Storm door choice---Anderson vs. Larson

[nbpt100]

I am looking at installing a new storm door. The local box stores have Anderson or Larson (owned by Pella). They look about the same when you compare at each pricing level. Is there anything I should know or anything better or worse about one brand vs. the other? Is one company better with service than the other?

 

[dcg9381]

I don't know storm doors, but in the "widow" space Pella and Anderson both have very different "lines" of product within their brand.

Anderson, in particular seems to have 3 different levels of storm door product. Pella looks to resale through big-box stores and has a single line.


My "guess" - you can confirm - is that you're buying a storm door through a big box store and if you want it installed, that store is going to sell you a sub-contracted service for installation. Any problem after that will be successive finger pointing from the manufacturer, the big box seller, and the 3rd party installer. Good luck.


Anderson:

 

[39CAMC]

I have a Larson full views with the fancy built in closer and would not buy again. The handle started out as brass but faded to a brushed chrome look on the outside. The one on our front door which gets used the most often has already had one closer fail, which was on perpetual backorder letting our expensive door slam shut. I finally filed a BBB complaint, which got them to contact me and send a closer to replace it. It is probably more of a install issue but it also has been finicky about closing all the way even with the closer working properly.

We bought these top end storm doors when we did new doors to avoid this kind of hassle. But our old $99 Home Depot full view lasted 20 years with much less hassle and issues, so if we had to do it again I would not spend big $ on a "better" door.

DaveW

 

[BillK]

If you use the screen feature often then take your Wife to the store with you and see which one is easier for her to operate.

 

[loganb]

Larson is owned by Fortune Brands, they make the screen doors for Pella but aren't owned by them. Andersen doors are done by Emco which is an Andersen subsidiary

 

[mike93lx]

I installed a Larson on my last house and liked it a lot. It had double pane glass and the top panel slid with an attached screen. Worked great

 

[JSutter]

I have 3 full view Emco (Anderson 3000 interchangeable) storm doors. They are getting close to 20 years old. They sag a bit and swapping the screen or glass isn't the most convenient. Other then that not much to say. They are fine doors. I just replaced the front entry door and kept the old storm door. I didn't see the point in replacing it. As convenient as they are, I'm not sold on the newer retractable designs.

 

[rustyedge1]

I bought and installed a Larson Timberline in Sept 22 and the handle is junk, just broke a couple days ago. Menards replaced it and I’m back in business but how long will the replacement last ? I do appreciate the store for their effort in a no hassle replacement.
Indiana winters are pretty hard on the door lock and handle.

 

[nbpt100]

I ended up installing Series 10 full view Anderson last Fall. I did not want to deal with the plastic retaining strips that always seem to break after a few years. I wanted the full view over a partial view. I like how easy it is to swap out the glass for the screen and the built in door closer seems to work fine for me. It was a lot More money but I am satisfied so far. I also like how it looks.

 

[GCS]

I ended up installing Series 10 full view Anderson last Fall. I did not want to deal with the plastic retaining strips that always seem to break after a few years. I wanted the full view over a partial view. I like how easy it is to swap out the glass for the screen and the built in door closer seems to work fine for me. It was a lot More money but I am satisfies so far.

I installed a couple Larson’s, but my last is also the same Anderson door that you installed for the same reason.

A couple years old, and no complaints…

 

[engineer2]

Try to find a model with steel hinges. My Larson has soft aluminum hinges that wore out the top one. Their fix is to buy an entire hinge rail for $60 plus oversize shipping. I ended up fixing it myself with a piece of steel screwed over the broken hinge. The hinges are an oddball design and not available.

 

[nicks78camaro]

I was not impressed with the Larson display in person. Andersen felt much sturdier/higher quality.

 

[4Kings]

I preferred the Anderson over the Larson but ended up with the Larson as I have an 8' door. Anderson, at the time, didn't offer anything over 80".

 

[Mike65]

Anderson 3000 series. We had one in our last house & liked it so much we put them in our current house. We have 2 now with the double glass panes with the top pane that slides down with an attached screen.

 

[Jim_No_Garage]

Anderson 3000 series. We had one in our last house & liked it so much we put them in our current house. We have 2 now with the double glass panes with the top pane that slides down with an attached screen.

+1 We replaced our front door and storm door several years ago.

The storm door is an Anderson 3000 Series with the 2 glass panels and the integrated screen. This is great in the shoulder seasons as you can go from glass to screen in seconds.

The entry door is a Jeld-Wen with a glass panel and integrated blinds within the glass. The door faces due west so being able to close the blinds in the summer afternoon is a game changer.

Both items were purchased from HD and we had a local handyman install them. Money well spent on the project!

Cheers

Jim

 

[CraigStu]

This may be irrelevant but could be worthwhile to others reading this thread. 15 yrs ago we had a 15 year old Anderson dual pane window crack the inner glass. Never figured how it happened. I covered it w/ clear packing tape and started searching how to fix. It was amazingly easy. I called Anderson. They said look at the numbers etched into the glass at the lower corner, make a few measurements and call back. I did and they asked about the finishing. I said light color wood inside and white outside. 10 days later a replacement sash arrived w/ detailed instructions on how to install it. This replacement was an absolutely perfect match. Based on this experience I would lean toward Anderson unless there was a real good reason to go to another brand.

 

[Prospecter]

Over 40 years, the HD top line Anderson products have been slightly better, with better service than the Lowes alternatives I have installed in our home. Not just storm doors. Also true for garage doors, people doors, and windows. Says something, since I have a strong personal bias toward using Lowes. The Larson storm door I installed two years has been a little disappointing.