What a score is, and is not
A score is an opinion. It is our judgement of how well a product or a company holds up against the evidence we could find, stated as a number out of 10 with one decimal.
It is built from research. We study the specifications, compare models side by side, check published prices and company records, and read what owners report, both to us and on public review sites. Unless a review says we tested the product ourselves, we have not, and the score rests on the documents shown beside it.
That has a consequence worth stating plainly. A maker that does not publish a figure cannot earn the points for it. A low score often means “this is not written down anywhere we could read”, not “this is a bad product”. The review always says which.
Method version 0.2, in use from 1 October 2026. Version 0.1 was published without point tables and scored nothing.
The five things we score
| Criterion | Weight | What earns the points |
|---|---|---|
| Build and specification | 25% | The frame, glazing, wind and snow loads, standards and locking are stated, with figures and named standards |
| Price and transparency | 20% | Prices are published for the model at a stated size, say what they include, and agree between sellers |
| Warranty and aftercare | 15% | The length of cover, clear terms, sources that agree, and a service team in your country |
| Company standing | 20% | The company you sign with can be identified, has been on the register for years and files on time |
| Owner evidence | 20% | Verified reviews from owners. Not scored yet, see below |
Provisional scores
We do not hold enough verified owner reviews for any product yet. Until we do, a score is the weighted average of the other four criteria and is marked Provisional wherever it appears. Owner evidence joins at its full 20% once a product has at least five verified reviews.
A product or company only gets a score when all four of those criteria can be scored. Otherwise it shows “No score yet”.
How each criterion is marked
Every criterion is marked on a short list of items. Each item has fixed levels, so two people marking the same evidence should arrive at the same points. The points on each review are shown item by item, with the reason.
Build and specification
| Item | Points | Full marks for |
|---|---|---|
| Frame | 0 to 2 | The material plus an alloy grade, wall thickness or profile size |
| Glazing | 0 to 3 | Type and thickness, plus UV protection or a named material standard |
| Wind and snow loads | 0 to 2 | Figures for this model, or a named standard confirmed by a named test body |
| Standards and certification | 0 to 2 | A named product standard and the body that tested or issued it |
| Track and locking | 0 or 1 | The track is described and locking is stated |
Phrases such as “strong”, “heavy duty” or “meets the most stringent standards” earn nothing. They name no figure and no standard.
Price and transparency
| Item | Points | Full marks for |
|---|---|---|
| Published prices | 0 to 5 | Firm listed prices at a stated size from two or more sellers |
| What the price includes | 0 to 3 | The price states its position on VAT, delivery and installation |
| Do the sources agree | 0 to 2 | Two or more sellers, like for like, within 10 percent |
This version scores how openly the price is published. It does not yet score value for money. That joins when at least three comparable enclosures in a height class have verified installed prices.
Warranty and aftercare
| Item | Points | Full marks for |
|---|---|---|
| Length of cover | 0 to 4 | Ten years or more |
| Terms | 0 to 3 | Full terms published, with exclusions |
| Consistency | 0 or 1 | Every source we hold says the same thing |
| Aftercare | 0 to 2 | The seller’s own service team in your country, and service after the warranty |
Where a maker and a UK seller state different lengths, we score the seller’s, because that is who you have a contract with. “Up to ten years on selected parts” scores below a plain ten years.
Company standing
This is scored for the company you would sign with: the brand’s own UK company where there is one, otherwise the seller showing the lowest verified price. A brand sold only through dealers is scored on the maker’s own register entry.
| Item | Points | Full marks for |
|---|---|---|
| Identity | 0 to 2 | Legal name and company number on the seller’s own site, matching the register |
| Age on the register | 0 to 3 | Ten years or more since incorporation. A “since 19xx” claim does not count |
| Filings up to date | 0 to 3 | Accounts and confirmation statement not overdue on the day we read the register |
| Membership or certification | 0 or 1 | A named trade body or quality certificate |
| Deposit protection | 0 or 1 | The seller says how your deposit is protected |
Filing status changes. Each review gives the date we read the register and a link, so you can look again.
Owner evidence
Not scored in this version. It needs at least five reviews from owners who have shown us proof of ownership. Star ratings from other websites are never used.
What the number means
| Score | Verdict | In plain words |
|---|---|---|
| 8.0 and up | Solid | Well documented across the board. Few open questions. |
| 6.0 to 7.9 | Decent | Good in most respects, with gaps or weak spots we name. |
| 4.0 to 5.9 | Think twice | Important things are missing or unproven. Get them in writing before you commit. |
| Under 4.0 | Avoid | The evidence points the wrong way on things that matter. |
The rules we score by
- No evidence, no points. Every point cites a stored document. If we could not find it, the point is not given, and we do not treat missing information as a missing feature in the text.
- Scored twice. Each product and company is marked twice, independently. Where the two marks differ, the difference is settled against the evidence before anything is published.
- Options are not the product. Something offered only as an extra, or described for one variant only, does not count for the standard enclosure.
- A brand is marked on its best documented range. The reason beside the points says which range that is, and which ranges fall short.
- Conflicts cost. When a maker and a dealer, or a website and a brochure, say different things, the lower one is scored and the conflict is named.
- Right of reply. Before a review of a named company goes live, we send that company the facts we intend to publish and ask for corrections. What they send back is checked like any other source.
- Scores move. When a price, a warranty or a company’s filings change, the score is worked out again and its date changes.
- Money has no vote. No payment, partnership or advertising changes a score, a verdict or a position in a ranked list.
Where research stops
Documents cannot tell you how an enclosure feels to slide, how it sounds in the wind or how it looks after ten winters. Owner reviews are the closest evidence for those things, which is why we collect them with proof of ownership and publish the bad ones alongside the good.
When we do test or inspect a product ourselves, the review says so and describes what we did.
If you think a score is wrong
Tell us. Use the contact page and point us to the document that shows the error. If you are right, we correct the page and note the change with its date.