In purchasing the cheapest curved shower rod from Amazon, I knew that I was not going to get the highest quality product available. I expected cheap materials, maybe a screw missing, but this shower rod fell below my already low expectations.
The rod comes in 2 nested pieces, and the inner piece slides out, making it adjustable. I suspect this is a standard design for curved shower rods.
The support brackets are a small metal discs with two flaps onto which each end of the rod is afixed with a tiny bolt.
Here are my gripes:
* The inner rod was extremely difficult to adjust; it was totally stuck and I had to use some serious elbow grease. When it finally popped out, it had scratched on the outer rod. Undaunted, I persevered.
* In order to keep the rods from scraping together, a small plastic tube was wedged around the end of the outer rod where the friction between the two rods would presumably occur. Obviously this plastic protector failed.
* The support brackets are built such that when the rod is installed according to the directions, the weight of the shower curtain rotates the brackets and pulls the rod down so that the bend faces downward! This would totally defeat the purpose of the curved shower rod if I had followed the directions. Instead I had to redrill the holes for the support brackets so that it could not dip when the rod was affixed.
* I can only assume the last defect was a personal insult directed at me from China. The shoddy workmanship on the hardware demonstrates a contempt that brings shame to the profession of metalsmithing. One of the 4 screws was basically faceless. It was supposed to be a Phillip's head screw, but was obviously botched during the casting process, as the head of the screw looked more like a nail. I was able to "screw" it into the wall, through the bracket by predrilling and using a vice grip.
* When the rod was finally installed, the difference in size between the two rods left a gap where they meet. This means that when I try to slide the curtain back and forth on the rod, the curtain hooks get caught on the larger rod. I have to tediously lift and gently pull each hook over the lip.
I would have returned this, but it was so cheap that it's not worth hassling with the vendor and lugging the thing to UPS/FEDEX to pay shipping and restocking.
Not as sturdy as we would have liked, and its a bit complicated to put together. But its a nice design and goes really well in our bathroom. I looked all over and this was truly the best price for a curved rod.
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In the picture these appeared very dark, which is what I wanted to match my fixtures and faucets. Upon receiving them I saw they are gold and dark brown striped. It's very noticable, not subtle at all like the other oil rubbed bronze I have purchased. Installation was harder than expected, definately a two person job.
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The rod looks sturdy enough, but the instructions say not to hang anything but the shower curtain on it, including wet towels.
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but the color is off.I think it was supposed to be black and gray but the gray is more blue.I debated whether to return it or not but decided to keep it.It's for the guest bathroom and I popped it with black towels and a white rug and it works.It is a well made product and for the price, it's a good buy.
