The option of the Internet is not too pleasing because the product cannot be examined and touched, so we immediately dismissed it. The market turned out to be a rather pointless place – a meager selection and below-average quality. Plus – untrustworthy sellers and installers, more reminiscent of wild barbarians who sacked Rome. Exhibitions remained.
To find out what a special construction exhibition is and what it's all about, we chose the largest one in the city and drove there by car, armed with patience, a notepad and pen, and a voice recorder.
The first thing that immediately sets an exhibition apart from a market is quality, if not Quality with a capital Q. Instead of dubious, loose, uneven Chinese fittings, Europe and Taiwan come to the fore. Chinese products, however, have not disappeared either, but now they are no longer from nameless factories but rather decent items. They are inferior in quality to top European and even Taiwanese fittings, but they easily win on price, and their quality can be considered sufficient for many purposes.
Taiwanese fittings are exactly what is called the 'optimal price-quality ratio'. In many respects, they are not inferior to their older European counterparts and are significantly better than Chinese ones. European fittings are the market headline. Their sellers offer them first and foremost, emphasizing the highest quality and long-term manufacturer guarantees. Window fittings from Europe are clearly the best option if the budget is not limited. The same applies to other window components; here, reinforced profiles, molecular sieves, and other semi-advertising terms are added to the sellers' arguments. However, this does not cause irritation – that is also a big plus.
Unfortunately, there is no variety even at the exhibition – there are very few fitting models. Their lines and contours are much nicer than those we encountered at the market, and they seem more ergonomic, but that does not change the essence – the selection is very, very limited. The colors are the same – white, silver, and gold, less often bronze in several dubious shades. You cannot get anything custom-made either – only what is displayed in showcases and catalogs. Some firms are willing to make something individually, but only if it is a large batch, meaning it is not suitable for repairs in a private apartment or house.
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