Hunter Douglas versus Lutron 

Over four decades we've done a lot of service calls. In the past two decades there's a seemingly endless call to correct and proper competitor's product and installs - both manual and motorized. 

 

There's been hundreds of motorized service calls where a competitor supplies one ( 1 ) remote for multiple more blinds. Why is this ? Remotes are not costly - and the consumers are never happy with multiple blinds controlled with one button. No one ever wants two, three, or four blinds on one button with no individual control. No one. 

 

Compound this with an abundance of mis-information for prospective consumers regarding motorized blinds. There is two real choices out there for motorized blinds - to us this isn't even a close comparison. Let us expand and give the good & bad on the two. 

 

Interface Control - your RF Remotes

Educate yourself with the interface available. We'll expand on the phone/tablet Powerview App later. Your direct interface with your motorized blinds is your hand held or wall Remote.

Always always always you should have each blind numbered and have dedicated individual control for said.

The right remote in the picture above is the Powerview Pebble Remote. Numbers 1 to 6 control that many shades - with the common ALL button lower left. Up , Stop, Down, and Favourite settting PER BLIND.

Simple, versatile - the way it should be. Powered with two 2032 batteries. Lights on keypad for use, timeout dim within 7 seconds. 

 

Each Hunter Douglas Pebble Remote is ready to control ANY Hunter Douglas Powerview blind. Those little wiggle up and down arrows in the Centre disc allow a consumer to fine tune their Silhouette vanes open/close. 

 

The Serena / Sivoia Lutron remote on left is really a Common ALL remote. Powered with only one 2032 battery - it has many shortcomings. Signal strength seems an issue for multiple blinds - making the user " step closer " to point and engage blinds. Critically it is ALL up , Stop, or ALL Down. There is a favourite setting button - but really it is not versatile. 

 

The home these remotes picture was taken had sixteen Lutron Roller Shades, with various West, Southwest, and Northern exposure blinds. HOW can you separate these grouped areas  for Sun need control ? You cannot with the Lutron remote.

 

The home also had seven Skylights with Hunter Douglas Skylight Powerview Duettes. Every skylight numbered and operability versatile to the client's needs. Obviously there was no Lutron choice for these seven windows. 

 

With a HD Pebble remote - selecting blinds 1, 3, and 5 ( any myriad selection thereof ) - is an example of your endless versatility. Yes there is applications for more than six blinds per room. We encounter this a lot, and when we do, Remotes get labelled for their Grouped area. Mostly it is compass or floor orientation - hence the West Blinds or 2nd Floor will all be on one remote. Most homeowners want as much ambient light as possible - so Northern Groupings will have a dedicated remote with less use. With or without a Powerview App ( for even more grouping controls ) - you want and need a failsafe interface.

Your RF Pebble remote. 

 

There's a ton of Somfy motorized Rollers out there , powered with telephone wiring and 5 cent connectors.

Where's the manual control button on blind ? There isn't.

Is there individual blind selection on remote ? There isn't. 

These are reasons why we don't even consider Somfy in this discussion. 

 

Know your options for blind control and ensure it's what you get. 

 

Power Supply 

When not direct AWG 18 wired - we proudly promote and sell the 10 " C " battery pack for all Hunter Douglas blinds.

Average lifespan of 3 to 5 years.

Silhouettes, Duettes, Roller Shades, Banded Shades, Vignettes, Sonnettes, Soleras.

We install the C Battery packs as strategic as possible, with a secondary S.P. Interiors exclusive hold-down. Easy changeout of batteries ( we do that for ALL our clients by the way ).

There is now a Hunter Douglas  rechargeable AA Battery wand. BUT you still need to get at the headrail assembly to

• plug the wand in or
• remove the wand to a charging stand.

And this will need to be done 2-3 times a year. 

 

Lutron does have a Valance-encased 8 " D " battery pack - but only for Roller Shades. While it's current supply is more - the Lutron battery pack will not last as long. It is also a larger diameter battery - so is limited for install stealth of their other products. 

There is no comparison to Power Supply options. Hunter Douglas spends more on R&D than all competitors. No one can see the manufacture and loom process of Duette fabrics, nor can anyone see the creation of Silhouette material. These two sentences have nothing to do with power supply - but they highlight the measures taken to create such beautiful products.

And yes - the Duette material is made and formed on a loom just like fabrics are. 

 

Fit & Finish 

Besides the Fascia and Valance options - Hunter Douglas has a Large & Small fabric wrapped Square Cassette valance and a Large & Small fabric wrapped Round Cassette valance. Lutron has ONE option. 

Hunter Douglas has FIVE bottom rail options - with the Flat Wrapped Bottom Bar the most popular. Lutron has ONE option. 

 

Installation / Maintenance 

Any Hunter Douglas Powerview blind can have the Battery pack easily removed for battery changeout and/or recharging - with blind still intact in brackets.

Separate of this - any Hunter Douglas blind can be removed from it's brackets - for window cleaning, repairs, Blind adjustment & repairs - with Battery pack still intact in brackets. 

You cannot do this with a Lutron Roller Shade - or any other of their products. 

 

Powerview App 

Like a HD Pebble Remote - each blind in a Powerview App is named/numbered and sorted per Room. 

Room Settings allow you to access individual / grouped blinds and swipe a simulated screen shade up. down, wherever. 

Scene Settings allow you to create a " Scene " of blinds and your needed blind position.

Example " Primary Bedroom Closed ".

Literally an endless amount of Scenes you can create. Once a Scene is created - a simple touch of said Tab on screen - the Scene is engaged. 

Automations allow you to time Scenes to particular days and hours. You can turn off/on Automations , revise and adjust Automations - literally an endless amount of options. 

 

Lutron has an App - our experience with it is not as favourable as the Powerview App. When the Lutron product fails to equal the Hunter Douglas superior product - the App follows with lesser operability.