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Cordless Blinds - bad luck or something different? (programming.dev)

submitted 1 year ago by [email protected] to c/homeimprovement

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Hey all.

Over the past year, I've had bad luck with standard, non-motorized cordless blinds. I've had to replace 4 due to the tension mechanism failing (from what I can tell).

I've tried gently exercising the tension mechanism as suggested frequently online. This does not work.
I've checked for knots and have found none (I typically expect these for corded blinds).

I've been purchasing the Home Depot brand. Do I need to go for a more expensive brand? Did I just get a bad lot? Should I go for corded for supposedly easier troubleshooting?

Thanks in advance!

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[–] nerin 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I have cordless blinds and rarely have had any issues and the issues I have had I was able to fix. I once read pull them straight out perpendicular to the window until you feel a pop and then it starts working normal again. I am not sure if that is what you meant by exercising the tension mechanism, but if not that has worked every time for me.

As for if it's the cordless blinds, I have $7 blinds from Menard's, so I am not talking expensive or nice by any means. I assume they are store brand, since they are 27x64 and only $7. 3 kids that kept destroying blinds for one reason or another, so I ended up going cheap and they are going 4 years strong.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

I am not sure if that is what you meant by exercising the tension mechanism

Yep, that's what I meant. I've tried pulling them out perpendicular, at a 45 degree angle, gently tugging on them (as recommended by countless YouTube videos), and even taking it down and pulling the strings myself to try and jumpstart the tension mechanism. No dice.

I have $7 blinds from Menard’s, so I am not talking expensive or nice by any means

I'm thinking maybe I just bought a bad lot. I bought all of these blinds all at once except for one. The original blinds I bought are starting to fail. The one odd blind I bought a bit later than the rest is still going strong. Same brand although it is made slightly different than the others. Thanks for the info though - I'll try store brand again and hope for better luck!

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Somewhat OT, I've never been impressed with HD brands. At best, they're clones of one of the popular models. Much more common is that they're a lower-quality version. Corded blinds are unlikely to even be available these days, as they are a safety risk.

Certainly do some research before buying. Googling for "[brand/model] complaints" or "[brand/model] problems" tends to be helpful. If it exists on Amazon/etc, sort reviews by date, and look at the most recent to avoid fake reviews.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

It's definitely not a quality brand for sure. The blinds themselves are a pretty cheap paper-like material and tear very easily. I would very much appreciate the metal ones instead.

Not sure why, but ordering online is something I hadn't even considered. Thanks for the suggestion!