Are they not available with 5/8" grid? That is a relatively normal option and readily available.

I would stick with the bigger manufacturers in this case when it comes to wood.

I am big fan of going local, however, in this case...not so much.

Marvin and Kolbe & Kolbe make the two best wood windows in my opinion. I would stick with those two options.

If you just want a wood interior, you can consider fiberglass windows with wood interior like the Marvin Integrity and the Inline Eternity and avoid the potential rot issue in the future.

Apparently Marvin Ultimate does have 5/8" available as a custom order. I have yet to see a Kolbe & Kolbe window in person because the closest place is almost two hours away. Which also worries me because we're in an area where a lot of people do historic and traditional architecture so I can't figure out why no one has them. The two local dealers listed on their site told me they stopped selling them. I may just have to drive the two hours. The windows are a huge deal to me so I want to make sure we make the right decision. Thanks for your input!

Marvin offers the 5/8" SDL as a standard not a custom. Just want to clear that up.

Also, Boston Sash to me appears to be a local niche type custom millwork type shop and would probably end up being more expensive, now I am not saying they would not do beautiful work just that you sometimes pay more for that type of work. I would also tend to lean towards Kolbe or Marvin due to the size of the company and the amount of testing they do on a regular basis of their products. I personally agree with WOW and would recommend either of those two manufacturers. As far as a Kolbe dealer, call Kolbe or drop me an email and I may be able to find a dealer near you. I do not currently sell wood windows but still know plenty of people who do!

We are also in MA (20 mi outside of Boston) and went with Marvin's wood window with aluminum clad exterior. Check out the showroom at JB Window & Sash in Chelsea. They are great, that's where we got our windows & they were really easy to deal with. I was surprised that the Marvin windows weren't that much more than Andersen. And they have the 5/8" and 3/4" SDL options both on display.

Try to avoid looking at the Emtek doorknobs while you are there ... I did & fell so deeply in lust with them that I wound up buying them :)

BTW - we chose 6/1 with SDL in 5/8" and the thicker grilles would have looked ridiculous, so I understand why you like them so much.

We just went to JB Sash yesterday and I loved the Marvin Ultimates! I especially loved their casements, so cool how they open. It will be interesting to see how the quote comes in. I also loved the Emteks, but tried not to look for too long as I'm trying to make it through a week without finding some new, must have, upgrade ;)

We're on the N. Shore, it's always neat seeing local people on GW :)

Check their warranty. That's the part that would concern me the most.