In this blog we will look into different kinds of asphalt shingles in the market. There are many different brands and types, and we cannot discuss all of them, but we will point out our favorites and least favorites. Lets divide up the list into 4 categories: not as good, good, better, and best
Not as good: Altas Pinnacle and IKO Cambridge
These two brands manufacturer asphalt shingles for customers who are very price conscious. IKO is a very popular shingle brand amongst new construction contractors who are focused on a budget, and Atlas is used a lot by roofing companies in general as a way to put on a roof with a better profit margin. They cost a couple hundred dollars less a roof to put on than the next level of shingles, and that really adds up over hundreds and thousands of roofs. We have had problems with Atlas shingles not sealing and blowing off, and they are also not as easy on the eyes. IKO just got done with a very big class action lawsuit from shingles tearing, cracking, and just generally not holding well up over time.
Good: Owens Corning Duration and GAF Timberline
These are the two biggest shingle manufacturers in the country. Both of these are commonly used by roofing companies as their standard shingle.
Owens Corning shingles are manufactured right in Denver. They are the biggest manufacturer in the market. The Duration series look good, hold up over time, and you also have the comfort of knowing that they are produced by a huge, publicly traded company that’s not going anywhere. While we like the Duration series, we are not big fans of the Oakridge. Oakridge is their lower end architectural shingle.
GAF has a shingle called the Timberline that is the #1 selling shingle in North America. They are also in our opinion some of the best looking. The only problem that we have found with them is that they do not stand up to hail as well as other shingles, and damage easily.
Better: Malarkey Vista
Malarkey Vista is a newer shingle on the market, but it is making a lot of noise. They are class 3 hail resistant, very good looking, can seal in 0 degree weather as long as there is radiant heat, and they are made using recyclable materials. These are the shingles that we recommend at Forest Roofs, primarily because of their hail resistance and the way they look. You can read more about them here: https://malarkeyroofing.com/product_detail/vista
Best: Malarkey Legacy
In our opinion, these are the best asphalt shingles money can buy. These class 4 hail resistant shingles are built using sbs, which is a heavily rubberized material ingrained in the asphalt that causes hail to bounce off the shingle as opposed to damaging it. We have seen these shingles survive very, very big hailstorms. If you ask pretty much any expert what are the best impact resistant shingles, this is the answer you will most likely get. The only downside is the price point.
