Buyers' Product Review

Chain Splicer Eliminates Problems R.H. Rowley Co., Gastonia, NC, sells a hand tool for splicing #10 beaded chain. This tool eliminates the need for chain connectors that get caught in mechanisms. This unique tool opens and closes the chain ball, making it possible to join two pieces of chain. The Beaded Chain Splicing Tool is made of nickel-plated cast steel with a spring-loaded handle. A free catalog on this and many other workroom and installation products is available. Washable Pleating, Shirring Tapes Washable window fabrics demand washable pleating and shirring tapes so the entire treatment can be machine laundered. ADO, Spartanburg, SC, produces a complete line of washable tapes that create box pleats, pinch pleats and a variety of decorative top edges for sheers and heavier fabrics. Genuine Oak, Cherry Blind Slats Two-inch wood slats available from American Wood Finishers, Inc., Tucker, GA, are natural wood products in genuine oak and genuine cherry and are adaptable to wood blind fabrication. The slats were awarded Most Innovative Overall Design for wood products by the Window Covering Manufacturers Assocation (WCMA) this year. Natural Alternate Treatments Blue Ribbon Woven Woods from Tentina Window Fashions, Inc., Lindenhurst, NY, are the natural alternative in window treatments. These expertly hand-crafted woven woods are available in a variety of patterns and colors to make them one of the most versatile window treatments. Quick Delivery on Wood Program The wood blind program from Custom Craft Window Fashions, Cerritos, CA, is available in a quick-ship program so these fashionable custom-made products can be shipped within 72 hours from the day they are ordered. Custom Quilting with Ease Gammill Quilting Machine, West Plains, MO, offers custom quilting machines featuring electronic two-station needle positioner, style M double capacity bobbin and a built-on automatic bobbin winder. Its new Cam-Guide makes perfectly straight diagonal seams with ease. Complete Shutter Sales Package The Sonesta Shutter[TM] program package from Vista Products, Sarasota, FL, includes all the tools necessary to sell the style and charm of shutters with the advantages of vinyl. Convenient carrying case includes one panel, all frame styles and louver sizes with color options. Also available are a complete 30- by 30-inch showroom display in elegant casing frame, point-of-purchase counter card and more. Treatments Displayed Pictures & Prices Corp., Lakewood, CO, displays your clients' walls and windows. Place a selected window fashion or a combination of hard and soft treatments and they will be drawn to scale. Go one step further by pricing it. When the sale is complete, a simple click of a button produces all purchase, production and installation orders. Tracks and Rods in Bulk Blind tracks and tilt rods from Eastern Metal Supply, Inc., Charlotte, NC, are offered in bulk packages with a stock length program available for fabricators. Items are packaged for convenient delivery from warehouses in North Carolina and Florida. Easy Decorating Menagerie The Noah's Ark Collection from Claesson, a Conso Co., Union, SC, provides quick and easy decorating with whimsical, good natured animals. These decorating accessories may be used as scarfholders, tiebacks, rod rests or towel holders. They leave decorating limited only by your imagination. Designer Look in Vertical Program Allied and All-Teck, members of the Royal Plastics Group, introduce Willoughby, a new textured vertical blinds pattern by LASERlite. A collection of decorator styles in 3 1/2-inch louvers and coordinated patterns in two-inch for horizontal blind application are offered for a truly designer look. Updated Colors, Patterns Turnils USA, Duluth, GA, has updated the color selections for its products. Nordic Light pleated shades now are available in 56 colors in six patterns with color-matched rails and components. Nordic Light honeycomb shades are offered in 21 colors compatible with the regular pleated shade hardware program. The one-inch blind line now is available in 114 colors. Circular Display Fits Small Space Double- or triple-tier Max-Space[TM] circular displays from Emerling & Co./CALHOOK[TM], Sunnyvale, CA, hold large numbers of samples in a very small space. The display also is available as an economy single-tier, that's easily expanded to the larger capacity. Thirty-six-inch diameter rings adjust in height to display all sizes of sample books, hanging samples or binders at good viewing angles. Model #CFR36 is UPS quick-shippable. Computer Graphic Design Program From The Reflective Designer, Marblehead, MA, is a new computer graphic and pricing program that is easy to use and allows quick presentation of complete window treatment designs by overlaying eight categories featuring more than 440 designs. Each treatment can be changed by simply clicking on the button. IBM compatible with Windows 3.1 or higher. Quality Woods in Colorful Array Delta Woods blinds from CACO, Inc., Johnson City, TN, are manufactured of premium American hardwoods and are available as a quality, valued custom program. Choose from an array of whites and colors. Aluminum Blind Cut-down Machine The aluminum blind cut-down machine from Richview Window Coverings, City of Industry, CA, cuts head- and bottomrails and cuts and rounds slats in less than a second. An accompanying aluminum stock program features 80 sizes in two colors. The cut-down machine also is available for lease in program. Synthetic Two-inch Wood Blinds A product with real advantages. From Polywood Bind Co., Phoenix, AZ, the makers of the award winning Polywood Shutter, comes the Polywood Blind. Made of a unique engineered wood substitute with all the advantages of synthetics, but you won't believe they're not wood. GE-tested, waterproof and with durable finishes in various colors, these blinds are available in two-inch size only. Custom Sample Displays Attractive and affordable point-of-purchase sample displays from Floorplan Displays, Inc., Dallas, TX, are ideal for the drapery, mini-blind and wallpaper industries. These innovative custom displays are represented throughout North America Vertical Carrier Systems Two eight-prong carrier systems, the mini (A-604) and scissors (A-804), now are in production from A.C.S. Inc., Irwindale, CA. Also available are three-prong scissors and four-prong self-ALIGNing systems and end controls. Quality Blinds at Factory Prices Blind Buster Inc., Dallas, TX, manufactures name brand quality custom blinds at low factory-direct prices with fast turnaround and responsive customer service. Product information and free sample kits are available. Decorative Accessories Silverado Service Co., Calistoga, CA, offers a host of decorative accessories. Wood tassels, cord locks and pulleys are featured. Modular Design Has Advantages The Advantage inspection/ measuring machine from Creative Engineering & Mfg. Corp., Crestwood, KY, works to your advantage because its modular design allows modifications or upgrades by changing only a module instead of the whole machine. The full-featured inspection machine comes with pre-setable tension, advanced measuring system and an optional tubular knit mode, which makes it two machines in one. The Advantage is equipped for large diameter rolls and widths for heavy-duty industrial or commercial use, with optional bar code printing and scanning available. Takes Gueswork Out of Measuring The Window Coverings Association of America (WCAA), Lake Forest, IL, offers the Angle Devisor for measuring the angles of bay and other odd-shaped windows in seconds. The Angle Devisor adjusts to any angle and is 100 percent accurate. With a simple sliding motion, decorators, designers and installers can determine the dimensions of the most difficult-to-measure windows. Fire-safe Vinyl Shutters Bombay Shutters, Inc., Winter Garden, FL, provides an alternative to wood shutters. The Vinylbilt shutter system features durable and maintenance-free Polyresin3®, which is waterproof, environmentally friendly and provides self-extinguishing fire safety characteristics. The simple-to-install shutters come in permanent finishes and with a patented tilt bar locking mechanism. Takes Gueswork Out of Measuring The Window Coverings Association of America (WCAA), Lake Forest, IL, offers the Angle Devisor for measuring the angles of bay and other odd-shaped windows in seconds. The Angle Devisor adjusts to any angle and is 100 percent accurate. With a simple sliding motion, decorators, designers and installers can determine the dimensions of the most difficult-to-measure windows.