I agree that the frame and sash thickness of the cellular pvc is not a tremendous selling point to industry professionals. Some consumers like the look of it compared to a extruded pvc frame but we preach DP compared to DP. The Starmark, with zero reinforcement, has very good DP numbers (60, as mentioned by windowinfo). I really boils down to a mass issue. That thick profile is not solid as compared to a standard extruded pvc frame. There are little air pockets trapped in that composite that add insulation value while keeping the weight down as compared to an extrusion of that thickness that were solid.Window4U (IL) wrote:First off, the illustration of the Schuco extrusions is from Starmark, not Schuco.
I'm not 'dissing' Starmark as I think it is a good window for east coast consumers to look at, but... this "thickness" sales pitch of showing a big block of cellular pvc next to a UPVC multi-chamber extrusion is misleading IMO to consumers as proportional thickness of these two window materials and how they are manufactured has little to do with their final product strength.
The Schuco now has a DP70 (203mph) hurricane rating as does the Softlite Elements, (the Elements also has a .15 u-value). .....What is the Starmark DP rating since we're comparing strength?
While I would like as strong a window I could get in my home, the difference from DP60 to DP70 is really not a deciding factor. Anything over 50 and without he utilization of metal or kevlar is impressive.
You know that I like the Schuco and Soft-Lite products as well too.
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