Elements Window... Has the Bar Has Been Raised?
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- Posts: 1548
- Joined: Thu Oct 07, 2004 8:46 am
- Location: Sales and Installation in Chicagoland and Central Illinois
Elements Window... Has the Bar Has Been Raised?
The Elements Window. It's a new window from soft-lite for only a handful of select dealers around the country.
Elements has some numbers and features I thought I'd share since I've not heard it mentioned here before.
Instead of looking at picture window numbers which are always any company's best numbers for u-value, let's look at this window's Double-Hung numbers instead.
Double-Hung U-Value of .16 ....no, that's not a typo. That's 2 times the insulation value of double pane Low-E / Argon gas filled windows!
DP Rating of DP70 (203 mph winds)
Air Infiltration rating of .01
These are the best numbers I have ever seen. I would think that this is now the most energy efficient double-hung made unless someone knows of something else with better numbers.
It has some nice features as well:
*Tilt-in for cleaning mechanism is built into the locks. No tilt-in latches on the ends of the middle sash rail.
*Locking Screens
*Colonial glass bead on the interior around the glass for a nice appearance.
*Exterior glazing stops
*SuperSpacer glass spacer with edge deletion process
*Triple glazing with krypton gas
*Gold series tri-fin antimicrobial weatherstripping
*Triple weatherstripping
*3/4" wide constant force balances for quiet and smooth operation
*Non-metallic Composite reinforcement in sashes
*Jamb and sashes filled with foam
*Sloped sill with no interior of extrusion drainage
*2 solid colors and 4 woodgrains for the interior
*DOZENS of exterior colors. Windows can be white, tan, or woodgrain inside, and pretty much any color you want outside. 6 of these color choices are co-extruded.
*Simulated Divided Lites available as option
*MINI-BLINDS between the glass available as option
*Beveled leaded stained glass available as option
Anyone seen this window. Comments?
Elements has some numbers and features I thought I'd share since I've not heard it mentioned here before.
Instead of looking at picture window numbers which are always any company's best numbers for u-value, let's look at this window's Double-Hung numbers instead.
Double-Hung U-Value of .16 ....no, that's not a typo. That's 2 times the insulation value of double pane Low-E / Argon gas filled windows!
DP Rating of DP70 (203 mph winds)
Air Infiltration rating of .01
These are the best numbers I have ever seen. I would think that this is now the most energy efficient double-hung made unless someone knows of something else with better numbers.
It has some nice features as well:
*Tilt-in for cleaning mechanism is built into the locks. No tilt-in latches on the ends of the middle sash rail.
*Locking Screens
*Colonial glass bead on the interior around the glass for a nice appearance.
*Exterior glazing stops
*SuperSpacer glass spacer with edge deletion process
*Triple glazing with krypton gas
*Gold series tri-fin antimicrobial weatherstripping
*Triple weatherstripping
*3/4" wide constant force balances for quiet and smooth operation
*Non-metallic Composite reinforcement in sashes
*Jamb and sashes filled with foam
*Sloped sill with no interior of extrusion drainage
*2 solid colors and 4 woodgrains for the interior
*DOZENS of exterior colors. Windows can be white, tan, or woodgrain inside, and pretty much any color you want outside. 6 of these color choices are co-extruded.
*Simulated Divided Lites available as option
*MINI-BLINDS between the glass available as option
*Beveled leaded stained glass available as option
Anyone seen this window. Comments?
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- Joined: Sun Feb 27, 2005 4:16 pm
The Imperial LS another one of their windows has comparable numbers. I posted about a month ago asking about that one.
I handled Soft-lite years ago and wasn't very impressed, but these numbers are impressive along with their many exterior color options. One of my questions is does it have equal lites and how bulky looking is the frame and of course is it priced in line with other top shelf products.
When I first saw the numbers I had the same response...........maybe the bar has been raised.
I handled Soft-lite years ago and wasn't very impressed, but these numbers are impressive along with their many exterior color options. One of my questions is does it have equal lites and how bulky looking is the frame and of course is it priced in line with other top shelf products.
When I first saw the numbers I had the same response...........maybe the bar has been raised.
since i last posted i have changed jobs, beleive me for the better, and the company i have hooked up with is 2 miles from the soft lite plant. have read all the literature on the window but as of now have not seen them. your numbers are all correct on the double hung imperial and it is made right here in ohio. another company down the road sells them and i know one of the salesmen there and he said they are selling very well. i will try to find out more details later today if i get a chance.
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- Posts: 1548
- Joined: Thu Oct 07, 2004 8:46 am
- Location: Sales and Installation in Chicagoland and Central Illinois
This window is nothing like the other old soft-lite windows I have seen. It looks like a whole new window series from the ground up. I don't think it has even sight lines from photos I have seen but to tell you the truth I didn't notice when I saw the window in person. The rest of the window's appearance and features made up for it in my mind I guess. Personally, I liked it very much. It doesn't have quite the fit & finish of Schuco, but still a nice product.
I have the new Soft Lite Elements window sitting here in my office. It is a product we have been stongly looking at for the last couple weeks. I don't know much about the company but the window is a neat little windows. To answer someones question, No they dont have equal sight line, but to be honest it hard to tell because the ogee style trim against the glass draws your attention. The hardware, internal sash to sill lock, and q-lon weather stripping in the head pock is cool. I am not a big fan of the painted exteriors which only have a 10 year finish warranty. They are offering exterior foil lamimates but not sure what to think about them as well.
- Windows on Washington
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Elements Windows
If it's such a good window, why is Window World (AKA ProBuilt, America, Inc) the only listed dealer in MN?
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- Posts: 1548
- Joined: Thu Oct 07, 2004 8:46 am
- Location: Sales and Installation in Chicagoland and Central Illinois
Re: Elements Windows
bjgrove wrote:If it's such a good window, why is Window World (AKA ProBuilt, America, Inc) the only listed dealer in MN?
The company is split into two companies from what I have heard. His company Pro-Built America is the Elements dealer. The WindowWorld franchise he owns is only WindowWorld products.
Many companies do this to serve different price/quality segments of the market. In this case, the two are about as far apart in who they are targeting as you can possibly get.