9000 vs. 9100, 2000 vs. 2100 What are the differences in these very similar products?
Minor changes can make a big difference, especially when it comes to railing. With Superior offering different modifications and designs, what exactly makes these two variations similar and different?
Finding the difference between two similar products can sometimes be easy, just think of the difference between a hamburger and a cheeseburger (hint, it’s the cheese that makes them different). Some, however, are a bit more difficult to distinguish the differences and we don’t need to look any further than a few of Superior’s product offerings.
What’s the Same? What’s Different?
Just like a hamburger being compared to a cheeseburger, there are plenty of similarities between Superior Aluminum’s Series 9000 (9P) and 9100 (9S) railing or Series 2000 (9C) and 2100 (9CS) cable railing. These similarities are obvious; they both are made of aluminum, have square pickets or cable as their infills, and meet standard safety guidelines. In fact, 95% of the components are the exact same when comparing the two side by side! So that leads us to the question, what is different? What is the “cheese”?
Can you spot the difference? (Series 9000 (9P) on left vs Series 9100 (9S) on right)
When looking at the two pictures above, its hard to tell what is different with each railing system besides the color and top infill designs. But if you look closer, you will notice that the Series 9100 (9S) railing (right) has a continuous top rail, whereas the Series 9000 (9P) railing (left) has a sectioned top railing. This distinction in the top rail is the only difference between 9000(9P) vs 9100 (9S) and 2000 (9C) vs 2100 (9CS). Of course, there are some differences in assembly, pricing, and shipping as creating a continuous top rail presents some challenges and additional costs its sectioned counterpart does not. But for the end user, upon installation the only difference is either a continuous or sectioned top rail. So that leads us to our final question, why does it matter if there is a continuous top rail?
Why does it matter?
Each design (Series 2000 (9P) left, Series 2100 (9CS) right) provide their own aesthetic appeal
At the end of the day, it is up to the end user to decide if a continuous top railing is more aesthetically pleasing for their project over a more traditional panel section. For a more structured look, Series 9000 (9P) and 2000 (9C) use a section post for turns, long runs, and stair transitions that helps create the desired design. Other projects require a seamless and smooth design, making Series 9100 (9S) or 2100 (9CS) excellent options for the project with their continuous top rail. While these changes seem small, these minimal changes definitely matter…..you wouldn’t want to be lactose intolerant and be served a cheeseburger by mistake would you?
Further Readings
How Does Railing Go From An Idea To An Installation?
