Anyone did Zip/ZipTrack blinds?

[Volvobrick]

On 10/15/2023 at 1:27 PM, Atrecord said:

Yup, did the blinds last year. It's been about 1.5 yr since we got it done, and that's no regret at all - at the idea of doing the blinds. Like all things, can't say it's (the one we chose) perfect, but it's a right choice, in our case.

What would you like to know? I'll try to recall and share as much as i could, and hope that it'll be useful for you.

Some not v organised/structured thoughts first:

There are many different brands out there, with mostly similar types of products, and the prices differ greatly. For our balcony, the quotes we got ranged from 6.5K to 11.5K, some manual, some motorised. 

Materials are mostly 'near-total-waterproof', but only one player dared to say theirs is 100%. Some motorised ones use remote only, and some can even use app to control (meaning can control it remotely even, if got home wifi).

support and warranty is important, as there have been a few times that I needed to call them for help.

Oh, seems to have lots of people doing it, as the lead time to install after we paid, was almost 4 mth... Our installer said got some condo developments even included such binds as standard, so their 'queue' was v long. Last year was also when things started opening up post-covid, so their company was frantically trying to bring in more workers from bangladesh.

Ok, any particular questions you have in mind besides above?

I have recently researched on this planning to purchase in a month or 2.  I have decided to get from TB and ship using EZShip. Price difference is too big locally, Eg. It is roughly 600 dollars for smart motor (2.5 x 2m) PVC (more expensive) from TB plus shipping. You are likely to spend 2 or 3 times more for non motorised ones here. If motorised, local shops also often use Dooya/Tuya motors. 

Of course you must have people to fix if buying yourself or very good in DIY. 

 

 

[Voodooman]

On 10/15/2023 at 1:27 PM, Atrecord said:

Yup, did the blinds last year. It's been about 1.5 yr since we got it done, and that's no regret at all - at the idea of doing the blinds. Like all things, can't say it's (the one we chose) perfect, but it's a right choice, in our case.

What would you like to know? I'll try to recall and share as much as i could, and hope that it'll be useful for you.

Some not v organised/structured thoughts first:

There are many different brands out there, with mostly similar types of products, and the prices differ greatly. For our balcony, the quotes we got ranged from 6.5K to 11.5K, some manual, some motorised. 

Materials are mostly 'near-total-waterproof', but only one player dared to say theirs is 100%. Some motorised ones use remote only, and some can even use app to control (meaning can control it remotely even, if got home wifi).

support and warranty is important, as there have been a few times that I needed to call them for help.

Oh, seems to have lots of people doing it, as the lead time to install after we paid, was almost 4 mth... Our installer said got some condo developments even included such binds as standard, so their 'queue' was v long. Last year was also when things started opening up post-covid, so their company was frantically trying to bring in more workers from bangladesh.

Ok, any particular questions you have in mind besides above?

Thanks for sharing.

A friend recommended Australian Ziptrak, told me while quality is top notch, it is a lot more expensive than local/ China brand using the same motors (dooya, somfy, etc.), just wondering if the latter are really as good and significantly cheaper.  Was told Ziptrak wins if having 1x6m long panel is a requirement.

Just trying to piggyback on your earlier research to see if I should spend more time and effort to ask for quotes from other installers.  Don't really want to call up too many contractors as I only have 1 job to offer at the end of the day.  Kamsia in advance.

[Lala81]

my BIL also needs to do up his one. Penthouse unit with loft at EC. So the zip track is going to be really high. Also need to do invisible grill.
Lol i look down from balcony also kar neng already as the open air above makes the height seem taller, the installers really need to be careful
 

On 10/15/2023 at 1:48 PM, Volvobrick said:

I have recently researched on this planning to purchase in a month or 2.  I have decided to get from TB and ship using EZShip. Price difference is too big locally, Eg. It is roughly 600 dollars for smart motor (2.5 x 2m) PVC (more expensive) from TB plus shipping. You are likely to spend 2 or 3 times more for non motorised ones here. If motorised, local shops also often use Dooya/Tuya motors. 

Of course you must have people to fix if buying yourself or very good in DIY. 

 

 

 

[mersaylee]

On 10/15/2023 at 5:41 PM, Lala81 said:

my BIL also needs to do up his one. Penthouse unit with loft at EC. So the zip track is going to be really high. Also need to do invisible grill.
Lol i look down from balcony also kar neng already as the open air above makes the height seem taller, the installers really need to be careful
 

 

No scared no scared...just wear more than one suit...😁

[Atrecord]

On 10/15/2023 at 1:48 PM, Volvobrick said:

I have recently researched on this planning to purchase in a month or 2.  I have decided to get from TB and ship using EZShip. Price difference is too big locally, Eg. It is roughly 600 dollars for smart motor (2.5 x 2m) PVC (more expensive) from TB plus shipping. You are likely to spend 2 or 3 times more for non motorised ones here. If motorised, local shops also often use Dooya/Tuya motors. 

Of course you must have people to fix if buying yourself or very good in DIY. 

wah, i really salute brave people like you, who dares to ownself import liao then decide on whether to DIY or look for installers.

i actually took leave to be at home to look at how the installers did the job, and can quite confidently say that this type of money is not for me to earn (or rather, save)... confirmed impossible for me to do myself, heck, out of let's say 20 tasks required for the installation, i can do... none 🤣

If you're thinking of DIY, do you have the know-how on how to do it? It's really not simple...

And if you're thinking of getting install it for you, will have to get people who knows how to do it. Where are you going to find such people leh? Unless you manage to get one of the companies to take on the 'installation only, no materials purchase' job. It is possible that the companies might opt to do the more lucrative 'bao gar liao' projects instead leh... Just like you know, buying a car with COE included (so that dealers can make more $$ from loans, etc.), is easier than buying a car without COE (like when you managed to bid a cut-price COE in the past)... most dealers will either not sell the car-only, or sell the car at proportionally much higher price without COE...

[Atrecord]

On 10/15/2023 at 3:29 PM, Voodooman said:

Thanks for sharing.

A friend recommended Australian Ziptrak, told me while quality is top notch, it is a lot more expensive than local/ China brand using the same motors (dooya, somfy, etc.), just wondering if the latter are really as good and significantly cheaper.  Was told Ziptrak wins if having 1x6m long panel is a requirement.

Just trying to piggyback on your earlier research to see if I should spend more time and effort to ask for quotes from other installers.  Don't really want to call up too many contractors as I only have 1 job to offer at the end of the day.  Kamsia in advance.

Ziptrack professed to be the 'original', and apparently quite a few companies are selling this brand when i did the research - which means the Australian supplier doesn't have any exclusive arrangement with one SG company, but supplies to anyone who can help sell its product. It was also the most expensive, with MC2 being very very close to it, somewhat on par. i remember ziptrack to be manual one leh, and can't remember if they have motorised option. We didn't follow up too closely as we narrowed down to either MC2 or Ultrazip cos i've one neighbour who did the MC2 and another did Ultrazip, and i had sought feedback from them and decided to listen to them more than the various sales persons. Oh, there was another brand, but then SE was (very) slow in replying me, so while that was recommended by a friend, we dropped it off too.

6m is real long to do one panel. My balcony is longer than 6m, and we did 3 panels. The idea was that it will accord more flexibility in maybe opening one and closing two, or opp, etc., depending on our need. Nobody in my estate does one panel as I think it's not possible, but some people do two panels. I was told that will be more expensive, as each panel will then be too long to fit into the lift so they will have to carry the materials up the stairs 😅

Ziptrack is also the one who dares say the fabric is 100% water-proof. I've not been able to verify it, but can confirm that all others say that if there's heavy rain and strong wind, there will be water droplets forming on the inside of the blinds, but the water will just drip down to the floor at the base of the blinds, instead of splashing till the whole balcony is water logged (like before the blinds were installed). I have strong winds now and then during heavy rain, and I've felt the water droplet issue once, and feel that it's something we can live with.

Somfy sounds familiar, but can't be sure whether mine is installed with it.

In terms of quotes, my experience is if you have a floor plan, then the companies can work out the quotes quite easily. 

and if you want for reference, from the same floor plan i provided, i got these quotes:

1) Ziptrack: $11,500

2) MC2: $8,900 (they gave some discount as got promo, plus my neighbour upstairs who did it a year before me paid lower...)

3) Ultrazip: $6,900

[Atrecord]

On 10/15/2023 at 5:41 PM, Lala81 said:

my BIL also needs to do up his one. Penthouse unit with loft at EC. So the zip track is going to be really high. Also need to do invisible grill.
Lol i look down from balcony also kar neng already as the open air above makes the height seem taller, the installers really need to be careful

wah... PH can have many patterns. will cost a fair bit if really wanna cover up the whole open terrace - but it can add a lot of useable space. I spent 10.5 yr didn't dare to make much use of my balcony, cos when it rains heavy with strong winds, the whole balcony will be wet. Now i put a fridge, a chair (for my father) in the balcony, and also use it as my workstation when i WFH and when the kids are at home (I use their rooms if they're not around). All these, when we have a fair bit of laundry on racks... what a pity these blinds were not available here when we first moved in ~12 yr ago... wasted...

oh, on the installers... there was a face-palm moment when they were doing the works... while on the ladder adjusting the parts during installation, one guy (who wore a full safety vest with the proper safety hook on rope)... actually hooked the safety hook on the... other side of the harness... the problem is that i looked here looked there, also cannot find a secure part in my balcony that is within reach for his short safety belt/harness...) lucky they were experienced and skilled, and nothing untoward happened...

[Atrecord]

On 10/15/2023 at 5:41 PM, Lala81 said:

my BIL also needs to do up his one. Penthouse unit with loft at EC. So the zip track is going to be really high. Also need to do invisible grill.
Lol i look down from balcony also kar neng already as the open air above makes the height seem taller, the installers really need to be careful

wah... PH can have many patterns. will cost a fair bit if really wanna cover up the whole open terrace - but it can add a lot of useable space. I spent 10.5 yr didn't dare to make much use of my balcony, cos when it rains heavy with strong winds, the whole balcony will be wet. Now i put a fridge, a chair (for my father) in the balcony, and also use it as my workstation when i WFH and when the kids are at home (I use their rooms if they're not around). All these, when we have a fair bit of laundry on racks... what a pity these blinds were not available here when we first moved in ~12 yr ago... wasted...

oh, on the installers... there was a face-palm moment when they were doing the works... while on the ladder adjusting the parts during installation, one guy (who wore a full safety vest with the proper safety hook on rope)... actually hooked the safety hook on the... other side of the harness... the problem is that i looked here looked there, also cannot find a secure part in my balcony that is within reach for his short safety belt/harness...) lucky they were experienced and skilled, and nothing untoward happened...

[Voodooman]

On 10/15/2023 at 11:46 PM, Atrecord said:

Ziptrack professed to be the 'original', and apparently quite a few companies are selling this brand when i did the research - which means the Australian supplier doesn't have any exclusive arrangement with one SG company, but supplies to anyone who can help sell its product. It was also the most expensive, with MC2 being very very close to it, somewhat on par. i remember ziptrack to be manual one leh, and can't remember if they have motorised option. We didn't follow up too closely as we narrowed down to either MC2 or Ultrazip cos i've one neighbour who did the MC2 and another did Ultrazip, and i had sought feedback from them and decided to listen to them more than the various sales persons. Oh, there was another brand, but then SE was (very) slow in replying me, so while that was recommended by a friend, we dropped it off too.

6m is real long to do one panel. My balcony is longer than 6m, and we did 3 panels. The idea was that it will accord more flexibility in maybe opening one and closing two, or opp, etc., depending on our need. Nobody in my estate does one panel as I think it's not possible, but some people do two panels. I was told that will be more expensive, as each panel will then be too long to fit into the lift so they will have to carry the materials up the stairs 😅

Ziptrack is also the one who dares say the fabric is 100% water-proof. I've not been able to verify it, but can confirm that all others say that if there's heavy rain and strong wind, there will be water droplets forming on the inside of the blinds, but the water will just drip down to the floor at the base of the blinds, instead of splashing till the whole balcony is water logged (like before the blinds were installed). I have strong winds now and then during heavy rain, and I've felt the water droplet issue once, and feel that it's something we can live with.

Somfy sounds familiar, but can't be sure whether mine is installed with it.

In terms of quotes, my experience is if you have a floor plan, then the companies can work out the quotes quite easily. 

and if you want for reference, from the same floor plan i provided, i got these quotes:

1) Ziptrack: $11,500

2) MC2: $8,900 (they gave some discount as got promo, plus my neighbour upstairs who did it a year before me paid lower...)

3) Ultrazip: $6,900

Thanks for the sharing.

This is very useful. It looks like I will need to get at least one more quote as the price gap is significant.  Ziptrak quoted me almost $14k for my 2 balconies, with 100% waterproof fabrics and Dooya motors.

Just to share, while multiple panels provide flexibility, a single panel will mean no fixed vertical post in-between, giving you a panorama view, aesthetically it looks more pleasing. Good for Hamburger, who wants as open a balcony as possible.

 

 

[Stratovarius]

On 10/16/2023 at 10:39 AM, Voodooman said:

Thanks for the sharing.

This is very useful. It looks like I will need to get at least one more quote as the price gap is significant.  Ziptrak quoted me almost $14k for my 2 balconies, with 100% waterproof fabrics and Dooya motors.

Just to share, while multiple panels provide flexibility, a single panel will mean no fixed vertical post in-between, giving you a panorama view, aesthetically it looks more pleasing. Good for Hamburger, who wants as open a balcony as possible.

 

 

Mc2 might be cheaper as I heard from one of their competitors their biz model is to sell their zip blinds at a very competitive price. Their other blinds are quite expensive though.

My zipblind from mc2 is still working well after 3 years. What I like about them is they are v prompt in after sales service. They came down and replace the motor due to some communication issue and recently one of the blinds got tore at the seal and they repair and clean the blind foc. Only need to pay for transport and labour. My wife and I were thinking how to clean the blind as it got super moldy at the base. Now problem solved. Lol.

[Voodooman]

On 10/16/2023 at 11:08 AM, Stratovarius said:

Mc2 might be cheaper as I heard from one of their competitors their biz model is to sell their zip blinds at a very competitive price. Their other blinds are quite expensive though.

My zipblind from mc2 is still working well after 3 years. What I like about them is they are v prompt in after sales service. They came down and replace the motor due to some communication issue and recently one of the blinds got tore at the seal and they repair and clean the blind foc. Only need to pay for transport and labour. My wife and I were thinking how to clean the blind as it got super moldy at the base. Now problem solved. Lol.

Yes, after sales service is as important and decision should not be based on upfront cost alone. 

Was told Ziptrak 5-yr warranty covers all labor, transport and parts. 

I might call MC2 for a quote.  🙏

[Stratovarius]

On 10/16/2023 at 1:37 PM, Voodooman said:

Yes, after sales service is as important and decision should not be based on upfront cost alone. 

Was told Ziptrak 5-yr warranty covers all labor, transport and parts. 

I might call MC2 for a quote.  🙏

just checked the invoice. mc2 is 5 years warranty for motor and mechanism. first 2 years parts and labour. 3rd to 5th is parts only.  

i also compared zip track and zip blind last time and remember zip blind is better and cheaper. fabric made in usa and motor in france. maybe warranty not as good. only can judge after 5 years. 

[Atrecord]

On 10/16/2023 at 10:39 AM, Voodooman said:

Thanks for the sharing.

This is very useful. It looks like I will need to get at least one more quote as the price gap is significant.  Ziptrak quoted me almost $14k for my 2 balconies, with 100% waterproof fabrics and Dooya motors.

Just to share, while multiple panels provide flexibility, a single panel will mean no fixed vertical post in-between, giving you a panorama view, aesthetically it looks more pleasing. Good for Hamburger, who wants as open a balcony as possible.

14K... sure is worth getting a few quotes to compare. Not too sure about whether the 100% waterproof thing is real, but in our case, we finally figured that it's acceptable to have bits water droplets on the inside of the blinds' fabrics, which will roll down to the floor. It is inevitable that there will be some water on the floor at the edge of the blinds anyway, as the rain will flow down on the outside of the blinds - whether the fabric is 100% or not... The water will flow down to the drainage of the balcony anyway. So while i originally also wanted 100%, we finally let go of this consideration.

Yup i know what you mean by have a panorama view. Since we've had that for 12 yr already, we decided that we can let go of this 'nice-to-have'. And related to this, if it's a very long panel, it is inevitable that the middle of the blinds will sag a bit compared to the 2 ends, whenever the blinds are not resting on the floor. This is completely normal.

If you like to get a quote from Ultrazip, i can pass you the contact.

[Atrecord]

On 10/16/2023 at 11:08 AM, Stratovarius said:

Mc2 might be cheaper as I heard from one of their competitors their biz model is to sell their zip blinds at a very competitive price. Their other blinds are quite expensive though.

My zipblind from mc2 is still working well after 3 years. What I like about them is they are v prompt in after sales service. They came down and replace the motor due to some communication issue and recently one of the blinds got tore at the seal and they repair and clean the blind foc. Only need to pay for transport and labour. My wife and I were thinking how to clean the blind as it got super moldy at the base. Now problem solved. Lol.

We were very keen on MC2. I went to a unit upstairs to ask for their feedback about the blinds, and the neighbour invited me inside to check it out first-hand, showing me the how to bring it up/down using the remote. It was done by MC2. And wife has a colleague staying elsewhere also did MC2. So we went to their showroom and discussed details, but their price was not as low as a couple others, and they didn't want to reduce it further. ..

My impression is that MC2 has (more than) enough, so they are not that hungry for jobs... 😅

[Atrecord]

On 10/16/2023 at 1:37 PM, Voodooman said:

Yes, after sales service is as important and decision should not be based on upfront cost alone. 

Was told Ziptrak 5-yr warranty covers all labor, transport and parts. 

I might call MC2 for a quote.  🙏

Agree. And it was because of the (pre-sales) service being slow that i wrote off zipscreen.

For the one I chose - ultrazip - i actually asked them which other units they did in my development, and then i went to a neighour's unit to ask for feedback too. Was told that there can be problem, but they respond quite quickly. Either can provide guidance over the phone, or will send someone down to help. Not too bad, i found out personally when i needed help.

[Voodooman]

On 10/16/2023 at 5:59 PM, Atrecord said:

14K... sure is worth getting a few quotes to compare. Not too sure about whether the 100% waterproof thing is real, but in our case, we finally figured that it's acceptable to have bits water droplets on the inside of the blinds' fabrics, which will roll down to the floor. It is inevitable that there will be some water on the floor at the edge of the blinds anyway, as the rain will flow down on the outside of the blinds - whether the fabric is 100% or not... The water will flow down to the drainage of the balcony anyway. So while i originally also wanted 100%, we finally let go of this consideration.

Yup i know what you mean by have a panorama view. Since we've had that for 12 yr already, we decided that we can let go of this 'nice-to-have'. And related to this, if it's a very long panel, it is inevitable that the middle of the blinds will sag a bit compared to the 2 ends, whenever the blinds are not resting on the floor. This is completely normal.

If you like to get a quote from Ultrazip, i can pass you the contact.

Thanks bro, happy to give them a call. Perhaps you can PM me the contact. Kamsia.

[Voodooman]

On 10/16/2023 at 5:59 PM, Atrecord said:

14K... sure is worth getting a few quotes to compare. Not too sure about whether the 100% waterproof thing is real, but in our case, we finally figured that it's acceptable to have bits water droplets on the inside of the blinds' fabrics, which will roll down to the floor. It is inevitable that there will be some water on the floor at the edge of the blinds anyway, as the rain will flow down on the outside of the blinds - whether the fabric is 100% or not... The water will flow down to the drainage of the balcony anyway. So while i originally also wanted 100%, we finally let go of this consideration.

Yup i know what you mean by have a panorama view. Since we've had that for 12 yr already, we decided that we can let go of this 'nice-to-have'. And related to this, if it's a very long panel, it is inevitable that the middle of the blinds will sag a bit compared to the 2 ends, whenever the blinds are not resting on the floor. This is completely normal.

If you like to get a quote from Ultrazip, i can pass you the contact.

Thanks bro, happy to give them a call. Perhaps you can PM me the contact. Kamsia.

[Atrecord]

On 10/16/2023 at 8:11 PM, Voodooman said:

Thanks bro, happy to give them a call. Perhaps you can PM me the contact. Kamsia.

ok, just PM'ed you.

Hope you get a good deal and have it done up in time for CNY, whoever you eventually choose.