Score
88
The Yoolax Motorized Cellular Shade promises smart home convenience at a price that won’t wreck your budget. At $363 for my 69″ x 46″ window, it sits in an interesting middle ground between IKEA’s budget offerings and premium players like Hunter Douglas.
Build Quality and Installation
The shade feels premium. It’s solid, well-constructed, and doesn’t give off budget vibes despite the reasonable price.
Installation took about 30 minutes start to finish. The instructions were clear and easy to follow, though the three separate manuals could use better labeling on the outside. One covers installation, another handles remote setup, and the third is for the optional Lightwirl rotary remote that lets you control up to nine shades.
I mounted inside the frame with simple screws into the top. Drill two holes 5″ from each edge, screw in the mounts, clip the shade into place. That last step takes some angle work to get the snap right, but it’s not difficult. If I’d needed drywall anchors, add maybe 10 minutes. After doing one, I’m confident I could knock out another in 15 minutes or less.
Pop open the front panel, remove the foam protecting the battery, slide it in. Remove the signal blocker, install remote batteries, and you’re running. No programming required unless you want to set a preferred position.
Performance
The shade takes 35 seconds to go up or down completely. I tried adjusting the speed but couldn’t tell if it changed.
The motor is very quiet. It runs below 48 dB (minus off 10 dB when 4-5 feet away), which means it won’t disturb anyone in a normal setting. Light sleepers might hear it if someone’s adjusting shades while they’re trying to fall asleep, but medium to heavy sleepers won’t notice. Realistically, you’re not operating these while people are sleeping anyway.
The blackout performance is solid with the 1.5-inch honeycomb structure doing real work. There’s slight light leak around the edges, but that’s normal for any cellular shade at this price point. The single-cell design traps air for actual insulation benefits. You’ll feel the difference in summer and winter.
I programmed my “favorite” to stop at my ideal height. The shade keeps running past the bottom because my casement window crank gets in the way of a flush fit. Not the shade’s fault.
The battery charges via solar panel, USB, or power bank. It needs an 8-hour initial charge and should last 4-6 months depending on usage. Reaching up to connect the charging cord is awkward, but they include one.
Safety and Customization
The cordless design matters if you have kids or pets. No dangling cords means no entanglement hazards. It’s a cleaner look too.
Yoolax custom-makes each shade to your measurements with options for mount type, motor side placement, and valance style. They offer seven colors and multiple fabric textures. I went with pearl. The fabric is polyester and spot-clean only.
They back this with a “Perfect Match Guarantee” and lifetime service support. Worldwide shipping is available, which is unusual at this price point.
Smart Home Potential
I didn’t add the Zigbee hub, but I’m considering it. The shade works with Alexa and Google Home once you add the hub. You can control them via remote, mobile app, or voice commands. The real selling point is managing up to 16 shades at once. If you outfit multiple windows, you can create complete blackout across your whole house instantly or set up automations to protect furniture and floors from sun damage.
The shade handles windows from 20″ to 110″ wide and 18″ to 117″ tall, so most standard residential windows are covered.
How It Stacks Up
At $363 for my window size, the Yoolax lands between IKEA’s PRAKTLYSING motorized cellular shades (around $130-$180 for similar sizes, though not available in exact 69″ width) and Hunter Douglas’s Duette honeycomb shades with PowerView automation, which start around $772 and can easily hit $1,500+ for comparable dimensions. All of which are smart blinds.
SelectBlinds and Blindsgalore offer motorized cellular options starting around $65-$150 for smaller windows, though custom sizing for larger windows pushes prices up. The Yoolax pricing is competitive but not the cheapest option available.
Hunter Douglas delivers premium materials, better design options, and smoother operation, but you’re paying 2-4 times more. IKEA gives you basic motorization at half the price, though quality control issues and limited sizing hurt them. The Yoolax splits the difference with made-to-measure service and decent build quality.
The Bottom Line
The Yoolax Motorized Cellular Shade works. It’s not fancy, but it feels well-made. Installation is DIY-friendly. The blackout is good enough for most bedrooms. The motor is quiet enough for daily use. The cordless design is safer for homes with kids and pets. The price makes sense if you want automation without the premium brand markup.
The three-year warranty is standard. You can extend it by one year for $39 or two years for $49.
Worth it if you want motorized cellular shades without paying Hunter Douglas prices. The value proposition gets stronger if you’re doing multiple windows and plan to use smart home integration for whole-home light control and sun damage prevention.
Key Specs
- Speed: 35 seconds full travel
- Price: $363 (69″ x 46″)
- Type: Motorized cellular, blackout
- Cell size: 1.5″ honeycomb structure
- Power: Rechargeable battery (4-6 month life)
- Noise: Below 48 dB
- Control: Two remote styles included
- Smart home: Zigbee hub required for Alexa/Google Home
- Group control: Up to 16 shades
- Size range: 20″-110″ wide, 18″-117″ tall
- Colors: 7 options
- Warranty: 3 years standard
