The shades are easy to open and close, however seem quite cheaply made and difficult to clean as they are almost a paper type material. They could be gently dusted, but not wiped down. They were also stuck together when we got them and took a while to pull apart. 
The blinds look good in the window but not sure how long they will last. They were however the cheapest option I could find that fit our windows, so for the price I guess they were a good buy.