Great product and the price is within the range of reason. Also, the Okna's are a relatively thin frame so you won't lose anymore glass than you would with other products.

The okna 800 is an extremely solid window that actually looks very nice in an older home; you will not find a more energy efficient{{gwi:807}}/ air tight product. Much more energy effiecient and higher structural ratings than an andersen window.
Also, this window will NOT detract from the beauty of your home as a cheap vinyl would. The okna 800 has an extremely strong frame and its actually very narrow so losing glass is not a concern at all.
Thats good pricing by the way for the okna.

This post was edited by mmarse1 on Thu, May 23, 13 at 8:05

excellent. thanks for the responses.
before I pull the trigger on the oknas I got 1 more estimate from another company. It was over the phone and I have not yet seen the windows, but was told aesthetically and functionally they are comparable to the oknas. One is the Sunrise (9400 quote for 15 windows), the other is Softlite Imperial Pro (9600 quote). Essentially 1k less than the Okna. Any thoughts on those windows, and whether it is worth spending more for the Okna or 1k less for the other 2?
Great forum btw, the only place on the web it seems you can find such info on windows.

Tremendous product in the okna 800. Definitely one of the top choices available, and a notch or two above the standard Sunrise and SL Imperial Pro. You would need the Softlite Elements and Sunrise Restorations for an apples to apples comparison.
The Okna 500 or even 400 would be a better comparison, so you could always have your dealer quote one or both of those. The 500DX will still offer slightly superior performance to the other 2.

+1 to HomeSealed feedback.

That would be my take on it as well. All of the units listed are good, some are just a bit better so you really need to compare the upper unit lines of each to get a very fair comparison.

thanks for the feedback, it's good to know at least that I am looking at the "best" vinyl replacement windows that are out there.
When the dealer mentioned Sunrise, I asked him if there was a particular model, and he said, no, just sunrise. I take it this is wrong and there multiple models and the one I want is the "restoration"? Also he quoted me the Softlite Imperial Pro, this is not as good as the Softlites elements?

There is a model called simply Sunrise, but it then steps up to the Vanguard, and finally Restorations at the top. In Softlite, you are correct, the Elements is a few steps above the Pro. The Pro is their old line, which was replaced by their newer better product in the form of the Imperial LS and Elements. The Pro is pretty much sold through distribution now.... Most of the products from the 3 companies in questions range from good to phenomenal, it is just a matter of matching up apples to apples in each line so that you can compare quotes fairly and accurately.

double post

This post was edited by HomeSealed on Fri, May 24, 13 at 18:53

thanks for the responses. In terms of real world performance (that I would actually notice in terms of energy cost or a breeze flowing thru the closed window or years they will last), am I correct that each of the 3 windows I mention are pretty much the same (the okna better but not really in a way I would notice), and that if I made a decision based purely on aesthetics and cost, I would not be making a mistake? If it turns out the oknas look nicer than the other 2 to replace the white wood windows in my 1920s house, I will go with them, but if they look pretty much the same, or the non-Oknas look better, and I go with the less expensive one--- would any of you guys consider this to be a mistake?

I think windows are a long term investment and I would spend the money (what you can afford) to get the best window you can.

+1. Price is certainly a valid consideration, but I would say that with a difference of only about 10% across your choices, I'd pick the best product. Yes $1000 is $1000, but when you think about it from the perspective that this is a 30 yr investment into your home, the price difference is really minimal. If the 3 choices were apples to apples across the 3 lines and you still had one that was $1k less this would be a no-brainer, but the Okna 800 is a bit more stout than either the base sunrise or Imperial pro. Again, I'm not saying that the Pro or the Sunrise are bad-- because they are not, but I guess my main point is that the Okna 800 is worth MORE than a 10% premium over either one of those, so in this case, it actually presents the greatest value.

I agree. $1000 is nothing considering its a long term investment. Homeowners need to think more logically about this opposed to a short term savings that will only result in more money being spent in the long run. This is a common mistake by homeowners and its infortunate.

I've narrowed my choice to the okna 800s and the sunrise (no model name). Aesthetically it seems to me the sunrise has slightly thinner borders and thus more glass area, which is important to me. The okna "feels" more solid to me (not that the sunrise felt flimsy) and has a handle on the bottom as opposed to the rail, which I also like. The kicker is that the sunrise will run me $2200 less than the okna. I have a sense everyone will tell me to go okna here, but I am wondering what, specifically, is better about the okna than the sunrise (that I would notice in terms of energy cost or air infiltration) that is worth the 20% extra cost? is it that the sunrise won't last as long? thanks again for all the great info on here.

My problem with sunrise is that although they have a thin frame, they also have very thin outer walls which makes me question the structural integrity of the window. If they thickened up their outer walls, i would feel much better,
When i say outer walls, i do t mean width of frame, its the cinyl walls which are on the thin side with sunrise. Okna on the their hand uses thicker outer walls and a much sturdier sill.
I do like the sunrise restorations and vanguard.

If visible light is important to you, look at the Okna 500.

It should come in cheaper than the 800 and probably close to the same price as the Sunrise.

The Okna 500 has the same profile thickness as the Sunrise window as well so you solve the glass loss issue as well.

The performance on the Okna will be a bit better than the Sunrise.

thanks---I did look at the 500s but had to rule them out because apparently the simulated divided light grid option is not available on them, and we want that to best approximate the style of wood windows we are replacing on the house. Otherwise the 500s would be appealing. Everything I am reading is steering me to the 800s, and I think that is where I am going to end up at the end of the day. thanks again for all the input

Forgot about the SDL requirement.

Good luck and let us know how it turns out.

I think that your interpretation is on the money berkeley. You most certainly will not see a 20% difference in energy savings between the two, but in my opinion the primary difference is in the strength of the unit. I believe that the Okna is more stout and will therefore last and perform for a longer period. As I mentioned earlier however, the Restorations from Sunrise would be a more accurate comparison and would be a bit closer.
What happened that caused the price difference to double from what you had quoted earlier?

the initial quote for the sunrise window had 6 over 6 SDL grids when all I wanted was 6 over 0. They repriced with the 6/0 grids which resulted in the lower estimate.

The Okna 800 is a great window and with SDL's you got a pretty good price. You may also want to look at the Soft-Lite Imperial LS window as it has similar ratings and the ratings are AAMA Certified and qualify for Light Commercial use.

Here is a link that might be useful: WIndow Ratings Explained

This post was edited by bkhawk27 on Thu, Jun 20, 13 at 8:10