# roofing shingles -- what brand is best?



## dlykins (Sep 30, 2009)

Insurance co says I need a new roof. I live in southern Ohio.

Which brand of shingle is best?

i have looked at: owens corning, Timberline (GAF), Atlas


any suggestions?

did consumer reports ever do a report?


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## rexroof (Nov 19, 2008)

Track records speak for themselves. Most major brands (GAF, Owens Corning, Certainteed, Tamko) work well. Personally I prefer the higher wind rated Owens Corning Duration Shingles. Never had a call back. Superior wind resistance to the other brands. Owens Corning is a leader in fiber glass technolgy and most shingles in he US are fiber glass based. Or company has been installing roofing for over 75 years and used just about every shingle at one time or other. Right now Owens Corning is our preferred choice since they started their Sure Nail Technology. Sure Nail Technology Shingles lay flatter, resist high winds better (110 MPH for Duration, 130 MPH for Duration Premium), and competitively priced. What's not to like?


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## bw77 (Oct 6, 2009)

I need to replace my roof due to hail damage, I'm in upstate NY. Roofer suggested OC Duration. I checked Consumer Reports, June, 2009 issue. They tested 18 models of arch shingles. Duration (and Duration Premium) ranked at the bottom! However, OC Oakridge was top ranked of the 30 year shingles. I tried to contact OC for their side of the ratings story, but no response. So I decided to go with Oakridge, which, according to my roofer can still be purchased at Lowe's, at retail prices. Wholesaler only sells Duration. If CR has made a mistake, or if OC has a response, I would like to know.


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## BamBamm5144 (Oct 6, 2009)

The "SureNail" Technology if thats what you want to call it, has to be one of the biggest jokes Ive ever seen in a shingle. Thats just my opinion but I think its garbage.

Also, Consumer reports have mixed results. They have high rated shingles that I would never want to put on and low rated shingles that I have never had any problems with in years after orginal installs.


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## bw77 (Oct 6, 2009)

BamBamm5144 said:


> Also, Consumer reports have mixed results. They have high rated shingles that I would never want to put on and low rated shingles that I have never had any problems with in years after orginal installs.


So which 30 yr shingles do you like?


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## rexroof (Nov 19, 2008)

*Sure Nail Technology*



BamBamm5144 said:


> The "SureNail" Technology if thats what you want to call it, has to be one of the biggest jokes Ive ever seen in a shingle. Thats just my opinion but I think its garbage.
> 
> Also, Consumer reports have mixed results. They have high rated shingles that I would never want to put on and low rated shingles that I have never had any problems with in years after orginal installs.[/quo
> 
> I have no ax to grind with any manufacturer and have had many long years of installations from many different manufacturers. Everyone has their own opinion. I called Owens Corning to ask about consumer reports. An engineer at the Kearny, NJ plant advised me that Consumers refused to give the details of their testing methods. ASTM is the accepted testing criteria in the industry. Verified higher wind ratings are no joke. We are required to use 6 nail fasteners per shingle by code in my area, and the high wind ratings on Owens Corning Shingles were achieved with only 4 fasteners per shingle. If you're not in a high wind area it probably makes no difference, but if the shingle price is competitive, why not choose something that gives a little more performance. Tensile strength is another very important criteria. The quality of the installation is probably the more important consideration. Most brands will perform satisfactorily unless they suffer some manufacturing defect (which was a major problem in the mid 80's to early 90's).


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