Yes, the Renewal is more expensive due to the high pressure sales tactics and the fact that it is essentially Andersen stepping into the installation business. The window while ok is not worth the money they charge in my opinion. They basically use "used car salesmen / tin man sales techniques and generally do not give up until you either buy from them or you throw them out of your home. No question in my mind if the company offering the Starmark is a proven quality installer you will not go wrong using them.

+1

Marketing expense, company set up, business approach, banking on namesake, etc.

Starmark is a cellular compsite as you stated. its a very solid window that comes standard in white but with the option of a stainabale interior which is also composite. you would be hard pressed to find a window more energy efficient than the Starmark. it is going to definitely be more exoensive than a high end vinyl and even more so if you opt for a stainable interior. that said, its still much less of an investment than renewal by andersen.
you mentioned the need to stain your interior with cherry. Okna also offers the 800 series ( EnviroStar) which comes in melrose cherry laminate that is just gorgeous. it is less expensive than the starmark and you dont need to pay someone to stain. it also comes with antique brass or brushed nickel hardware as Starmark does as well and its a real head turner. the 800 is also known to be one of the most energy efficient windows in the industry.
it also blends in very well in older homes with lots of stained moulding whereas lower quality vinyl really cheapens the appearence.

thanks everyone. just talked to the okna starmark dealer and he is coming by with the okna 800 cherry sample as a sample of starmark again, but this time one that has been stained. i will see him later today and post back tonight if i can.
i forgot to mention Marvin Infinity ( fiberglass )we saw that as well and also liked it but again, it was expensive and didnt match the performance of the Okna Starmark window..

ok, saw the okna 800 tonight in melose cherry and it was to my surprise, not only a perfect match but its a real nice looking window. the starmark sample he had stained in mahogony and looked impressive. that said, the okna 800 seemed very solid and the laminate is a perfect match. we are going with the okna 800 in cherry with antique brass hardware. thanks everyone, i will post the end results in a few weeks.

Great choice.

Very good choice....
In regard to the pricing discrepancy, I'd only add that it really can vary from dealer to dealer. RBA and Infinity are both "known" for being on the higher end of the price spectrum, but in some areas they may be a little lower and the Starmark a little higher. That is probably the exception, not the rule, but the ACTUAL cost of all three is pretty close. As you've seen, the Starmark is the superior performer of the three when you compare thermal and structural ratings. The Okna 800 is right there as well, and one of the best choices that you'll find in vinyl.

the Starmark was cheaper than the Infinity and renewal, not tremendously cheaper but enough. although, we would have chosen Stamark even if it was as high as renewal and infinity.
my wife and i were looking for 4 basic criteria:
1) something that could be stained
2) something that had plenty of structural integrity
3) a window that was maintenence free
4 ) a window that was very energy efficient

the Starmark obviously exceeded this criteria with flying colors. however, so did the okna 800 and since their cherry laminate was a perfect match, we jumped in. the 800 ,although high end vinyl, is certainly not cheap but we feel we made an intelligent buying decision.

Absolutely right! :)

+1

That is about as good a summary as you will get right there.

Somebody did their research.

Did you get the Okna 800 series put in your house? If so, what are your thoughts. I am leaning on going with this same window and need help deciding.

Do you have any concerns about your windows after having them for two years? Do you also have full screens? I am close to going with the Okna 800 with the cherry interior and wondered if you have any thoughts. Thank you.

No concerns at all, the Okna is well built and its just as good now as the day it was installed and we had a very cold winter.

Thanks for your feedback. The Okna salesman tells me that full screens are recommended for my windows, but warns me that they are somewhat difficult to remove and put back in. Are you able to comment on that?

@cmcg, are you getting a color coating on the exterior? That would be the primary reason for full screens, unless you specifically prefer them for appearance or the ability to vent both sashes at once. They are a little trickier to remove, but given that they are not removed very often I can't say that I have ever had anyone complain.

Thanks for your response. Yes, I was going to have a color coating on the exterior, and I don't foresee needing to remove them except for cleaning, (although we do go out one bedroom window that is on a sloped roof area to put up Christmas lights and to clean a gutter). Because they would be exposed all year, I thought that cleaning them yearly might be a good idea, and that I would want to be able to take them out and reinstall them without a problem.
Is the color on the exterior color coating somewhat susceptible to wearing off with time due to the elements?

The coatings are very durable, but like any paint or finish coating they can be scratched. This is why the full screen is recommended.

Thank you!

I just saw a Starmark sample today for the first time in about 4 years. I didnt realize they redesigned it. It looks very sharp, i was impressed. A lot of home owners who originally wanted wood windows seem to really be embracing the newer composites such as Starmark Windows due to no maintenance and them being much more energy efficient and air tight than the popular wood windows such as pella and andersen.