Your question has too many variables to reasonably answer.

To start, Andersen may be vinyl-clad wood, aluminum-clad wood, fiberglass, or Fibrex composite depending on the specific line, while the locals you mention are strictly vinyl which means there is no apples to apples comparison. First question would be which Andersen window line are you looking at?

Another consideration is that Andersen may produce more windows a day than the locals do in a year. Is that a good thing or a bad thing? Could be either, but without knowing more details it's hard to make a judgement.

Most important, and i think this might be your question, you need to know the competency and skill level of the installers no matter what window they are installing. There is no way to suggest without knowing something about who is doing it.

Is vinyl better or worse?

Considering window material, if you want a window with a more traditional look and feel, a window that radiates warmth, then you should look first at wood because wood still offers the best aesthetic in that role.

If your concern is maximum energy performance, often (but not always) at a more reasonable price-point than the other options, then you need to consider vinyl as your first choice because generally speaking vinyl windows offer superior energy performance numbers when compared with other options.

As you consider the window sash/frame material, always keep in mind that the quality of the company that manufactures the window is much more important than the material that they use. Good companies make good windows and bad companies make bad windows no matter what material they use to manufacture their product. As with most products, there are some very good vinyl windows, some very middle of the road vinyl windows, and some very bad vinyl windows on the market.

Like vinyl, there are also very good wood windows, very average windows, and some really bad wood windows available. With both wood and vinyl windows price often does tend to indicate quality...but not always. If energy performance is your primary concern then vinyl is generally going to be the winner pretty much every time.

As long as you pick a quality product from a top manufacturer, forget the "all vinyl windows will fail in 5 to 10 years" argument that is often tossed into conversations about the best material for windows, that's a load of excrement. Once again it's more about the craftsmanship and reliability of the company that made the window than the material used to manufacture it, and as always the quality of the install. That’s the real discussion.

Thank you!!!

Tracy, Vinyl will give you the best value but you need ” high grade vinyl”. It will also provide you with the best efficiency. Look into Okna Windows, soft lite, or sunrise. Stay away from the lower quality vinyl from home depot, lowes, and some other garbage like MI Windows.

Depending on which state you reside in, they should all be available in your region.

You're welcome!