Gorell vs BF Rich in Northern Virginia

[dweingart]

Hi Everyone--

This message board looks like a great resource, so I appreciate any guidance folks can provide on the following dilemma.

I am looking to replace 7 double-hung windows in my condo in Northern Virginia, and am trying to decide between quotes for the Gorell 5100 series and the BF Rich Vintage line. Both are two-pane with Low-E & Argon.

Both contractors seem to be reputable, but never having gone through this before, I am struggling to compare the quality of the two windows since on the surface they appear to be fairly similar. Based on what I've read on this board, I'd be a little bit biased toward the Gorell (haven't seen much on BF Rich) if price were equal. But of course it's not--the bid from the BF Rich contractor is about 20% (~$700) lower than the Gorell contractor. And that's taking into account that the Gorell contractor has built in a 10% discount for paying by cash or check (which makes me a little bit nervous with any contractor), while the BF Rich contractor allows payment by credit card. In addition, the Gorell contractor is asking for 50% up front, and the BF Rich contractor only 1/3.

So the financial side definitely favors BF Rich, but I'd be particularly interested in any light members of this group can shed on the quality of their windows, or if I'm truly comparing apples to apples with the Gorell 5100 vs the BF Rich Vintage. Thanks in advance for your help!

David