My recommendation is the Genie Excelerator. With it's DC motor it is quiet and smooth. It opens twice as fast so you don't have to wait on it to open. I've had them for years and never had a failure. The Clopay you mentioned is probably a good one too. I have no experience with them. See the link below.

Here is a link that might be useful: Geneie Excelerator

Noise is a real problem with the Genie. Stick with your original choice Liftmaster belt drive.

don_1_2006, Noise may have been a problem many years ago but it is not a problem with the Genie Excelerator. The DC motor runs smooth and quiet. The only noise you will hear is the noise of the door itself opening. It also opens twice as fast as others. I have installed about six of them and never had any failures over several years. The fats opening speed is a real plus if your drive is short. No waiting for the door to open.

I like our Chaimberlain Whisper quiet plus that I put up this summer. It is quiet as claimed, came with a neat motion sensor contol, key pad, key fobs, car controls for $200. It has a battery back up which I thought would be a joke (must be a DC?), but it has proven handy at least twice in the last six months. Hopefully the quality and durability is good on these. Time will tell! I'm thinking the Liftmaster's are part of the Chaimberlain company. Differances- I dunno.

I'll put it this way. Any of the name brands mentioned will provide excellent service if installed properly. On the other hand Craftsman garage door openers are junk. I would avoid them at all costs. They are extremely trouble prone.

Here is my experience:

My father installed a Genie in his garage 37 years ago and it functions to this day. The only maintenance has been lubricating the auger. There have been no repairs.

Following his example, I installed a Genie in our garage 17 years ago and it functions flawlessly and has had no repairs.

Your definitely on the right track. I repair remotes for a living and I have some experience with garage door openers. As far as the door goes, I'm not too sure but you should definitely go for the Liftmaster 3595 Heavy-Duty Chain Drive. I strongly believe the chain drive is the most durable but it can be a little dangerous if your have little ones around. In my opinion, a belt drive won't give the optimal performance. Hope that helped.

Cheers!

Here is a link that might be useful: Where I Bought My Last Garage Door Opener