Replies

1. GBA Editor
   Martin Holladay | Mar 01, 2019 05:29am | #1

   Lance,
   I can't find any information on distributors of these windows in the U.S. or Canada.

   It seems that these windows are manufactured in HuZhou City, Zhejiang, China, by a company that spells its name two different ways -- either Rui Mei or Roomeye.

   Since these windows don't seem to be readily available in North America, or supported by a dealer network able to handle warranty issues, I would certainly avoid using them.

   Here is the company's mission statement: "Our Mission: To keep sensation around us, we are committed to satisfying customers requirements, staffs sense of belonging, shareholders approval and admiration, business partners trust and support, as well as the society’s appreciation, by so doing, we are ready for heart-touching moments in our promising future."

1. 
   lance_p | Mar 01, 2019 06:11am | #2

   Was thinking along the same lines; I certainly wouldn’t want to be the first homeowner experimenting with a new window product.

   I am curious to see what kind of ratings their glass gets, though. I wonder what type of coatings they use and how they compare with Cardinal’s offerings?

2. 
   brianvarick | Mar 01, 2019 07:47am | #3

   I checked out their website after watching the video and it didn’t instill a lot of confidence.

1. GBA Editor
   Martin Holladay | Mar 01, 2019 08:08am | #4

   Brian,
   I watched one of the company's videos, too. I learned that they have six product lines: "Luxury Wood, Brilliant Wood, Joyful Wood, Excellent Wood, Unique Wood, and Anburg Aluminum System."

   As an editor, I'm confused. If they have a wood line called "Unique Wood," how can they also have Luxury, Brilliant, Joyful, and Excellent? Doesn't that undermine the uniqueness of Unique?

   And if they have Joyful and Brilliant, I think they should have Happy, Grumpy, Sleepy, and Bashful.

1. 
   Trevor_Lambert | Mar 01, 2019 01:51pm | #7

   Where's the Joyful Aluminum?

3. Expert Member
   Akos | Mar 01, 2019 08:16am | #5

   A bit of a cautionary tale about overseas windows.

   When I replaced mine, I ordered triple pane tilt and turns from eastern Europe. I handled the logistics. The windows were great, price was way less than anything here, they look and work great.

   Slowly, after about 5 years, the windows on upper stories started fogging up. The company offered to replace the glass, but I would have to handle the shipping again, which worked out to about the same cost as new glass here.

   Luckily my problem was just insufficient or not dry enough desiccant in the IGUs, which I'm slowly in the process of fixing (pretty straight forward, dill the edge spacer, fill with desiccant and seal back). Having to replace a lot of glass would have cost a lot.

   Even with a warranty overseas is not easy.

   North American manufacturers really need to step up their game. There is a huge quality difference between the European windows and anything North American (vinyl, fiberglass, alu clad).

1. 
   lance_p | Mar 01, 2019 09:43am | #6

   I think you're right. With the building industry booming and high efficiency becoming more important, the near complete lack of high quality domestic products is sure to pave significant paths for foreign manufacturers to invade the market. Hmm... where have I seen this before?

   For what it's worth, I'm not sure Chinese float glass is as good as domestic product. My current car is the first one I've owned with Chinese glass and it's not nearly as scratch resistant as the domestic glass found in all my previous vehicles; scraping ice and highway driving have made short work of it, aging it WAY faster than any other windshield I've owned in the past.

   A scratch on my car's windshield is not the end of the world as I get a new car every 8-10 years. A scratch on a window in my house will be there for far longer, perhaps the rest of my life at this point assuming the window remains structurally sound.

4. 
   Peter Yost | Mar 03, 2019 12:08pm | #8

   Hi Lance -

   I have a good contact at LBNL (the US lab that leads research and development for glazing) and am checking with him on this company.

   For windows made out of the US, it is quite costly to get NFRC ratings, since most of the overseas standardized tests don't align with US standardized tests).

   I am hopeful about the new "thin glass triples" that are just now becoming available (Alpen and Anderson windows). See this article i wrote on TGT: https://www.buildinggreen.com/product-review/thin-glass-change-high-performance-window-market.

   Peter

1. 
   lance_p | Mar 04, 2019 10:30am | #9

   Looking forward to your findings, Peter. Thanks.

5. 
   Peter Yost | Mar 04, 2019 01:01pm | #10

   Hi Lance -

   My buddy at LBNL said he has never heard of this company; not particularly reassuring. I am neither endorsing or dissing this window manufacturer. But I think for both of us, they will have to work extra-hard to make their case.

   Peter

1. 
   lance_p | Mar 06, 2019 01:36pm | #11

   Agreed, thanks Peter.

6. 
   jason_stratton | Aug 09, 2019 11:31pm | #12

   https://youtu.be/iZYaDmXQ_IE

7. 
   jason_stratton | Aug 09, 2019 11:36pm | #13

   FYI
   https://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/ROOMEYE-double-glazed-aluminum-wooden-window_60475168532.html