In midday trading Friday, Alcoa's stock was up 8.5% at $44.72, while Century Aluminum jumped 13% to $23.93. Alcoa shares have gained 31% since the beginning of the year. Century Aluminum's stock price ...

Considering these are more "affordable" blinds (again, relatively speaking—they cost around the same as IKEA's line of smart blinds), I was pleasantly surprised with their quality and performance.

Wood and vinyl are popular materials for the larger 2-inch slats, while aluminum and plastic are typical for 1-inch mini blinds. Slats aren't the easiest to clean and can be vulnerable to damage ...