You can't go wrong with the name brands such as Anderson, Pella, Marvin, Jenweld and Milgard. I am not sure that these are all available in the east but I am sure some of them are.

I mentioned the brands Okna, Softlite, Vytex, Polaris, Himark are the vinyl brands preferred by most professionals I personally know. Some Andersen series, Marvin Integrity and Ultimates, Kolbe and Loewen in a wood or wood clad window. I would not put anything Jeldwen or Pella in my doghouse. Milgard is a very regional decent product but not available in the east. I have been in the window and door business 30 plus years the last 10 commercial.

I think you'll get some excellent responses if you post in the window forum.

You CAN go wrong with the some of name brands such as Anderson, Pella, Jeldwen. Some of their lines are known for failure rate and I am not impressed with any of these other than overpriced Anderson Renewals.
I would decide if you want vinyl, fiber, aluminum / wood / wood clad.
While some lay a claim of miracle brand of "premium" vinyl - I am pretty skeptical about that. Are these windows really worth to pay 20k premium? Or even 5k. Think how much vocation time can you get for 20k x 3 = 60k (total cost financing over 30 years ). Is that recoverable on sale? NOT A CHANCE.

(Unless you are building million $$$ house where premium windows would be expected ).

I went with Okna. Almost $10K less than Marvin Integrity wood ultrex after painting.

I just couldn't justify that upcharge for Marvin.

I believe PVC Earthwise windows are sold as replacement and new construction windows. Don't use any window that doesn't have an integral nailing fin with welded corners. You should see the window and try to twist and pull it apart. Window dealers hate it when I visit their showrooms.

Andersen Renewal is strictly a replacement window made of "Fibrex" wood fiber & PVC composite and sold not by Andersen dealers but by approved installers who provide a price for the windows plus installation. These windows would not be appropriate for new construction.

I agree that all window manufacturers make at least one unacceptable window model so you can't rely on brand names. The exception is Pella which IMO makes no acceptable windows and offers very poor service.

If you want a cheap window in MA ask your contractor to price the best line of Harvey Industries.

I have never specified a PVC window nor have any of my clients asked for them so I can't help you compare them. IMO the excessive expansion and contraction of extruded PVC makes it a poor choice for the frequent freeze-thaw cycles of New England winters. I have been an architect in MA since '71 and have commonly seen PVC windows used by spec builders or as replacement windows.

PVC is not always the same. Without high quality plasticizers, sheet or extruded PVC is rigid and cracks easily. I would guess the cheaper stuff lasts about 10 years before enough of the plasticizers have leached out that they begin to crack. IMO choosing a PVC window is an exercise in selecting the best of the worst.

Limited experience here but I've seen/heard of more humidity issues causing seal failures with wood windows than the expansion/contraction of vinyl windows.

If you're going to go wood it seems you have to go with a fiberglass exterior.

I haven't seen any humidity problems in MA except on the Cape where extruded aluminum clad wood windows are preferred by those who can afford them.

My builder's recommendation was to choose a window company that has a local repair/warranty department. His experience is that ANY company can produce a bad apple, but having a local warranty repairman can be the difference between having a bad window for 2 days vs having a bad window for 2 months.

We have Milgard; and although they function well, the design has some flaws. The locking mechanism is quite high, and the lip to push it open is so high that I have to get a ladder or large step stool to open/close the windows. Bad design.

arialvetica, I could not disagree more. A rotten apple is still a rotten apple.

In the last 40 years most of my clients have selected either Marvin aluminum clad Ultimate double hungs or Andersen PVC clad Woodwright double hungs. I am not aware of any problems with any of them and I remain in contact with my clients.

I did use Andersen's aluminum clad Eagle Talon double hungs just once and they leaked in storms on the Cape but the rep did a great job getting them fixed.

Seek the advice from local builders other than the one you are using.

I used a certain name brand window company (who shall go nameless) twice and had problems both times.

my clients have selected ...Andersen PVC clad Woodwright

Against your better judgement??

The only manufacturer I've bought more than one set of windows from now makes only vinyl and vinyl clad. (Used to make aluminum clad.) The last custom I built, the owners went vinyl. Couldn't resist the savings. (And I learned my opinion when it differed from theirs was not worth expressing.)

What will happen to the probably finger-jointed wood frames once the "maintenance free" vinyl goes brittle?

Mike, Telling us about a problem window and then not naming the brand is useless.

The Woodwright is a vinyl clad wood window with a composite sash cladding.

Whose Mike?

Mike=Mark

Marvin - wood inside, double hung, aluminum clad outside. Outstanding window that is a joy to own.

Mark, sorry

People in the construction industry near you can

Elaborate discretely about their

Less than average experiences with

Large window manufacturers

And small window manufacturers.