Metro Atlanta Area: Alside vs Champion vs Softlite vs others

[strider]

We're in the market to have all of our windows replaced (about 35 DH, 1 Picture, 1 1/2 Round and a Palladian) We've gotten a few quotes so far and the range has been anywhere from 12k to 30k. We've seen Simonton 5050, Simonton 5500 (Home Depot), Alside Excalibur, Window World (comparable to Alside Excalibur) and Champion. Out of these I thought they were all comparable (comparable in price as well) except the Simonton 5500 being slightly better and then the Champion better than the 5500. The quote I got for both the Simonton 5500 and Champion were over $24k and I didn't think they were worth that cost compared to the others which were all quoting around $14k. Additionally I did not like the sales tactics of the Champion sales rep. I talked to the guy who quoted me for the Excalibur and was told he can do the Alside Ultramaxx for $1200 more or Softlite Legacy (LS?) for $1600 more. The Softlite Legacy looks to be better than any of the Alsides and would cost me about $10k less than the Champion. Any suggestions on any of these windows or any others?

[Windows on Washington]

Why is the Champion window better than the Simonton 5500?

By "Legacy", do you mean the Imperial LS? That would be my favorite window of that bunch.

[masterext]

i would immediately disregard the alside excalibur due to its poor quality. the soft lite is an excellent product provided its the imperial ls. champion is an ok window.

[strider]

The softlite is an Imperial LS not Legacy. So out of the bunch I listed you guys prefer the Imperial? I'm still confused at what to look for in windows other than aesthetics and energy efficiency. Taking a quick look between all the ones I mentioned, the Softlite had the best numbers on their NFRC label, but I'm not sure what else to look for.