So here, below, is the exchange from the comments section on the "Need Help?" page.
I would love feedback about your experience with clutches in the comment section to this post.
Hi Kathy-
We mostly use Rollease's traversing clutch. We make a lot of shades, so we buy components and assemble them ourselves. Designers' Resource Group in Lodi NJ is a Rollease distributor and I live close enough that I can usually pick up the components at wholesale when I'm in the area and eliminate shipping charges. It's a fraction of the cost that way.
Rowley Company also sells components for this traversing clutch system in smaller quantities.
But if you don't use them often, you might find yourself climbing the learning curve every time!- and might be better off buying your clutches pre-assembled. From Rollease, you can get the traversing clutch from their Expressly Yours program.
Other clutch systems include a variety of offerings from Dofix, Rowley, Safe-T-Shade, and Textol, as well as other Rollease systems.. You can buy most of these either pre-assembled or as kits.
I have in my workroom kits for ALL of these systems so I can gain experience with the unfamiliar ones, but I'm afraid now they'll have to wait until after the holiday rush for me to have time to experiment.
We've been assembling so many Rollease traversing clutches for so long now that we can do them very quickly, and have experienced every conceivable glitch so troubleshooting is straightforward.
Factors influencing which system to use:
Aesthetics- if you can see it from the outside;
Available mounting depth- some need quite large boards or headrails and others are very compact;
Weight- some have weight and size restrictions;
Ease of assembly;
Installer's aptitude;
Cost, including shipping charges;
Need for special tools or equipment.
I hope this helps!
Thank you,
Kathy