Deck vinyl privacy fence vs railing

[LonArcvarden]

We are re-doing the deck at our townhouse. It is suspended off the ground and is our only outdoor space. 22x10 ft. Right now it is wood with a wooden "privacy fence." We are replacing it with composite deck boards and trying to decide what to enclose it with. Our contractor offers either the standard railings that are made by the composite company, or if we want to keep the privacy aspect, we could do vinyl privacy panels. We do need privacy on either side of us, one side more than the other. Along the back 22 foot length of the deck we do not need privacy. The argument for the vinyl privacy fence is that it is guaranteed privacy and nobody can see a thing. It is also cheaper, although not by enough to sway us one way or another. The argument for the railing is that it looks nicer and allows us to enjoy a nice view out the back of our deck. My husband also pointed out that it would be easier to clean up snow and leaves with the railing. Our contractor has no opinion. One of the other contractors we had out, who we didn't go with, strongly urged against the vinyl panels and said we'd feel like we were in a coffin. He said we'd be surprised how much better the railing would look, privacy solutions were easy (he showed me some examples), and the railing would make our deck look much bigger. We have 10 more feet of property behind the deck that we can't use now and then trees, he said why not open things up so you can enjoy that?

[princemeraj]

Can you do a combo? Privacy on sides and railing on back?

[ayawoalhassan]

I had almost the same setup, and the biggest thing I didn’t expect was how much airflow I lost with full vinyl panels. It felt a bit boxed in, so I ended up mixing a privacy section on one side and railing on the rest. A deck builder Tacoma helped me figure out what met code without making the space feel cramped. The combo has been perfect for our small outdoor area.

[Mikecolady]

I'm looking to buy composite decks from trusted and reputable source. Which is best company in the market to buy these composite decks? I've heard about Coowin Group, what you guys say about it?