Smart Systems new Visofold 5000 bifolding door reviewed.

Most people in the trade know the Smarts Visofold suite of bifolding doors. The range presently consists of four different variants on the Visofold theme.

The dominance of Smart Systems in the marketplace cannot be ignored. Smart Systems are now the largest aluminium systems company in the UK by turnover. Smarts also dominate the trade sector of the market. Substantial numbers of fabricators, trade counters and installers choose Smarts for its quality and low price. They are also pretty good bifolding doors as well.

As an aluminium systems company Smart Systems not only produces its own suite of architectural aluminium products but they can now extrude profiles for others looking to design their own systems with custom-made extrusions. They have done this for several other systems already.

We now have a brand new aluminium bifold from Smarts.

New Smarts Visofold 5000 bifolding door.

Smarts’ new Visofold 5000 is a contemporary slimline door that other systems may find hard to beat.

A new Visofold is available from Smarts – the Visofold 5000. The Visofold 5000 adds to the range of four different bifolding doors presently available from Smarts. These are:

Smarts Visofold 1000 is the most popular of the Smarts folding doors. Smarts Visofold 2000 provides a deep bottom rail and square section to mimic traditional timber doors. Smarts Visofold 3000 is a commercial or residential system with thicker profiles. Smarts Visofold 4000 continues the original concept of early generation bifolds where each panel hangs off an intermediate mullion. We are unclear if any of the other Visofolds will be discontinued.

What’s new about Visofold 5000 bifolding doors?

The first thing that is noticeable with the new doors is the much improved, flatter and squarer sight lines. All the sections are designed to be slimline, and Smart’s designers have certainly achieved this.

Very much a residential bifolding door, Visofold 5000 promises to offer the aesthetics, price point and quality that the typical bifolding door customer desires.

The Visofold 5000 comes with quality hardware but may not have the luxury perception of other brands. It cannot possess the 20-year guarantee of the Origin bifolds or the 25-year warranty with an aïr bifolding door. However, this is understandable given that this is a door provided in bar length by Smart Systems and not a bifolding door exclusively fabricated by one company.

What it does possess is the standard features now expected of a current generation folding door. That is great security, low U-Values, a triple-glazed option and decent weather performance.

Smart Systems Visofold 5000. Nearly the slimmest aluminium bifolding door on the market?

A contemporary aesthetic and very impressive 108.5mm slim sight lines at the meeting stiles.

The Smarts Visofold 5000 is a remarkably thin bifolding door where it matters to some buyers the most. If the sight line where the bifolding doors meet in the middle is important, we think no other major bifolding door system offers the sight lines of the new Visofold 5000.

At a hugely impressive 108.5mm, the Visofold 5000 is 10% thinner than the Schuco ASS 70FD (120mm) and still thinner than the Sunflex SF 75 bifold door that is only 115mm. These dimensions are overall frame sizes to the glass line, including the glazing beads.

Our research shows that there is one door that beats the Visofold 5000. The Solarlux SL80 comes in at 104mm. However, this is not a bar length supplied product to fabricators. Only Solarlux make their doors.

With all these different systems and profiles in mind, we have taken some of the best-known aluminium bifolding door systems in the UK and created a table showing how these all compare on meeting stile dimensions.

We believe this to be the first sight line comparison with such a diverse range of bifolding doors listed. Take a look and see how the Visofold 5000 compares.

Smart Systems Visofold 5000 Features and Specifications.

While the Visofold 5000 offers industry leading sight lines, it fares less well on door panel sizes. Smarts say that sash widths of between 70mm and 1000mm wide are possible. Door heights can be up to 2500mm. A maximum panel weight of 100kg is recommended. Now while these sizes may be less than other systems, for the typical bifolding door installation they are perfectly adequate.

Smarts are offering the DV522 square door sash or the DV523 profiled sash section. The outer frame is square. You will also find a range of ancillary profiles to suit the product, including a corner post, flush cill, coupling sections, head extension for trickle vent and several sub-cill profiles as well.

Glazing is offered with 24mm sealed units, up to 40mm triple glazing. Glazing for 28mm units can only be achieved with a square glazing bead and up to 32mm units require the sloped bead.

U-Values are quoted as 1.3Wm2K with weather performance excellent at 2000pa for air, water and wind resistance.

Smart Systems Visofold 5000 bifolding door. Our conclusion.

Where a slim bifold matters the most, the Visofold 5000 will lead the market.

Smarts need congratulating on developing the slimmest bifold on the market by an aluminium systems company. It will be a huge success, and we have already spoken to some installers who think they will now replace their Schuco door with the Visofold 5000 as their ‘slim bifold offering’. Some also said that they are simply not getting the service from Schuco or their network of fabricators because of lead times, especially with painted material.

Visofold 5000 is a new product so what we do not yet have details of is information on the gearing, the handles and their aesthetics. Some Smarts fabricators already replace the standard handle on the Visofold 1000 with a more premium handle from DeBar and others. This may happen again with the 5000.

You cannot fault the Visofold 5000 on its specification, U-Values and aesthetics. We also think it will be very well priced as well. What remains to be seen is whether the trade and consumers go for the Visofold 5000 on its terrific sight lines over and above other systems that are considered superior in design, engineering, quality and brand perception, but thicker.

If selling bifolds on their sight lines matters to installers and fabricators, the Smarts Visofold is sure to be a very successful bifolding door.

Would you sell the Smarts Visofold 5000?

What do you think of this new door and its very slim sight lines? Would you sell it? How important do you think sight lines are when selling a bifold? Is is all about aesthetics or do products like the Schuco, Origin or Reynaers bifold door that are thicker,  yet are marketed differently still have the competitive edge because of brand perception? We would like to have your comments and hear your views.

(Images courtesy of Smart Systems and Cheam Windows of Surrey).

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