Which garage door opener should you purchase?

There is an article about garage door openers on my garage door blog. It deals with the different types of garage door openers and what their applications may be. This may be a good starting point for you. I can't post a link here, but I can tell you that there are a few basic types of garage door openers. Chain driven openers, belt driven openers, screw drive openers, and jackshaft openers. The chain drive opener is a very affordable, sturdy opener good for most garage door applications. The belt drive opener is more expensive than the chain drive opener, but it is much quieter than any other opener type. The screwdrive opener is very common, easy to get from home improvement stores, and is generally pretty cheap and easy to install, but it has problems operating when the weather gets cold because the lubricant around the screw assembly thickens causing the door to not operate. The jack shaft opener is a new opener in the industry and is able to be wall mounted instead of on the ceiling. It is good for folks who have ductwork or pipes in the way or other clearance issues that would otherwise prevent one from being able to have a garage door opener at all. These jackshafts are nice, but they are quite expensive. Hope this helps. If I need to expand on anything or clarify, just let me know.