With everyone at home all day every day this pandemic summer, there were certain long-standing annoyances that didn't get ignored. One of those is the extreme solar heat gain from the two walls of glass in our kitchen (on the SE corner of our home.) Due to a french door and high upper cabinets that need to open outwards, hanging traditional curtains wouldn't be completely straightforward. Applying a suction cup based curtain directly to the glass solved the heat gain issue and didn't interfere with the functioning of any doors.I bought this StangH Portable Blackout Curtains Blinds in Grey, size W51 x L78. I also bought two sizes of Easy-Going 100% Blackout Blind Suction Cup Curtain. I had several windows to cover and no product came in exactly the dimensions I wanted. I was also curious about this unlined StangH curtain vs. the silver-foil-backed Easy-Going curtain style.StangH has NO LINING; very dark, but perhaps not true BLACKOUT---------------------------------------------------------------------------------In the dark Grey color, the StangH curtain does do a good job as a blackout curtain. I suspect the dissatisfied customers chose lighter colors. Without a lining, I'm not surprised that a white curtain would let a lot of light through. That being said, the StangH curtain is a thicker, "sueded" feeling synthetic material. In a dark color, it blocks a lot of light. Because I tried it in a very bright kitchen with windows on another wall, that did not make a good test case for a true BLACKOUT curtain. We also tried the StangH curtain on my kids' bedroom window, and that is where it ended up staying. Their north facing window is also not a great test case for true blackout conditions, but it did help my teen enjoy much better sleep in his newly darkened room.StangH SUCTION CUPS require a lot of prep work to make them stick---------------------------------------------------------------------------------The suction cups for the StangH blind came very mis-shapen and unwilling to adhere well due to their deformity. I not only soaked the cups in warm water, I poured water just off the boil from my tea kettle over them! Simply soaking in hot water also didn't seem to be sufficient. In the end, I soaked the suction cups in near boiling water, then--while they were HOT--stuck them down onto a large glass plate with a slick of slightly soapy water on it. After cooling down WHILE STUCK FAST TO A GLASS SURFACE, the suction cups straightened out enough to be usable. This process was annoying and took me overnight to straighten all of the suction cups. That said, it didn't cost me anything or require extraordinary tools, equipment, or know how. I'm not going to ding the product for this annoyance, but I think consumers should be told this might be required.My StangH curtain has been hanging up for about two months with the suction cups. It lived in the kitchen for two weeks before I decided the Easy-Going option worked better there. I had to pry the suction cups loose to take down the StangH. I just went into the boys' room to check on the StangH curtain there, and it is still firmly affixed in place. The lower row (bottom edge) of the curtain is NOT stuck fast with suction cups, but I suspect (due to ALL of them being un-affixed) that my kids decided it was too much trouble to use them along the bottom edge where gravity was already doing the work.Suction cups always work best if you clean the surface well before applying. Moistening the back with soapy water before applying helps, too. I did both of these things each time I put up the curtain.No LINING means minimal INSULATION with the StangH curtain---------------------------------------------------------------------------------Because it is cold and windy today, I took the opportunity to compare "how cold it feels" by holding my hand up in front of an uncovered portion of the window and the glass covered by the StangH curtain. Honestly, the single layer of fabric, even though it is fairly thick for a one-layer curtain, does not have a significant insulating effect. I believe the StangH curtain will please consumers who want light control more than those who require insulation over older windows. Almost anything will insulate better than a single pane of glass, but one layer of polyester will only hold in a tiny bit more warmth.StangH metal KEYRING holders for suction cups take hand strength to insert---------------------------------------------------------------------------------I have arthritis in my hands due to autoimmune disease, not age. I could not insert all of the suction cups by myself; it took too much hand strength and dexterity for my limited abilities. My teen was pressed into service. This will be more annoying than difficult for fully able-bodied (able-handed?) people. I used a flat screwdriver or a metal nail file rather than my fingernails to pry open the keyring style metal circles, and I'd advise other buyers to do the same if they value their manicure.StangH unlined curtain gives a good, neutral appearance from the street---------------------------------------------------------------------------------In spite of the imperfection of the unlined curtain offering limited insulation, it is still my preference for the kids' bedroom window because that window is very large and it faces the street. The plain, dark grey surface of the StangH curtain is virtually invisible from the road. Compared with the shiny reflective back surface of the Easy-Going curtain with the strong contrast of a similar dark grey color banding the edges (and BLACK suction cups), the StangH is less visible and looks neater and more "finished" to passers-by. For the front of my house in a nice suburban neighborhood, this is very important to me.StangH curtain "adjustment" of size is just where you place the suction cups---------------------------------------------------------------------------------I see many questions in the Q&A about how one "adjusts" the size of these curtains. You really don't, and the seller could explain this better. I hope my photos help. Basically, the curtain "size" is not changed, but placing the suction cups (or velcro dots) closer together allows the curtain fabric to fold over itself and therefore cover a smaller area. If done carefully, this can achieve a look kind of like Roman blinds. The StangH curtain won't "open and close" like roman blinds, however! It will just stay stuck in a shape that looks like them.Also, I wondered before ordering if the suction cups would be placed around all four edges so that I could use the curtain in either a "tall" or "wide" orientation. Yes, they are, so, yes, you can use this as a very wide but short curtain, or in the traditional shape that is taller than it is wide. In both orientations, my curtain stayed up using the suction cups.
