Pella vs. Window World in Pittsburgh, PA

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stanchambe
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Pella vs. Window World in Pittsburgh, PA

#1 Post by stanchambe »

Greetings! New to the forum and hoping for some great guidance. We have narrowed our replacement window selection to the Pella 250 series (from Pella, not Lowes) and Window World 4000 series.

Anyone have any expereince with either?

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

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Windows on Washington
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Re: Pella vs. Window World in Pittsburgh, PA

#2 Post by Windows on Washington »

You are putting us between a rock and hard place here. Were there no other good options?

stanchambe
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Re: Pella vs. Window World in Pittsburgh, PA

#3 Post by stanchambe »

We are open to suggestions. These two seemed to be the best for us.

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Windows on Washington
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Re: Pella vs. Window World in Pittsburgh, PA

#4 Post by Windows on Washington »

Sunrise (Restorations), Soft-Lite (Imperial LS), and Okna (EnviroStar) are all pretty well thought of brands.

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HomeSealed
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Re: Pella vs. Window World in Pittsburgh, PA

#5 Post by HomeSealed »

+1. There are not many circumstances where "best" could be used to describe those windows... other than perhaps, best to choose a different option.

WoW gave a list of a few compelling choices to start with. Familiarize yourself with performance ratings (thermal and structural) like u value, shgc, air infiltration, etc. Great, unbiased way to compare.

Cerebus451
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Re: Pella vs. Window World in Pittsburgh, PA

#6 Post by Cerebus451 »

Rather than creating a new thread, figured I would tack on to this one since I am also looking for replacement windows in Pittsburgh.

First, a general question. Is there a good source for finding ratings on windows? Manufacturers mention stickers on the windows, but as most people won't see the windows until they are being installed it seems a little too late. Didn't now if there was a hidden gem of source material on this.

Next, trying to sort through the mess I have created for myself with the estimates I have. Again, I can't find any information specific to these windows, so I thought I would throw some names out to see if there are opinions on them.

First up is Universal Windows UniShield windows. I do know these are basically Polaris ThermaWeld windows with an upgraded spacer. I have also found some that recommend Polaris windows, though sometimes this comes with the caveat that they are recommending the UltraWeld series windows. Curious of there were specific opinions on the UniShield or if not that, the Polaris ThermaWeld (especially in regards to the 3 windows already mentioned).

Next up is in regards to the Soft-Lite window lines. The Soft-Lite dealer I located (Zen) doesn't have the Imperial but is instead quoting the Classic line. Pros/cons on the Classic when compared to the Imperial?

Going to get an estimate on Sunrise as well. Apparently Okna is not available in this area except by special order (I couldn't find a Sunrise dealer until I found one that used to install Okna and the guy told me they no longer do Okna but install Sunrise).

Another general question - just curious about the hate on Pella. No one goes into specifics and I can't tell if it isn't just a general "You can get better for your money" (which is certainly valid) or something specifically wrong with the windows. The Universal quote is already a couple thousand less than Pella 250's, so I am not really leaning towards Pella, just trying to get all the info I can.

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toddinmn
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Re: Pella vs. Window World in Pittsburgh, PA

#7 Post by toddinmn »

Cerebus451 wrote:Rather than creating a new thread, figured I would tack on to this one since I am also looking for replacement windows in Pittsburgh.

First, a general question. Is there a good source for finding ratings on windows? Manufacturers mention stickers on the windows, but as most people won't see the windows until they are being installed it seems a little too late. Didn't now if there was a hidden gem of source material on this.

Next, trying to sort through the mess I have created for myself with the estimates I have. Again, I can't find any information specific to these windows, so I thought I would throw some names out to see if there are opinions on them.

First up is Universal Windows UniShield windows. I do know these are basically Polaris ThermaWeld windows with an upgraded spacer. I have also found some that recommend Polaris windows, though sometimes this comes with the caveat that they are recommending the UltraWeld series windows. Curious of there were specific opinions on the UniShield or if not that, the Polaris ThermaWeld (especially in regards to the 3 windows already mentioned).

Next up is in regards to the Soft-Lite window lines. The Soft-Lite dealer I located (Zen) doesn't have the Imperial but is instead quoting the Classic line. Pros/cons on the Classic when compared to the Imperial?

Going to get an estimate on Sunrise as well. Apparently Okna is not available in this area except by special order (I couldn't find a Sunrise dealer until I found one that used to install Okna and the guy told me they no longer do Okna but install Sunrise).

Another general question - just curious about the hate on Pella. No one goes into specifics and I can't tell if it isn't just a general "You can get better for your money" (which is certainly valid) or something specifically wrong with the windows. The Universal quote is already a couple thousand less than Pella 250's, so I am not really leaning towards Pella, just trying to get all the info I can.
Polaris does not offer the Thermal any more, it has been replaced with the Thermalweld Plus . Even though it is below the Ultraweld I do prefer it. The biggest drawback with Pella's is there very outdated pocket sill design, which would eliminate it for recommendation.
The Soft-Lite Classic is a well proven but slightly dated design that is better than most but lags behind only later well designed windows, the Imperial is well regarded and considered upper end.

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HomeSealed
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Re: Pella vs. Window World in Pittsburgh, PA

#8 Post by HomeSealed »

Thermalweld plus is solid. The Unishield dealer has very mixed reviews depending on location. Perhaps they run an excellent ship in PA, I'd definitely look into it deeper.

Softlite Imperial is excellent as stated previously, as is Okna. The Classic is showing its age by the day as new products are introduced by other manufacturer (see TW+ as mentioned), and again, some very mixed reviews on that dealer.

On Plella 250, its simply not very good at anything beyond being inexpensive and having name recognition. Pocket sill design is obsolete and utilized for cost savings despite its history of issues, and the performance ratings across the board are not high end.

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