Marvin Infinity or Soft lite Elements or LS

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Condolady
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Joined: Sun Jul 28, 2013 4:47 pm

Marvin Infinity or Soft lite Elements or LS

#1 Post by Condolady »

Hello;
I live in a condo and I need ten new windows.I was deciding between Marvin Infinity (fiberglass)and Soft Lite Elements or LS. A representative from Castle (I was told by Soft-Lite that Castle IS Softlite and Soft Lite referred me to Castle ) A salesperson came over and was an extremely pushy. I wasn't that impressed with the looks. I didn't like the seams,(sort of sloppy) at least on the window he showed me or the window itself. I did hear that if you want looks go Marvin, if you want preformance - go Softlite. After seeing this (Castle)Soft-Lite, I see what they mean, not that that I saw Marvin yet in person.Well this Castle Representitive said Soft-lite Manufactures their windows and they only have one package and one window. I wanted to see the Elements and LS model for I wasn't sure which I wanted. To make a long story short and as mentioned,he was very pushy and said if I don't sign today, right now (Showed me no brochures, just some crumpled papers and said these windows are the "Best" in the world) that the price would be 20 percent more if he has to come back. Well I showed him the door. I also saw Four seasn window, didn't like and also a pushy salesperson, same threat of sign now or pay more later.
This was the 2nd time a pushy saleperson came and I do not want to deal with them...
BTW does Marvin have "insulation foam" in the windows spaces like Soft-lite Does? Haven't seen it mentioned on their website.
Also since I live in a condo I must have a brown front outside. The Soft -Lite from Castle showed me this thin brown coating sample. It appears from Marvin's Website that their color coating is thicker and VERY durable. Any comments on the "coatings"? Marvin did sent me a sample of their ultrex. Very hard..It's "stone white"-that goes with my China white painted frames inside.
My main concerns are color fading , not just on the windows themselves, but I want the highest Solar protection in my windows so my furniture doesn't fade. I have these plastic coatings installed on my windows years ago and I see that now you can incorporate it it on the windows themselves. Does that last? I know I was told about this plastic film that it lessens it's effectiveness over time...
Also the less condensation the better. (I use a dehumidifier for the building uses steam heat. Does this "warm edges technology" really work??
Thank you in advance for your time.

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Windows on Washington
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Re: Marvin Infinity or Soft lite Elements or LS

#2 Post by Windows on Washington »

Where is the condo located?

The Marvin Infinity is a very solid window and I would not (in this application) hesitate in using it.

The performance of the Soft-Lite (Elements and LS) will trump that of the Infinity but it seems like the Infinity is a better fit in terms of color and looks for you.

If you are in a cooling degree climate (i.e. where you run your AC more than heat), the Marvin with the Low-e 366 glass from Cardinal is a great match and will perform very well. You will not need additional films as the Low-e will block out most of the fading UV rays.

Anything will fade in the presence of visible light so be aware of that fact.

Condolady
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Re: Marvin Infinity or Soft lite Elements or LS

#3 Post by Condolady »

I live in Queens NY (part of NYC.) I also just read on this board about the Okna 800 and saw a picture that someone put on the board, that looks nice. How would you compare the Infinity to this Okna 800 series? I do not have a heat problem even with the old 30 year vinyls that the buildng put in. They shoot up lot of heat, average 80-85 degreese rarley below 72even on the coldest days. (Well we just got a new heating system, so maybe it will get cooler).I am on the fifth floor of a six story facing west north and south. I truly get a headache when looking at all the options of this and that. If I would have known how complicted this ordeal was I would have started a long time ago. I just bought the next door unit and am expanding and want the windows in now along with the renovating in that unit and my unit I live in .Time is of the essence and THAT makes me nervous that I will get a window that I will regret later... My main desire are looks and protecting the fading of the color of windows themselves and the inside of my house and also condensation.I use a humidifier in the winter to reduce condensation otherwise even an outside wall in my bedrom starts to sweat with my closed windows.
I want a sturdy window for the windows I have are warped. That is why I figured I go with fiberglass (Infinity).
Open windows, turn on fans in the winter(sounds ridiculous but it is true to get the temperature and /or humidity down)

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Windows on Washington
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Re: Marvin Infinity or Soft lite Elements or LS

#4 Post by Windows on Washington »

The Okna window should be available in your area and will have a similar finish application (i.e. factory applied paint finish) to the Soft-Lite application.

The performance on the Okna 800 will best that of the Infinity in terms of thermal and structural data.

You will have no issues with warping on either of the vinyl windows that you are considering. They are supremely strong.

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HomeSealed
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Re: Marvin Infinity or Soft lite Elements or LS

#5 Post by HomeSealed »

+1. The Okna product would definitely be worth a look. It is a top performer like the Elements that you've seen, but offers a little bit more glass area and a more elegant appearance (obviously the latter is somewhat subjective).
That said, it will still have the mitered corner welds. If that aspect is a big turn off for you, the fiberglass options may be the way to go, or even a wood clad. The Okna and Softlite's will offer better performance, warranty, and typically a lower cost, but the richness of Marvin's products is hard to beat if that is at the top of your list. They are all very well-engineered products, just with different pros and cons.

TheWindowNerd
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Re: Marvin Infinity or Soft lite Elements or LS

#6 Post by TheWindowNerd »

I would bet that you can meet with an Infinity salesperson and get pushy # 3.
The hard close/pushy salesman is enough for me to say no.
I too like the Okna 800DX.

theWindowNerd...

randy
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Re: Marvin Infinity or Soft lite Elements or LS

#7 Post by randy »

Remember that the corner joints are obvious when examining a window close up, but once they are installed you'll probably never notice them again. The performance of the Okna and the Soft-lite is considerably better than the Integrity, as are the warranties.

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