What's the worst? What's the best? My question is: what features should I want in a vinyl window? I live in MD and experience mild to harsh winters and moderate summers. Rarely is it below 20 degrees F during the winter or above 95 degrees F in the summer.
I've read other posts rating Andersen and Pella at the top of the "best" list. Why? What do these manufactures do to their windows that others are lacking? What about Alside UltraMaxx or Simonton Prism? Are they any good?
So, help me out here, what should I look for in a vinyl window from a features, manufacture and customer service/warranty perspective?
Thanks for your help.
Mark
What makes a good window?
Reply
What "posts" were you reading that put Andersen and Pella at the top of the "Best" list ????? Best known perhaps as they jointly spend more on advertising than the rest of the industry combined. As for performance and quality they would make a completely different list.
Re: Reply
FenEX, the post I'm referring to can be found here: viewtopic.php?t=121.FenEx wrote:What "posts" were you reading that put Andersen and Pella at the top of the "Best" list ????? Best known perhaps as they jointly spend more on advertising than the rest of the industry combined. As for performance and quality they would make a completely different list.
The poster referred to tiers and put Andersen and Pella at the top, which I imagine means, in the mind of poster, the best (here's the title/subject: What would the different tiers of window Manufacturer's be?)
FenEx, I've seen you posts and trust your opinion given my description of climate and location, what are some of the basic and advance features you feel I should consider? What are features, advertised by manufactures, that are simply fluff and contribute nothing to quality, efficiency, long-term cost (maintenance, etc.).
I look forward to reading your post and the posts of other who can help.
Mark
Reply
If you take a look at that post you listed above you will see that the poster simply listed some brands, and "asked" what order they should be in.
As for things to look for, I guess everyone has their own criteria. For me, I always start with what I feel will suit the customers needs best whether it be wood or vinyl, based on the home, configurations and color options. Energy efficiency is a key item for me and how the product is engineered and constructed including the frames, hardware and glasspack. The next area is the easiest.... appearance. Look very closely at the corners and welds, liftrails/handles and overall beauty as you will see it everyday and so will a potential buyer when you go to sell. Even a good performing vinyl window with sloppy, raised fusion welds on the corners can make an expensive home look cheap. My best advice is to remember that you are buying windows, not stickers with well know names. I usually provide my potential customers with a checklist of items to look for that they can fill in as they see different windows so they don't try to rely on memory. There are of course other considerations such as the strength of the manufacturer and the quality of the installers along with others.
As for things to look for, I guess everyone has their own criteria. For me, I always start with what I feel will suit the customers needs best whether it be wood or vinyl, based on the home, configurations and color options. Energy efficiency is a key item for me and how the product is engineered and constructed including the frames, hardware and glasspack. The next area is the easiest.... appearance. Look very closely at the corners and welds, liftrails/handles and overall beauty as you will see it everyday and so will a potential buyer when you go to sell. Even a good performing vinyl window with sloppy, raised fusion welds on the corners can make an expensive home look cheap. My best advice is to remember that you are buying windows, not stickers with well know names. I usually provide my potential customers with a checklist of items to look for that they can fill in as they see different windows so they don't try to rely on memory. There are of course other considerations such as the strength of the manufacturer and the quality of the installers along with others.
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