Well yes. I had a customer who bought marvin windows. Seems Marvin sub'd out the order to KML because they lacked the ability to make the windows....and made their profit by brokering the sale. The windows failed and Marvin refused the warrenty claim.... But Andersen, who bought KML in the meantime and never made a dime on the sale did come through with new glass and all labor for replacement at no charge.

What ?. that seems very strange to me ibwindows. To be sounds like a BS story

I know what you mean. It really sounds screwed up.... But I was there because I was asked to mediate because KML made marvin windows with a grill Andersen dumped when they bought the company. Had to get the official okie dokie from the homeowner on the non-matching grilles.

Probably cost Andersen 4 grand out of pocket and they never sold the customer a window.... While MArvin who sold them a whole house of windows said sorry.

I still have a hard time believing that, i sold Marvin for years and never heard of such a thing. Only product i know they outsourced was there Exterior Wood doors and that was until they bought that company. Now i know that we used Parret once in a while because they were cheaper on rounds and special shapes and we mixed them in and an our distributor for Marvin could get them that way as well. Maybe that was the case here as well.

So, is Marvin a good window product? It seems each window company has its own issues but which one is the most dependable? I have looked at each one and found that each window product has its pro's and con's such as Marvin, they say that the metal between the glass will cause condensation in the future, Milgard and Pella are poorly made. So to make a decision that you will look to last another 30 or 40 years, where do you turn?

Sound like you already know, as far as i am concerned and i have sold windows and doors for 20 odd years i would rate Marvin dam near the best(and i don't sell Marvin currently) I don't believe nor have I ever heard about the metal spacer causing condensation either and yes Milgard and Pella are poorly made in my opinion

Thanks afsa for your expertise in the business. It helps to hear from other opinions in the industry. It may have been that the salesman was trying to push the Milgard over the Marvin because he kept pointing out that the Milgard has a foam lining between the glass that would not cause much condensation where as Marvin has metal and that would later on conduct more heat and cold as time went on and loosening up the glass.

The salesman was pointing out the differences between a metallic spacer and a silicone foam spacer. If you live in a very cold climate you should give serious consideration to a window with a slicone foam spacer as it can mean the difference between getting condensation on the interior surface of the glass. Not a deal breaker IMO but something you should consider.

Then living in Chicago, what is a good window?

As skydawggy says "not a deal breaker". I would still go with the Marvin windows, personally as i said before i don't trust Milgard nor Pella but this is just my opinion.

We had very expensive Marvin windows installed when we built our house is 1991. Since then, we have had constant problems and expense. Several of the sashes rotted in just a couple of years--and these were the clad "lifeitme" windows! We picked them because they were supposed tilt in so you can clean the outside of each double sash from indoors... but it takes two strong men and a custom-built rod to get these windows tilted. The springs that balance the sashes are seriously under-engineered and we have a few break every year. Marvin's rep calls these "zingers," when the retaining fixture shoots up the side of the window and takes the skin off the outer side of your hand. Now we are going through our second set of window replacements, to the tune of about $12,000. Marvin did not stand by their supposed warranty for the first set of window replacements so we are not even asking them to chip in on the current round. Stay as far from Marvin windows as you can... there cannot possibly be worse windows on the market!

Another Andersen salesman. You guys truely are pathetic.

Roy,

A "zinger"is the phrase that we use when You have utilized a phillips flat head to turn the pivot on the and disengage the balance system. When you do not firmly glide the pivit, it can slip and rocket to the top of the jamb system. Here is my question - why would you even be attempting this? It's associated with hardware replacement. Skydawggy called it when he said that you are just a pathetic Andersen guy - or whatever company you think you are representing. We have never had a lifetime warranty, and would have replaced rotted sash within "years" of purchase. The fact that you are trying to thwart sales through half ass attempts at consumer complaints is disgusting.