Honest review --> no sponsorships, discounts, 'free' offers, or the like for this product, and I'm referring to another product that I bought (not a shill)
Executive Summary:
- Instructions barely sufficient
- overall, good value for the money
What I liked:
- I liked that the door could be either left or right mounted without having to order special parts
- The handle felt solid. I liked that there were knobs on the other side to use a tug location
- Glass thickness/weight appropriate for the application. Some of the more expensive kits use 3/8" thick glass, but those weigh 1.5x as much. I think lighter is better. Its easier to install, takes less force to swing, and while stable, isn't so thick/heavy that people without common sense think that it'll hold up to 30-50lbs of downward force. Right... no shower door should be used as a child swing, but that information was apparently left out of the "how to be a parent" instruction sheet. (**sigh**)
What I didn't like
- Plastic pivots
Unpacking
- The packaging was sufficient -- door to arrive without any broken or significant defects/scuff marks.
- One edge of the aluminum was slightly dented, but didn't detract from the overall aesthetic
Quality
- Glass was ~ 0.25/in thick as described in product description
- attachment points were mostly aluminum
- pivot points (method to attach door to aluminum frame) were made of plastic. I'm concerned that they won't hold up over time, especially to torquing forces (someone pulling down on the door when its opened)
- one screw broke during install. See Tip #2.
Installation Tips
- I'm very handy, followed the instructions, and still ended up making a mistake and needing to redo
- Tip #1: there are two plastic pieces that get pushed into place on the door to act as pivot points -- they are different. Make sure you install the "bottom" one on the bottom of the door (the 'top' of the door is the same side as the curved glass)
- Tip #2: The swinging part of the door attaches to the frame with three very small sheet metal screws. Do yourself a favor and use a few extra sheet metal screws (1/2" long) AND extra stainless steel covers (I bought "uxcell Mirror Screws Decorative Caps Cover Nails Polished Stainless Steel 10mm 8pcs"). Use extra screws so that both sides of the frame are supporting the door, and also helps you if, like me, one of the screws breaks. The uxcell covers screw on instead of press-fit like what was included in this kit, and are shaped slightly different than what was included in the kit, so either just use the uxcell ones on both sides of the frame and throw away the included covers, or install the uxcell ones on opposite sides of the frame as the included covers, and very few people will be able to tell.
- Tip #3: Very hard to drill holes precisely aligned and level. Mark and drill the top hole first, install the tile anchor and loosely screw the frame to the wall. You're creating a pendulum and gravity will help keep the frame vertical (verify with level). Now you can mark the other three holes and get precise location. Remove the top screw, pull frame from wall, drill out other holes, and then attach permanently.
- Tip #4: To attach door to wall frame, you'll need to drill holes for those small screws. It's nearly impossible to keep the two parts aligned and level, or "finding" the hole on the inside piece. I didn't predrill. I used a clamp to try to keep pieces aligned, but expect to be frustrated, and have a friend help you. (this is the only part were a second pair of hands is really necessary) You can tape the level to the top of the door for quick visual reference. I prefer to install the bottom screw first, and then pivot on that bottom screw, line up where to drill the top hole because its closest to the level you taped to the top of the door.
- Tip #5: if one of the door-to-frame screws breaks, you can try to remove the broken screw, or do what I did and just super glue the decorative cover washer to the frame and press fit the cover to it. Then use your other screws/covers that you smartly bought to make up for the missing support.
