Velux versus Fakro and Keylite?

J

Joanna

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Hello, I am building a new house and am putting in many roof windows/veluxes. I have been ringing around several builders providers to get prices on veluxes. However, the price I got from one place for the number of veluxes I wanted was 10k approx, whereas the same products from Fakro was 5k approx. I couldn't believe the price difference and wonder has anyone used Fakro and if so, were they happy with the product or why such a price difference? I had always considered veluxes and it was only when one merchant suggested I price Fakro as well, that I am now very unsure. I know Velux are around for years and years but I wonder has anyone used Fakro in their house and if so are they happy with them or would they pay the extra for a Velux product? I want a very good product so believe in paying a bit extra for getting the best but when it is 5k in the difference, it takes considering as every penny does count when building a house. Any help really appreciated. :)
 
As far as I can recall there are previous threads on these brands so you might get some help if you run the search option.
 
I have had Fakkro put in, they look terrific. I cannot tell the difference between the Fakkro and Velux. My Fakkro look great from both inside and out.

For bathrooms get the Fakkro bathroom window - wood painted white, better mold resistance.
 
I have Velux in the kitchen and Fakro in the attic. No differance apart from price as far as I can see. I was told that Falko is more popular then Velux in other countries other then Ireland and England. Its more difficult to get blinds for Fakro here however there are foreign sites that you can order them which are good quality and a lot cheaper...
http://www.itzala.net/ie/shop/!cipc4.shop
 
We have Fakro and they're grand and look well. Our builder recommended them so we went with them. One thing about them is that the handle to open them in under the glass whereas Velux puts the handle above the glass so Fakro are easier to open.

I also got the blinds from the site Venice recommended and husband found them easy to fit and they're good quality.
 
We have 4 Fakro windows for 5 years which were half the cost of Velux. They look great and I wouldn't be able to tell the difference. There have been no problems with them so far though I guess that depends on how well they are installed.
 
We too have them in the attic for the past 5 years and they are great. No problems at all and they still look great. I got the original Fakro blinds for these from who I believe are the importers. They too work fine after 5 years. No affiliation with tradecraft .. just a very satisfied customer. In fact, after installation I noticed that a handle was damaged (perhaps during the installation) and the guys in Tradecraft just gave me a replacement one for free when I picked up the blinds, so top marks for that :)
 
you have 3 main suppliers in ireland

velux, been around for years, very popular in ireland > they work alot with architects and quantity surveyors so you will see them alot more
> all velux are from velux directly in the UK. They do not have another importer.

fakro, not a bother with them, tradecraft are their importers, usually anyone whom supplies velux will be able to get fakro. excellent quality build on these also.

rooflite are also there a cheaper alternative also, made in hungry - handels are the same as the fakro at the bottom, very convenient.

there is much of a muchness, just remember to get the correct flashings and take ur time with installing.
 
I was quite interested to follow the topic so far, since I'm having a hard time with this decision. I've recently heard about Keylite roof windos and they seem cost effective, but I'm not sure about quality. Does anybody know these windows, had problems with them, was happy about buying them? I would really need some advice on that matter...
 
I spoke to a keylite representative at one of the self build shows last year and gave him a set of plans to work from. The order would have worth in the region of €10K. I waited for a few weeks and made contact with the rep I met at the show. He said he would have to put me in touch with another rep for the western region. He said he would get him to ring me. I left several messages but they did not return my call. I eventually went with Velux on the advice of my engineer as part of the order involved a 9 window configuration with special flashing. I spoke to their technical guys on a number of occasions and they were excellent. The fitter also got excellent advice when it came to installation. Fakro were not an option for me as they did not have the configuration i was looking for.
 
builder ed said:
I spoke to a keylite representative at one of the self build shows last year and gave him a set of plans to work from. The order would have worth in the region of €10K. I waited for a few weeks and made contact with the rep I met at the show. He said he would have to put me in touch with another rep for the western region. He said he would get him to ring me. I left several messages but they did not return my call. I eventually went with Velux on the advice of my engineer as part of the order involved a 9 window configuration with special flashing. I spoke to their technical guys on a number of occasions and they were excellent. The fitter also got excellent advice when it came to installation. Fakro were not an option for me as they did not have the configuration i was looking for.
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Hi Ed. Did the Keylite guy ever come back to you after? Crazy not to follow up on a nice order like that!
 
Lex Foutish said:
Hi Ed. Did the Keylite guy ever come back to you after? Crazy not to follow up on a nice order like that!
Click to expand...

No contact since. They had no excuse as they had a copy of the drawings with my contact details on it. Im glad I went with Velux in the end as the assistance the fitter got was top class especially when it came to fitting the specially made flashing for the 9 window cluster which had 6 on the slope and 3 vertical.
 
Thanks for the information, I will consider them. However I was kind of impressed by the blind sealed between the glass sheets. They say it is easy to operate, and Keylite representatives also talk about lots of window components that don't need maintenance (e. g. the hinges). Does anybody know something about that? I would much appreciate some input on this...
 
We have Fakro and Velux roof windows in our office and the Fakro ones look far better from the interior. In addition to the position of the operating handle, the timber is a closer grain and is apparently guaranteed to be knot-free. We had good technical backup as the windows had to be installed at a low pitch. The blinds are also easily available if you contact Fakro and you can see the brochure on their website. Cost of blinds also includes post and packing in most cases.
 
Posts seeking or recommending suppliers have been removed, please post these in the correct forum.
Leo
 
Bringing back to life an old post.
Has anyone had any recent experience of these and what would they recommend. Also for those who went for the keylight/Fakro how have you found them? Did the stand the test of time?
 
I recently got some roof windows and went with Rooflite. They are made in the same factory as Velux and owned by same parent company. They are are cheaper that Velux. From my little bit of research I would stick with any of the following Rooflite, Velux and Fakro.

Also check with local building suppliers and they should give you some feedback on best sellers and best after sales support.
 
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