Electric scissor lift or vertical mast lift: which to choose for each type of job (2026)

In short: choose an electric scissor lift when the job needs two people, materials on the platform or more than 8 m of height, and when the work spreads along an area: ceilings, ductwork, painting, drywall. Choose a vertical mast lift for one person with hand tools, up to about 8 m, in tight spaces or with many changes of position: lamps, sensors, cameras, shops, aisles, hotels and upper floors reached by lift. If there is a rack, a machine or rows of seats between the floor and the work point, neither will do: you need a mast boom (such as the JLG Toucan) or an articulating boom. The mast costs a little less to rent in Portugal (€40–60 a day against €50–70 for an 8–12 m scissor), but choose by the job, not by the price.

The two machines in a nutshell

Electric scissor lift. A wide platform rises vertically, pushed by crossed «X» arms. It usually carries two people indoors and one outdoors, 227 to 350 kg, and has a deck extension that slides out 0.55 to 0.9 m beyond the chassis. Electric slab scissors range from about 6 to 16 m working height. It is the most rented platform in Europe: according to IPAF, scissors make up about half of the rental fleet.

Vertical mast lift. A telescopic mast lifts a small platform, usually for one person and their tools (159 to 230 kg). Self-propelled models (JLG 1230ES, Genie GR, Haulotte Star, Skyjack SJ12 and SJ16) drive with the platform raised and reach 5.5 to 8 m working height. There are two variants:

• Push-around mast (Genie AWP, Haulotte Quick Up): light (300 to 400 kg), no drive; to move it you must come down, retract the outriggers and push.
• Mast boom (JLG Toucan, Haulotte Star 10): a mast with a small articulated jib on top and a rotating turret, giving 2.6 to 3.4 m of side reach and carrying two people. In practice it is already a small boom lift, and it weighs like one.

Side-by-side comparison

Real models, side by side

Figures vary a lot between models, so it pays to look at actual spec sheets. Notice three things: the width is practically the same (about 0.76 to 0.81 m), the mast is much shorter, and several masts lose height outdoors, or cannot work outdoors at all.

Which to choose for each type of job

Six questions to decide

1. How high is the work point? Add about 2 m to the platform height to get the working height (that is how spec sheets measure it). Above 8 m, generally only a scissor or a mast boom will do.
2. How many people and how much material go up? One person with a toolbox fits on a mast. Two people, boards, ducts, boxed light fittings or paint tins call for a scissor.
3. How does the machine get in? Measure the narrowest door, the corridor, the tightest turn and, if relevant, the lift: car dimensions and rated load. Both machines are about as wide; what changes is length (about 1.35 m for a mast against 1.45 to 2.5 m for a scissor) and weight.
4. Can the floor take it? Ask whoever manages the building for the allowable load on mezzanines, raised floors and slabs, and compare it with the weight and maximum ground pressure on the machine's spec sheet (see the next section).
5. Is there anything between the floor and the work point? If so, neither a scissor nor a vertical mast will do: you need a mast boom or an articulating boom.
6. Indoors or outdoors? For outdoor work, check that the model is wind-rated (usually 12.5 m/s) and how many people it carries outside. A machine with 0 m/s on its plate must never leave the building.

With these six answers, plus the dates and address, any rental company can propose the right machine. You can find them in our aerial platform rental directory.

The floor: the mast is lighter, but not always

The vertical mast is often called the machine for delicate floors. That holds at the same height: an 8 m Genie GR-20 weighs 1,140 kg, against 1,279 kg for a Genie GS-1932 and 1,565 kg for a JLG ES1932 of similar height. But three details change the picture:

• A small scissor weighs almost the same as a mast. The JLG ES1330L, a 5.8 m narrow scissor, weighs 934 kg; the JLG 1230ES mast, at 5.66 m, weighs 790 kg. Maximum ground pressure is practically the same: 8.8 kg/cm² on the scissor and 8.65 kg/cm² on the mast.
• A mast boom is a different story. To stay stable with the jib out it carries counterweight: the JLG Toucan 8E weighs 2,100 kg and the Toucan 10E 2,980 kg, with 17.2 and 21.5 kg/cm² maximum ground pressure, twice that of an electric scissor. On raised floors and mezzanines, check first.
• Wheel load is what counts. Raised floors and mezzanines are designed for point loads and distributed loads. The spec sheet gives the weight, the maximum ground pressure and, for some brands, the wheel load. Give those figures to whoever is responsible for the building and ask for written confirmation.

Access: doors, corridors and lifts

• Doors. Both go through a standard door: masts are 0.75 to 0.80 m wide and narrow scissors 0.76 to 0.81 m. Genie says the GR-20 can be driven through doorways with the operator on board, and the stowed height (1.65 to 1.98 m) clears most door frames.
• Lifts. This is where the mast wins. JLG presents the 1230ES as suited to freight lifts, and Genie says the GR-20 fits in most passenger lifts. But fitting does not mean the lift can carry it: a 630 kg (8-person) lift cannot take a 790 kg machine plus the operator. Read the plate in the car and talk to the lift maintenance company.
• Corridors and turns. The mast's short length (about 1.35 m) lets it turn in corridors where a 1.9–2.5 m scissor cannot.
• Transport. A 790–1,150 kg mast goes on a trailer or a flatbed van with a ramp and enough payload. An 8 m scissor (1.3 to 2.1 t) needs a bigger trailer or a lorry with a ramp.

Outdoors and wind

This is often where the choice makes itself. Several vertical masts are indoor-only (Haulotte Star 8 S; Skyjack SJ16 in its standard version) or lose height outdoors: the Genie GR-20 drops from 8.02 to 6.70 m working height, and the Genie GS-1932 scissor from 7.64 to 6.27 m. On outdoor-rated electric scissors, the usual limit is 12.5 m/s wind (about 45 km/h) and one person on the platform. JLG's mast booms (Toucan 8E and 10E) are rated for two people outdoors, with wind up to 12.5 m/s. For dirt, gravel or sloping ground, neither: look at a rough-terrain scissor or a diesel articulating boom in the guide Types of aerial work platforms.

Productivity: which finishes first

There is no single answer; it depends on how the work is spread out.

• Work over an area or along a line (painting a ceiling, fitting 40 m of cable tray): the scissor wins. Two people work at once, the materials are on the platform and the machine moves along elevated.
• Work at scattered points (replacing 30 lamps in a shop, adjusting cameras in a warehouse): the mast often wins. It is short, turns in little space and gets close to the work point between furniture and racks.
• Work behind an obstacle: the mast boom wins, rotating its turret and extending its jib to reach several points without moving the base.

Rental costs

According to prices published by Portuguese rental companies, a 6–10 m electric vertical mast rents for €40–60 a day including VAT (€200–300 a week); an 8 m electric scissor for €50–62 a day (€250 a week) and a 12 m one for about €70 (€330 a week). The daily difference is €10–20, and transport (€100–250 per trip) usually outweighs it on a short hire. The full figures are in the guide How much it costs to rent an aerial work platform.

If you use this type of machine for several weeks a year, buying may pay off: a used electric scissor pays for itself in about a year of continuous rental. See the checklist for buying a used platform.

Training and safety

• The same card for both. In IPAF's scheme, scissors and self-propelled vertical masts are the same category: 3a, «mobile vertical». Push-around masts have their own category, PAV. Mast booms such as the Toucan let the centre of the platform go beyond the machine's base, which by IPAF's criteria puts them in category 3b, with boom lifts. Portugal has no official licence; the law requires the operator to be qualified and the most requested training is the IPAF card. See the guide Forklift and aerial platform licence.
• Familiarisation. Even with a card, before using a new model someone must show the operator the controls, the emergency stop and the manual descent.
• Harness. On scissors and vertical masts (group A under EN 280), the guardrail is the main protection and a harness is not normally needed, unless the manual or the risk assessment requires one. On a mast boom (group B), treat it as a boom lift: harness with a short restraint lanyard, attached to the platform anchor point. The guide Work at height: guardrails and harnesses explains the rules.
• Never climb the guardrail or put stepladders or boxes on the platform to gain height. If you cannot reach, it is the wrong machine.
• Pre-use check and periodic inspection. Both machines need the daily pre-use check (our scissor lift checklist works for masts, with small differences) and the mandatory periodic inspection. See Mandatory inspections of aerial platforms.

What if neither will do?

• An obstacle in the way or side reach: a mast boom up to 8–10 m; above that, an electric articulating boom.
• Over 16 m, site terrain or slopes: a diesel articulating or telescopic boom, or a rough-terrain scissor.
• Narrow doors but lots of height (atriums, churches, courtyards): a tracked spider lift.
• Weeks of continuous work on a façade: scaffolding may be cheaper. See Types of scaffolding.

Where Trapézio de Prismas comes in

We are JLG's official representative in Portugal: we sell and service electric scissors (such as the JLG ES1932 / 1930ES and the ES3246 / 3246ES) and mast booms (such as the JLG Toucan 10E), and we carry out mandatory periodic inspections of platforms of any brand. Manuals for the JLG 1230ES, the Toucan 8E, the ES1330L and many other models are in our JLG manuals library. We do not rent platforms: to rent, use the rental company directory, with a filter by machine type.