Here’s AD side by side

https://www.architecturaldigest.com/reviews/windows/fiberglass-vs-vinyl-windows

Here’s a really good overview:
https://youtu.be/KyQ4YskSFZs?feature=shared
It starts with “I chose vinyl and I’ve regretted ever since”. He’s since replaced those with fiberglass I think.

Marvin didn’t smell to me but it did have plastic parts like on the corners and it’s made not of extruded fiberglass but of a fiberglass composite called Ultrex. If it’s wood in the inside and fiberglass on the outside there’s probably adhesives, foam etc too. No idea. Didn’t smell in the showroom but wasn’t impressed.

Anderson isn’t fiberglass by my definition. It’s Fibrex which is 40% wood debris and 60% thermoplastic. I can see how that would off gas. Again it didn’t smell to me in the showroom.

We opted for closed framed pultruded fiberglass frames with no plastic. No problems at all. Maintenance free. Won’t sweat, won’t get moldy

Okay, so are PPs saying Marvin and Andersen aren't true fiberglass? And that's a pro or con?

Seems fiberglass can be painted whereas vinyl can't, but if we don't care about that are there other benefits?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m convinced that until further notice, fiberglass is the only choice in the DMV climate

Why is that?

Humidity

Anonymous wrote:We got replacement double-pane vinyl windows 12 years ago, to replace the original single pane windows the house came with. The reduction in noise was immediate and dramatic, given that we live 2 blocks away from a busy stretch of Connecticut Avenue. No leaks, and our utility bills also went down. The frames do take up more space than our old windows, so the glass surface area is less than before. But no complaints about performance. This isn’t our forever house so we didn’t want to spend more.

Thanks so much for this info. Not OP, but following. I have very old crappy windows and a big noise problem.

Anonymous wrote:I’m convinced that until further notice, fiberglass is the only choice in the DMV climate

Why is that?

Anderson isn’t true fiberglass. It’s a plastic hybrid

The trouble with Marvin is a lot of plastic bits

I’m convinced that until further notice, fiberglass is the only choice in the DMV climate

There is a phenomenal American made no offgasing fully extruded fiberglass company called Enerlux

There are a few others

Call them, say a DC client made a recommendation

Anonymous wrote:Fiberglass.

We used normal fiberglass double-pane windows to replace several older windows. This was not more expensive than using the heavily marketed "Replacement by" windows and it meant we did not lose any light (The Replacement type windows block more light than a normal window would).

Ours were Pella Impervia, but Andersen and Marvin have similar offerings in normal ("new construction") type windows.

Significant noise reduction. Noticeably better insulation. Fiberglass does not shrink or swell as wood does. Fiberglass insulates better than wood or metal. Fiberglass can be painted, unlike vinyl.

Anonymous wrote:We got replacement double-pane vinyl windows 12 years ago, to replace the original single pane windows the house came with. The reduction in noise was immediate and dramatic, given that we live 2 blocks away from a busy stretch of Connecticut Avenue. No leaks, and our utility bills also went down. The frames do take up more space than our old windows, so the glass surface area is less than before. But no complaints about performance. This isn’t our forever house so we didn’t want to spend more.

Thank you, this is great to hear.

Fiberglass.

We got replacement double-pane vinyl windows 12 years ago, to replace the original single pane windows the house came with. The reduction in noise was immediate and dramatic, given that we live 2 blocks away from a busy stretch of Connecticut Avenue. No leaks, and our utility bills also went down. The frames do take up more space than our old windows, so the glass surface area is less than before. But no complaints about performance. This isn’t our forever house so we didn’t want to spend more.

In the market for some new windows. Current vinyl windows are original to house (mid-90s). Main priority is noise reduction, but we do have a couple windows that are also drafty.

Best I can tell there are vinyl, fiberglass, and wood windows. We have no need for wood (90s vinyl siding house). I was all set to get fiberglass thinking those were the superior option, but have read a lot about off-gassing from those, in particular with Marvin, to the point that people couldn't even be in the room with them. That would be a definite problem as I'm very sensitive to those kind of smells.

Are vinyl windows just terrible? Is it just that they fail sooner than others? Or do they leak more (both air and noise) from the get go?