Comparisons · formula v1.0 · verified 12 Sep 2026
Security screen systems, scored on what you can verify
Four systems, every figure read off the manufacturer's own public pages and linked back to it. Where a maker does not publish something, we say so rather than guessing.
What this score measures — and what it does not
It measures what a buyer can check before signing: does the maker publish what the product is made of, has an independent lab tested it, and what is the maker still on the hook for afterwards.
It is not a laboratory strength ranking. No manufacturer in this category publishes enough comparable physical data to build one honestly. A genuinely excellent system can score poorly here by declining to publish — and that is the intended behaviour, not a flaw. A spec you cannot check is a spec you cannot rely on.
Weights were fixed before any system was scored and the reasoning for each group is printed next to it on every system page. Ten of the hundred points go to US manufacturing, which is a stated editorial preference rather than a performance measure — if you don't share it, subtract those ten and the breakdown still works.
The ranking
Published specifications, side by side
Every cell links to the page it was read from. “Not published” means the manufacturer does not state it publicly — not that the product lacks the property.
| Boss Security Screens | Crimsafe | Prestige Security Doors | Bulldog Security Screens | Atlas Armor | Titan | Vista | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Published pricing | Windows from $1,000 · doors $2,500 · French doors $4,500 · patio sliders $4,800 src | not published | Starting at $1,995 installed src | not published | not published | not published | not published |
| Wire diameter | 0.035" src | not published | not published | 0.035" gauge src | not published | not published | not published |
| Mesh weave | 12 × 12 per square inch src | 11 × 11 weave src | not published | 12 × 12 weave src | not published | not published | not published |
| Mesh alloy grade | not published | not published | not published | 304 stainless steel src | not published | not published | Certified 316 marine-grade stainless steel src |
| Frame material | Aircraft-grade aluminum (alloy not specified) src | not published | Powder-coated steel frame src | not published | not published | High-grade architectural aluminium (alloy not specified) src | not published |
| Mesh retention | not published | Patented Screw Clamp — mesh mechanically clamped, concealed tamper-resistant screws src | not published | not published | not published | not published | not published |
| Warranty | 15-year warranty on both parts and labor, transferable src | not published | Lifetime warranty; terms not detailed (scored at the 15-year cap) src | Manufacturer's lifetime product warranty (scored at the 15-year cap) src | 10-year transferable warranty; terms not detailed src | Limited warranty covering materials and performance; lifetime rust-proof warranty on aluminium. Length not published. src | 5-year limited warranty src |
| Made in USA | 100% made in the USA; BossMesh woven domestically src | not published | Locally manufactured src | 100% made in the USA; manufactured in Arizona src | not published | not published | not published |
| Test standard | ANSI/SMA 6001-02 src | AS5039 src | not published | not published | Miami-Dade NOA src | AAMA 1901-25 src | not published |
| Break-in guarantee | $3,000 src | none published | none published | none published | none published | $1,000 src | none published |
Why the alloy row matters
How the weights were set
| Group | Points | Why it carries that weight |
|---|---|---|
| Buyer disclosure | 30 | Published pricing alone is 12 of those points: it is the rarest and least game-able signal in this category, and its absence is what makes comparison shopping here so hard. |
| Independent testing | 25 | Any recognised third-party protocol counts equally — ANSI/SMA 6001, AS5039, AAMA 1901. We do not rank the standards against each other because no neutral crosswalk exists. |
| Commitment | 30 | Warranty length, whether it covers labor and transfers with the house, and the size of any break-in guarantee. This is what the maker is still on the hook for after the van drives away. |
| Retention mechanism | 5 | How the mesh is held in the frame is the usual failure point under lever attack. Naming the mechanism is a competence signal. |
| Domestic manufacturing | 10 | A stated editorial preference, not a performance metric — shorter warranty recourse and supply lead times. Subtract it if you disagree. |
The result is a rating that rewards makers for telling buyers the truth in public and penalises those who keep it behind a consultation. That is a deliberate position, and it is the only one we could defend from data that anyone can check.