Simonton 5500 is a good mid grade and better than anything at home depot or lowes. Its just nit up there with soft lite, okna, sunrise, polaris ultra, or gorell.

I'd take the 5500 over the Sunrise Essentials or Soft-Lites's Barrington line.Even though they may post some better performance numbers I think the 5500 is built better.
It really would come down to price on what I would use and for me that is Simonton's biggest weak point.
Simonton's new construction windows come in at least 2 lines around here and are at least a few steps below the 5500.They will do in a pinch but there are better choices.I'd suggest looking at them to since they are not as pretty as the 5500 or some of the other options.

Saying that you'd take the upper end Simonton over the bottom end Softlite or Sunrise is not saying much. Even at that, I'd take any of Softlite's lines first, although I'd agree that the 5500 is probably better than the Essentials.
I'd agree that the 5500 is a few steps up from their new construction stuff and is a relatively solid choice.

Agree, that was a strange statement; daying you prefer the simonton 5500 which is their top offering kver the soft lite barrington which is their low end offering. I would still choose soft lite. I dont think the simonton is very well constructed. Very flimsy sill wall and header wall, also they have weep holes which means some water drains through the frame.

I think toddinmn said it that way because of my Soft Lite post - I am considering Soft Lite Envision (Barrington) and both the Simonton 5500 and Prism new construction windows. So I set up the construct that way. I intended to get a quote for the Soft Lite LS but the local dealer is pushing the Envision. I think they have some deal with Soft Lite on that line.

Thanks everyone for the responses.

Can they even get the LS? That is typically offered to a select few dealers in a given market, and could explain why they are trying to push you to another line.

This is Window Nation - i think all of their shops have the have the LS. Plus I live like 15 minutes away from the Soft Lite factory in Streetsboro, Ohio, so I would be surprised if they didn't give the local dealer access to such a popular line. but I just need a white frame, inside and out. No special finishes. The sales guy said the envision line is designed for just that - it only comes in white, tan, and brown vinyl finishes. He might have steered me that way because of my finish choice.

Perhaps that was his motivation, or perhaps he has a much higher profit margin on that line ( more likely). I would stick to the LS personally fwiw.

Mmarse1

"Very flimsy sill wall and header wall in the Simonton 5500". Really! That's an absurd statement. The 5500 is one of the more solidly constructed windows out there.
Regarding the weep holes, other than coastal applications where DP50 or higher is required the balance channel is plugged at the sill and no water drains into the frame to the weep holes. At the higher design pressure ratings a slotted plug is used that on rare occasions may provide drainage of water that could not flow off the sloped sill.

If saying I'd take the 5500 over the Barrington isn't saying much then when one recomends Soft-Lite the should exclude the Barrington. I think the Barrington casements are fine but there double-hungs are flimsy to me. Even though the 5500 is a bulkier window I like how they look and in a full frame replacement the bulkier window look a little more substantial. I have not had a problem with the 5500 being flimsy and it is not that uncommon for custormers to compare different lines of windows in one brand to another even if they are on different tiers in each others line.

Personally, I appreciate toddinmn's comparison. What makes it relevant is the pricing of the Simonton 5500 is comparable to the Sunrise Essentials.

I love my Sunrise Verde's just installed as replacements in my house, but I found this thread researching new construction options for my daughter. Her budget does not allow for Sunrise unless it is the Essentials line. The Simonton 5500 quote was comparable to the Essentials.

It's silly to suggest that "it's not saying much" to offer a comparison between the Simonton 5500 and the Sunrise Essentials - which for both I was quoted approx. $10,000. That's a much more valuable comparison than only telling me that the $17,000 Verdes are better than the $10,000 5500s.