If you’re looking for Gilkey windows reviews you’ve come to the right place. Gilkey is a window manufacturer based in Cincinnati and they’re currently offering windows in Chicago, Cincinnatti, Louisville and Lexington.
They say they sell windows direct with no middle man. That should mean the prices are lower, but often they’re not. Why not? Are they really a great deal? Let’s find out.
Before we get too far into this Gilkey windows reviews I should note that my company does offer windows in Cincinnati, Louisville and Lexington. We also know a great company to recommend in Chicago. We don’t offer Gilkey windows so one might say we’re a competitor. If you’d like an easy online quote from my company we’d be happy to help. We can send a quote by email with no pushy salesman. Welcome to the future.
There are a few highlights to the Gilkey windows sales pitch that I think pretty much everyone hears about. You’ll hear about their window manufacturing plant, their DP ratings or window strength and their super special sales like buy 1 get 1 free!
What about Gilkey windows factory direct pricing?
First, you should know this is a relatively common business model across the country. In many cities there is a company that “makes their own windows”. They claim that the windows are designed for this local climate, that they cut out the middle man, an on and on.
You’ll see some variation of this pitch from Crown windows in Michigan, Thompson Creek windows in DC / Baltimore, Stanek Windows in NE Ohio, Champion does it in several cities and there are many more.
When you compare the prices, these companies are often the most expensive options around. If they’re cutting out the middle man why are their prices higher? Shouldn’t they be lower? They should, but they’re not. That’s one reason I tend to think these companies are never the best deal around.
Beyond the fact that they’re often more expensive they’re also much riskier as they’re very small when compared to much larger window manufacturers. Customers routinely undervalue the risk associated with these small companies. They may make perfectly fine products, but if they’re not nicer than a product you can get from a larger manufacturer why take the gamble?
Hint: maybe you shouldn’t.
What about the Gilkey Windows DP Ratings?
Another common part of the Gilkey sales pitch is the DP ratings. They’ll talk about how super strong their windows are. You may even hear about windows with DP ratings as high as 70. The salesman can make this sound great, that’s his job. It’s also pretty irrelevant in most cases.
If you live in Florida or the gulf coast DP ratings for windows can be critical. If you live in Chicago or Ohio it can be less of a concern.
For those who may be unfamiliar, a DP 70 rating means it should stand up to windows over 200 mph. The silly part about that claim is that 200 mph wind would blow your house down. Find more info about DP Ratings here.
An example I often use is, why don’t you drive a bullet proof car? The president rides around in one but you don’t, I don’t, I don’t know anyone who does. The reason is that it’s completely unnecessary for me or you or anyone I know.
We could all go out and buy bullet proof cars, but there’s no reason. Cars like that won’t add anything to our lives so we don’t waste our money on them. DP 70 windows outside of a hurricane zone are pretty similar. It just adds no value.
For most residential applications a DP 3o to DP 50 is what you need. Beyond that you’re just paying for a bullet proof car. My advice would be to spend your money on something that will actually provide you with a benefit.
What about the special buy 1 get 1 free sale?
Promotions like this are a sure sign that the company is offering a bad deal.
I just pulled this ad off of the Gilkey website today. Note the the small print on the bottom. It says this super special discount can’t be combined with previous quotes. If you received a quote last week and then this week they started this super buy 1 get 1 free sale you’d think you could get half off your quote. Sadly you can’t which is a clear sign that it’s just a gimmick.
Why would you work with companies that try to manipulate you like that? There’s no need to do it, don’t feed the animals.
What about the Gilkey Windows Reviews?
At the the end of the day the windows themselves are fine. There are a couple features that I’m not a huge fan of. One is the complicated locks that have integrated tilt latches.
As you can see in this picture there are no separate tilt latches that allow the sash to tilt in for cleaning. You turn the locks to a certain position to release the sash. This can sound like a great future but when you see people use it in real life it has very little value. It can be hard to use, it increases complexity and offers very little value.
Some manufacturers who had offered this option in the past have moved away from it and I don’t tend to recommend it.
Another feature they make a big deal about is the 23 chamber frame which is also a little silly in my humble opinion.
This is a common sales pitch that you’ll see from many companies. It’s silly because the efficiency ratings are very clear. If you want to see if one window is more efficient than another you should look at the U-Factor. If the U-Factor is better (lower is better) then the window is more efficient. When the U-Factor is higher the window is less efficient. There’s no need to count air chambers or anything else. Don’t be distracted by the number of air chambers.
What’s the bottom line?
In my opinion these aren’t going to be the best option around. I don’t love the old fashioned sales pitch. I definitely don’t love the silly marketing gimmicks. The “we cut out the middle man” line doesn’t hold up either. It just doesn’t seem to be that they offer a very good deal.
If you think I’m wrong about something or if you have any specific questions post a comment below and let us know. It’s always our goal to post the most accurate info that we can along with our opinions on the industry. We do our best to respond to every comment.
How can you find a great window company?
When shopping for windows I do always suggest finding a great installation company before you fall in love with any particular window model. There are plenty of great window options out there but not as many local companies that are great to work with.
To know which companies to avoid you can find common window sales tactics here. That’s become one of the most popular sections on the site.
Remember, for more great window company info you can find our suggestions for the best local companies in 2023 right here. There’s no need to work with a company that gives you the run-around or makes the process difficult. There are plenty of fish in the sea as they say. The best way to get started is to check out our list of great window companies here.
You mentioned “buy 1 get 1 free” but the Gilkey coupon says BOGO 50% off .
You’re thinking those aren’t basically the same silly promotion? I’d bet you lunch they don’t ever charge anyone the “regular” price. You’ll also see “buy 2 get 1 free” or other promotions along those lines. They’re all basically the same.
I will take that bet. I am sure that if someone orders just 1 or 2 windows they charge (or should charge) retail list price. It does say minimum 4 to qualify for the BOGO 50%
I’m saying if someone were to order 14 windows today during that promotion or 14 windows last week, before that promotion, I don’t think the person ordering today would pay 25% less than the people ordering last week. Are you saying you think a company running a promotion like that is really charging 25% less than before? If so, why did they overcharge the people who ordered last week? That doesn’t seem like a nice way to treat people.
It’s like department stores that always have things on sale. If it’s always 50% off is it really a discount or is it just the regular price dressed up like a sale?
I totally agree! From what I can tell, most companies offer some type of discount or coupon and it may very from month to month or season to season.
Right, the part that I think most customers aren’t aware of is that the actual prices don’t really change. The “discount” is really more of a gimmick to make the phone ring rather than an actual change in the prices.