Andersen 100 Fibrex Window vs Marvin Essential Fiberglass Window| Side By Side

We compare #Andersen100 series #FibrexWindow versus #MarvinEssential #Fiberglass Window. We look at them side by side and point out most important features that they have it or don't have it. If you are thinking between these two brands, this video is gonna help you to make the right choice.

[@JudyMac1977]

Had Andersen Series 100 windows (recommended for high heat areas) installed in my new home. Three of the windows now have extensive cracks on the sashes and the glazing beads have fallen off. I have contacted Andersen numerous times, they sent out a field rep and refuse to take care of the problem. The cracks pictured below are just a very few (20-30) of them and they are continuing to get worse as Andersen pretty much said too bad. Come on Andersen make this right! So much for limited lifetime guarantee.

[@SidingWindowsWizardsLLC]

Thank you for sharing your experience! It is definitely very sad

[@Specialized1993]

great video, the Andersen 100 are absolutely over priced for what they offer. Allot of people are fooled by the name, Thank you for the video. This should be 100k views for how informative it is.

[@SidingWindowsWizardsLLC]

We appreciate you watching! Please share the video on Facebook and Twitter, so more people can watch it

[@WoodgemanX]

Picked up six of these windows on clearance for $83 each, marked down from $349. If I had known the bottom sash didn't tilt out, I would have passed on the deal. How does one fix the window in case of broken glass? No way in a million years would I pay $400 for this 100 series window. They give you eight mounting screws when only six are needed. Four of the holes in the frame weren't properly marked. Can't believe the corners that were cut for what these cost.

[@SidingWindowsWizardsLLC]

@@WoodgemanX definitely it is frustrating not to be able to tilt at least the bottom sash. When you have Andersen 100 series in your house you have to hire someone to do any maintenance

[@SidingWindowsWizardsLLC]

If you need to replace a glass it is possible to do that, but it has to be done by a knowledgeable window mechanic with special tools and set up. The whole sash has to be replaced, there is no option to replace just the glass. This option is especially unfortunate if you have dark bronze windows. You end up with two different color sashes

[@YIQUANONE]

I get so much advertising for Anderson, just bombarded by it, that is a reason for me to never buy their products. Marvin seems like a way better company and better products.

[@SidingWindowsWizardsLLC]

Advertising for Andersen is like oxygen for humans. They spend hundreds of millions on mail flyers, tv, and internet ads. Marvin is relying more on previous customers and builders

[@RetrieverTrainingAlone]

I was surprised at Renewal By Andersen Warranty only covers installation for 2-years and does not cover "performance of the low-maintenance exterior glass coating on products with HighPerformance Low-E4® glass"

[@SidingWindowsWizardsLLC]

Thank you for sharing! Definitely you read the small text at the bottom of the page

[@ob1kendobe]

Renewal by Andersen offers a life installation and labor guarantee for the original purchaser it’s part of their seperate installation warranty. The manufacturer warranty covers 2 years but renewal by Andersen always extends this with a seperate warranty

[@RetrieverTrainingAlone]

@@ob1kendobe Warranty only covers installation for 2-years and does not cover "performance of the low-maintenance exterior glass coating on products with HighPerformance Low-E4 glass"

[@ob1kendobe]

@@RetrieverTrainingAlone you didn’t read my comment. That is the manufacturers warranty. Every renewable by Andersen local office extends the installation warranty to lifetime. As far as them not covering the performance of the coating it’s a non issue they use the best cardinal glass you can possibly buy. The low maintenance exterior glass coating is a titanium dioxide coating to help water sheet off and get less mineral build up. These coatings are not meant to last forever and they also work differently based on climate and the type of rain 🌧️ (ie acid rain). Other warranties are wayyyy worse when it comes to what they don’t cover

[@ob1kendobe]

@@RetrieverTrainingAlone “Self-cleaning glass is a specific type of glass with a surface that keeps itself free of dirt and grime. The field of self-cleaning coatings on glass is divided into two categories: hydrophobic and hydrophilic. These two types of coating both clean themselves through the action of water, the former by rolling droplets and the latter by sheeting water that carries away dirt. Hydrophilic coatings based on titania (titanium dioxide), however, have an additional property: they can chemically break down absorbed dirt in sunlight. The requirements for a self-cleaning hydrophobic surface are a very high static water contact angle θ, the condition often quoted is θ>160°, and a very low roll-off angle, i.e. the minimum inclination angle necessary for a droplet to roll off the surface.[1]”

[@SamW604]

A comparison really needs to consider the window's efficiency/performance ratings. Also, I think the quality of the window's glass (e.g., Cardinal) should be addressed.

[@SidingWindowsWizardsLLC]

Efficiency and performance rating will vary with the package you choose. Definitely Cardinal glass is one of the best in the industry, but it doesn’t make a window more energy efficient or easier to use. It all depends on Low-e type, argon or krypton fill. Many other glass manufacturers out there have much more solid numbers than Cardinal glass.

[@christopherhaak9824]

The cardinal glass IGUs are the best in the industry for longevity by far. In regards to thermal, they are top of the line. There is no better glass unless you go up to a triple pane, which frankly is virtually never worth it.@@SidingWindowsWizardsLLC

[@SidingWindowsWizardsLLC]

@@christopherhaak9824 Yes, Cardinal glass is one of the best in the industry, but still they have some issues with seal failure. We think that triple pane gives the most value both in summer time and winter. The middle glass is like the extra wall separating the outside from the inside. Most of the time the interior glass temperature a few degrees different than the inside the of the house.

[@gregcorwin8316]

@@SidingWindowsWizardsLLC Cardinal has a documented seal failure rate of .2% at 30 years for the XL edge, which no other IG system (possibly other than TPS) can compare with, and so far the new Endur spacer is even better. Where do you get the idea that Cardinal has an issue with seal failure?

[@gregcorwin8316]

@@SidingWindowsWizardsLLC And who are you saying has better glass or IGU performance numbers than Cardinal?

[@ob1kendobe]

Definitely not either companies flagship product. These are both companies lowest end builder grade options.

[@hapaboy0808]

I can't speak for Andersen 100 series, but Essentials are definitely not builder grade. Most builders install vinyl windows. Essential is all fiberglass which is an upgrade. Marvin windows as a whole is an upgrade from many other window companies, and it shows in the cost.

[@ob1kendobe]

@@hapaboy0808 every major manufacturer offers a builder grade option. Marvin’s builder grade is their essential window. I know that for a fact a it’s their entry level option and it’s what Marvin sells to builders who do large apartment complexes and what builders use if they are asked to use a Marvin window for a new build. It’s their cheapest lowest quality window just like Andersen’s 100 is for Andersen Pella has a builder grade vinyl and a builder grade fiberglass option. Andersen has a builder grade fibrex Vinyl isn’t the only builder grade window. It’s just the most common. Marvin and Andersen don’t make vinyl windows hence their builder grade isn’t vinyl

[@hapaboy0808]

@@ob1kendobe Andersen does make a vinyl window, its the 400 series, but has wood on the interior.

[@ob1kendobe]

@@hapaboy0808 false. It’s a wood frame and the sashes are made of wood it only has a vinyl cladding (ie a vinyl sheath wrapped around the wood). Hence NOT a vinyl window. It’s a wood window. Nobody in the window industry considers it a vinyl window as it’s 90% wood

[@SidingWindowsWizardsLLC]

Marvin Eseential and Andersen 100 are gonna be too expensive for most builders. They prefer to use the cheapest vinyl windows, because all builders know that nobody checks the windows when they buy a house. Everyone runs into the kitchen, the bathrooms, forgetting about the windows. Builders use Andersen or Marvin in new construction when the owner has the choice to pick everything, then the builder has no choice but to use premium windows

[@hapaboy0808]

100% Marvin windows have much better design and are built with higher quality materials.

[@SidingWindowsWizardsLLC]

We do agree. At this time among the window flagships, Marvin has better design and features

[@matthewpelletier6305]

Marvin makes a decent product but you're putting Marvin's middle of the road product against andersens shed window.. apples and oranges.

[@SidingWindowsWizardsLLC]

@@matthewpelletier6305 Andersen 100 is the closest match to Marvin Essential, the next step up is Renewal by Andersen Window. It just has more options and features, but the frame and sashes are made from the same material Fibrex.

[@ob1kendobe]

Once you upgrade to Andersen 400 or above Andersen (e series and a series) or renewal by Andersen they blow Marvin out of the water

[@hapaboy0808]

@@ob1kendobe Not what I've been reading. Andersen 400 is a vinyl clad window, it is inferior to fiberglass. Also separately, Andersen's Fibrex (which is not on the 400 series but on their "higher end" series) material is known to become brittle in cold weather. If installing in the winter and the installer overly tightens a screw or misses the nail and hits the flange, it's been known to shatter due to being brittle.