Roller shutters - plastic or aluminum?

Hello,

We are having the roller shutters and windows replaced in the house. The question is whether we should choose plastic roller shutters or ones made of aluminum. Plastic is considerably cheaper, which is why we tend to go for it. Are there people here with experience? Would we be making the wrong decision with this?

We pay a total surcharge of €340 for the upgrade from plastic to aluminum roller shutters on 10 windows. Do you have an offer for both versions?

I have stopped counting how many slats I have replaced in 4 years on plastic roller shutters that were 20 years old. I only have a reference for aluminum after a few years. If the price difference is only marginal, I would always choose aluminum. If it had become four-figures for us, I would also have chosen plastic. Plastic has been in use for many, many decades; what could possibly go significantly wrong with it (even today)? I believe both have their pros and cons. Dark aluminum roller shutters apparently expand more and retain heat longer, which is rather counterproductive in midsummer. Plastic slats tear off more quickly if they get frozen to the windowsill and are then pulled up. Aluminum is more UV-stable than plastic, etc. Presumably, now a wild discussion about the respective personal favorites will start. :-)

We mixed. Aluminum for the floor-to-ceiling and wide windows, plastic for the rest. It was stated that way in the first version of the construction description of our [GU] and sounded sensible. I don't know the price differences now.

When I look at my parental home, I would possibly opt for aluminum on the south side and maybe also on the west side. At first, we still replaced the plastic slats on some windows. At some point, we decided to switch to aluminum. On the east and north sides, the UV exposure is lower, and from my perspective, plastic can also be used there. It also depends a bit on the window size. The wider, the more I would tend to choose aluminum.

One reason why aluminum is predominantly used today is the fact that it is available in the desired color. I believe the industry did not necessarily switch to aluminum due to technical necessity or innovations but because of the demand from customers for colored blinds. As far as I know, the selection of colors for plastics is limited.