Roller shades are a growing trend in the hospitality industry. They are rather simple to make, are durable, have multiple design and pricing options, and have an overall clean look. It’s no wonder more and more designers are wanting to integrate them into their projects. That being said, with so many players in the market, how in the world do you decide what manufacturer to specify or who to purchase them from and why?

Sometimes designers must feel like drawing a name out of a hat would be more beneficial. We’ve written this blog post to focus on a company profile of Mariak and a comparison of the 3 roller shades they produce, in hopes it helps some of your decision making. First, we’ve organized the plain data facts in an easy-to-compare chart. Then, we’ve created some decision points that hopefully help you decide when to use a certain product in a certain space.

Company Profile

Mariak Industries was started in 1986 by Leo and Patty Elinson. They were privately in business for 32 years before being acquired by Springs Window Fashions in 2017.

Mariak offers 3 different roller shade series; R-series, M-series & Platinum Series. Two of these three are proprietary offerings by Mariak alone, while the R-series is made by Rollease and can be procured by various shade manufacturing companies. Today, we are looking to uncover the differences between each series with the hope that making an educated choice becomes easier for you!

Factual Comparison

First we've created a comparison chart, detailing the different components and options available under the three different series. We hope this serves as a terse cheat sheet in highlighting the technical differences as well as your options per series.

Size Requirements

Decision Points

Secondly, and with more practical usability, we've listed some decision points and usage suggestions for each of the series. We hope that these two varieties of information will aid you in making an informed decision on which roller shade is best for a particular scenario.

The R-Series is made of all plastic, it is light weight and is made of separate components. While being very durable for it's material makeup, it will wear if stretched towards the periphery of its size and weight limits, that being said it's size limits are very large. If needing to treat a very long window your best bet is to go with R-Series. Typically the R-Series is the least expensive option and can be purchased from multiple vendors.
The M-Series is a step above the R-Series, made with premium parts and available with further customization, it is particularly good for heavier and thicker fabrics. Think to use the M-series especially when specifying complete blackout fabrics which are typically heavier and thicker than sheers.
The Platinum series, is what it says it is—top of the line. The premium clutch/bracket combination is made nearly completely with metal components, meaning this series has the strongest of the bracket and clutches. This enables the system to have larger size capacity and a much greater weight maximum. The Platinum series is also the only clutch/bracket that allows easy snap in of back fascia, further eliminating light bleed. Lastly, the Platinum series offers an 'over-sized' option allowing for shades to be produced extra wide.