I'd recommend looking at JELDWEN's Siteline EX product. I used to sell Marvin's for years and still do once in awhile. In my area, I sell almost 7 figures a year in JELDWEN windows. I can say that their quality is near Marvin's and is 30% less. They also have a color called "Artic Silver" which looks like clear anodized but is an applied finish. Anodized coating SUCK as they scratch easily and cannot be touched up. If you don't believe me, ask your dealer what they warranty is on anodized product. If they don't say 5 years or less, ask for it writing prior to ordering. Artic Silver is a 10 year warranty through JELDWEN(20 years if you look at their Custom series product, which is equal to Marvin). As for Hurd, if they're close to the same price as Marvin I would pick the Marvin if you're not interested in JELDWEN. Hurd is a crappy brand name and what's the point of buying "knock offs" if there's not enough savings to justify it? I don't go to the flea market and expect to pay 10% less. My advice, look at JELDWEN's Siteline EX product. If you don't like the quality, buy Marvin. Find a GOOD dealer in your area that knows what he's doing and you feel you can work with. Call the manufacturer and see who they prefer in your area(they'll give you their best dealer who buys the best). Lastly, remember pricing isn't everything. One mistake can easily suck out what you saved by "shopping around"...

I'm a homeowner doing the same research you're doing on DHs. My Ultimate was priced about $470 and the Woodwright was under $350. I couldn't justify the cost of the Marvin window. Plus, with Marvin, I couldn't choose the contractor. Just recently I found the Andersen A-series. It's a line above the Woodwright and in my opinion it is a nicer window. It even has the slick tilt mechanism you're talking about. It is a little more expensive than the Woodwright but still much less than the Marvin Ultimate. We'll be placing our A-series order within the week. I think the A-series has only been out on the market for less than a year and it is only in certain parts of the country so far. I'm in NY and both builders supply companies and Home Depots have them. Good luck with your decision.

All our wood windows are .060 aluminum clad exteriors. It comes down to this. How is the cladding applied? Whether it's aluminum or vinyl, it must be weatherproof or negative things, like rotted wood will happen. I wouldn't offer a vinyl clad window at my business. Michael

Leaps and bounds better quality IMO. The wood interior on the Integrity is largely isolated from moisture due to the fact that it's basically a fiberglass window with a veneer interior. The pella on the other hand is wood clad in its true definition. I've seen 10 year old Integritys that look good as new, while most pro lines are due for replacement around that time frame. Try to get a look at a corner cut of each to see what I'm talking about. Price wise the integrity is probably a little more, but should be in the same ballpark. I've sold and installed both