I initially gave these blinds 5 stars after first installing them.  After a year of having these blinds installed, the lower portion that always faces outside the window has bleached out from the sun.  When the blinds are closed, the lower quarter of the blind is a different color.  We bought these in navy so I assume this isn't a issue with lighter colors.  Additionally, when raising and lowering these blinds it is hard to keep the lower rail even horizontally.  This is really frustrating as you have to spend extra time making sure they are even before walking away.