I have heard of that window and it is quite good.

It has great air infiltration numbers and the options that it is both available and loaded up with make the performance numbers awesome.

There are some options in that window that are not available as a standard in the UltraWeld if memory serves me correctly.

Very solid window and design so if the price looks good, its a tough window to beat.

If its Universal, they use the Thermal Weld, not the ultraweld.

Polaris makes a solid product. That window does not have any meaningful options that can't be had on the regular lines however. Good air infiltration rate, but the thermal ratings are not quite as good as the top products. If the price is right and the installation company is top notch it can be a good choice, I'd put it a shade under the top tier performers like Restorations, Okna, Himark, Elements, etc... And that is assuming that it is based on the UltraWeld. If the Thermalweld as mmarsel said, it would not be on my list of recommendations.

Thank you for the good responses....I did want to check out Okna, but that reseller refuses to return my calls. Himark and Elements aren't listed on the EPA casement most efficient site, so I have not heard or looked at them...

Yes it is from Universal, but the subject of the email quote says "ultra weld 8000 estimate". The body of the quote attachment says: These are our exclusive UniShield Windows, manufactured by Polaris Technologies. The UniShield windows is the Ultraweld 8000 series windows with additional features for added strength, durability and energy efficiency.

How can I tell if they are in fact Ultra Weld as they say they are?

Ask them for a CPD number.

The UltraWeld is a solid window but a good portion of customers find it really bulky and thick on the sides.

If its the ThermalWeld, that is a mid grade window.

The Ultra does have good air numbers but the thermals aren't on par with the upper end windows out there.

HiMark is a dealer network of okna, and elements is the top offering from softlite. Both of those lines will be listed on the most efficient site, and in fact are the top two models that are widely available in terms of energy efficiency. U values hitting .20 or lower with triple pane argon, and air infiltration ratings of .01.
Where are you located? That can dictate what products you have available.

What do I do with the CPD number assuming they will give me one?
We are located a few hours from the Twin Cities in Minnesota. Is there a HiMark dealer in this state?

This Energy Star site doesn't rate Softlite that highly....see link below.

Here is a link that might be useful: EPA casement performance

Universal has a beefed up version of the Ultraweld available.
There triple panes also come in below 0.20 U value or lower.
They also list an air infiltration of 0.01 and a u-value of 0.26 on dual paned glass.The okna's superior U-value of 0.25 is really splitting hairs, red ones at that.
I know the Polaris has a bulkier double-hung but don't know if the casement is the same compared to the others.

Todd is correct on the ratings, my brain always defaults to double hungs where there is a larger spread (.25-.28). That said, I have samples of all 3 and sell all 3 and my clients prefer them in order Okna, Softlite, Polaris. The Okna is the slimmest (more glass) and arguable most attractive, followed by the Softlite and then Polaris. Any of the 3 would serve you well.
In double hungs the Okna and Softlie Elemets are a solid step up IMO.

Universal's double hung is 0.26.
It comes with super spacer that is not available to other Polaris dealers.

Incorrect Todd. See attached... They do use super spacer but it has the same .28 u factor in the Ultra Weld double hung that the stainless does... Again, I'll reiterate that it is a very good window, just want to make sure that our facts are accurate. ;)

+1

U-Factor of 0.26 is only the casement if I am not mistaken.

I stand corrected. I thought Universal had a glazing package that brought the U-value to 0.26 but they do not.
Thanks for shedding light on this Homie as I really hate seeing misinformation being posted.

My Polaris window cracked after 18 months. Polaris is sending a replacement window. However, I have to pay for the labor. There are many other internet complaints of Polaris windows cracking. I do not recommend there product. I had Alside and Anderson windows on previous homes. I did not have problems with those brands

. ABSOLUTE JUNK!! I purchased 13 flimsy Dynaweld windows and half of them were defective. The sash latches would stick open and when the window sash was raised, it would fall forward and rip right out of the frame! This happened to 2 windows!. I contacted Modern Builder Supply, who owns Polaris Windows, and they offered me "parts" to repair 2 windows that failed and were beyond repair! They didnt even bother to look at the photos I emailed them that clearly showed these windows were not repairable as the cheap, thin, plastic vinyl frames were busted. So, I sued them and won my case! In the meantime, I go back to purchase a replacement window (only because I want all the windows to match) and my customer's home has a big hole in the side of it covered with plywood (a 7 month ordeal) and they refuse to sell to me a replacement window because I did the right thing and sued them! STAY AWAY!!!! Pathetic product and even worse customer service!!!!!! Not only is their product JUNK, their treatment of their customer's is obviously just as bad. To this day they refuse to make this right!

They've ignored the Court's order to pay. BEWARE!!!!

You mean they would stick in the retracted position?

They are a pretty good company to deal with iMO, they aways send anything I ask for without question.

Yes.

oh, they had no hesitation with sending ”parts” in a bag for me to deal with. Problem is, if they’d looked at the photos they could clearly see the frame itself had been destroyed beyond any ”parts”. being able to repair them! After bringing this to their attention, the warranty department ghosted me 100%. They wouldnt even respond to my emails. These are BRAND NEW windows!

The home hasnt even been lived in yet! This happened to 2 windows that we had opened for one reason or another….dust control, fresh air, whatever. So my concern is we sell this flip, the new occupants have a small child who opens one of these windows and a tragedy plays out all because of their greed and horrible customer service. But there is a clear record now that they are well aware of the issues with these windows and choose to ignore them.

They don't make the sash latches in house. So them sticking open isn't really something I could hang on their neck. That said, that should have been identified in a function check after the installation of the windows. We rarely replace tilt latches and when we do, they are overwhelmingly from misuse and abuse. Can't speak to the other parts of it except that it's likely your warranty contact person is the one "ghosting" you and not Polaris corporate.

If you'd like to email me (enovotny@windowsonwashington.net), I can see about forwarding this to my contact person inside corporate to get this moved up the chain.

@John Way, could you post the pictures? That would add some perspective.

What type of judgement did you win? Was it just for the amount of two windows?

These are the only ones I could still locate. I think I have more that are printed out that I took to court. But these show the damage that was done when the latches would stick on the open position, then the sash raised and then subsequently falling and ripping right out of the frame.

When I shared these photos with Modern Builder's Supply, which is where I purchased them, which is part of the Polaris Window Corporation. I called to check up on what they planned on doing about this and the representative said, "There is a sack of parts here for you to pick up" I'm sorry but sashes don't fit in a bag! They thought they were going to give me a few replaceable parts and forget about it.

It went straight downhill from there. I contacted Polaris Warranty Department and received one single reply, and silence after that. I threatened to take it to court. Silence. I filed a Small Claims case...silence. Court date was set, nobody showed up. Second court date, silence...Follow up forms that I filled out that put them on further notice, and nothing. Not a single email, phone call, email, nothing! The case was settled in my favor for something like $1000 and no check. Nothing to this day.

So, I will post this story on every possible site I can till I'm paid or till I'm dead. I think I can persuade at least a couple shoppers to shop elsewhere...and that's a consolation to my loss.

Not saying this is the case here as I wasn't there to use the windows, but I can tell you that pivot pins don't "rip" out of the sash in normal use. Were you the person using this window or was this for client/tenant?

I agree, there is NO way a solid metal pivot bar is just going to bend or tear out under "normal use". Its not possible. Blaming Polaris is totally unwarranted and groundless. No wonder they didnt show up for court.

I agree with the others. In my experience that's not the type of damage that occurs from normal wear and tear. Windows are often damaged during construction by subcontractors of various trades. Sometimes they even remove the sashes to throw debris out to shorten the carry distance. Could this have been the case here?

I would imagine you pay closer attention when when tilting a window back in.

Talk about looking a gift horse in the mouth.

Let me take a shot at making jonny lee's story coherent.

Step one: bought Polaris's lowest model

Step two: installed diy or perhaps paid a guy off the street to install "properly"

Step three: Operator error by either "installer" or homeowner in not making sure the the sash was fully seated before closing after tilting, causing damage. Seemingly grumpy ho probably caused additional damage by trying to "teach the window a lesson" when it didn't move easily.

Step 4: Hilarity ensues as panel smacks ho in the head. Unfortunately, sense not knocked in.

In summary: this is not an uncommon occurrence jonny lee, people have this problem often when they don't excercise care closing the windows after cleaning. No manufacturer defect here, and rather generous of them to provide parts that you broke.

Now, I know that a lot of guys in the construction trades are aren't highly edcauted, but some of you guys are ignorant. It seems to me that most of you simply want to say something on the internet. Regardless if it pertaions to the facts of the case or not. Perhaos we were throwing debris out the window? Operator error? PAy closer attention when tilting the windows in? You idiots obviously didn't read what happened. Pretty pathetic if you ask me.

Regardless, Polaris lost their case in a US Court, and ignored the judgement....just as they did this entire issue for months.

Let's let future potential customers of Polaris decide for themselves if thats how they want their warranty claim handled from a so-called reputable window manufacturer.

Post up your court documents , show us your emails exchanges. Show us your professional install. Give us one reason to take you seriously without telling us why you can’t. You wanna light them up then do it.

"Now, I know that a lot of guys in the construction trades are aren't highly edcauted, but some of you guys are ignorant. It seems to me that most of you simply want to say something on the internet. Regardless if it pertaions to the facts of the case or not. Perhaos we were throwing debris out the window?"

They may not be overly educated, but at least they can write a coherent sentence with correct spelling. Are you drunk?

If you won your case, and it seems like most of the posters here think you're a liar, you didn't win based on the superior case, but simply on the fact that they ignored your suite and didn't bother to show up.

You seem like a very angry man. Perhaps you should seek out psychiatric help.