The vinyl on the Andersen is merely a cladding. No cladding, be it aluminum or vinyl, is meant to be structural in any way. So the strength issue is irrelevant. Either technology, if installed properly, will last a lot longer than most of us. I'm curious how people can make long term predictions on the Ultrex since it's still a pretty new technology. The first release products of fiberglass had a strength issue, with sills cracking along the strands of the fiberglass. That issue appears to have been resolved, but only time will tell. Andersen has been successfully using vinyl cladding for about 40 years. The real world success of the products is a testiment to their quality and long lasting ability. I agree that all manufacturers will be looking into more composite materials for products. How they will shape the industry remains to be seen.

We were also told by the Anderson installer that the Anderson 100 (available from box stores) is the same window as the Renewal by Anderson window. This is simply not true for the following reasons (my observation this past week): As noted above the Anderson 100 feels flimsy. The piece of fibrex at the top of the window by the lock is used to open the window and had a lot of give and almost felt like it was going to come off. The Renewal by Anderson window is opened at the bottom with a handle that's embedded into the frame. When closing the Anderson 100 window it falls into a channel with weep holes to let water escape not too uncommon in other windows. The windows I'm trying to replace are of similar design and it's really just a dirt trap. The renewal by Anderson Windows don't have a channel but have a sloping ledge instead. This is similar design to Anderson 200 and 400 models you can get from box stores. Not sure yet if these differences are enough to make up the difference in estimated we received...

Haven't been back to this site for awhile but got an e-mail from another Andersen window buyer - still looks like Andersen is selling windows that let the outside in. My Andersen 200 series double hungs are great at letting the sunshine in as well as dirt and snow. Oh well - we just huddle around the fireplace all winter and stick pins in our Andersen rep voodoo doll. Come visit anytime, but bring your own firewood and warm blankets! New advertising slogan for Andersen - "We Let The Outside In!" Don't believe me - I have photos! Don't buy Andersen Windows or you will be very sorry! They design these windows to fail and no amount of 'adjusting' will fix them. Buyer beware! Feel free to contact me for the real story about Andersen Windows. Arlo Kallemeyn arlok33@yahoo.com cell phone 708-439-7316

Thanks for the feedback. The Restorations have been my preferred choice just wanted to make sure I was getting a better window before dealing with my builder about using other than his recommended window. Is it worth the additional $$$ in my part of the world to upgrade all windows to the UltraAr90? How important is condensation resistance? The UltraAr90 windows seem to do quite a bit better in that area? The additional money really isn't a budget buster but I would like to spend the money where I get the best investment in energy efficiency. Thanks again for answering my questions.