I am not sure that CR is the best resource for vetting windows.

Being in MA, you have your pick of the litter.

Copied from another post in this forum:

The often recommended brands are going to be Soft-Lite (Elements and Imperial LS), Sunrise (Vanguard and Restorations), Okna (EnviroStar and Insul-Tec), HomeGuard (Innovations), and Kensignton (Quantum II) are the short list that I hear discussed.

Well it's a large game of who do you (opinion) trust ? The guy trying to sell you his windows, the other guy trying to sell you HIS windows or the magazine that only has there expertise in testing and there name, and doesn't have window 1 to sell you ?
One of the first things they do say in the part that they let you read is, don't buy windows to save you energy, because the pay back time is far too long.

Here is a link that might be useful: CR windows

I agree with you that if you go into this situation blind and without knowing product design, performance, or any of the critical evaluation points, you are in a world of hurt.

If you are trusting the window salesperson as your old source of information, you are in trouble.

That all being said, there are several companies that will take their time with you educate you on window performance and whether or not your home is even a candidate for replacement.

I realize that this industry has a bad reputation for a reason, but that is not always the truth.

As it pertains to my earlier comments on CR and their claims, lets expand on that.

CR's claims on payback are partially correct, but can also be grossly incorrect. To make that decades claims without some other information on the home and current windows is misleading and does a disservice to the potential consumer.

My critique of CRs rating system is based, in large part, on what I observe as their top performing windows. Many of their recommendations are not what most window professionals would refer to as top tier and therefore creates a shadow of doubt on the entirety of their suggestions.

Great info from WOW above. I'd also discourage putting much weight on CR's window reviews. They test a VERY small scope of product offerings, and frankly their insight is a bit more subjective than you may think. I'd also discourage simply trusting a salesperson, because as you have stated, everyone claims to have the BEST window.

The solution to this conundrum is two-fold. Forums like this one offer a good amount of feedback from both professionals and consumers alike. Sure every product will have some positive and some negative commentary, however you can generally see which direction it trends, as there are very few that are close to 50/50. Its either mostly positive or mostly negative.
Second and perhaps most important is objective test data. Every window is independently tested for thermal and structural performance. Certainly a change in u-factor from .26 to .28 can be debatable in terms of how much $$$ it will save you in energy costs, however there is almost always a pretty direct correlation with products that have superior material, design, and construction, and the subsequent performance test results. Great products test out very well, poor products do not. There are always little qualifiers and exceptions, but this is the case most times with the exception of wood windows which are designed more for appearance than performance.
I would compare U factor , SHGC, Air infiltration, and Design Pressure as the top four indicators of quality and performance... This is the most objective way to compare, bar none.

As I have said in other posts - CR is only the tip of the iceberg when researching windows. 100's of window manufactures across the US and on how many window manufactures does CR run tests??? 20 or 30 (if that).

In short....I personally don't care what CR recommends in anything they evaluate. So inconclusive!!