Our Glasswin front doors review takes an in-depth look at this new brand’s quality, specifications and features. We also explain how this product can offer better profiles, options and colours than popular brands such as Origin, Smart Systems Designer and Spitfire doors.
In creating this review, we’ve seen the products in detail, spent time with the people behind the brand and studied the various technical details. Moreover, these doors use aluminium systems we are also very familiar with. As a result, we are able to provide information about these too and why they matter when buying a new aluminium front door.
Glasswin Front Doors
Glasswin front doors provide an excellent and better-looking alternative to other doors on the market, comprising a standard door leaf with a glazed-in panel. The use of high-end Reynaers or Schuco frame profiles and hardware also makes them a compelling option.
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Pros
- Excellent build quality
- Use of Reynaers and Schuco framing
- Triple or Quadruple glazing as standard
- Excellent colour, handle and glass options
Cons
- Hard to view outside the London area
- Business mainly set up to supply only
- Limited side and top panel availability
Information about the design of aluminium front doors
The aluminium front door market benefits from all manner of mid-range and high-end front doors. You get some great modern designs as well as traditional styles. Also available within multiple designs are high security locking options, excellent handles, accessories, colours and functionality.
Aluminium front doors have traditionally consisted of a basic door leaf and frame. It’s the same product you’d get with a glazed side door or French doors. In place of the glass, is a decorative aluminium panel. This door design still exists and creates a reliable, attractive and still popular front door. The Origin front door uses exactly the same design as just one example.
In recent years systems and independent manufacturers have made the classic (internally beaded design even better. Dutemann with their Haus door is an excellent example this. Their doors perfect the art of making these doors look flush, more modern and altogether more luxurious. They’re not the cheapest on the market, but they’re certainly one of the best.
Spitfire has done the same with the S200, arguably a comparable product to the Glasswin front doors we review here. The Origin door, of course, has the name, manufacturing quality and reputation. However, Origin hasn’t exactly designed a front door system. Instead, they’ve used the frame and sash profiles from their best selling OB-72 bifold. But the trained eye can spot it’s bifolds made as front doors. For instance, the somewhat irregular corner arrangement and oddly meeting Q-Lon seals. It’s a good door but there are better solutions in the market.
And this is where we come in reviewing and introducing Glasswin. Glasswin doors genuinely offer some impressive specifications over the mainstream brands. Here’s how.
Glasswin aluminium front doors review. General Information
Glasswin doors, made in Germany come in six different design versions. Five of these are full aluminium differing in design and specifications. They range from a quality-made classically styled door right up to ultra-premium luxury door using the best in aluminium profiles locks and hardware.
As well as aluminium there’s a hybrid product offering an excellent and better solution to the popular composite front door. It’s often the case we are asked about composite front doors with an aluminium frame. Few companies provide these. The Hybrid Al-Upvc uses a full PVCu system with all the insulation and low-cost benefits this provides. On the outside, however, the PVCu panel and profiles are fully cloaked in aluminium.
First of all the outer frame comes with a powder coated aluminium trim, cloaking the PVCu. The obvious benefit over a composite door is it does away with the often unsightly welded corner. Instead you get a neat aluminium to aluminium joint. Then, the door panel gets the same aluminium cover treatment. From the outside it looks like an aluminium door. Moreover this product comes with the colour advantages of aluminium we explain later in this Glasswin aluminium front doors review.
A superior powder coated finish to most aluminium front doors.
One of the best features of these doors is the textured powder-coated finish. Glasswin doors come as standard with a colour treatment powder coated finish some doors only offer at a high premium. Other systems don’t offer the colour option at all.
The better powder coated finish looks the part on aluminium profiles. It’s slightly mottled to the touch, rougher and more tactile. It is also exceptionaly durable, tough and scratch resistant.
Another advantage of this finish over even the best standard matt colours is its consistency. With any powder coated colour some irregularities in the surface finish are inevitable. This finish provides an altogether better look.
Some of the best aluminium systems on the market.
Anyone doing research around the best aluminium brands invariably comes across Reynaers and Schuco. Both these aluminium systems have longevity, pedigree and an incredible range of windows and doors.
Glasswin doors come made with Reynaers or Schuco profiles. Consequently, these doors come with a choice of two stand-out aluminium profiles. Both brands have an excellent quality perception. As well as this they’re both some of the best for profile design, quality and thermal insulation.
On the upper tier Platinum and Diamond Schuco door range, the doors also come with full Schuco hardware. A particular feature of these doors is the fully concealed door hinges, sitting neatly within the door frame and sash. Not only do they perform the obvious job of the door hinge. At the same time, they’re invisible from inside or out with the door closed.
Triple or Quadruple Glazing as standard
Many of the Glasswin doors come with triple and even quadruple safety glass as standard.
Importantly, the glass make-up depends on the specification and security rating required.
The doors come with either toughened glass throughout or a combination of toughened and laminated to the inner pane.
While triple glazing features prominently on many good brands of front doors, quadruple glazing is especially rare.
Comparing Glasswin Doors with Origin, Dutemann, Smarts and Spitfire.
There are many good brands of front doors on the market. However, in this particular segment, we consider the following brands as the most likely competitors. They’re also the door brands many homeowners come across in their searches for aluminium front doors and reviews. Therefore, we are comparing Glasswin with Dutemann, Origin, Smart Systems Designer doors and the Spitfire S200.
| Glasswin | Dutemann Haus | Origin | Smart Systems | Spitfire S200 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Where Made | Germany | Dutemann | Origin | Smart | Europe |
| Number of Designs | 59 | 44 | 10 | 40 | 12 |
| Max Sizes | 1150×2250 | 1200×2390 | 1130×2700 | 1200×2400 | 1150×2250 |
| U-Value | 0.54 – 1.8 | 1.2 | 1.7 | 0.90-1.1 | 0.92 |
| Frame System | Schuco or Reynaers | Schuco | Origin | Smart | Not Known |
| Panel Thickness | 90mm | 44mm | 28mm | 70mm | 78mm |
| Textured Paint | Standard | Extra | Not Available | Extra | Extra |
| Concealed Hinges | Optional | Standard | |||
| Frame depths | 59, 77, 75, or 90mm | 70mm | 75mm | 70mm | 68mm or 83mm |
It’s worth pointing out as well, that besides the brands themselves, only Glasswin doors come in six different versions. By versions, we don’t mean panel designs. Instead, we mean models. While Spitfire doors come in the S500 too, the nature of this door and its designs border on too high tech. Furthermore, the S500 comes with Swarovski crystals options we consider too flamboyant for the mainstream UK door market.
Glasswin provides the most flexibility in frame depths and system choice for the door frames. All the others show only one frame depth and one system. The only thing you don’t get with a Glasswin door is double door sets. That said, the demand for double doors in most replacement situations isn’t commonplace. Our understanding is that there’s also no low threshold option with Glasswin either.
An explanation about Origin front doors within this review
We’ve included Origin doors within this comparison mainly for how popular this brand is, as well as it’s visibility in the marketplace and popularity. Crucially, the Origin door as good as it may be remains a basic aluminium door leaf ‘glazed’ with a 28mm panel. We always remain balanced and fair in our reviews. Make no mistake, we love Origin products. However, for front doors, Origin is not in the same category as the brands compared here on design and panel arrangement.
Whilst all the doors use a door system with a separate panel, it’s what they do with the panel that sets these brands apart from Origin. All the other doors compared here offer a thicker, better and stepped panel design giving a flush look. Even better, Glasswin, Dutemann and Smarts offer a minimal edge giving the one-piece look of a luxury front door.
Origin retains the most basic of door designs in its front doors. The glazing method is no different from the glazed PVCu and aluminium doors of the 1990s. And as we mention at the start of this Glasswin front doors review, the Origin door is, essentially, a bifolding door system with a decorative panel instead of glass. All the other brands are dedicated front door systems.
However, being fair to the excellent brand name that is Origin, you do get colour matched seals and the 20-year manufacturer guarantee. You also get the legendary Origin quality and incredible lead times.
How much do Glasswin front doors cost?
Using a standard size door in a typical grey colour with multi-point locks and the popular four square contemporary design door prices are typically as follows. Of course, do bear in mind there is no RRP on these doors and individual supplier profit margins, door costs, installation charges etc all affect the price. Our approximate prices include VAT and fitting.
Glasswin Doors from £2780
Dutemann from £3500
Spitfire S200 from £3200
Origin from £2800
Smart Systems Designer Door £2500
Glasswin front doors review. What we think.
A frustration of ours is the high cost of some aluminium front doors. While it may be true there’s a lot involved in the process, prices often approach a new timber door. And with some products these high prices don’t make sense when you know how it’s made and with what components. This is especially the case on front doors still using an unglazed door and fitting a decorative panel.
Glasswin front doors offer several compelling reasons to consider them. First of all, are the Reynaers or Schuco profiles and Schuco hardware on the Platinum and Diamond models. Glasswin, as well as the Dutemann Haus Door, gives homeowners a new front door having undoubtedly two of the best aluminium profiles on the market. Importantly, combine these with the textured paint finish as standard and the top brand Winkhaus or Schuco hardware and you really do have a high-end product at a remarkable price.
The price of these doors gets even more appealing when enhanced to the RC2 maximum security product. Then you get better glass, hinge bolts, even higher security cylinders and even key code locks.
The Spitfire S200 comes with less features than the Glasswin on U-Values, locking points other areas. The Dutemann Haus is probably the better like-for-like competitor.
We’ve seen Glasswin front doors up close and the quality is excellent. Neat corners, quality panels, premium door handles and door accessories. The range of panel designs is also excellent and varied. For homeowners looking for a new aluminium front door promising genuine options, several models and all manner of panel styles, these are hard to beat.
All of the door brands in this review benefit from a sole manufacturer and excellent quality but as you can see, vary in features in many ways.
Where to view and buy Glasswin Front Doors
Based in London, getting to view Glasswin front doors can be challenging. As well as this, the brand is more set up to supply the doors direct to builders and homeowners for them to arrange their own installation. However, you can get in touch for more information and we’ll do our best to put you in touch with a local showroom or company providing these.
