Ply Gem versus Simonton (and two others)

[JoeTheAuthor]

I am looking at replacing a half-dozen double-hung vinyl clad wood windows (25 years old) with vinyl double-hung windows. The companies I have to choose from in my area are: Simonton through Home Depot (6100 model), Ply Gem (United Windows), Eclipse, and Brighton by Quaker. It is very difficult to find objective reviews on things like windows. It seems that most people only post complaints. I don't want to pay $30 to view Consumer Reports reviews, so I'm hoping I can get some objective opinions here.
I'm leaning toward the Ply Gem windows for two reasons: I only found good things said about them and they seem affordable with a good warranty. The quote I got from Home Depot on the Simontons was about $600 per window installed, which really seems quite expensive (I was hoping to spend no more than $450-475 per window installed). However, virtually every review I have read has been positive about them. I can't find any reviews at all about Eclipse (I'm not sure who actually makes them), and can find virtually nothing about the Quaker windows.
I would appreciate any objective input! (This is worse than buying a car…lol.)

[Windows on Washington]

Joe,

Save your money on Consumer Reports as it pertains to building materials.

Where is the home located?

[JoeTheAuthor]

We are in Western North Carolina in Hendersonville. The house is a combination brick/vinyl side ranch with walkout basement. Our heating and A/C bills have been quite low in the past, but we've started to see some air infiltration the last two years, and since the house is 25 years old, we thought we'd replace the windows. We are both nearing 70 and don't expect to be in the house more than 10 more years, but we do NOT want junk windows. We are looking for a mid-grade, quality window with not a lot of frills. The windows are approximately 36" wide x 54" high.

[HomeSealed]

Simonton and Plygem would both fit the bill as "mid grade" offerings. That said, neither is known for being extremely airtight (see air infiltration ratings), and given your reasoning for replacing the windows you may want to give that additional thought. Sunrise, Softlite, and Okna (maybe?) could be available in your area.
A couple of additional observations:
-You will be hard-pressed to get a good product and good installation by a reputable, established company in the $400's. $500-$600 is doable when you are not adding Cadillac options.
- I always caution against box store installs regardless of product choice. Lower pay to installers and management of installation services brings a higher risk of quality issues IMO.

[JoeTheAuthor]

Good advice, HomeSealed! We are most likely going to go with PlyGem Premium Series, probably double pane with either Argon or Krypton (is there really a difference worth paying for?), which will be installed by the seller, a local Windows & Door Specialty franchisee that has been doing business here for over 25 years. They have an excellent reputation for their customer service and installation team. Hendersonville is a small town, and it is doubtful that they would have stayed in business this long if they weren't doing something right. Hopefully, if the installation is top notch, we will obtain the best service from the windows. I'll let everyone know when they're in.

[Windows on Washington]

Do not put Krypton in a double pane window. Makes no difference in performance.

[JoeTheAuthor]

Why? Should I just go for Argon? I'm in Western North Carolina. Do I need anything more than double pane? Is triple pane worth the increased cost?

[Windows on Washington]

Triple pane may or may not be (depending on the cost of the upgrade) worth the investment.

My point was the Krypton, in the case of a double pane window, does nothing in terms of performance.

Krypton, in the case of triple pane, can improve the performance of most triple pane windows.

[JoeTheAuthor]

Thanks for that. Two of our six windows face west, but have a six-foot deep porch in front of them, so they never get any real heavy sunlight. Two others face west, but are shaded heavily by large trees. One faces east and hardly gets any sun at all, except for early morning. The remaining window faces north. We rarely see winter temps below 20 degrees. I'm guessing that double pane is all we need. Our heating and A/C bills are ridiculously low already, even with the 25-year old original windows, so we should only see better performance, regardless of what we choose.
Now, the only real choice left is between Eclipse and Ply Gem, which, if my information is correct, are both made by United Windows of NJ. I think I saw somewhere on this site that the Eclipse is their top window, so it will probably come down to price. Gee, what a surprise.
Any preference between the two?