Okna 500 Double Pane vs Provia Endure Triple Pane

[Resourceful]

Hello all,

I am in the Coastal Virginia area and I have been posed with a lot of thought. I received many quotes and my choices in budget range has come down to 2 products:

Okna 500
Provia Endure

The kicker is, for my project (17 windows - 13DH & 4Picture) the Provia endure was offered to me in triple pane at the same price as the Okna double pane. A lot of the ratings have put the Okna as an overall better (marginally) than the Provia when comparing apples to apples, however, with the triple pane, the numbers jump to more leaps and bounds (tax credit eligible) making them (from what my limited experience and knowledge can tell) cheaper, more efficient, and better sound reduction than the Okna.

From the standpoint of product and offering, both companies are highly regarded, A+ BBB accredited, etc. etc.. so that off the table, this is solely a product review. I can get on paper a seemingly better product for less (because tax credit). I have seen older posts talking about Provia concerns in their lack of window history especially, but their doors are of the best products.

Budget being a big factor, I could also save $2000 over the Okna and go with provia double pane, but I could squeeze out to the Okna price range, and triple pane really intrigues me as a cost value to performance and sound reduction.

Is there anything else I am missing as a factor? Thoughts, opinions, etc are welcome in the discussion of these products.

[HomeSealed]

The Okna is a much better window. Personally I would not consider the Provia window unless I'm shipping in the bargain bin, it's simply not very good and this is not a valid comparison. I'm a big proponent of performance ratings both for obvious reasons as well as as an indicator of quality. Once in a while a particular product comes around that has had some fairy dust sprinkled on it in heavy doses where the ratings look much better than all other indicators of quality. The Alside Mezzo and the Provia Aspect/ Endure are the two that top this very short list for me.

You thoughts on going triple pane on the other hand are very valid, I'd talk to the Okna dealer to see what they might be able to do... The fact of the matter is that it sounds like the pricing of the two options is not far off, don't screw this up by selecting an inferior product to save a few bucks. You'll thank me later... We recently replaced the second half of a customer's windows with Okna 500's that used Endure on the first phase, she's so floored by the difference that she's planning to have us back out to swap them all.

[Resourceful]

The Okna is a much better window. Personally I would not consider the Provia window unless I'm shipping in the bargain bin, it's simply not very good and this is not a valid comparison. I'm a big proponent of performance ratings both for obvious reasons as well as as an indicator of quality. Once in a while a particular product comes around that has had some fairy dust sprinkled on it in heavy doses where the ratings look much better than all other indicators of quality. The Alside Mezzo and the Provia Aspect/ Endure are the two that top this very short list for me.

You thoughts on going triple pane on the other hand are very valid, I'd talk to the Okna dealer to see what they might be able to do... The fact of the matter is that it sounds like the pricing of the two options is not far off, don't screw this up by selecting an inferior product to save a few bucks. You'll thank me later... We recently replaced the second half of a customer's windows with Okna 500's that used Endure on the first phase, she's so floored by the difference that she's planning to have us back out to swap them all.

Thank you for the information, and this is sort of a general consensus I seem to be seeing online with split between this, and the fact that they are good. To be fair, no matter what I chose, I am going to be way better off than my contractor grade windows that were installed original in 2002.
What I am waiting on is to hear back from the same company that offered the provia, as they also offer softlite, which I have asked them to provide me a quote on the imperial elite. Do you have thoughts on that as being a more accurate comparison to the Okna 500?

[HomeSealed]

The SL Imperial Elite is much better than the provia and is indeed comparable to the Okna. You would not go wrong with either of those.

[Ricknez]

ResourceFul
Where are you located, that could have an impact on price as well. For example, Maryland and PA may be more expensive than Idaho.
That being said, I prefer the Okna Window.

[Resourceful]

ResourceFul
Where are you located, that could have an impact on price as well. For example, Maryland and PA may be more expensive than Idaho.
That being said, I prefer the Okna Window.

Hello Ricknez,

I am in the Coastal Virginia Area. I only have one certified dealer for Okna in the area, and the only other installer (that I have found so far) who does Okna doesn't stand behind their own installation warranty. I did not get good feels from that company either.

[Windows on Washington]

Back to the window question, I think its really leaning heavily in the favor of the 500 series.

What about the one company gives you the not warm and fuzzies?

[Resourceful]

Back to the window question, I think its really leaning heavily in the favor of the 500 series.

What about the one company gives you the not warm and fuzzies?

The company that didn't give me the warm/fuzzy in my area that lists Okna on their site stated that their warranty isn't as good as others and was heavily pointing me towards Provia or other brands. They seem to be an installer only and buy their windows from a distributor. Additionally, they have been in business in much less time than the other 2 companies that I was originally considering. The exclusive Okna dealer has been very straight forward and honest, so while they are more expensive, I am very likely to go with them. I might reduce my scope of windows, and make use of the tax credit each year to offset the cost of triple pane upgrade.

[HomeSealed]

The exclusive Okna dealer has been very straight forward and honest, so while they are more expensive, I am very likely to go with them. I might reduce my scope of windows, and make use of the tax credit each year to offset the cost of triple pane upgrade.

This sounds like a very smart plan all things considered. Spending a little more for the better product and install company exponentially increases your odds for satisfaction when all is said and done.