"I'd say the insulation benefits outweigh any minor concerns about hardware wear, but it's worth keeping an eye on long-term."
Interesting points, but I gotta admit I'm a little hesitant about laminated glass. When I was choosing between Trinsic and Tuscany, I ended up going with Trinsic mainly because of the slimmer frames. I figured the lighter weight might help avoid any potential hardware strain down the road. Granted, it's only been about eight months for me, but so far noise reduction has been surprisingly good—even without laminated glass.
One thing I'd suggest is to check your window balance every now and then. A friend of mine had heavier laminated windows (different brand though), and after a couple years, she noticed they weren't sliding as smoothly. Turns out the balances needed adjusting to handle the extra weight better. Might be worth looking into if you start noticing stiffness later on.
Anyway, glad you're liking the Tuscany overall—Milgard makes solid windows either way. Just thought I'd toss in a slightly different perspective from my own experience.
Good suggestion about checking the balances periodically—I hadn't thought much about that. I went with Tuscany myself, laminated glass included, and haven't noticed any stiffness yet... but it's only been about a year. Honestly, the hardware strain might be a bit overstated. Modern balances are usually designed to handle the extra weight pretty comfortably. Still, like you said:
"it's worth keeping an eye on long-term."
Better safe than sorry, right?
Good call on Tuscany—solid choice. A couple quick thoughts from experience:
- You're right, modern balances are pretty robust these days. Most hardware issues I've seen were from older setups or poor installation rather than the weight itself.
- Laminated glass does add a bit of heft, but nothing today's balances can't handle comfortably.
- Checking occasionally never hurts, but I wouldn't lose sleep over it. I've had clients running laminated Tuscany windows for years without problems.
Sounds like you're on top of things already.
"Checking occasionally never hurts, but I wouldn't lose sleep over it."
Totally agree with this. Modern balances really are pretty reliable. Have you thought much about the energy efficiency side of things? Tuscany windows tend to have slightly thicker frames than Trinsic, which can help a bit with insulation and thermal performance. It's not night-and-day, but every little bit helps... especially if you're aiming to trim down heating or cooling bills long-term. Just wondering if that's factoring into your decision at all?
"every little bit helps... especially if you're aiming to trim down heating or cooling bills long-term."
Good point about the energy efficiency. When we swapped out our old windows for Tuscany, I was skeptical we'd notice much difference, but honestly, it did help a bit with drafts and noise. Nothing dramatic, but noticeable enough to feel worth it. Either way, both are solid choices—you'll probably be happy whichever route you go.