When you view the mezzo again, notice the fuzzy pads that they need to glue in the corners of the meeting rails to block air.( you wont find those unsightly/ cheap pads on the okna or sunrise) Then look at the keeper which is what the lock slides into. Open the window and pull on the keeper and notice how easily it bends.
After that, ask why you cant get triple pane glass on the mezzo.
After you do all that , the price disparity between that and the okna wont seem so much.

I am not sure that folks are really bashing it that hard, but when you compare that window to the others in your list, it stands out as the lesser of the 3.

I would not argue that the Restorations is 2X the window that the Mezzo is, however, that price spread between the Mezzo and the 800 (about $150) is probably justifiable when you compare the build quality, material construction, performance, and aesthetics.

If you have the windows for 7 years, you are out an extra $0.85 cents a day assuming they have equal resale value. The argument could be made that the 800 will show better, hold up better, and value out better.

Good article linked.
Apparently the Mezzo is fraught with problems that are openly acknowledged by Alside. Not to mention the financial troubles.
Real question is, is the savings worth the risk?

On another note, I got a chuckle out of the fact the the word Mezzo means "middle". Nothing like shooting for the stars on that one, lol. When average is the goal, I think I'll pass.

Appears that this applies to the Revere Berkshire Elite, and Gentek and Alpine variations as well.

Here is a link that might be useful: Tough year for Associated Materials (Alside)

That price on the Okna 800 is a STEAL. The Vanguard is comparable, although slightly behind in performance

Both are in a different stratosphere from the Mezzo IMO. Two of the top windows on the market vs on that is very average at best. The thing is, that Okna pricing is at a mid-grade level for a top level choice. Best value by far assuming that it is from a reputable company.

Wow...that article is not particularly rosy.

From the article:

The two new window lines helped drive that growth of 4.1 percent but margin compression and other factors hurt the overall financial performance of Mezzo and Fusion windows. During the conference call, Strauss was asked what’s going wrong with window production.

“Is it a design flaw? Are you having trouble assembling the windows? Is there extruding problems? Are you having to go back and fix the windows in the field? What’s happening?” one market analyst asked.

Strauss’s response was essentially all of the above.

“You’ve got the buckets correctly,” he answered.

Basically, Alside is struggling to meet expectations for its manufacturing cost on a per-window basis, Strauss said.

A net loss of $276.1 million on net sales of $870.2 million was recorded for the nine months ended Sept. 27. That compares to a net loss of $32 million for the same period in 2013, according to Securities and Exchange filings for Associated Materials.

So what is everyone's thoughts on Vytex Fortis then? I can get them for about $2200 more than the Mezzos.

The Fortis is a pretty solidly built window and good performer.

At that price (roughly $7,800) there would be no reason to use them over the 800 that was quoted before.

If the budget is critical and you are trying to drive the price down, ask the 800 dealer for a 500 series quote as well.

You can go wrong with any of those three choices (Sunrise, Okna, or Vytex).

Thanks, while I respect the Okna, there are too many issues with the local Okna dealer, first being minim 5 windows and constant price increases and long wait times. We are not in Okna's normal area so they only ship windows when they can fill a trailer. The Vytex dealer has a solid reputation and has been great to work with so while the Okna may be a better window I am not as comfortable dealing with the Okna dealer. Also for my use case AI and good install are my focal points as most of my windows get little of no sun. The Sunrise were way too expensive.

Fortis is pretty narrow and will give you some slim lines.

AI numbers are not as good as the Okna window but on par with the Sunrise.

The Mezzo window by Alside is a great product. Our firm is one of the leading window installation companies in the Midwest. We were the first to try the Mezzo window when it was introduced early in 2014. Now with thousands installed the Mezzo is proving to be everything we hoped for in an updated window design. We have the highest rating on Angie's List so our product quality, integrity, and support are paramount. We have a 30 yr relationship with the Alside brand and there is no manufacturer with a better warranty and support system.

If you look FHD1 registered the same day he made that post.

i know ,he is spamming for a company.,

Not sure what is more intriguing here, that alside would bump a 4 month old thread that does not shine a very good light on their product, or that they expect consumers doing research to contact them directly for accurate and objective info.

Looks like Alside's posts are gone?

I also find it strange that alside wants to direct customers to them directly.