We recently suffered a house fire and as a result our house is down to the studs and we need to replace all of our windows (along with everything else). We have a traditional style home with brick on the first floor and siding on the second. Insurance will replace the windows we have now which, unfortunately, are aluminum windows from the late 70's. In the interest of improving the look and performance of our windows without spending significantly more than the insurance replacement cost we're leaning towards vinyl windows (FYI we live in central Texas). This week we got a bid on Simonton 600 Series Windows with the simulated divided lite colonial grid pattern. As everyone who reads this forum knows, it is very hard to get a feel for what's "normal" in terms of pricing on windows. Is anyone able to tell me if the pricing below seems reasonable for the Simonton Brickmould 600 vinyl windows? The prices listed below are for the windows only, installation is separate. Also, given what we're looking for (especially the SDL) are there any other vinyl window manufacturers we should be looking into? 3060 double hung 6/6 w/ 1" s.d.l. $558 + tax 3040 double hung 6/6 w/ 1" s.d.l. $512 + tax Thanks in advance for the help!

I've sold both Both products are gold label rated Both have a .02 AI and triple fin seal Both have an extruded screen (optional on Okna) Both have composite glass spacer (optional on Softlite) Both have foam filled sashes and frames The okna does have a nice cove to the sash edge, and is not flat. The Softlite has a more ornate beading in that area, which is preferred by some and disliked by others. The Okna has a measurably better U factor with equivalent glass package, while the LS is superior in DP Being "beefier" is not much of a sales feature when most homeowners are trying to minimize glass loss, while still providing a strong assembly. Products like Sunrise and Okna do a better job of this than the Softlie in my opinion. I'd agree with the above statement that they are pretty equal, although the warranty fiasco with Softlite turns me off. Velux is where the skylight conversation begins and ends these days Any news on your decison Mr green?

I agree with Todd. Both are top performers, although the Okna will have more glass area, better thermal ratings, and an overall nicer look and feel (to most). If the install dealers are equal, the Okna option seems like a no-brainer. That said, if you feel that the Polaris install would be better or that company would be more trustworthy, its certainly worth further consideration. Both prices are very competitive, with the Okna price being a bit below where that line normally checks in.

They are VERY similar and use many of the same parts. The 800 has ever-so-slightly superior structural performance, but realistically they are very close. They really aren't made to be in a hierarchy where the same company has both, but rather from multiple dealers to carry one and have a "unique" offering... If you find yourself in the position of the latter, I'd decide based on which company and installation you prefer.