I do not feel they are that close at all, while the Andersen is not a bad product Marvin Ultimates are about the best wood window on the market.

Just to be clear- our company is not a Marvin Dealer. We are a licensed building contractor that offers many kinds of construction services, from new construction, additions, remodeling, and small projects like window or door replacement. We or our customers purchase windows through a local dealer. We are in Colorado where it is very dry, but some of our customer use humidifiers and can get condensation on interior glass. This can affect woodwork that is not properly maintained. A high quality varnish or paint can easily last 20 years. Infinity dealers include installation in their price, operating with a business model similar to Andersen Renewal except that Marvin Infinity dealers are more independent than Renewal and often provide other services such as siding, roofing, and a wide range of other business services. Many general contractors prefer to keep the window installation in house so we shy away from dealers who perform installation. We have had some bad experiences with Andersen Renewal on some jobs-they kept mis-ordering windows and did not complete their installations on schedule. Our local Marvin Infinity Dealer/Installer has a great reputation and is sure to be much more organized than the Andersen Renewal outfit. Back to the question of Quality- Marvin Signature is the Top of the Line, with more options and bells and whistles available than any of the other lines. They come in wood, wood clad with aluminum, or the Modern line which is Ultrex Fiberglass with aluminum interior. They are a the best wood window made in the USA and the best fit for the historic renovation and restoration jobs that we do. Loewen Windows, made in Canada, are the only ones we have ever installed that are of similar quality. Marvin Elevate, formerly Integrity, is a Ultrex Fiberglass window with wood interiors. Elevate offers many options, awnings, casements, double hungs, sliders, trapezoids, etc. in a wide variety of colors and glass configurations including SDL. This is a very high quality window with a life expectancy as high as any window on the market today. Marvin Essential is and All-Ultrex window that has fewer options but are made to order and ship very quickly, They are a great window, very high quality and will out live and out-perform any Vinyl Window on the market Infinity Windows by Marvin are of as equally high quality as any other Marvin product, and have a great range of design options colors and glass configurations. Infinity dealers choose to work with Marvin, a company that stands behind their products, offers great dealer and customer support and great warranties. I am not a schill for Marvin, I do have extensive experience, having first installed Marvin Wood windows with true divided lites and storm panels in 1985- those windows are still working. We started installing Marvin Integrity for ourselves, our friends, and our customers I have been to the Marvin Factory in Warroad Minnesota for training and we have sent 2 of our carpenters there as well. I have seen how meticulous they are and witnessed windows undergoing arduous testing against wind and rain. I have also received great service whenever there was a problem with a unit we installed. We choose to use Marvin because we care about our customers, we care about our reputation, we care about our work.

In a salt environment, I would opt for the integrity. Better yet, look at Inline as well.

My daughter has purchased a new home with 50 year old double hung windows that need to be replaced. It is a colonial home in Massachusetts several miles from the coast. She is trying to decide between the Anderson 400 series and the Marvin Integrity. She wants to stay with the same traditional 6 over 6 white double hung windows. Any thoughts on which is better - the Marvin Integrity, or the Anderson 400 Series?