Genie 1035-V garage door opener review

The Genie 1035-V is a budget garage door opener that gets the job done without breaking the bank

Genie 1035-V Review
(Image: © Genie)

Top Ten Reviews Verdict

With its chain drive and lack of modern features, the Genie 1035-V garage door opener is looking a bit dated. but you can't argue with the price.

Pros

  • +

    Reliable

  • +

    Budget price

  • +

    Works with HomeLink

Cons

  • -

    No Wi-Fi

  • -

    Only 1 remote

  • -

    No backup battery

Why you can trust Top Ten Reviews Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test.

We've researched the latest garage door openers, asked the experts, and sifted through thousands of specs, features and user reviews to find the best garage door openers around. Here's everything you need to know about the Genie 1035-V garage door opener.

Genie 1035-V garage door opener: What you need to know

The Genie 1035-V is about as no-frills as a garage door opener can get, but don't let that put you off. It's a reliable performer that works perfectly well despite lacking more advanced features. For instance, there's no built-in lighting, Wi-Fi or backup battery and having more than one remote is a distant dream, but you do get a rail, sensors and a wireless keypad at a very reasonable price. 

The Genie uses a chain drive mechanism, which is longer-lasting than a belt drive but noisier. The motor is 1/2 a horsepower which is on the low end of the scale, but sufficient for lifting a standard garage door.

Genie 1035-V garage door opener: Price

Its price is probably the Genie 1035-V's strongest feature. Most retail outlets have it on sale for around $150, which is considerably cheaper than a similar budget model offered by Chamberlain. 

At such a good price this unit is definitely at the cheaper end of the range, and that is reflected in its features and the fact it uses a chain drive system.

Genie 1035-V garage door opener: Features

With the Genie 1035-V you really only get the basics: There's an installation rail, a push-button wall control, a single car remote control and sensors that stop the door closing if anything passes through its infrared beam.

The 1/2 horsepower motor isn't the most powerful, but will be fine for garage doors up to 350lbs, and 7 feet high. If your garage door is bigger or heavier than that you'll have to get a different model. 

Genie 1035-V: Key Specs

Dimensions: 27.4 x 8 x 12-inch, rail length 9ft
Weight:
35 lb
Type: Chain drive
Motor horsepower: 1/2
Battery backup: No
Remote controls: 1 included
Warranty: 5 Year Motor, 5 Year Chain, 1 Year Parts and 1 Year Accessories

There's no Wi-Fi in this Genie's bottle, so smartphone apps can't be accessed, but you can upgrade the unit to Wi-Fi with the addition of an Aladdin Connect Wi-Fi enabled smartphone garage door controller, which is available as an extra purchase. Either way, the 1035-V does works with popular built-in car remote systems like HomeLink and Car2U.

Finally, the Genie 1035-V doesn't come with any lighting at all, so you'll be in the dark until you get out of your car and turn your garage light on.

(Image credit: Image source: Home Depot)

Genie 1035-V garage door opener: Performance

As we've said, the Genie 1035-V uses a chain drive. Chain drives tend to be harder wearing than belt drives, but a bit noisier. You also get a 5 year warranty on the motor.

Unlike some garage door openers we've looked at, there are hardly any reports of the unit failing in customer reviews, so you can be sure that the Genie 1035-V will last you a good few years without hardly any maintenance.

Genie 1035-V garage door opener: User reviews

When you consider how many features this budget garage door opener is lacking it's quite a surprise to find that the customer reviews and recommendations for it are so strong. 

On the Home Depot website, the Genie was rated 4.6 out of 5 stars, and had a very high customer recommendation of 94%. Clearly the Genie 1035-V is winning people over on its solid performance, so while it may not have many features, what it does have it does well.

Oh, and despite being a chain drive, quite a few customers have commented on how quiet the Genie 1035-V is in operation, so don't be put off by thoughts of the chain drive being too noisy.

And finally, when it comes to installation many customers commented on how easy this was to install this unit, so if you're a bit worried about that then you can put your mind at ease.

Should you buy the Genie 1035-V garage door opener?

Stop looking at what this garage door opener doesn't have and start looking at what a bargain it is. The big feature of this garage door opener is really its price. At around $150 it's a great deal for a garage door opener that's a solidly built, reliable model that is very popular with its owners. 

Sure, if you can afford more on your budget there are better models you can get, but the Genie 1035-V is living proof that sometimes good things come in cheap packages.

Alternatives to the Genie 1035-V garage door opener

Graham Barlow

Graham usually works in home computer journalism for his day job, and has been at Future Plc for many years, mostly employed across our print titles. He has a keen interest in all things gardening, and has written extensively about lawn mowers and other garden care products while in his freelance capacity at Top Ten Reviews.