Relatively new to the market with an updated website and brochure is Yorkshire’s own Scudo Bathrooms or as the manufacturer describes, ‘Scudo Beautiful Bathrooms’.

Though the brand may only be a couple of years old owner James Harrison is part of the family that brought you Harrison Bathrooms which has a solid reputation in the industry. Here we take a first look at some of the products and offer general information about the company.

First off, what does Scudo mean? Well, the literal translation in Italian is ‘Shield’. How this relates to the product we don’t know but there you have it. The logo and branding of the Scudo website and brochure is presentable, professional and trustworthy. Indeed the white, yellow and grey branding looks great, very clean.

So What Do Scudo Bathrooms Make?

At present Scudo Bathrooms offer brassware and glass products. That is they supply shower enclosures, showering equipment and taps. They don’t offer ceramics such as toilets and basins or furniture such as vanity storage though they do offer the odd piece, such as bathroom cabinets, via the extensive Harrisons brand.

March 2017 Update – In addition to the above Scudo do now indeed offer a range of bathroom pottery, vanity furniture, shower trays and even bathroom mirrors dubbed the Mosca range.

There are a few products that initially caught our eye, products that look the part, have a good specification and in terms of price offer a good deal for the consumer. Specifically, those are the wetroom screens, traditional shower kits and an uber value for money bar valve and slide rail kit.

Value For Money i8 Wetroom Screens

As retailers that specialise in glass we were excited when we saw the wetroom panels. Scudo Bathrooms deem these to be part of the i8 range. There are 4 products but these really are all example offerings of the same range. Wetroom panels supplied in 8 sizes from 600mm up to 1200mm, 2 hinged flipper panels and also a floor to ceiling support. There’s enough flexibility within this range to configure most 2 or 3 panel systems.

The quality of the fittings on the i8 looks very good considering the kind of prices these are being floated around on the web for. The specification of 2000mm high 8mm glass with an easy clean coating is great value. In context the specification is better than that of the cheaper 8 and 10mm Aquatech Casselli range and also better value and in our opinion and more attractive than the Phoenix Techno and Hudson Reed wetroom products.

They also offer 2 separate hinged flipper panel choices, which are very popular at the moment. This means they’ll certainly carve a place in the market. Each screen also comes with a well-finished chrome support bracket and a T piece is available to join more than 1 support together. This results in a T shaped support which looks very modern, like the more expensive Merlyn products on the market.

March 2017 Update – A 10mm minimalist walk-in offering has also been added to the product lineup. We review this walk-in product here.

Scudo Shower Enclosures

Since we originally reviewed the Scudo range back at the end of 2015 the range of Scudo Showers has almost tripled. Originally starting with just the i8 the range has seen the addition of the more wallet-friendly i6 range and the range-topping i10. The i8 range has also been extended.

i6 Range Highlights

The range comprises a 1 and 2 door quadrant, sliding, pivot and bi-folding shower doors. Basically the most popular showers bought at the budget end of the market.

The specification and construction is the same throughout. On balance it’s pretty good, the manufacturing budget has been put into the bits that people care about.

What we particularly like are the slim profiles. Usually, at the budget end of the market, the frame of the enclosure is chunky and rather ugly, allowing for massive adjustment. These profiles are really quite attractive and slim, more so than the popular and similarly priced Pacific range from Ultra.

In addition, the i6 range of Scudo shower enclosures incorporates decent brass handles, metal rollers and easy clean glass treatment. That really is a coup for the brand, easy-clean or Acqua Shield as they call it is usually found at a higher price point.

All in all we rate the i6 Scudo shower doors and wonder why on earth buyers should consider the more expensive i8 range.

Is The i8 Range Worth The Extra?

If the i6 range is so good why spend the extra? We’ve already rated the fine i8 wetroom screens and they are unique to that range, there are no such screens in the i6 range.

The i8 like the i6 does include quadrant and sliding doors. The i8 also introduces the unique infolding design as well as a hinged shower door. The construction of these 2 doors is a little more complex and with 8mm glass as opposed to 6mm hinges and brackets need to be able to handle the weight.

So the 8mm glass does account for much of the price increase and if that’s important to you it may well justify itself. You can read about the merits of glass thickness here.

The other improvements are more subtle. The units stand at around 50mm taller, the handles are more elongated and all fixings are concealed. It’s like the step up from a Ford Mondeo to a BMW 3 Series. Both are fine family cars but the slightly higher price point gives you that little bit extra design flair and specification.

The i8 range just has a more ‘designer’ appeal, these Scudo shower enclosures are for grown-up bathrooms, not for student digs or a second ensuite but for the main bathroom. They are akin to the Ultra Apex and Aquaglass Purity ranges.

If you value design and the extra detailing then by all means spend the extra on the i8.

Scudo Mosca LED Bathroom Mirrors

The mirror in your bathroom is now potentially a multi-function device. Brands like Phoenix and HiB have elevated the single sheet of reflective glass to a unit that incorporates all kinds of wizardry.

Looks like Scudo have now got in on the act too. Their range of Mosca LED mirrors has a simple understated design that is the same across the range. Only the size and orientation differ with the 4 models on offer plus one has a Bluetooth speaker built-in.

3 smaller units that can be mounted portrait or landscape are sized 500x700mm and 800x600mm – with the Bluetooth model also being 500x700mm. Then there is the large 1200x600mm unit for landscape mounting only. This beast reflects light beautifully around the room. See the 3 standard models here.

All designs benefit from ambient lighting to the outer edge of the mirror. This is activated with infra-red technology like many of the Phoenix units. This proves useful when you wish to use the bathroom in the middle of the night. Simply wave your hand to turn on the mirror light instead of the clunky ceiling-mounted main light.

Once activated you can physically feel the wave of heat from the glass surface which serves to make the surface condensation free.

A demister pad certainly beats wiping with a squeegee blade.

We’ve only had limited use of these units so can’t fully testify about long term durability. Still, the units look well made. In fact, they look almost identical to some of the more expensive HiB mirrors on the market. The only difference we can see is that the Scudo Mosca mirrors have a built-in shaver socket, plus they’re a hell of a lot cheaper.

Great Marketing Materials

It’s worth pointing out that when a company takes time over its photography and/or 3D modelling even an average product can be elevated in terms of perceived value. That’s not to say these wetroom panels are average, far from it, just that it’s nice to see a manufacturer paying attention to the details. This helps retailers (like us) to sell the products.

The same can be said when consumers spend that little bit more on the details of bathroom decor, good quality accessories, nice tiling, they can elevate the look of mid-market hardware and get a great looking bathroom for less.

Scudo Showers

Traditional Harrogate Showering Components

The second set of standout products that we’ve had first hand experience with is the Harrogate rigid riser and extended range of traditional showering components. Again they seem to offer great quality at a fantastic price point. The components are all brass made and believe us when we say that is uncommon at this hard-fought low to the mid-level price point.

Furthermore, the slide rail kits, shower valves and handsets are adorned with real white ceramic detailing, not plastic. The actual written detailing on the components is also useful for a change, simple on/off and hot/cold labels rather than high/low which can be confusing. The usability aspect has clearly been thought about.

There’s some great attention to detail with the design of all these components.

Handling them you can feel the reassuring weight and we love the bevel detail on the corner of the shower valves. Our favourite component though has to be the Apron or ‘Watering Can’ style shower head. These would give heads at twice the cost a run for their money. In use, the showerhead produces clean jets of water that will drench your body and the chrome finish is among the best we’ve seen.

If the entire range of Scudo Beautiful Bathrooms product is on a par with the Harrogate range then they are a manufacturer to consider for your bathroom purchases.

Cutting Edge Showers At An Accessible Price Point

The problem many people face when making a major purchase for their home is that that the newer tech comes at a price. You tend to browse at what’s new, then see which of the tech has filtered it’s way down to some of the cheaper products -only to be disappointed.

In the showering world ‘new tech’ might include cool-touch valves or push-button controls. The Scudo Messi Shower includes such benefits and is available for around the same price that any decent shower should cost. Check the Messi out here.

The valve body here is cool even when hot water is being delivered. So should you or the kids bump into it with flesh there won’t be any burns or shocks.

The handset also incorporates a push button to cycle through the various spray pattern settings. A bit gimmicky perhaps but nonetheless enjoyable to try!

At the sub £200 price point it’ a nice piece of kit. We haven’t even mentioned the stainless steel rain head, telescopic riser or the snazzy silver flex. Definitely worth considering.

Value For Money Bar Valve Shower Kit

The last product of noteworthy is actually one that’s been borrowed from the Harrison Bathroom range. It’s just a simple mixer shower kit comprising of shower bar valve and slide rail kit, nothing unique about that. What’s unique is again the level of quality for the price point. The bar valve is made from chromed brass and is of a thermostatic design. We wouldn’t consider retailing any valve that isn’t thermostatic these days, the safety technology is there at a reasonable price so let’s use it and avoid scalds in the home.

Back to the bar valve it also comes with an easy fit kit for connecting to pipework within the walls this alone will save your fitter a lot of hassle and often retail for £10 apiece. All in all, you’ll not see better on the market at the £50-60 price point.

Want to know why you should go for a thermostatic shower then check this post.

It’s fair to to say at this first look of Scudo Bathrooms we’re impressed with the product and the company.

Scudo Guarantee

What’s good and reassuring if you’re considering buying any Scudo products is the Guarantee Registration they offer on their website. This is an example of not shirking consumer responsibility. Once purchased simply complete your details as well as where you purchased from.

We look forward to testing more of their products. If you’ve already purchased something we welcome your thoughts via the comment facility below.