tool Reviews for Pros
We were impressed with the design and quality of the Genie 3120 garage door opener when we reviewed it in 2019. When it came time to add an opener to the Pro Tool Reviews Shop, we figured we’d stick with what we know. Our shop uses a large 18×14 rolling steel door, so we turned to a Genie commercial hoist opener to lift this heavyweight. The Genie GCL-MH proved to have just about everything we needed, including support for the size of our door and the ability to integrate well with existing door opener remotes.
Unfortunately, before installing the Genie commercial hoist opener. we had to replace the entire 18×14 shop door. Over the years it became stretched on one side, skewing it too far to open smoothly enough for an opener. While the manual hand chain did the job—an opener meant arranging for a brand new door from Wayne Dalton Garage Doors. We opted for an almost exact replacement—a white Model 790 18×14 roll-up sheet door. For installation, we again turned to our friends at S & S Garage Doors.
Installing this door involved prepping and mounting the side rails the door would slide through. Next, they used a lift to raise and hold the heavy 18×14 steel door in place while they mounted it. The heavy 26-gauge, roll-formed galvanized steel door installed more quickly than I expected.
After this, S & S cut and added additional angle iron and hardware for securing both the central door shaft and the Genie Commercial Hoist Opener. Once in place, they wired it for power and began programming the upper and lower door limits.
Open the cover of the Genie commercial garage door opener and you’ll see a 16-character LCD display. This display makes it easy to set up the door open and close ranges as well as the remotes and other options. It also handles diagnostics. While you may never use it (unless you add a remote later) it simplifies everything an installer needs to do. With a faster overall set up and configuration time, you both stand to save money.
On the end-user side, we like how the LCD display makes it simple to add and/or program additional remote controls without having to call a professional.
S & S Doors installed and configured the Genie GCL-MH hoist opener to work with our existing remotes. We also received two additional remotes with the system. This allowed me to distribute a couple to my guys so they could more easily get into the shop as needed. It also let me use a single remote to activate the garage door on my home and the new shop door without having to juggle remotes. The amply-sized antenna for the Genie has a huge range and lets me open up the shop door well before I even turn into the cul de sac. For outside access, we also set up a remote keypad.
Note that this steel door has over 250 square feet of surface area. It weighs hundreds of pounds, but the internal torsion spring system takes up most of the load. The 1/2 HP motor on the Genie GCL-MH hoist opener impressed us when it repeatedly raised and lowered this behemoth smoothly and without hesitation. S & S Garage Doors configured our unit to use a #35 chain that connects to a sprocket on the door. This allows for a gear reduction and increases confidence that this opener motor should last many years without problems.
The three-button control operates the door efficiently, bringing the large door up and down in a matter of seconds. You can also stop the door in the middle, but we configured the up and down buttons in Momentary mode so they open and close the door fully when pressed. If you want, you can easily configure the opener for Constant Contact-Stop mode. That causes the door to go up or down only while pressing a button.
When shopping for an opener for your rolling shop door, keep in mind that you can purchase either a hoist or jackshaft model. The difference simply has to do with whether you can operate the door manually, using a clutch and manual chain system. For our shop, it was important to include the manual hoist as an override should we ever lose power to the shop. After all, we do live in hurricane country, so every year we stand a chance of needing a manual way to open up the shop door.
The manual hand chain option works really well, and we tested it extensively. The transition is smooth, and the door opens easily thanks to that same gear reduction we mentioned earlier. In fact, the door practically glides open and shut when using the hand chain.
To engage this mode, just pull down on the red release cord. This disengages the gear from the drive system, freeing it for manual use. To keep the door in manual mode, you can lock the cord into or around the metal chain keeper.
The Genie Commercial Line (GCL) encompasses a series of commercial door operators designed specifically for ease of installation and reliability. Genie groups the GCL line into categories based on duty cycle:
The Genie Commercial Hoist Opener handles even our large shop door efficiently and quickly. This 1/2 horsepower medium-duty opener works sufficiently for a wide range of shop doors. In fact, this opener can handle rolling steel doors up to 580 pounds and steel sectional doors up to 620 pounds.
Genie tells us that “pricing on the Commercial operators varies by regional markets”. While that’s a bit odd, you can lookup authorized Genie Commercial installers here to get a definitive price in your area. This opener offers excellent convenience, reliability, and functionality. Before adding the Genie commercial hoist opener we had to manually raise our shop door multiple times per day. Replacing this with a simple button press on the hardwired remote or the wireless remote has been a wonderful change.
We only have one major disappointment: This particular Genie series currently lacks any support for their Aladdin Connect system. We hope Genie adds this functionality to this opener in the near future. Currently, it only works with their traditional RF remotes.
All Genie Commercial openers come with a 2-year or 20,000-cycle limited warranty.
When he's not playing with the latest power tool, Clint DeBoer enjoys life as a husband, father, and avid reader—especially the Bible. He loves Jesus, has a degree in recording engineering, and has been involved in multimedia and/or online publishing in one form or another since 1992.
Clint’s career has covered nearly the entire realm of audio and video production. After graduating at the top of his class with an Associates Degree in Recording Engineering, he began working for the famed Soundelux studios in 1994, one of the largest post-production companies specializing in audio for feature films & television. Working on a myriad of feature films, Clint honed his skills as a dialogue editor, foley editor, and sound designer. Years later, he moved into the expanding area of video editing, where he served as the company’s senior AVID video editor for three years.
Working for such clients as Universal Pictures, Hollywood Pictures, Paramount Home Entertainment, NASA, Universal Studios, Planet Hollywood, SEGA, NASCAR, and others, Clint DeBoer dealt extensively with client management as well as film & video editing, color correction, and digital video & MPEG compression. He also carries several THX certifications (Technician I and II, THX Video), and is ISF Level II Certified.
After founding the CD Media, Inc. publishing company in 1996, he went on to help start or grow several successful online publications, including Audioholics (as Editor-in-Chief for 12 years), Audiogurus, and AV Gadgets. In 2008, Clint founded Pro Tool Reviews followed by the landscape and outdoor power equipment-focused OPE Reviews in 2017. He also heads up the Pro Tool Innovation Awards, an annual awards program honoring innovative tools and accessories across the trades.
Crediting God and his excellent staff for the success of what is now the largest power tool review publication in the industry, Clint DeBoer hopes to see continued growth for the company as it rapidly expands its reach. Pro Tool Reviews critically reviews hundreds of hand tools, power tools, and accessories each year to help inform users about the best and newest products in the industry. Reaching everyone from the construction industry professional and tradesman to the serious DIYer, Pro Tool Reviews helps tool consumers shop better, work smarter, and stay aware of what tools and products can help put them at the top of their game.
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