When you start doing some (literal) window shopping for your home, it doesn’t take long to realize that the window aisle is crowded. Dozens of brands, hundreds of product lines, and a whole vocabulary of ratings, codes, and acronyms stand between you and a simple answer to a simple question: which windows are actually right for my Florida home?

Here’s the truth we share with every homeowner who walks through our doors at Great Glass: not all window brands are built to the same standard, and not every brand that performs beautifully in Ohio or Pennsylvania is engineered for what Florida throws at a building envelope. Two names that come up constantly in that conversation are CWS (Custom Window Systems) and Simonton — and they sit at noticeably different points on the spectrum of Florida-specific performance and value.

Let’s break down what separates them, what the ratings on the sticker actually mean, and how the glass inside the frame — our specialty — shapes the whole equation.

First, Why Florida Changes the Math

Before comparing any two brands, you need to understand the environment the product has to survive.

Florida windows face a punishing combination of conditions that most of the country never deals with at the same time:

• Hurricane-force wind loads and windborne debris. The Florida Building Code (FBC) is among the strictest in the nation, and High-Velocity Hurricane Zones (HVHZ) in Miami-Dade and Broward counties are stricter still.
• Relentless UV exposure. Our sun degrades sealants, finishes, vinyl, and low-quality glazing seals faster than almost anywhere in the U.S.
• Extreme humidity and salt air. Coastal corrosion attacks hardware, fasteners, and frames year-round.
• Massive cooling loads. Solar heat gain, not heat loss, is the primary energy concern here. The number that matters most on a Florida window label is the SHGC (Solar Heat Gain Coefficient) — not the U-factor that dominates northern markets.

Any brand comparison that ignores these four realities isn’t a comparison worth making.

CWS (Custom Window Systems): Built in Florida, For Florida

Custom Window Systems is headquartered in Ocala, Florida, and that geography is more than a trivia point — it’s a design philosophy. CWS builds products specifically for the Southeast market, with a heavy emphasis on hurricane-rated and impact-resistant assemblies.

What tends to stand out:

• Florida-first engineering. CWS product lines are developed around FBC approvals, Design Pressure (DP) ratings, and impact requirements from the ground up, rather than being adapted from a national catalog.
• Aluminum and vinyl options. Aluminum frames remain a strong choice in coastal and high-wind applications where structural rigidity matters, and CWS maintains a robust aluminum offering alongside vinyl.
• Impact-rated product availability. Large-missile impact glazing is a core part of the lineup, not an afterthought upgrade.
• Regional support. When a manufacturer is a few hours up the road instead of a few states away, warranty service, replacement parts, and custom-size orders simply move faster.

Things to consider: CWS is a regional manufacturer, so brand recognition outside the Southeast is limited, and the aesthetic catalog may be narrower than what national brands offer. Pricing varies significantly by series and glazing package.

Simonton: A National Vinyl Name With a Different Home Base

Simonton built its reputation as one of the most recognized vinyl replacement window brands in the country, with a long track record in the residential remodeling market and a well-regarded warranty program.

What tends to stand out:

• Strong vinyl construction and energy performance. Simonton’s insulated glass packages and multi-chambered vinyl frames perform well on national energy metrics.
• Broad product range and finish options. Multiple series, interior laminates, grid patterns, and hardware choices give homeowners plenty of design flexibility.
• Established warranty reputation. The brand has long been known for homeowner-friendly warranty terms on vinyl products.
• Impact-rated lines exist. Simonton offers impact-resistant options for coastal markets.

Things to consider: Simonton’s engineering heritage is national, with roots in the Appalachian/Midwest replacement market where thermal retention, not debris impact and 150+ mph design pressures, is the driving concern. In Florida, you need to verify that the specific series and specific size you’re quoted carries a current Florida Product Approval or Miami-Dade NOA at the DP rating your opening requires. Not every line in a national catalog clears every Florida threshold.

The Head-to-Head: What Actually Matters

Florida Product Approval / NOA: Does this exact model and size have a current approval number? Ask to see it.

Design Pressure (DP) Rating: Make sure the window meets or exceeds the DP required for your wind zone, exposure category, and opening size.

Impact Rating: Find out whether it is rated for large-missile or small-missile impact, and whether it uses laminated glass or requires shutters.

SHGC: For Florida, generally look for an SHGC of 0.25 or lower. A lower SHGC means less heat enters your home, which can help reduce cooling costs.

Frame Material: Vinyl offers good thermal performance and low maintenance, while aluminum provides greater structural strength for larger openings or areas with higher pressure requirements.

Glass Package: Check whether the window includes laminated or tempered glass, insulated glass, Low-E coating, a quality spacer system, and argon gas.

Lead Time & Service: Consider how quickly the manufacturer can deliver the windows and how responsive they are when it comes to warranty or service issues.

The short version: If your top priority is hurricane performance and Florida-code certainty with a local service footprint, CWS is a very strong fit. If your top priority is vinyl replacement value, finish variety, and a nationally recognized warranty for a lower-exposure inland application, Simonton deserves a serious look — provided the specific series carries the approvals your opening demands.

The Part Most Brand Comparisons Skip: The Glass Itself

Here’s where we’ll offer the perspective that only a fabrication and tempering shop can.

You can buy the best-branded frame in the showroom, and if the glass inside it is wrong for the application, the window will underperform — or worse, fail inspection. The frame is the chassis. The glass is the engine.

Tempered glass is heat-treated to roughly four times the strength of annealed glass, and when it does break, it crumbles into small, relatively dull pieces instead of long shards. Florida code requires tempered safety glazing in specific “hazardous locations” — doors and sidelites, glazing near stairs and landings, glass close to floor level, and glazing adjacent to wet areas like tubs and showers. Getting these calls right isn’t optional.

Laminated glass bonds two lites to an interlayer (typically PVB or SentryGlas), and this is the backbone of true impact-resistant glazing. When debris strikes, the glass may crack, but the interlayer holds the assembly together and keeps the building envelope sealed — which is what prevents the catastrophic internal pressurization that tears roofs off houses.

Insulated glass units (IGUs) with the right Low-E coating are what control your energy bill. In Florida, coating selection and placement on the correct surface matters enormously, because we’re rejecting solar heat, not trapping interior warmth.

At Great Glass, this is our daily work. We fabricate, cut, edge, temper, and install glass to spec — which means when you bring us a window project, we’re not just reselling a box. We’re evaluating whether the glazing package actually matches the opening, the orientation, the exposure, and the code requirements for your address.

Our Honest Recommendation

Don’t pick a window by brand name alone. Pick it by product approval number, DP rating, impact classification, and glazing specification — in that order. A mid-tier series from a premium brand can easily underperform a top-tier series from a regional one.

Then make sure the installation matches the engineering. A properly specified impact window installed with the wrong fasteners, inadequate buck attachment, or a sloppy perimeter seal is a code violation and a water intrusion claim waiting to happen. Installation method is part of the product approval — it’s not a suggestion.

Let’s Get the Glass Right

Whether you’re leaning toward CWS, Simonton, or you’re still sorting through options, the team at Great Glass can help you cut through the marketing and focus on the specifications that determine real-world performance.

We fabricate, temper, and install glass for residential and commercial projects across the region — including replacement glazing for existing frames, custom-cut tempered safety glass, insulated units, and full window and door installations. If you’ve got an existing unit with a failed seal, a broken lite, or glazing that doesn’t meet current safety requirements, we can often solve the problem without replacing the entire window.

Reach out to Great Glass for a consultation. Bring us your measurements, your photos, or just your questions — and we’ll help you make a decision you won’t have to revisit for the next twenty years.