Head-to-head · Best Blackout Curtains

Best Home Fashion Premium Blackout vs NICETOWN Contemporary Lined Blackout

Which is the better buy? Side-by-side on rating, price, strengths, and watch-outs — with the published ratings we averaged to get there.

The short answer

NICETOWN Contemporary Lined Blackout comes out ahead by a narrow margin (4.4 vs 4.7). The gap is mostly about Anyone who wants the most complete light blocking for a nursery or bedroom, validated by hands-on flashlight testing, at a budget price. — read the strengths below before deciding.

Ranked #4 in Best Blackout Curtains

Best Home Fashion Premium Blackout

4.4

$31.99as of Jun 7

The Best Home Fashion Premium Blackout is the style-forward pick, named Bob Vila's 'Best Style' for its dual-layer and sheer-lace design options. Its triple-weave panels block up to 99% of light and 100% of UV, hang from smooth stainless-steel nickel grommets, and come in the widest range of colors and styles here. It costs a bit more than the budget leaders and tops out just below true-blackout territory, but for blackout performance with real decorative range, it stands out.

Strengths

— Blocks up to 99% of light and 100% of UV rays via triple-weave construction
— Bob Vila named the Best Home Fashion line 'Best Style' for its dual-layer sheer-lace design options
— Stainless steel nickel grommets (1.6-inch inner diameter, eight per panel) slide smoothly

Watch-outs

— Pricier than the top-ranked Amazon Basics and NICETOWN panels
— Light blocking tops out around 99%, a hair behind the true-blackout leaders, and varies by color
— Some decorative lace-overlay versions trade a little blackout for style

$31.99 · Check Price on Amazon Full review →

Higher ratedRanked #1 in Best Blackout Curtains

NICETOWN Contemporary Lined Blackout

4.7

$17.95as of Jun 7

The NICETOWN Contemporary Lined Blackout is our top pick because it was the standout in CNN Underscored's hands-on testing, the only curtain that passed their flashlight test with no light visible through the fabric. Its triple-weave, lined construction blocks the most light here while adding thermal insulation and noise reduction, and it costs around $42. Other labs rate it more middlingly, but in the test that matters most for sleep, it won.

Strengths

— The only curtain to pass CNN Underscored's flashlight test, with no light visible through the fabric
— Triple-weave construction blocks 85-99% of light plus thermal insulation and noise reduction
— Silver grommets with a 1.6-inch inner diameter slide smoothly onto standard rods

Watch-outs

— Reviewed.com rated it only 'solidly average' at blocking light, so results vary by reviewer and color
— Consumer Reports noted the pure-white colorway can produce glare
— Lined construction makes the panels heavy and somewhat stiff

$17.95 · Check Price on Amazon Full review →

How they stack up

Best Home Fashion Premium Blackout

Matches the Eclipse Fresno's roughly 99% light blocking and uses grommets like the Amazon Basics Room Darkening Blackout and NICETOWN Contemporary Lined Blackout, but offers far more decorative range, including lace-overlay styles. It costs more than the Amazon Basics Room Darkening Blackout and NICETOWN Contemporary Lined Blackout, and blocks far more light than the Sun Zero Barrow.

NICETOWN Contemporary Lined Blackout

Blocked light more completely than the Amazon Basics Room Darkening Blackout, Eclipse Fresno, Best Home Fashion Premium Blackout, and Sun Zero Barrow in CNN's flashlight test, the only panel to pass it. Like the Amazon Basics Room Darkening Blackout it uses a triple-weave build, but its added lining edges it ahead on true blackout.

Specs side-by-side

Spec	Best Home Fashion Premium Blackout	NICETOWN Contemporary Lined Blackout
Fabric	100% polyester, triple-weave	Triple-weave polyester (lined)
Light Blocking	Up to 99% (100% UV)	85-99%
Header	Stainless steel nickel grommet (8 per panel, 1.6 in)	Silver grommet (1.6 in inner dia.)
Sizes	52 x 84 in (and many sizes), 2 panels	52 x 84 in (and other sizes), 2 panels
Thermal	Insulating	Insulating
Styles	Solid, lace overlay, flame-retardant options	—
Reversible	Same color front and back	Same color both sides
Care	Machine washable	Machine washable
Noise	—	Sound-reducing

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