Newtown Slocum Harmony Replacement Windows

I am considering Newtown Slocum Harmony Series Windows as replacement windows. Does anyone have any information on this product?

I would put Slocum windows in the mid range of quality. Also their manufacturing plant is a bit antiquated.

I would look at some really good windows like HiMark, Softlite, Okna, or sunrise.

+1 to both comments above.

Hi - I am also considering the Harmony windows, and they are ridiculously cheap. I examined them carefully, and I couldn't see anything blatantly wrong with them; in fact, they seemed superior in many respects to some of the other windows I'm looking at, like the Excalibur and the Newpro's lowest end window. They are about 30% cheaper than the Excalibur. The U factor is SLIGHTLY worse (by about 2%) but the fudge-factor in the way they measure the U factor means that 2% is almost meaningless.

I have the same question - this seems too good to be true. Are these windows just pure junk for some reason that I can't fathom, or are they simply perfectly good windows that happen to be dirt cheap?

Thanks!
-- Zephyr

p.s. It's "Slocomb" in case anyone is trying to google it, and here's the link to the specs:

http://slocombwindows.com/harmony143.html

And here's the marketing PDF:

http://slocombwindows.com/Resources/Slo ... 143090.pdf

the excalibur is a lower grade window and is never recommended. newton slocomb is a decent mid grade that is ok...
however, when i hear " ridiculously cheap" , a red flag goes up. make sure you are getting what you pay for and make sure the installer is a true window contractor and not some jack of all trades the neighbors recommend just because he is cheap. that will be an expensive mistake.

He's been doing windows for 30 years; he's not a "windows guy" but he is definitely knowledgeable, and he particularly likes this window for some reasons that he outlined, but were beyond my understanding. It had to do mainly with the way the glass sits in the frame of the sash, and the way the sash fits with the outside frame. The sash seems to fit tight; he'll be filling the frame itself with insulation foam, so the hollow spaces within the frame will be filled somewhat (extra $5 per window), and he'll be sealing around the frame of course and filling the weight pockets (it's an old house). So, he seems to know what he's doing. I'm not worried about the contractor; I just want to know why the window itself - the Harmony specifically - is so much cheaper than, say, the Windblocker, which is Slocomb's top-of-the-line model.

We're putting in 26 double-hung windows for just over $10,000, which seems cheap.

ok.. looking at the website, it seems the harmony is their budget oriented line whereas the windblocker is their better line. i am guessing the harmony is'nt as solid.
the fact that your contractor isnt a window guy but likes this particular window leads me to think he likes the price. the windblocker is more expensive for a reason. i would suggest stepping up to the windblocker orn whatever its called.

Must be junk.
They do not allow you to look at the structural test results.
The harmony bsae is clear IG with out low e and argon. No sash reinforcement either.
Most of the time you get what you pay for.
My friends grand father used to say " we are to poor to do it twice", in other words do it once right it is cheaper.

They do have optional low e and argon, and we are getting those options - included in said price. .27 u factor which is about the same as all of the other windows we've looked at.

As for "reinforced sash" - you are correct, there is no metal reinforcement. What will the net result be if I don't get reinforcement in the sash? Bad insulation due to warping? I would imagine that as long as the seal is good, this shouldn't be an issue. Do a lot of people insist on metal-reinforced sashes? If so, what do they get out of it that I would be missing out on by going with these windows? Just curious to know - why will I regret going with this window.

Interesting discussion about that here:
http://www.replacement-windows.com/wind ... f=1&t=4982

Based on this, it sounds like unless I live in an area with frequent hurricanes or other severe weather disturbances, the reinforcement is not an important feature.

Otherwise, I'm seeing that this is a good, budget window for a good price. I'm 90% sure this is what we're going with. We could spend another $150 per window for another 5% improvement in the u factor (based on what a salesman from Slocomb told me - but the literature contradicts him on that) and I think aluminum reinforced sashes, etc., but I don't think we would ever recoup on that; my guess is that .27 will give us pretty much as good insulation as we can expect, and anything below that is going to be pointless. Sound bleed hasn't been an issue, even with the crappy single-pane windows we have now, and we don't have earthquakes; the house is very old, so it's settled about as much as it is likely to. I'm not particularly concerned about them warping since these are replacement windows, and there's going to be some sort of seal around them anyway that should absorb any changes in shape over time. They won't have ever been perfectly square in the first place.

It sounds like I'm making my own case here, but I'm just curious - what am I missing here?

Find out the Air infiltration and design pressure ratings as well as the SHGC.... .27 is a nice u-value, but may not be appropriate for a northeast climate if it takes the SGHC lower than .25. If it is above that, you are in good shape.
The structural ratings will be very telling as to the overall design and build quality of the unit. Anthony mentioned it rather bluntly above, but if a company is not forthcoming with those ratings, there is probably a reason and it is not a good sign.

Here's some more info - and it seems to include a link to some ratings.

Slocomb testing info summary page:
http://slocombwindows.com/testinginformati.html

And the ratings:
http://search.nfrc.org/search/cpd/cpd_s ... um=EWG-K-3

The SHGC seems to be above .25 for the Low-E filled windows and the VT seems decent, although I don't really care that much about the light.

I don't see any structural ratings specifically here, nor anything about air filtration. They seem to be listed as Earthwise Group rather than Newtown/Slocomb on NFRC's website for some reason, although I don't see that as a big deal - it's probably another brand name they use or a manufacturer name/parent company or something.

I haven't been able to find them here:

http://www.aamanet.org/general/1/44/cer ... -directory

even though they are supposedly AAMA certified and use the logo on their website. I did call AAMA and they don't show Newtown/Slocomb as being certified through them. They also checked under Earthwise and didn't find the company at all. I'm sure it's just a misunderstanding, but it does make me curious.

There is also Keystone:

http://www.keystonecerts.com/page/progr ... tification

I was able to find the Harmony window (shows up as "143") listed as NFRC certified as of 2005. It's listed under Slocomb Windows & Doors rather than Earthwise Group.

The structural tests seem to be listed here, listed under Earthwise:

http://www.keystonecerts.com/lists/prod ... perfclass=

I can't make any sense of these numbers, but it does look like they really are certified with Keystone and have been tested. I'm looking at 143 double hung windows, and there are several rows with that type of window, so I don't know what to look for.

There does seem to be a lot of interesting info on that site about Slocomb and/or Earthwise, but it's all over my head.

So, the AAMA thing raises a question mark, but it doesn't really look like they're trying to hide anything; they provide the links and even tell you to look for Earthwise.

I've been unable to find the air leakage numbers anywhere, although I did call a reference, and they were pretty happy with the Harmony windows they put in - no leaks, no drafts, no noise problems even in high wind over the winter.