SoftLite or Okna?

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Cokomo
Posts: 19
Joined: Thu Oct 01, 2020 5:20 am

SoftLite or Okna?

#1 Post by Cokomo »

Trying to decide between 2 similar quotes SoftLite and Okna.
Okna: 1- 800 dh triple pane w argon and grids
2- 700 3lites Casement triple pane w argon . No grids
1- 700 2lite Casement triple pane w argon. No grids
1- Elegant Patio Door. 6' Deluxe package w argon and Low E. With mini blinds
1- ProVia 20ga. Legacy Steel entry Door

SoftLite 1- Imperial Elite dh triple pane w argon and grids
2 Imperial Elite 3 Lite Casement triple pane w argon. No grids.
1 Imperial Elite 2 Lite Casement triple pane w argon. No grids
1 Kings Royal Patio Door. 6'. Low E and Argon with Mini blinds
1 Therma-Tru Smooth Star. Insulated fiberglass

All white. All new construction
Okna $15,500
SoftLite $17900
Neither of these are negotiated prices and both contractors are aware final price will be lower . The entry door price is about $1100 more for the Therma-Tru.
Notice the Okna 800 has double lock. Not sure if I should not make a big deal over it?

I like the Okna dh more than the Softlite dh but there's only 1. Are the Casements equal ? Patio door w mini blinds ?
Is the Therma-Tru worth the extra expense?
Okna dealer has been in business 30 years. Not a ton of reviews. Mostly positive. A couple of unhappy customers but can't put too much stock in any review.
SoftLite dealer in business 6 or 7 years and has mostly superlative reviews .
I feel I can work well with either dealer.

Do you prefer either Casement? They will be seldomly opened .
The patio door w mini blinds is more important to me for use of opening and closing along with daily use of the mini blinds.
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks

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HomeSealed
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Location: Milwaukee, Madison, SE Wisconsin

Re: SoftLite or Okna?

#2 Post by HomeSealed »

First and foremost, great job finding two top performers. At the end of the day, you probably won't go wrong with either.

While the windows themselves are pretty comparable, I do think that one option stands out here for a few reasons:

- better price
- Much longer history. I don't think you need a company to be around for 30 years to be solid, but 6-7 is still in the danger zone statistically. 10 years is when there is a big uptick in terms of the likelihood that a company will be around for a while.
- better door option. The provia door is better quality than the thermatru.


On the windows themselves, I do prefer the Okna casements and sliding door, but again, we are comparing BMW and Mercedes here. The Okna will offer more glass area, and I believe a point or two better U value if the glass choices are apples to apples.
Most times in situations like this each side has a few pros and cons, but in this case, despite being two great windows, all of the other factors are pretty well stacked on one side.

Cokomo
Posts: 19
Joined: Thu Oct 01, 2020 5:20 am

Re: SoftLite or Okna?

#3 Post by Cokomo »

Thanks HomeSealed. IMO the Okna DH , Casement and Patio door all look much better
than the SoftLites.

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toddinmn
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Joined: Tue Jan 06, 2009 9:02 pm

Re: SoftLite or Okna?

#4 Post by toddinmn »

No brainer , go with the Okna and pocket the change.

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TheWindowNerd
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Joined: Fri Apr 17, 2009 3:05 pm
Location: SE PA & NJ; DFW/Metroplex

Re: SoftLite or Okna?

#5 Post by TheWindowNerd »

I also recommend the Okna.
wayne theWindowNerd

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HomeSealed
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Joined: Mon Feb 15, 2010 3:46 pm
Location: Milwaukee, Madison, SE Wisconsin

Re: SoftLite or Okna?

#6 Post by HomeSealed »

Cokomo wrote: Mon Jan 10, 2022 9:48 pm Thanks HomeSealed. IMO the Okna DH , Casement and Patio door all look much better
than the SoftLites.
Most would agree. Sounds like a winner.

Cokomo
Posts: 19
Joined: Thu Oct 01, 2020 5:20 am

Re: SoftLite or Okna?

#7 Post by Cokomo »

Signed the Okna deal today .
Thanks for the help.

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TheWindowNerd
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Joined: Fri Apr 17, 2009 3:05 pm
Location: SE PA & NJ; DFW/Metroplex

Re: SoftLite or Okna?

#8 Post by TheWindowNerd »

Good for you.
Try to remember and come back and let us know how you like them after the install.

theWindowNerd

Cokomo
Posts: 19
Joined: Thu Oct 01, 2020 5:20 am

Re: SoftLite or Okna?

#9 Post by Cokomo »

Will be sure to do so . Was told up to 12 weeks for them to arrive .

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HomeSealed
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Re: SoftLite or Okna?

#10 Post by HomeSealed »

That is possible, but there are some orders taking significantly longer than that. Don't be shocked if that gets pushed out at some point. Some longer lead times are 20+ weeks, and that is regardless of manufacturer with some being more consistent than others. Patio doors and tempered glass have been recent delays that we've seen.

Cokomo
Posts: 19
Joined: Thu Oct 01, 2020 5:20 am

Re: SoftLite or Okna?s

#11 Post by Cokomo »

It’s ok . The hard part for me is over . Plus it’s less painless putting away the 2/3rds coming due .

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HomeSealed
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Re: SoftLite or Okna?

#12 Post by HomeSealed »

Understood. Just wanted to mention that now to alleviate possible frustration down the road in the event that you date gets pushed out. That's commonplace these days.

Cokomo
Posts: 19
Joined: Thu Oct 01, 2020 5:20 am

Re: SoftLite or Okna?

#13 Post by Cokomo »

Won’t start to get antsy for a good 6 weeks and it’s less painful not painless

tj500
Posts: 1
Joined: Sun May 31, 2020 2:01 pm

Re: SoftLite or Okna?

#14 Post by tj500 »

Could you share who the Okna dealer was?

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TheWindowNerd
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Re: SoftLite or Okna?

#15 Post by TheWindowNerd »

tj500 where are you located and what does your project look like?

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