Rehau, Duraflex or Enlighten double glazing?

Possom

I've heard double glazing installers refer to three different brands of glass for double glazing.

Namely:
a) Rehau
b) Duraflex
c) Enlighten

Would anyone have any comments on these brands of double glazing glass, or are there any specific questions I should be asking to determine which brand of glass is best?

Thanks!

Possom

Additionally, I read on a thread here from 2011 by someone who only posted a few times to check if 'the pvc a virgin pvc that won't fade or change colour'.

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/3505803

What is this type of uPVC?

CEON44

I'm not totally sure but Rehau and Duraflex arent makes of glass. They are the profile of the actual window frame, ie the upvc part. Never heard of enlighten so not sure about that. Different upvc companies use different plastic profiles and of course all will tell you theirs is best. There are various other profiles available such as Spectus, Koemmerling, etc. And they use different glass. One company I know uses spectus frames with Planitherm glass. Another firm uses Koemmerling frames with Vistatherm glass. So is it just glass you need or frames and glass. Its a real minefield out there

Possom

CEON44 wrote: »

Its a real minefield out there

Yes, tell me about it!

CEON44 wrote: »

So is it just glass you need or frames and glass.

Yes, both.

From what I have gathered so far, Rehau, Duraflex and Spectus (haven't seen anyone offering Koemmerling yet) produce the profiles.

The installation companies then cut these profiles up and weld them together to form the finished windows. Therefore even the same profile will not necessarily produce the same standard of finished product as this is also dependent upon the quality of the welding deployed by the installation company!

How do I discover how good the standard of welding is!?

Additionally, the glass units are a separate thing altogether, with some being bought in from completely different suppliers or alternatively manufactured in-house by the installation company.

CEON44

What area you in Possum?

Possom

Belfast...

Possom

I have seen the term 'fully sculptured' used in relation to some uPVC profiles which are used to produce window frames.

As in, some can/can't be fully sculptured inside and out.

What precisely does this term mean?

ladeeda

Possom wrote: »

Yes, tell me about it!



Yes, both.

From what I have gathered so far, Rehau, Duraflex and Spectus (haven't seen anyone offering Koemmerling yet) produce the profiles.

The installation companies then cut these profiles up and weld them together to form the finished windows. Therefore even the same profile will not necessarily produce the same standard of finished product as this is also dependent upon the quality of the welding deployed by the installation company!

How do I discover how good the standard of welding is!?

Additionally, the glass units are a separate thing altogether, with some being bought in from completely different suppliers or alternatively manufactured in-house by the installation company.

The units are made to measure by each manufacturer. Which ever company you use will instruct a surveyor to measure your windows and then they will be made for you. The quality of the installation is important but not for those reasons.
Some profiles keep their colour better than others.

KiwiCoop

I renovate houses here and there and have used Rehau and Enlighten frames before. Supposedly Rehau are the better brand although slightly more expensive but in all honesty you would never know the difference and it will make no difference to your house's value, comfort levels etc. I'd put more emphasis on the installation quality. Better then to be dealing with a small company where the owner is the salesman and the fitter. In my opinion.