Pella Impervia vs Alside Mezzo

[NYSnooter]

Replacing our 14 windows in Western North Carolina. Down to three bids:
1. Window World using Alside Messo with black int/ext and metal wood wrap on exterior. In house install. ($17.5K)
2. Lowes using Pella Impervia with black int/ext and metal wood wrap on exterior. Subs for install ($20.6K)
3. Local Pella office using Pella Impervia with black int/ext and metal wood wrap on exterior. In house install.($21.5K)
Appreciate any advice you can provide

[Ricknez]

You really need to broaden your search. Those 2 products are not well regarded, particularly the pella impervia.

[HomeSealed]

+1, broaden your search.

Option 1 and two are red flags on both product and install quality IMO, with option 3 probably having solid installers but not a top performing product by any metric.

I should also mention that the "sub" part of option 2 is not a concern in and of itself, but the fact that box stores (as well as "discount dealers" like option 1) are know for very low pay to installers. Low pay and high quality generally cannot coexist.

Lastly, looking at those two products as your finalists are like saying that you've narrowed your next vehicle down to a Toyota Yaris or a Ford F 350. They really don't compete as they don't fit the same set of needs/goals for a given project. You might considering going back to the drawing board on the priorities of what you are needing and wanting, and then getting a couple of choices that best fit those qualifiers.

[toddinmn]

Around here Pella does use subcontractors even though they Pella logo’s on their trucks and trailers.
The in house vs sub argument is often brought up as a selling Point going either way depending on what they use. Comparing fiberglass windows to vinyl is very comparable and quite often done . More like comparing comparing the Ram,F150, Silverado and Tundra. They all use different metals and composites in different places , all boast their superiority and all compete directly. Hate car comparisons when it comes to windows but it is easy to do depending your point or argument.
That being said there are better windows to be had for sure. Pretty sure Soft-Lite serves your area , I’d stay away from Zen going this route.

[Windows on Washington]

+1 on the expansion of the search. I am not thrilled with any of the selections so far.

[HomeSealed]

Around here Pella does use subcontractors even though they Pella logo’s on their trucks and trailers.
The in house vs sub argument is often brought up as a selling Point going either way depending on what they use. Comparing fiberglass windows to vinyl is very comparable and quite often done . More like comparing comparing the Ram,F150, Silverado and Tundra. They all use different metals and composites in different places , all boast their superiority and all compete directly. Hate car comparisons when it comes to windows but it is easy to do depending your point or argument.
That being said there are better windows to be had for sure. Pretty sure Soft-Lite serves your area , I’d stay away from Zen going this route.

It seems like you disagree with my thoughts Todd, but you failed to give any cogent reasons as to why. Given that, I'll add explanation for my perspective.

I don't find that the needs/wants/priorities that would lead a homeowner to choose a vinyl window matches with that of a homeowner that would be best suited choosing fiberglass. A vinyl window buyer is likely looking more for "bang for the buck", high performance at a good value, aesthetics possibly a few notches down the list, and with less worry about brand name recognition.

A INFORMED fiberglass window buyer may be looking for an interior color that is not available in vinyl, they may prioritize aesthetics (particularly if a real wood interior is needed), they may like the "prestige" that comes with a name like Pella or Marvin, and they will be less concerned with the thermal and structural product ratings of the product since those usually aren't great in US made fiberglass windows. They may also have an HOA requirement forbidding vinyl windows or some other similar requirement.

I find that vehicle comparisons are very relatable and understandable for most folks, and therefore are a great comparison. I do think that your stating that vinyl vs fiberglass is like ford vs chevy half ton trucks (paraphrasing) is particularly awful. Silverado vs F150 (and Ram and Tundra) are vehicles with the same purpose, being considered by folks that generally have the same set of priorities. A softlite vinyl window vs a Sunrise vinyl window would be the appropriate analogy, or even a Marvin fg window vs a Pella fg window.

Again, Pella Impervia (a "name brand" fiberglass window) vs Mezzo (a low cost vinyl window) is just an odd comparison that suggests that a little bit deeper thought about project goals is probably advisable.

[toddinmn]

[quote=toddinmn post_id=49740 time=<a href="tel:1706761600">1706761600</a> user_id=4131]
Around here Pella does use subcontractors even though they Pella logo’s on their trucks and trailers.
The in house vs sub argument is often brought up as a selling Point going either way depending on what they use. Comparing fiberglass windows to vinyl is very comparable and quite often done . More like comparing comparing the Ram,F150, Silverado and Tundra. They all use different metals and composites in different places , all boast their superiority and all compete directly. Hate car comparisons when it comes to windows but it is easy to do depending your point or argument.
That being said there are better windows to be had for sure. Pretty sure Soft-Lite serves your area , I’d stay away from Zen going this route.

It seems like you disagree with my thoughts Todd, but you failed to give any cogent reasons as to why. Given that, I'll add explanation for my perspective.

I don't find that the needs/wants/priorities that would lead a homeowner to choose a vinyl window matches with that of a homeowner that would be best suited choosing fiberglass. A vinyl window buyer is likely looking more for "bang for the buck", high performance at a good value, aesthetics possibly a few notches down the list, and with less worry about brand name recognition.

A INFORMED fiberglass window buyer may be looking for an interior color that is not available in vinyl, they may prioritize aesthetics (particularly if a real wood interior is needed), they may like the "prestige" that comes with a name like Pella or Marvin, and they will be less concerned with the thermal and structural product ratings of the product since those usually aren't great in US made fiberglass windows. They may also have an HOA requirement forbidding vinyl windows or some other similar requirement.

I find that vehicle comparisons are very relatable and understandable for most folks, and therefore are a great comparison. I do think that your stating that vinyl vs fiberglass is like ford vs chevy half ton trucks (paraphrasing) is particularly awful. Silverado vs F150 (and Ram and Tundra) are vehicles with the same purpose, being considered by folks that generally have the same set of priorities. A softlite vinyl window vs a Sunrise vinyl window would be the appropriate analogy, or even a Marvin fg window vs a Pella fg window.

Again, Pella Impervia (a "name brand" fiberglass window) vs Mezzo (a low cost vinyl window) is just an odd comparison that suggests that a little bit deeper thought about project goals is probably advisable.
[/quote]
In this case the fiberglass is competing with vinyl, they are both gonna serve the same purpose and have similar performance numbers and the price is close, kind of similar to my comparison. The Yaris/F350 comparison is very extreme. 100 pounds of torque vs up to 1000 , 2000 pound towing capacity vs up to around 24,000, mid 20’s in price vs up to 100,000 plus, fuel milage average around 30 plus vs 13 plus.

[uncle eddie]

You can compare them to cars, power tools, fruit, or even ex-wives, doesn't matter. They are both very differnet but equally bad (the last comp wins based on that).
Find some new options.