The short answer. Exterior Design supplies and installs ZipNice outdoor zip blinds in Singapore. We do not supply or install Ziptrak, which is a separate brand sold through its own retailers. If you hold a Ziptrak quotation and want to consider ZipNice, the useful comparison is item by item rather than brand against brand: the named system, the fabric code, how each opening is configured, how the blinds operate, what they fix to, the written weather guidance for that product, and what aftercare is itemised.
This guide does not claim that ZipNice is equivalent to, better than or cheaper than Ziptrak, and it does not compare their components, wind performance or approvals. Those are product facts each supplier should state in writing for your own openings.
Why “zip blinds” on a quotation does not identify a product
Outdoor zip blinds are a category: fabric screens whose edges run inside side tracks. Many separately branded systems fit that description. Two quotations that both read “outdoor zip blinds, three bays, motorised” can describe different systems, fabrics, motors and fixings, and the totals cannot tell you which.
Ziptrak’s own Singapore FAQ advises buyers to ask whether a retailer sells the official Ziptrak system and to have the Ziptrak brand name on the quotation and invoice. That advice is Ziptrak’s, about Ziptrak. The same discipline is sensible for every brand, including ours: a ZipNice quotation from Exterior Design should name ZipNice.
Eight rows that make two quotations comparable
Our quotation checklist lists what any zip blind quotation should cover. When the two quotations carry different brand names, these are the rows to check in practice, and how to check each one.
- Named system. Read the line item, not the cover page. If one quotation names a brand and the other says only “zip blinds”, ask the second supplier which system and model it is before going further.
- Physical fabric sample and code. Write down the code printed on the sample, not just the colour name. Hold it up where you will sit, at the time of day the glare or rain is a problem. Openness, fabric colour and the difference in light between indoors and outdoors all affect the view through the fabric.
- Opening configuration. Each opening should appear on its own line with its width and drop. Check how neighbouring blinds meet at a corner or post, and what each side track fixes to. One overall balcony width hides these differences.
- Operation. Manual, spring assisted or motorised, stated for each opening. For a motorised blind, ask for the motor model and controls and how many blinds each control runs. ZipNice is available in manual and motorised versions.
- Fixing and electrical scope. Ask what the headbox fixes to, what the floor is like under the bottom bar, and whether the power point and wiring are included, excluded or left for you to arrange.
- Weather guidance. Ask each supplier for the written operating guidance for the quoted product and opening sizes. Guidance written for one brand does not transfer to another; see the next section.
- Aftercare itemised. “Warranty included” is not a comparison. Ask which items are covered: fabric, motor and controls, tracks and headbox, and installation labour, each with its own terms, plus who to call and whether a service visit is charged.
- Installed evidence and demonstration. Ask where you can see the quoted system operating in an installed opening. You can watch an installed blind rising and lowering and browse our blind installation photographs. A video shows movement and layout; it does not establish a rating or warranty.
Download the comparison worksheet
Twenty seven blank rows covering every item above, with a column for each quotation and space for notes. The total price row comes last on purpose. No formulas, no macros.
A worked example: two unpriced quotations
Illustrative only. These are invented quotations for an imaginary three opening condominium balcony, not real client work, and they describe no particular brand’s practice. Prices are left out deliberately.
Quotation A names its brand and system. Quotation B describes “outdoor zip blinds” without a brand. Either could have come from any supplier. Laid into the worksheet, they look like this:
On a small screen, scroll the table sideways to see each column.
| Row | Quotation A | Quotation B | Ask before comparing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Named system | Brand and system named | “Outdoor zip blinds” only | B: which brand, system and model? |
| Openings | Three blinds, one overall balcony width | Width and drop for each of three openings | A: width and drop per opening, and how the corner blinds meet |
| Fabric | Colour name only | Fabric code and openness stated | A: fabric code and openness. Both: a physical sample |
| Operation | Motorised, motor not named | Manual | A: motor model and controls. You: which operation you actually want on both |
| Fixing and electrical | “Installation included” | Headbox fixing to the slab described; side tracks and floor not mentioned | A: what is fixed to what, and whether electrical work is included. B: side and floor details |
| Weather guidance | Not provided | Not provided | Both: written guidance for the quoted product and sizes |
| Aftercare | “Warranty included” | Labour period stated; fabric and motor not listed | Both: each item covered and its terms in writing |
| Installed evidence | Not offered | Photographs of installed work sent | Both: where you can see the quoted system operating |
What the example shows
Neither quotation can be compared on price yet. A identifies the product but not the fabric or motor. B identifies the fabric but not the product. Even the operation differs, so a lower total could simply reflect a manual blind against a motorised one.
The fix is the same for both: send each supplier the blank rows and ask them to complete them for the same openings and the same operation. Look at the two fabric samples side by side in the same light. Only once every row is filled does the total price tell you something.
Weather guidance belongs to the product
Ziptrak publishes a setup guide for its outdoor manual blinds with its own instructions for operating them in windy and extreme weather, and its FAQ states that its blinds do not guarantee complete water tightness. Those statements are written by Ziptrak for Ziptrak blinds.
Do not apply Ziptrak’s figures or instructions to a ZipNice blind, and do not apply ZipNice guidance to a Ziptrak blind. Ask each supplier for the guidance that matches the quoted system and your opening sizes. For ZipNice, ask us for the operating precautions for the installation we quote. Any outdoor zip blind is a fabric screen in a track, not a sealed window; some spray can still enter during heavy, wind driven rain.
When a blind is not the whole answer
If rain is coming from above because the space is open to the sky, side blinds of any brand will not stop it. Read zip blinds or a roof before comparing blind quotations for an uncovered patio.
Getting a ZipNice quotation to compare
Send a wide photograph of the balcony and one of each opening, showing the top fixing area, the side returns and the floor. Add the approximate width and drop of each opening and, if you are comparing, the operation and fabric openness on the other quotation so we can quote the same configuration. We confirm the measured details before the work is agreed. If any row of the worksheet is blank on our quotation, ask us to complete it.