Help! Should I Get American Craftsman 9500 windows?

[msimon21]

please help!
i was all set to buy 8 new american craftsman 9500 windows tomorrow since HD upgrades you from the 8500 series to the 9500 series for free if you buy 5 or more windows. so, that would make the windows about $160 per. of course, i was going to install these windows myself. problem? well, after reading some reviews online as well as this forum, it seems that everyone agrees that american craftsman windows are really poor in quality. i know andersen bought them out about a year ago. has anyone here purchased these windows recently? would you recommend? i can't really afford anymore than the $160 per window so don't really know what options i have.

thanks in advance!

[FenEx]

Invest your $1,200 into air sealing your home and changing a few light bulbs. Your return will greatly surpass what you will get for that amount in windows.

[JScott]

Fenex has a good point if you have insulated glass. If you have single pane glass and you are upgrading to LowE insulated glass you should save more than buying a light bulb with mercury that will probably end up in a landfill. Before we all start buying light bulbs with mecury, we have to figure a safe way to dispose of them. Sealing the home tighter is never a bad ideal. A decent window usually runs around $300 if this helps you to compare.

[Window4U (IL)]

Another great option for light bulbs are LED bulbs.
They greatly out-perform even CFLs and are not hazardous. I have a couple in my home and will be changing them throughout my home as time goes on. They are expensive initially but when figuring the couple hundred dollars you'll save in energy over the bulbs lifetime as well as the 60 incandescent bulbs you'd have to buy before one of these goes out 15 years from now, they are actually quite a bargain.
I have a feeling the traditional light bulb is getting ready to go extinct in a few years.

Here's a few links:
http://www.sciencenews.org/articles/20060520/bob9.asp

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9399209/

http://www.ccrane.com/lights/index.aspx

http://www.wral.com/business/local_tech ... y/1790263/

[msimon21]

so this is odd. i went to HD just to check out the windows for myself. went to the windows dept., asked about the AC line and the guy said he never heard of AC. i took the HD catalog, showed him the AC logo and he said it was odd because he has never heard of them. he checked the computer and it only showed andersen, jeldwen and mil-something. i live in the bay area. does HD carry certain names in only certain regions?