From an 2010 thread on warranty here is some excellent input from @xoldtimecarpenter and jives with the biz law course that I audited years ago on contract law. If there is forum member with legal background it'd be nice to get their opinion on this. After my prior post I read about "stress cracks" caused by thermal differences and realize these can happen fairly easily especially on larger windows and so a warranty that is skimpy here as Kolbe seems to be is not positive. His/her post also made me laugh: "Window warranties aggravate me about as much as faucet warranties, which are only slightly less annoying than setting my hair on fire with kerosene and putting it out with a brick. I don't know of a single window manufacturer that really stands behind its product. Almost all claim to have life-time warranties, but if you read the warranty, they actually promise very little. At most they will, eventually, send you a replacement part, but actually getting the window fixed is up to you. Not to be impolite, but this is crap. The window fogged up because it was not manufactured properly. There is no other explanation for fogging of an unbroken window. The homeowner did nothing to cause the problem. It is entirely on the manufacturer, who, if he was actually standing behind his product would also pay for the labor to install the window. I am not at all impressed with the fact that a window company makes a video showing the homeowner how to install replacement glass. Why should the homeowner have to install it? He didn't cause the problem. If we install windows for a customer, and they have manufacturing problems, we take care of the problem. We deal with the manufacturer, we install the replacement parts. And we keep track of our time and costs and bill the manufacture for them. If they have not paid in 90 days, we sue. Most people are not ware that the manufacturer's written warranty is not the only warranty a homeowner has. By law the manufacturer warrants the windows to be merchantable, workmanlike, and fit for the purpose for which intended. If the manufacturer violates these warranties by, for example, providing a dual-glazed window with seals that leak so the window fogs up (not merchantable, not workmanlike), he has to pay for the parts AND the labor to install the parts. That is the law, and has been the law for over 100 years. Manufacturers' warranties are not written for the purpose of protecting the customer, they are written to avoid, as much as possible, their duties under these common law warranties. The effort is only effective if the customer lets the manufacturer get away with it. We never do, and we never lose. My suggestion for homeowner is not to deal with warranty issues themselves. Get the company who installed the windows to deal with it. You may have to pay them to take care of manufacturing problems (but not installation problems -- that's on them). That way you avoid the finger-pointing that is common in window warranty claims. The manufacture says its an installation problem, the installer says its a manufacturing problem and no one does anything. Take pictures, get invoices, keep close track of your costs. Add them up and bill the manufacture. The company will probably deny their liability since labor is not covered by their written warranty. Don't spend any time trying to explain your rights under common law warranty -- just sue in small claims court. The judge will provide all the explanations necessary. At $15-45 to file a small claim, it is one of the best judicial bargains around. Keep in mind also that most window companies are members of the Better Business Bureau and as members have to submit to binding arbitration if your ask for it. Ask for it. Let the BBB collect for you. Stop taking crap from manufacturers over warranty issues. Regards,"

We're in upstate SC as well. We looked at Windsor too - in our opinion Sun was a much better window overall. I don't have any photos - the top sash just slides down on some of the windows when unlocked. Here's a video from their website showing "sash droop" as he calls it, and how to adjust it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1t0zmrdlsk And speaking of videos, one of the reasons we chose Sun (not a major reason, but I still appreciate stuff like this) were the videos they posted on their website showing stuff like that above. Here's more. We just moved in the house in July, and it's so hot here - as you know - that the last thing we want to do is open a window. So we really haven't made a big deal out of it with our dealer yet. We had them come out once to adjust a few windows that had the top sash sag, but we've noticed more doing it since then, and not all of the ones I've adjusted myself will stay up like they should even after adjustment. I'll be getting in contact with our dealer in the next week or so to get those top sashes fixed as we'll be heading into open-window season soon. I have confidence they'll fix it - Sun was very good about fixing the minor issues we had right after installation. It was primarily minor finish/paint issues (we had them paint the interior at the factory) and out of 35 windows they replaced about 6 sashes. Two of them were because the dealer didn't spec tempered glass in the stairwell - they replaced those sashes with the right kind of glass for free. Good service.

We had more than 25 Kolbe Vistaluxe windows and sliders and back doors installed this past summer. We have had severe problems from time of order going forward. First, the local representative sales rep at Horner in Massachusetts “pressed the wrong button”when ordering the 3 direct set window sets ( $30 K of direct set large window sets). He ordered them for commercial application and didnt admit that until 6 months later. Set project back by 12 weeks while Kolbe came up with a way to make a nailing flange after market to apply to allow installation. Those windows were ordered in January 2018. As we are about to reach a year since ordering these 2 of the 3 large window sets are LEAKING!!! Then my kitchen window which had a nailing flange originally is also leaking when it rains. we have a GC but just the set back in time cost us 100 K in extra man hours as the project manager was already off signt by the time the window flange fix was ready. I am still asking HORNER Millwork massachusetts to get Kolbe to send warranty information for their after market fix that were installed i. The summer and paid for a year ago. The local distributer has done very little and expresses no sense of responsibility for ordering the windows wrong to begin with. My one interaction with Kolbe involved being told that the order was placed to habe flange cut off by manufacturer. This. Was a beautiful project transforming a traditional cape on a small lake into a gorgeous modern home. The cost went way over in part because the nailing flange issue but also other windows leaking and the double pain low e glass windows are not anywhere near as sound proof as my 20 year old andersen windows which saleperson guaranteed they would be... even in my master bedroom where I paid for triple pane glass still noisy. at some point I will post photos of the rain coming in to my kitchen through brand new vistaluxe.

Why use the Ultimates on the front? The only difference I can think of when viewed from the street is the 1.5" deeper placement of the sash in the Ultimate that creates a stronger shadow line and more traditional appearance. But wouldn't you have in 2 different windows and hardware viewed from inside the front rooms? I don't know if the exterior appearance would be a major advantage since I never use casement windows. Have you looked at these windows in a showroom? Check out the scrolling screens. I would add a sub - sill to either of these windows. But I haven't seen what your house looks like. Look at the relationship of the nailing fin to the face of the sash in the details below and the thin sill nosing and the effectiveness of the drip. ELEVATE (sash in front of fin, missing drip) ULTIMATE (sash behind fin, thin sill nosing)