diff --git a/src/TensorKitManifolds.jl b/src/TensorKitManifolds.jl
index 793de7e..900b784 100644
--- a/src/TensorKitManifolds.jl
+++ b/src/TensorKitManifolds.jl
@@ -28,6 +28,9 @@ checkbase(x, y, z, args...) = checkbase(checkbase(x, y), z, args...)
 # the machine epsilon for the elements of an object X, name inspired from eltype
 scalareps(X) = eps(real(scalartype(X)))
 
+# default SVD algorithm used in the algorithms
+default_svd_alg(::AbstractTensorMap) = TensorKit.SVD()
+
 function isisometry(W::AbstractTensorMap; tol=10 * scalareps(W))
     WdW = W' * W
     s = zero(float(real(scalartype(W))))
@@ -61,7 +64,7 @@ end
 
 struct PolarNewton <: TensorKit.OrthogonalFactorizationAlgorithm
 end
-function projectisometric!(W::AbstractTensorMap; alg=Polar())
+function projectisometric!(W::AbstractTensorMap; alg=default_svd_alg(W))
     if alg isa TensorKit.Polar || alg isa TensorKit.SDD
         foreach(blocks(W)) do (c, b)
             return _polarsdd!(b)
@@ -98,7 +101,7 @@ projecthermitian(W::AbstractTensorMap) = projecthermitian!(copy(W))
 projectantihermitian(W::AbstractTensorMap) = projectantihermitian!(copy(W))
 
 function projectisometric(W::AbstractTensorMap;
-                          alg::TensorKit.OrthogonalFactorizationAlgorithm=Polar())
+                          alg=default_svd_alg(W))
     return projectisometric!(copy(W); alg=alg)
 end
 function projectcomplement(X::AbstractTensorMap, W::AbstractTensorMap,
diff --git a/src/grassmann.jl b/src/grassmann.jl
index 459e90c..742198c 100644
--- a/src/grassmann.jl
+++ b/src/grassmann.jl
@@ -7,13 +7,10 @@ module Grassmann
 using TensorKit
 using TensorKit: similarstoragetype, SectorDict
 using ..TensorKitManifolds: projecthermitian!, projectantihermitian!,
-                            projectisometric!, projectcomplement!, PolarNewton
+                            projectisometric!, projectcomplement!, PolarNewton,
+                            default_svd_alg
 import ..TensorKitManifolds: base, checkbase, inner, retract, transport, transport!
 
-# Default algorithm used in all of the SVD-based methods
-# Picking SVD instead of SDD here, as it seems SDD has stability issues for tensors that are already close to isometry.
-const DEFAULT_SVD_ALG = SVD()
-
 # special type to store tangent vectors using Z
 # add SVD of Z = U*S*V upon first creation
 mutable struct GrassmannTangent{T<:AbstractTensorMap,
@@ -60,7 +57,7 @@ function Base.getproperty(Δ::GrassmannTangent, sym::Symbol)
     elseif sym ∈ (:U, :S, :V)
         v = Base.getfield(Δ, sym)
         v !== nothing && return v
-        U, S, V, = tsvd(Δ.Z; alg=DEFAULT_SVD_ALG)
+        U, S, V, = tsvd(Δ.Z; alg=default_svd_alg(Δ.Z))
         Base.setfield!(Δ, :U, U)
         Base.setfield!(Δ, :S, S)
         Base.setfield!(Δ, :V, V)
@@ -173,12 +170,12 @@ while the local tangent vector along the retraction curve is
 
 `Z′ = - W * V' * sin(α*S) * S * V + U * cos(α * S) * S * V'`.
 """
-function retract(W::AbstractTensorMap, Δ::GrassmannTangent, α; alg=DEFAULT_SVD_ALG)
+function retract(W::AbstractTensorMap, Δ::GrassmannTangent, α; alg=nothing)
     W == base(Δ) || throw(ArgumentError("not a valid tangent vector at base point"))
     U, S, V = Δ.U, Δ.S, Δ.V
     WVd = W * V'
     sSV, cSV = _sincosSV(α, S, V) # sin(S)*V, cos(S)*V
-    W′ = projectisometric!(WVd * cSV + U * sSV; alg=alg)
+    W′ = projectisometric!(WVd * cSV + U * sSV)
     sSSV = _lmul!(S, sSV) # sin(S)*S*V
     cSSV = _lmul!(S, cSV) # cos(S)*S*V
     Z′ = projectcomplement!(-WVd * sSSV + U * cSSV, W′)
@@ -194,16 +191,16 @@ This is done by solving the equation `Wold * V' * cos(S) * V + U * sin(S) * V =
 for the isometries `U`, `V`, and `Y`, and the diagonal matrix `S`, and returning
 `Z = U * S * V` and `Y`.
 """
-function invretract(Wold::AbstractTensorMap, Wnew::AbstractTensorMap; alg=DEFAULT_SVD_ALG)
+function invretract(Wold::AbstractTensorMap, Wnew::AbstractTensorMap; alg=nothing)
     space(Wold) == space(Wnew) || throw(SpaceMismatch())
     WodWn = Wold' * Wnew # V' * cos(S) * V * Y
     Wneworth = Wnew - Wold * WodWn
-    Vd, cS, VY = tsvd!(WodWn)
+    Vd, cS, VY = tsvd!(WodWn; alg=default_svd_alg(WodWn))
     Scmplx = acos(cS)
     # acos always returns a complex TensorMap. We cast back to real if possible.
     S = scalartype(WodWn) <: Real && isreal(sectortype(Scmplx)) ? real(Scmplx) : Scmplx
     UsS = Wneworth * VY' # U * sin(S) # should be in polar decomposition form
-    U = projectisometric!(UsS; alg=alg)
+    U = projectisometric!(UsS)
     Y = Vd * VY
     V = Vd'
     Z = Grassmann.GrassmannTangent(Wold, U * S * V)
@@ -217,9 +214,9 @@ Return the unitary Y such that V*Y and W are "in the same Grassmann gauge" (tech
 from fibre bundles: in the same section), such that they can be related by a Grassmann
 retraction.
 """
-function relativegauge(W::AbstractTensorMap, V::AbstractTensorMap; alg=DEFAULT_SVD_ALG)
+function relativegauge(W::AbstractTensorMap, V::AbstractTensorMap; alg=nothing)
     space(W) == space(V) || throw(SpaceMismatch())
-    return projectisometric!(V' * W; alg=alg)
+    return projectisometric!(V' * W)
 end
 
 function transport!(Θ::GrassmannTangent, W::AbstractTensorMap, Δ::GrassmannTangent, α, W′;