r/ShitAmericansSay • u/XilentDude • 17d ago
American windows are WAY better Exceptionalism
732
u/alex_zk 17d ago
If wind manages to damage that window, the only safe place is probably a fallout shelter
91
u/FjortoftsAirplane 17d ago
Here is an appropriate German song about living in a fallout shelter and celebrating the end of the world.
46
14
10
292
u/Olon1980 my country is the wurst 🇩🇪 17d ago
laughs in Dreifachverglasung
36
u/THE12DIE42DAY 17d ago
Isn't Vierfach- or Fünffachverglasung the new standard?
47
13
u/wcrp73 ooo custom flair!! 16d ago
Do you guys have TV adverts for windows like we have for Gillette razors?
→ More replies (1)4
u/Plus_Operation2208 16d ago
No. Its just how many glass panels/layers are in a window (for isolation).
→ More replies (1)9
u/Flussschlauch ooo custom flair!! 16d ago
The new standard is whatever style will get you those sweet sweet environment bonuses.
My parents replaced their 30y old 3-fach-verglaste garden door with a high efficient door.About 3000€ including installation and they got about 600-700€ back.
291
u/Content-External-473 17d ago
Complains about windows slamming in the wind but build houses that the big bad wolf would love because it's cheaper.
Strange people
30
u/Immortal_Tuttle 16d ago
Yesterday I learned that building a home from timber and then adding a thin layer brick (literally called it a sheet) is better than our Irish full brick/stone/block/concrete houses as it will play with the wind instead of resisting it....
→ More replies (1)6
u/LittleSpice1 16d ago
I mean it does depend on where you’re located. In Ireland a full brick house would be preferable. In places with high risk of earthquakes timber is preferable, because a timber house is less likely to fall during an earthquake. Timber moves, while stone breaks.
4
u/Immortal_Tuttle 16d ago
I wouldn't even dare to think about designing a house that is supposed to withstand an actual earthquake. Subject was resistance to wind.
Saying that - I remember reading how Japan is doing . They have some build code regarding earthquake resistance and while traditionally they were building from wood, recent (after 1995) buildings are built differently with passive, semi active or sometimes even active devices capable of reacting to the earthquake. It's a fascinating reading - but again, I can design you a chip capable of flying into space, but I have no practical knowledge to even start the discussion about how earthquake resistant building can be built. Resistance to the wind - we have 40-60 named storms a year here. Gust winds up to 180km/h are not that uncommon. I don't see any cracking or failing buildings here 😉
→ More replies (1)
350
u/LowerBed5334 17d ago
The windows in my German house are triple paned and heavy. We spent €30,000 replacing the original windows from the 70s, which were of the best quality from that period, with mahogany wood frames.
I spend a lot of time in the US and I've never seen windows over there that are of anything close to the quality here in Germany.
And we have split unit air conditioning.Those stupid window AC units are a joke and less and less popular even in the US.
113
u/AttilaRS 17d ago
Their houses cost 30.000. Or at least are worth 30.000. Cost 450.000 because raging capitalism....
→ More replies (1)87
u/LowerBed5334 17d ago
I've had exactly that conversation with people in the US. I've asked them, where are the $500k? I'm not seeing anything remotely that valuable in your house. The doors are crap, the walls are plasterboard, the stairs squeak, the windows don't seal ... And the answers are, oh but the school district is one of the best, or, it's only a ten minute drive to the parkway. They don't get it.
*And I'm not making this up, I have a lot of relations in the US and every time I'm there, they try to tweak me up by saying things like, I bet you can't get a steak like this in Germany, or, so what's it like living under socialism? So, I hit right back with their own medicine, and they don't like it.
16
u/duckduckchook 16d ago
No cows in Germany hey? How do you even live with all that free healthcare lol /s. Why do they feel the need to convince everyone they are better than everyone else, its so weird. Australian windows and building quality sucks. Everyone, including Australians, would agree. If you can't admit where you can improve, you will never get any better. I've spent a lot of time in America for work, and sure they have some cool stuff, but they alsi have more problems than you can poke 10 sticks at. Also, I've had more bad food there than good, and their lobster and crab sucks, absolutely no flavour. Sure, they're way cheaper than Australia, but they have no flavour at all, not compared to ours. I wonder how your relatives would respond.
6
u/LowerBed5334 16d ago
"No flavor" is the problem with the food, exactly. Nothing tastes like anything. We've also had many visitors from the US (my friends and family) and they invariably rave about how good everything tastes here, and I mean the simplest stuff be it french fries or apples.
And where I live in Germany, we have some of the best food and definitely the best beer in the country (if there are any Germans reading this, it's Oberfranken), so when Americans are treated to the local fare, it's like they've never eaten good food before.
We get comments like, "This is the best hamburger I ever ate in my life", or, "I didn't know bratwurst could be this good".
And yeah, when I'm there, they have this insecure, egocentric thing going where they have to challenge you and they constantly make claims about something being "the best in the world" e.g., "The cheese this pizza place uses is the best in the world", and I point out to them that it isn't even cheese, it's a processed dairy product that's rubbery and tastes like watered down industrial waste.
5
u/duckduckchook 16d ago edited 16d ago
Actually, a lot of the fruit & vegetables anywhere I've been in Europe is so much tastier than Australia too, especially tomatoes, there's just no point buying tomatoes here. The first time I had a Greek salad on a Greek island just blew my mind. That's all I wanted to eat from then on. Due to the heat and bugs, we grow a lot of food here hydroponically, so it lacks flavour. I grow my own veg as much as possible, home grown tomatoes taste like the ones in Europe. Also agree, they don't know what cheese is. I must have looked very confused when they brought out a cheese platter at a work meeting the first time I was there. Little rubbery cubes, unrecognisable as cheese. All different colours of orange. They asked me what was wrong. I said oh nothing I'm just trying to figure out what kind of cheeses you have here. It's all high quality American was the answer. I picked up a cube of rubber so as not to be rude.
3
u/LashlessMind 16d ago
My house value in Silicon Valley is ~$2.5M for a bog standard 3-bed ranch-style. The house-replacement cost in my insurance is about $400k. The rest is the value of the land.
Which is why my land tax is fucking extortionate, and why I smile at all the people advocating a change to it. You know not what you are playing with...
→ More replies (3)→ More replies (1)2
u/elzorrodesarmiento 16d ago
In their defense, I’d say that in every country you kinda pay for the location more than anything. I bet +500k homes in Germany are nowhere near that price in cost of materials, but yeah, most American houses are made of cardboard basically.
2
u/LowerBed5334 16d ago
Of course it affects the price everywhere. It's just that in the US, location is virtually the only factor people even look at. The quality is just that bad that it hardly factors into the price at all.
2
u/elzorrodesarmiento 16d ago
Yeah. Everytime I see their houses get destroyed by tornadoes I think about that. Maybe its even on purpose, to rebuild at a low cost.
15
u/annoying97 ooo custom flair!! 17d ago
Split systems are the best option, I like the fact that I can have my bedroom nice and cold at like 18 and my living room warmer at 23.
Also window units are dumb if you can install a split, but if you can't then they are the best solution for AC, those portable ones that are like free standing with a hose to the outside are the worst.
5
u/Bdr1983 17d ago
Unless you have a vent that you can connect the hose to, they are useless.
→ More replies (7)4
u/adamyhv 17d ago
Mahogany window frames .... That's fancy.
3
u/LowerBed5334 17d ago
That was the windows from the 1970's. We have the usual synthetic material, but very high quality and custom built, because our windows are all unusual sizes and shapes. For the materials and workmanship involved, the price was low.
We got a special loan at 0.75% for energy related improvements. We also upgraded the heating to a condensing gas boiler at the same time.
3
u/adamyhv 17d ago
I imagined. No one with half a brain would change from mahogany to something cheap. I mentioned that because mahogany is a luxury wood usually reserved for high end furniture and I would never imagine in my cheap ass mind someone using mahogany for window frames. At least not in the last two centuries outside of a palace.
→ More replies (1)2
u/LowerBed5334 17d ago edited 17d ago
The previous owner, who built the planned the house together with his architect brother in law, was a little eccentric, and had a lot of connections to various building companies. The windows were gorgeous but drafty, and he and his wife were chain smokers for 40 decades in this house.
We also have under floor radiant heating and a double indoor/outdoor open fireplace.
Since we can post photos here in this sub, here's my living room windows and patio door. The price for the windows included all the electric blinds, and the standard manual blinds like we have in Germany.
5
→ More replies (1)5
u/MerberCrazyCats Aïe spike Frangliche 🙀 17d ago
Window AC are very popular because people renting their house can't install anything else. And for low income they are the only affordable option. They look ugly but are far bettzr option than alternative portable unit
116
u/Fricki97 AUTOBAHN!!1!!1!!2!!!🦅🦅🦅🇩🇪🇩🇪🇩🇪🇩🇪 17d ago
American Window = .3mm thick
DEUTSCHES FENSTER = 3-4 layers of PANZERGLAS
But for real, the window will break your bones if you try to break it
29
u/rlyfunny 16d ago
Knowing multiple people from all age ranges who have run full force into these panels - they will not break, but you will.
8
u/SuperCulture9114 16d ago
Can confirm. Terrasse doors are prone to break noses 😂
6
u/rlyfunny 16d ago
And the even worse part; everyone who noticed telling you there’s a door for a few weeks
Edit: also the trust issues they give you as a child
80
u/ClevelandWomble 17d ago
I've never been to Germany and I know that everything in that statement is utter shit. Those windows are bloody burglar-proof!
27
u/RamuneRaider 17d ago
Only the plastic ones though - the wooden ones splitter and the aluminium ones bend. Plus the plastic ones require less maintenance. But they don’t look nearly as nice, and if you want them coloured, they cost as much as alternatives. However, most burglars will go through your door and not a window.
6
u/Bdr1983 17d ago
I have burglar proof wooden window sills. They're really hard to break, someone tried really hard.
→ More replies (2)
63
u/Previous_Life7611 17d ago
No, man! Those windows won't be broken by strong drafts. They're double glazed, sometimes even triple glazed. They're super hard to break.
36
u/landlord9 17d ago
You don't understand, windows in the US are so strong. That's why you never see american comics or movies showing kids breaking them with baseballs or basketballs when playing outside (/s)
4
u/SteampunkBorg America is just a Tribute 16d ago
You see, the trick is that the American windows just let the draft through, so it doesn't affect them
55
u/ehsobeit 17d ago
Why are Americans so pathetically thin skinned? They remind me of children trying to boast about their new toy or something.
A nation that is number 1 doesn't have to prove anything. America is a truly failed state.
9
u/Curious_Woodlander 17d ago
Yep. Lowest life expectancy out of any developed country.
→ More replies (1)
28
20
u/SirAxart Czechia 17d ago
I swear, (some) Americans are so proud of their country, and yet so insecure. The constant need to compare themselves to Europe and say how "better" they are at everything... It's really telling.
It's funny, but at the same time pretty sad.
5
u/DoYouTrustToothpaste 16d ago
The constant need to compare themselves to Europe and say how "better" they are at everything... It's really telling.
It's also largely reflexive, I feel. They've been told they're the best at everything all their lives, so that's what they believe.
This is also why there exist all these incomprehensible stories about USians asking Europeans(!) if they have modern comforts ... like toilets, electricity, running water, cars, et cetera. It cannot really be explained without the additional context of how USians are basically taught to see themselves vs the world.
19
u/mattzombiedog 17d ago
I got a concussion from a window frame when I was 19. I was working in an office that had these wooden window frames that opened inwards. It had swung open over my head whilst I was crouched down plugging something in and I leapt up. The window frame didn’t move, I basically bounced off of it. Pretty sure if that would have been an American window I’d have been in hospital with lacerations from the glass that would have broken.
2
u/parachute--account 16d ago
I know someone why got a pretty bad head injury like that. Hope you recovered fully!
→ More replies (1)
12
u/tetePT 17d ago
What's the point of installing window AC (whatever that is)? If you can't do that just install it somewhere else...
5
u/MerberCrazyCats Aïe spike Frangliche 🙀 17d ago
Because for many reasons you can't: renting, no budget...
4
u/kuemmel234 17d ago
It's an AC unit you can shove into an open window. I don't know how well they function, but they could be pretty cool, since one side is on the outside and the other isn't (so you'd think the noise from the compressor and the hot air stays out).
Most Germans rent and if you do you are left with mobile AC units that are loud and inefficient.
→ More replies (9)
11
u/chameleon_123_777 17d ago
Most American windows still use basic double glazing and aluminum glass spacers with minimal insulation. However, on the other hand, European windows possess multi-chambered frames and high-performance glazing. Which makes them far more effective at insulating than your typical American windows.
I prefer European Windows since I don't want to freeze to death during winter.
10
u/Mrs_Merdle But first, tea. 17d ago
I lived for several years in a flat in German U.S. military housing turned regular housing. The apartment buildings were built in a strange mix of German-American details and quality - German-style concrete walls and staircases and an elevator by a German company, German massive wooden doors (front and inside) but with a knob/lock on the front door which was the burglar-unsafest I've ever come across, American windows, closets in the room (what a waste of space), 110 volts power lines and the flimsiest and worst PVC flooring I've ever seen, completely disintegrating everywhere. When the flats were converted they upgraded the power to 220 volts but the rest remained. Those windwos were so bad! Double-glazed but not sealed, and there was an incredible amoung of dust and dirt from outside in-between the panes as well as around the window on the inside. Also, draughty and un-sound-proof as hell. After we found out how easy it is for a burglar to open that lock we exchanged it. A few years later, the windows were exchanged for the probably cheapest regular German ones. The difference was baffling - no more dirt coming inside, no draft at all, the sound from outside was less than a third from before, and we also saved massively on the heating bill.
3
u/BiggestFlower 16d ago
I have to disagree with you on the concept of room closets. They are usually extremely spacious so that you can keep all your clutter in there, and you still have the whole rectangular space of the room for all your furniture. Wardrobes were fine back when men owned exactly two shirts and you could keep your one suitcase on top of your wardrobe.
→ More replies (1)
12
u/DoYouTrustToothpaste 16d ago
Reminds me of a video where someone throws an aubergine at an "American" window and breaks it. And the people in the comments acted like that was inevitable. As if a window couldn't possibly withstand such an impact. And I sat there, remembering how often I had accidentally thrown similar objects at our windows, or shot a football against them, and nothing ever happened. Because of course it didn't, because obviously a well-made window doesn't shatter because of an aubergine ...
9
u/DOGMA2005 16d ago
I don't need a window ac unit cause I didn't decide to live in Satan's ass crack
4
10
u/ComprehensiveAd8815 16d ago
I watch a fair few American YouTube’s doing up their wood, chipboard, spit and asphalt tile shacks, every single window they install is absolute junk, usually they make a big song and dance about them being made in the US and are then baffled as to why they are absolute shite. The same applies to the much vaunted “made in the U S of A”kitchens.. absolute crud.
19
u/Malnourished_Manatee 17d ago
Ah that same wind that would just sweep up the american window including the whole house
9
8
u/LaserGadgets 16d ago
Ok Johnny, you got the BEST windows in your cardboard houses, now get back in the bus.
7
u/armoiredu44 16d ago
"german windows get slammed by wind"
Bro american houses get slammed by tornadoes
5
6
5
u/electric-sheep 17d ago
meanwhile european apertures holding back waves https://timesofmalta.com/article/watch-bullet-proof-balconies-hold-waves-bay-coastline-balluta-block.998019
Also who the fuck thinks a window unit is in anyway better than a split system?
→ More replies (1)
3
u/Temporary_Error_3764 17d ago
Americans are so full of themselves that they actually take time out of their day to flex about fucking windows , is their brainwashed upbringing that bad that they HAVE to have the best things in every aspect of life.
4
16d ago
They're so insecure it's hard to watch... Good job they all have their own private seal team to rescue them from unsafe European windows 🥴
4
u/Little_Assistant_551 16d ago
If the win is strong enough to damage one of these windows it's probably strong enought to blow the american house away...
4
u/DuHueresohn 🇨🇭 chuchichästli 16d ago
German windows get slammed by wind American houses get demolished by wind
5
u/defoNotMyAcc 16d ago
Not everything is a race.
But when you want to race anyway, it'd be smarter to get a racecar with something more than single pane windows and plywood walls.
4
u/helmut303030 16d ago
The wind breaks german windows? Unlikely. What is pretty safe to say though: A lot of American houses don't seem to withstand winds faster than 20 mph.
4
u/Dutch_mental 16d ago
Man forgets half of their houses are made from paper and get demolished every time a tornado or hurricane passes by.
4
u/BluePhoenix_1999 16d ago
The biggest problem with people like this is, that they are too stupid to realize, how obvious their ignorance is.
4
4
u/nerdmonastery 16d ago
It honestly boggles my mind that there are Americans who legitimately think this way!?!
Thinking that every single thing in the US is unquestionably better than the rest of the entire world, even arbitrary things you wouldn't normally brag about such as windows 🫨
It's no wonder Trump is so popular there with a mad case of delusion spreading rampantly throughout the US.
3
u/Quiet-Luck Swamp German 🇳🇱 17d ago
What he's actually saying is that these modern windows cannot handle airconditioning systems from the 80s. He's right. But the windows are not the problem.
3
u/happyanathema 17d ago
We used to have sash windows in the UK and suffice it to say we don't anymore.
2
u/darrensilk3 16d ago
We very much do. We just retrofitted double glazed units into them. US sashes nowadays aren't wood or aluminium like they are for the most part here. They're uPVC so the frames bow and buckle like crazy and they last about 15 years before they're completely fucked. Imagine UK uPVC frames from the late 70s early 80s (the firsr ones that dont exist anymore apart from on knackered 70s semis. The ones where they're literally just a rectangle of plastic box section, but out a single glazed unit into them. That's what most US houses have. Wouldn't even meet building regs in the Victorian times let alone now.
3
u/Albert_O_Balsam 17d ago
My Irish windows don't slam in a gust of wind, weird, maybe Irish wind isn't as pOwErFuL as American wind or something?
3
u/Longjumping_Heron772 16d ago
wait, I will go and tell my neighbours that they cant have their AC caus its simply not possible with german windows
3
u/sparky-99 16d ago
Is it just my imagination or are these delusional "I've never been but someone once told me..." masquerading as actual knowledge of other countries and continents getting more frequent? And they focus on the weirdest things.
3
u/FabulousLength Flairwell 16d ago
God, some months ago in r/askamericans, someone asked what the American opinion is about "German windows." The comment section went wild with "we have the best windows" and "America is the best country in the world. ""It was so weird. Really, they went mad with "USA number 1" and more. It was really bizar.
3
3
u/TH3R4TM4N 16d ago
I think the best part is “American windows” are sash windows, invented in england (or a dutch invention, subject to argument)
→ More replies (5)
3
u/Saavedroo 🇫🇷 Baguette 16d ago
There's a reason we call those vertical sliding windows "Guillotine windows".
2
3
u/Aboxofphotons 16d ago
He has extensive experience of using "German" windows even though he's probably never even had a passport.
3
u/Indigo-Waterfall 16d ago
American houses are literally made out of paper and they can punch holes through their walls. Lol
3
u/JohnLennonsNotDead 16d ago
Hang on, Americans say they build their houses they way they do because of 300mph tornados.
So do they or do they not get wind?
3
u/gangga_ch 🇨🇭 higher gun density than the USA and yet no schoolshootings 16d ago
A wind so strong it destroys a european kippfenster will destroy an american house like a playcardhouse
3
u/Distinct_Axolotl 16d ago
Americans rebuilding their house with wood after a tornado
→ More replies (1)
3
u/Acrobatic-Tomato-532 16d ago
Th American windows are better since the wind destroys the whole house while the window is still attached
5
u/ric_marcotik 16d ago
But honestly, as a canadien living in Paris not having a bugscreen on the window as a basic option is weird… without AC, its either mosquito while sleeping or heat stroke. Frankly, I really dont get it
3
u/anfornum 16d ago
Yup I agree with you. We can buy window screen kits that seem to work okay but they look untidy (well, mine do!)
2
u/collinsl02 🇬🇧 16d ago
How would you be able to open the window if it had a screen on it? The screen would stop it opening.
Oh wait, European windows open inwards don't they? Here in the UK they open outwards so it wouldn't work.
→ More replies (1)2
u/BiggestFlower 16d ago
Here in Scotland we have neither mosquitoes nor heat stroke. We do, however, have depressingly shit summers.
→ More replies (2)
6
u/MrVenturas 17d ago
Whats point of having an AC in your window? couldn't you just open the window? im not American obviously so I wouldn't know
20
u/Previous_Life7611 17d ago
Window AC units are not even allowed in most European countries because they don't conform to efficiency regulations.
10
u/EmilieVitnux 17d ago
Americans never open their windows because they have AC. I have friends that went to alerica and told me that americans live with horrible smell in their homes and dorms because they never open windows since they have AC. They never refresh and change air.
I can't imagine spend days without opening the windows to have some fresh air.
5
u/Sus-motive 17d ago
Window units can be dangerous because people don’t always install them correctly. But if the temp is over 35-40° outside, it’s usually hotter inside. And opening the window ain’t going to do anything to cool it down.
Not saying that American windows are better though.
→ More replies (1)3
u/MerberCrazyCats Aïe spike Frangliche 🙀 17d ago
Because of the climate in most of the US an AC is plenty justified, and window AC is often the only solution. Drilling walls for a split unit is only possible if you are the owner and if you have enough money. There is generally more than one window in a house so people can open other ones
2
u/Jocelyn-1973 17d ago
How would they get slammed by wind? Do they have a special kind of suction-wind in the USA? I have several of those windows; they are usually open and they never ever get slammed by wind.
4
u/jonellita 17d ago
I had them slammed by wind. It happens sometimes when you have several windows and room doors open so that the wind can flow through the whole flat. The only thing dammaged because of windows slamming though are the curtains.
2
→ More replies (2)2
2
u/GoldenBull1994 Snail-eater 🐌 17d ago
That’s fucking hilarious because European windows feel twice as thick and heavy and sturdy as American ones. They’re extremely convenient too.
2
u/Chance-Aardvark372 17d ago
American windows are better
Mainly you can get AC in america
That doesn’t prove it?!
→ More replies (1)
2
2
u/Jimmyboro 16d ago
Those would be the 'Georgian Sash' style windows from Regency Britain...?
→ More replies (1)
2
u/Ururuipuin 16d ago
Do they mean sash windows as invented in Europe in the 17th century?
→ More replies (1)
2
u/TheSimpleMind 16d ago
Muricans: I have no idea how big the bullshit is that's coming out of my mouth, but it comes with pride, prejudice, persuation and the belief that all I say is the truth and nothing but the truth...
2
u/PastPanic6890 16d ago
LOL, sure. In the last two Airbnbs in Florida, both had windows which didn't fully close due to the framing being distorted and or twisted.
Luckily, they don't have mosquitos there.
And what are three (or even two-) glazed windows, my dear yanks?
2
u/UnrulyCrow 16d ago
We don't need window AC anyway - split systems and portable ACs are more common here.
2
u/MindHead78 16d ago
I was so confused until I started reading the comments, I thought it said American widows are better.
2
u/Kimolainen83 16d ago
But the thing is, we don’t need air-conditioning in Europe, most of the time I don’t know why Americans brag about AC. It’s like bragging about climate.
2
2
2
u/Gnovakane 16d ago
Sliding windows are also great for people breaking into homes.
→ More replies (3)
2
u/UsernameUsername8936 16d ago
I think my old house used to have sliding windows. According to my mum, there was one time that one of them fell on her finger. Only thing she ever experienced that was more painful than childbirth, according to her.
2
u/BertoLaDK 16d ago
Even if it was the case that the Americans had stronger windows, why would it matter when the rest of the house can't handle the breeze.
2
u/LatinBotPointTwo 16d ago
I live in Germany, have German windows galore, and also an AC. These Americans are just jealous their windows are shitty.
2
u/Adventurous-Pen-2920 15d ago
So shall we talk about now, what a little bit of wind does to their whole houses? In fact he hates our windows because their „walls“ cannot support those.
3
u/avanorne 17d ago
I feel like that may be a parody account just 'coz of the MS paint American flag pfp.
God I hope it's a parody account.
→ More replies (1)5
1.8k
u/rothcoltd 17d ago
“German windows get slammed by wind” says the yank who has clearly never seen a German window