. . . and now it begins I had SPECIFICALLY insisted that the carpet be power stretched. It was written on my order. It was written on the installers' job sheet. So what do I find when I check on their progress? A stinger. Which punches holes in the carpet and is explicitly prohibited by the CRI. I took a picture of it and emailed it to Lowes, and told them that the installer had violated the Mohawk warranty requirements. And hopefully didn't take chunks out of my subfloor in the process, but probably did. The installation team manager called Mohawk to confirm what I told him, and they said yes, stingers are a no go. So, I told them they are going to have to do it all over again, with new fresh materials, and do it right. more fun.

Anso is top of the line..Warranty is the best in the business..but really, never buy carpet based on warranty. But for the record the warranty is 20 years non prorated, it is transferable, cover 100% labor for the full 20 years also non prorated, covers stairs 100% and even pet stains. It is the best earranty in the business. Shaw went right after Smartstrand point Blank with the pie fight and all. It is hilarious to me. I sell both and would trust Anso over smartstrand as nylon as passed the test of time. I think Anso warranties are nuts.. 20 year no wrinkle, texture retention, manufacturer defects, abrasive wear, and stain with the r2x. Buy the color you like, either one you'll be fine...

Hello all, I am new to GardenWeb.com and came here looking for some other information when I stumbled onto this post. I have been installing carpet professionally here in Northern Colorado for about 20 years (I am only 34). Most of my life has been in the flooring business and now I am in sales. That said I notice that in most of the replies to this post no one has bothered to mention what type of vacuum is being used to regularly clean the floor and how often are these carpets shampooed or steam cleaned. This, especially with polyesters has a significant effect on how polyester will age and wear. As was said before using a spot remover leaves a residue and it really does we see the spots that it leaves on a regular basis, dirt loves spot removers. Friction burns are usually the cause for the dark look that polyesters get in high traffic areas so taking off shoes on these carpets would be something I would recommend to anyone purchasing these materials.

Invista and Solutia have done a super job of marketing to convince you that theirs' is best. Also, their yarn is a type 6.6 nylon and is marketed as being "better" than type 6 nylon. However, recent studies by leading chemical engineers suggest that the differences between the two types have little to do with a carpet's overall performance, and further suggest that carpet construction is more important than fiber. The reason the consumer has to pay about $1.00/sq.yd. more for Stainmaster or Wear Dated than unbranded nylon fiber is that Invista and Mohawk spend millions of advertising dollars to convince you their fiber is better. This cost is passed on to the mill, and then to the dealer, and then to you. Invista did help the consumer by breaking their fiber quality into groups.