Gorell 5300 vs Simonton (5050 or 5500)

Hi,

We're thinking of replacing all 30 years old wood windows at our home in Chicago suburbs with vinyl windows. The budget is tight but we still want something of good quality.
We've got quotes from two installers, one with Gorell the other with Simonton - both quotes for 16 replacement windows:

Gorell 5305, white, AC Master insulated glass with Solar Shine option, 50 year glass breakage warranty and lifetime warranty on all vinyl - $8,150

Simonton 5050, white, Low-E glass coating and Argon insulation package, 10 year warranty on workmanship, lifetime warranty on all vinyl - $7,750

Simonton 5500, same characteristics as above (I assume, there were no other details) - $9,970

I'm a bit confused as I wouldn't want to go with Simonton 5050 which I know is the bottom-end of the Reflection series - on the other hand the 5500 series is priced $1,800 more then Gorell. So these are my questions:

- Should I stay with Gorell 5300? We've already installed Gorell 5100 series at our previous home few years ago and we had a good experience. The price also seems reasonable.
- Is Simonton 5500 a better window? If so, is it the $100/window difference between this and Gorell justified or should I try to negotiate the price?

Thank you!

The Gorell is a solid product and if you have previously enjoyed them and had good success, stay that course.

The Simonton 5500 is not $100 nicer and most would consider it a similar class product.

in my opinion, the Gorell is a better product than simonton 5500, also nicer looking and more energy efficient. its a no brainer in my view.

Thank you both!

+1 . I'd have to agree with that. The Simonton 5500 is probably in the same class and is not a bad product, but I'd choose the Gorell even if the prices were switched around.
You might also check out HiMark/Okna, Softlite, and Sunrise lines as top tier choices (a notch above those two IMO.)