I’m just now discovering this and I’m devastated! Contractor ordered these….we wanted wood on the inside ( not offered with this collection)and now I can’t clean them! I don’t know who to blame this on. We waited forever for them and now this! I’m 67 and can’t do the ladderthing anymore. I’ve been ripped off!!!!!!!!

I sell that window with no extension jambs for about the same amount of money. It's not overpriced. (Essential). I haven't worked with the Modern lineup yet so I cannot comment from experience. Essential windows are better than vinyl. The Fiberglass is stronger, doesn't expand/contract like vinyl, and will last longer than vinyl. Also Marvin has one of, if not the lowest seal failure rates amongst all windows. I sell more Marvin products than any other and I have almost zero seal failures. Many of the vinyl window I've sold have had seal failure issues. The $800 quote is far less than my cost on a unit that size. Unlikely mseamm's unit is as big, or the same brand/series/options. Might be that their unit wasn't tempered.

@bethesdabeth We don't deal in any products that deliberately engage in an engineered obsolescence foundation, but pretty much every product that is used in track built new construction willfully does. Combine that with every appliance (as high end as you want to go with sub zero and beyond) in the home as well as every other material except the wiring, framing, and concrete...they all have dramatically shorter predictions than you reference. As does everything these days. The windows that lasted over 100 years from before don't exist. Mostly because the missing calculus from that lifespan is MAINTENANCE. Yes, that 100 year old window was harvested from a very dense timber strand...but it only makes it that long when its covered in about 17 coats of paint. Same with the siding. You leave any uncovered or finished wood exposed in a climate with any wet season, it's gonna fail. Obviously...you know this. But I feel like basic realism in the projections is worthy for context. Even that aluminum window, in climate with some rain, will experience some sort of finish degradation over time that would make it visually an eyesore. @dottt1 My college stays were spent at a school at over 7,000 feet so I understand the strength of the sun. The sun is stronger at that altitude but the overall strength (i.e. seasonal exposure) is less. I would say that the windows that are closer to the Equator still get more UV exposure in aggregate than most high altitude applications. Fiberglass, based on the ability to pultrude narrow and heavy mill thickness profiles, does have the ability to run some narrow frames. Most vinyl manufactures will not attempt to design a narrow profile with attention to profile width and visible glass because it is cheaper and easier to use a larger profile for profile stability. That said, there are several vinyl suppliers that will provide similar VT (visible transmittance) numbers as fiberglass windows (Ex. VT of 62 for both the Elevate with clear glass as well as Okna and Sunrise). To your question, is the Marvin Essentials a "bad" windows, no. Obviously it missed the mark for you in several capacities and I don't necessarily disagree with your opinion if those criteria in question, are of importance. That said, in the larger comparison to the products available in the marketplace, the Marvin Essentials in not a bad window. Is the Elevate a better looking window, yes. Do I recommend the Essentials over the Elevate, no. Before the accusations of being Marvin "homer" are levied, I don't know when the last Marvin job we sold was as a point of reference. The "best" window depends solely on the needs, necessities, and aesthetics of the client. That is as varied and diverse as the construction out there. There are good products in every category and if folks spent the same amount of time researching less "sexy" products like windows, siding, etc....as they did kitchen countertops...they'd probably land on better products. On the average, of course. Hope this helps. Happy Thursday.

You will be getting vinyl on this window. The entire top of the lower sash on Essential double hung windows is cheap-looking, cheap-feeling vinyl (and somewhat whiter than the stone white of the fiberglass and definitely "flatter" in finish). Vinyl also forms part of the base on the awning windows. As for leakage, it does seem colder in my home since I had the Marvin Essential windows installed on the south side, but I can't really quantify it. If I had it to do over, I would not choose Marvin.