What brand of windows should I definitely AVOID?

Starting to look for vinyl replacement windows for my house in NJ. 1st time buying windows so I really don't know much. Have read a bunch of stuff on the net and many of the postings on this discussion board. Definitely not looking for cheap garbage windows, but can not afford the top top stuff right now.

Basically, what brands should I avoid at all costs?

Thanks in advance.

The list of brands to avoid is much greater than the list of brands to consider.

its simple based on my own experience as well as advice given by pro's. stay away from Xact/Cutting Edge which are made by MI Windows, anything by alside especially the excalibur and anything vinyl from home depot or lowes such as silverline/american craftsman. these are brands meant for rental properties and house flippers.

okna ,gorell, and soft lite seem to be consistently recommended due to their high quality. i would strongly recommend buying your windows in stages if you can't afford to do everything all at once rather than looking to save some money, it will wind up costing alot in the future. trust me on that.

forgot to mention: stay away from anything vinyl by Pella, they are the lowest of the low. andersen vinyl is actually silverline/americancraftsman and equally as bad. just do a search of the brands to stay away from that i mentioned and you will see plenty of negative reviews.
do it right from the get go and you will enjoy your new windows for many years plus you will wind up saving alot as well.

You should add Simonton to the list of window companies that deserve consideration.

I would also add Sunrise to that list.

Thanks for the info everyone. Will start my research ASAP. How about Gorell 5100 vs. 5300? Is it worth the extra $70 to $100 per window. I kinda like the fact that the 5100 gives you more window since the sides are thinner.

Then you should delinitely look at Sunrise and Softlite. I would give Sunrise the edge in aesthetics over most vinyl windows, but Softlite is a really nice window too.

I would not necessarily rate the Gorell 5300 over the 5100. They each have their pros and cons... but in the end, they are both excellent choices with very similar performance. Personally, I prefer the slimmer lines of the 5100. It is a nice product and comparable to the "slim line" offerings of other brands.... and to answer your question, No, the 5300 is not worth the extra $70-$100 IMHO.

The 5300 has a much lower AI rate. .09 compared to .17, I believe. That said the 5100 is pretty much all we sell for the reasons you stated. You just can't get woodgrain on the 5100

So right now this is what I have:

Look at:
Okna
Gorrell
Soft Lite
Simonton
Sunrise

Don't even bother:
silverline
american craftsman
pella vinyl
andersen vinyl
xact/cutting edge
alside

Have also heard Ideal in Bayonne isn't very good.

So basically, I have to find a contractor/large company that sells the good brands? I saw that Windowrama in Paramus sells the Simonton, but are they any good at installing?

Thanks.

I believe you are correct about Ideal and for that matter any of the other small window fabricators we have here in NJ.

I didn’t know that WindowRama installed; they may be a little risky for installation.

bayonne or lodi are not quality. the high quality brands are sold by exclusive dealers ,not necessarily big companies. you will likely get better service and a better install with the companies that have exclusive products;ie, okna,gorell ect...

just because members of this board say Ideal windows are not good, does not necessarily mean they are correct. imo they make some low end windows and they make some higher end windows. you just have to know what to look for. Gorell make a line with an AI # of .17 which is lousy, but its still recommended...hmmm wonder why?

If you ask 10 people the same question and 9 of them tell you the same thing are you gonna believe the 10th one?