we just installed Kolbe in my new home. It is still under construction, however they have been in for a few months now. Trust me, Kolbe can do ANYTHING you want with the glass. My order was very demanding on the glass and my rep did a fantastic job working with me on getting things exactly as I wanted them. All of the windows are their tri pane glazing EP line. There were not any cost differences between the hardcoats but changing from a softcoat to a hardcoat there were some slight upcharges. I have installed a few different window brands including Andersen 400s, Marvin Integrity (never the Premium), Eagle, and Pella. The Kolbe were the easiest of them all to install. They are very rigid and strong. They did not flex at all. Nail flange was nice and straight and sat nicely into the framed opening. They were all exactly the RO size indicated. I have a very large and super heavy 8'x7' 8' window that is mulled in the center. There are 2 large 4x4 pictures and awnings below, so a horizontal mull as well. It took 4 guys to get it into the opening, but the entire time we were struggling it never flexed once. I was very impressed. I could see the frame around the window was LVL wood and not pine or fir. They also use that in the doors, which I got a custom front door from them as well as the patio door. I will say they actually sent half of the windows with the wrong glass installed, but a simple call to them and they were on it to change the glass out, no questions asked. you can check them out in my blog for more info and pictures of the windows. I would highly recommend them based on the other ones I have also installed. Interestingly enough, this thread is older and you see my post about Eagles above. Kolbe came recommended by members on this forum so I got involved with my rep and I am glad I did. While I still believe the new Eagle is still a good window, it is still a step down from my Kolbes. Time will tell how they last, but the future appears promising. Here is a link that might be useful: home building blog

Swampwiz, For simplicity I would consider 366 for every window in your home except for the window where you want to protect your grand piano. For that window I would agree with 240. In addition to the 240, I would consider using laminated glass. The combination of 240 and laminated glass will result in blocking 99.9% of damaging UV rays as well as blocking a percentage of visible light which also contributes to fading and "light" damage. There would be a cost upgrade for including a laminated lite in your glass package, but in your situation I would consider it well worth the additional investment. 240 is a "tinted" coating, but if you want it even darker you can get a tinted laminate - either glass or interlayer as part of the IG including the 240 coated lite. So far as cost difference for different coatings, you may find that it is ultimately more expensive to mix and match coatigs than to go with a single coating for all of your windows. Some window companies are already using 366 as their "standard" coating and while I don't know specifically what either Kolbe or Monarch may charge for a 366 upgrade (if anything) - your best bet is to simply ask them what they charge for upgrading to the 366 coating. Negotiate - see what they will do for you.

Amerimax windows are considered a higher end window. Standard features are superspacer, double strength glass, triple weatherstripping, brass rollers, tilt-in single hung, 8+ chambers, sloped chambers for drainage and 4 weep hole system and two cam locks are standard on windows above 36". Amerimax has 5/8 flat grids, 5/8 sculptered grids, 1" flat grids, 1" sculptered grids available. Amerimax low-e270 and argon on its windows standard qualifies for the tax credit where as most other brands need low-e366 and argon. Options on Amerimax are brickmold and 10 color exterior colors. Very nice window with good service. Amerimax patio door comes with key lock standard and metal outside handle. 10 handle finishes available. Footbolt lock available. Grey aluminum sill cover not vinyl. Milgard Tuscany is a good window but not a great one. Much better then the old Classic line. Milgard's marketing is second to none. Standard features are intercept spacer, single strength glass, double weaterstripping, nylon rollers, single hung does not tilt-in, 7 chambers and single lock on windows no matter what the size. The Milgard auto lock is a very nice feature but not very secure on large windows. To qualify for tax credit window needs to be upgraded to 3D-MAX glass package. 5/8 flat grids and 1" sculptered grids available. Milgard patio door has plastic outside handle which I think is cheap looking. Only white, tan and brass finish is available on handle. Can have key lock added but no footbolt lock available. Price wise it just depends on what dealer you find to give you a quote. The patio door is no comparison. Milgard's is still the old Classic style. Hopefully Milgard will come out with a Tuscany door line soon. Milgard Dealers are a dime a dozen. Amerimax is very selective and only opens select dealers. Remember Milgard was started as a new construction window company where as Amerimax as a replacement high end window company. Amerimax will be a higher priced window then the Milgard but I think is well worth the money. Another window to look at is the Simonton 7300 or Simonton 7500.

Joe, we live in a very indoor-outdoor "glass house" with 8 sliding glass doors, some as large as 12' wide. We have only 6 windows in the whole house. We are replacing 2 windows in the kitchen: 1. Window 1: approx 24"W x 44"H, fixed pane (in industry parlance, "picture window"). Since it is right next to a door (a 10' sliding door), it had to be tempered (local building code). A Simonton 7300 vinyl window ran $167. The best price I got for a Milgard Tuscany with SunCoatMAX Energy package was $113.20. 2. Window 2: approx 96"W x 44"H, horizontal slider, X-O-X. The Simonton 7300 ran $498 which included an upgraded ultra-vue screen ($10 extra). The Milgard Tuscany would run $423.20 Both Simonton windows have the energy package with Low-E 366, double glazed, argon gas that allows us to get a 30% energy rebate, so the first window was $167-50=$117 and the second was $498-149=$349. Installation costs were all over the place from $100 per window or door to $1000 to $3000 per window or door! Crazy! Retrofit into an existing window frame would have been less expensive. However our original frames were not high quality and "new construction", or putting the window into the rough opening, would allow us to preserve as much glass as possible, without having a big fat frame. We live in a very modern home with very thin aluminum framed windows and doors. So, aesthetics were important. We sought as thin a frame as possible. The Simontons were only 1/2" wider than our original aluminum windows. So, they worked with the decor. They were noticeably thinner than the Milgards Here's a fascinating tidbit. One salesman who sent me a quote accidently sent me his margins. Here's an example: Milgard Tuscany 22 3/4"W x 42 1/2"H, U=.28, SGC=.22 Cost: $122.88 Selling Price: $178.17 % Gross Markup: 45% I don't believe the vinyl windows have a wood core. I saw the cross-section examples at the showrooms, and they all seemed to have multiple vinyl chambers. The more chambers the better, I was told. Hope that helps.