In our first “Undercover’s boss” interview, Chris Reynolds talked us through the basics around awnings: folding arm awnings, full cassette awning, semi-cassette awnings, open awnings and even retractable roofs…rooves…retractable roof systems :). 

Today we’re going to investigate the high-level benefits and differences between the four folding arm awning brands that Undercover like to work with. 

Why choose BAT, Acmeda, Turnils or Weinor folding arm awnings?

Chris shared the Undercover Blinds & Awnings motto: “Everything we do is built to a standard, not to a price.”  He added, “There will always be cheaper options out there. But based on our 40 years of experience and testing, we’ve selected this range of awnings to field most of what customers require in the Melbourne market. Of course, we can access any brand if need be, but we strongly recommend these four brands – and each for different reasons.”

What is the notable difference between each of these folding arm awnings brands?

• Acmeda awnings are particularly well suited to most midrange homes in the suburbs away from salt air, where people are simply wanting to cover their outdoor space.
• BAT awnings are also great for the average suburban home in Melbourne and can have a custom colour applied, have a neat feature that is an extendable valance (a separate little blind that drops down vertically) to provide more shade, and the projection angle is adjustable which can help protect against both sun and wind.
• Turnils take the folding arm awnings technology a step up, being more hardy against salt air and wind, more installation-friendly when it comes to mounting fixing points on the home, and with a unique pitch control mechanism.
• Weinor awnings have that fine German engineering precision, and provide “showcase home” luxury. Everything you could possibly dream of to make your awning non-intrusive, and dare we say, to elevate your home. 

So the Weinor is like the Mercedes of the folding arm awning world?

Well, if you consider the BAT and Acmeda brands to be the Volkswagen and Nissan of the folding arm awning world – great for suburbia, reliable, good looking. Then the Turnils is your BMW and your Audi of the awnings world – stylish, a few cool features and a bit pricier. And that makes Weinor your Rolls Royce or Bentley in the folding arm awning world – really that top level of luxury and sophistication with a sleek design.

What about pricing then, for the fab four of the awning world?

Well, as you’d expect, there’s a price increase as you go up the ladder with the brands. But it’s worth noting that among the four brands, there is enough variety in the models that we have something for everyone. In fact, one of our points of difference is that we are not beholden to selling a limited stock like other awnings installers might. 

We are in the rather unique position to be able to really offer the solution that suits your home or business’ look, weather needs, and budget. We don’t need to force a single style or brand on our customers. And frankly, with 40 years in the industry, we’ve never had an issue getting access to any brand or model if that’s what our customer needs. 

Do you manufacture the folding arm awnings or are these brands imported? 

Surprisingly (given the sun) Australia doesn’t “manufacture” awnings… not exactly. Folding arm awnings are imported in disassembled parts. (Fun fact: Turnils, the oldest folding arm awning importer to Australia, have been reliably supplying awnings to Australian homes for over 40 years, around the same time  we opened Undercover Blinds and Awnings!)

Although folding arm awnings are imported into Australia, they don’t come ready-made. As you can imagine this is because all folding arm awnings are custom-built for each customer’s home or business. In other words, they don’t arrive ready to install – a measure, cut, assembly and installation are required each time.

At Undercover, we import all our folding arm awnings from Europe, however since all of our awnings are made-to-measure, we import the bars, fabrics, fixtures and mechanical parts as separate pieces. Acmeda and BAT folding arm awnings come from Italy. Some Turnils awnings come from Italy too, but some also come from Sweden. Whereas the mighty Weinor (pronounced “Viner”) awnings come from Germany. 

We then cut to measure the arms, rails, fabrics, etc., and create the completed, custom awnings in our factory in Carrum Downs, Melbourne. One of the things we pride ourselves on is that we use a very high-quality thread. And the thread costs vary a lot more than people would imagine. But there’s a lot of thought and effort that goes behind the threads that we use for different fabrics. And certainly, regardless of whether the awning is an Acmeda awning or a BAT awning, we ensure they all have the same quality of manufacturing of awning fabrics.

Wow! That is a lot to take in. Let’s pause here and come back next week with some more particulars about taking care of our folding arm awnings. 

 If you’re looking for the perfect awning or outdoor blind for your home, contact Undercover Blinds and Awnings today. We’ll come to your house for a free onsite consultation, during which we’ll measure your space and recommend an awning or blind that’s ideal for your home’s design and environment. With our extensive knowledge and 40 years of experience, we can help you select the best possible option for your needs. Don’t wait – call us today!