Rolloway screens are a several decade old brand of disappearing screens that were, I believe, originally part of the R Lang Company that specialized in lots of different window screening and door screen products. A quick google search shows in fact that they are, or were at the exact same address in Visalia, CA. Rolloway is in a class of what we refer to as "professional" retractable screen doors as they are typically custom cut and built to the exact measurements of the door frame they are intended for. This article will give our expert opinion of the product and compare and contrast specifically with the Apollo Disappearing Screen Door.
Let's start with the easier stuff. Different retractable screen door manufacturers offer different color options and pallettes. Phantom Screens, the oldest brand in the US market (but made in Canada) comes in 10 standard colors. Apollo retractable screens have 7 standard (although half of what we sell each year is white), and custom colors are of course an option if you want to pay a little more. Rolloway only seesm to offer 4. So you can have any color you want as long as its white, bronze, champagne (taupe), or black. To be fair, these are far and away the most prevalant colors used in the industry. A retractable screen is designed to blend in, so you would typically match the door frame itself, not pick a new color just because you like it.
It always seems to me that whoever engineers a retractable screen seem to spend very little time on the handle. Ironic, because it's the most interactive part of the screen door. Rolloway like the vast majority of other brands uses a nylon or plastic handle assembly. It's frankly very akward. There is not an easy to grab it other than pinching either the ledge or the latch mechanism. It is even more akward if you attempt to grab it with your hands full with things like grocery bags. In contrast, the Apollo Screen handle is made of metal. It has a comfort grip and is large enough to be easy to grab one handed and without having to think about it. This is one of the reasons rolloway did not make our list of best retractable screen doors.
The point of these types of screen systems is that you don't notice they are there. As we discussed above, color is a big part of this- you want the retractable screen to match as closely as possible to the door frame so it blends. The other part is the look of the screen door. What we would call the housing and the pull bar. If they are too old fashioned, bulky, or in this case what we would subjectively consider "industrial", then the screen door is much more noticeable. Apollo was designed to have a minimilist aesthetic and blend into just about any environment as you can see above with the units installed on the same door front door frame.
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This seems obvious, but it's important to point out. The whole purpose of a retractable screen is to be there when you need it, but easily tucked away when you don't. Key word being easily. It is the single biggest differenatior in the retractable screen industry. Anyone who thinks that retractable screens are all "crap" has been using a system with difficult or sub-par tracking. There is a WORLD of difference in the experience.
The tracking system used by Clearview, Phantom, Mirage and Apollo are very similar, and frankly are the ones that work the best. For my money, the second best retractaction we have found on a screen this year was the Cool Screen Door at Costco.
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