Atlas vs. Malarkey: Which Shingles Brand to Choose?

Atlas vs. Malarkey: Which Shingles Brand to Choose?

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If you are looking to redo your home, and in particular your roofing, then you’ve come to the right place. Today, we will compare two very popular brands of shingles in North America – Atlas and Malarkey – in great detail.

Continue reading to find out which, if either, of the two roof shingles brands is the better choice for you.

Atlas Overview

Atlas ShinglesFirst, we have Atlas, which was founded in 1982 and was based in a single asphalt shingle manufacturing facility. In just a few short years, Atlas as a brand grew to over 36 different facilities located in North America, and yes, this brand distributes its products worldwide.

If you need a huge selection of insulation products, molded products, shingles, and underlayments, then this is a great brand to consider.

This brand is also known for selling products at reasonable prices, yet also having a reasonable level of quality. It’s not considered the number one best brand in the world, but also not the worst, and it is quite cost-effective.

Malarkey Overview

Malarkey ShinglesIf you are looking for a super high-quality brand name in the world of roofing and shingles, then Malarkey is it. This brand was founded in America and has been around since 1956, and it is by far one of the most popular in the world.

The reason why it is so popular is that all of the products produced are very premium and high-quality, but also very expensive.

All of these shingles have some of the best ratings in the world on all fronts, but you will pay for them. Interesting to note is that you cannot buy shingles from Malarkey yourself. You have to purchase them through a registered and certified contractor, and they need to be installed by professionals.

Atlas vs. Malarkey: How Do They Compare?

Now that we’ve done a quick overview of both brands, let’s compare the two on a side-by-side basis to see which one is best for you.

Product Lineup

If we are talking about Atlas, this brand has seven different types of asphalt shingles for you to choose from, plus some metal shingles too. Atlas has a fine selection of products including architectural shingles, 3-tab shingles, basic asphalt shingles, and specialty shingles.

One of the most popular shingles from this brand is the Pinnacle Pristine. We then have Malarkey, which has fewer options to choose from, just five or six different types of shingles, but they’re all very high-quality. Remember that this brand is about quality, not quantity.

Overall Quality

All of the shingles from the Atlas brand name, especially the Pinnacle Pristine, are known for being fairly high-quality, especially for the relatively low prices that they come in at. They all have pretty good energy efficiency ratings, algae resistance, fire ratings, and more.

However, they simply don’t stack up to Malarkey shingles in the grand scheme of things. Malarkey shingles are simply some of the very best in the world, although their prices do reflect this.

Durability

As for durability, when it comes to the Pinnacle Pristine from Atlas, this is a durable shingle. The Pinnacle Pristine has low granule loss, is element-resistant, and has decent impact resistance as well.

Overall, these shingles are quite decent. However, we then have Malarkey, which is known for being one of the best brands in the world, and a lot of this has to do with the fact that their shingles are seen as being some of the most durable out there. As for impact resistance and granule loss, Atlas simply cannot beat Malarkey.

Wind Rating

Most of the shingles from both brand names are rated at 130 mph, although both brands do also make some shingles that have even higher ratings, such as 150 mph. On this front, both brands are fairly even.

Algae Resistance

Atlas does offer some special features on its shingles to help prevent algae buildups, such as Scotchguard, which Malarkey also offers.

That said, Malarkey shingles are produced in such a way that they are naturally algae-resistant, and they also use several technologies to prevent algae from occurring. It’s simply the better brand on this front.

Energy Efficiency

The Pinnacle Pristine shingles from Atlas are Energy Star certified and should allow for a reduction in cooling and heating costs of around 15%, which is also true for most of the shingles from the Malarkey brand name. In fact, Malarkey has more shingles that meet this criterion than Atlas.

Fire Rating

The shingles from both of these manufacturers have Class A fire ratings, which is as good as it gets.

Warranty

Most of the products from Atlas have limited lifetime warranties, with all of the products from Malarkey having limited lifetime warranties.

Price

Atlas shingles should cost you between $2.20 and $3.25 per square foot, whereas Malarkey shingles are going to cost you up to $6 per square foot if not more.

Atlas vs. Malarkey: Which Offers Better Roof Shingles?

There is no denying the fact that Malarkey makes better shingles than Atlas. This is true on virtually all fronts but cost-effectiveness. Shingles from Malarkey are up to two times or even three times more expensive than the shingles from Atlas, but their overall durability seems to be worth it.

Whether we are talking about wind resistance, impact resistance, or anything in between, Malarkey does appear to be slightly better. Malarkey shingles have to be professionally purchased and installed, but they appear to be well worth the investment. In general, they might last about twice as long as Atlas shingles, and we think that’s worth it.

How Do Atlas and Malarkey Compare with Other Shingles Brands?

See how Atlas compares with: CertainTeed | GAF | Owens Corning | TAMKO

See how Malarkey compares with: CertainTeed | GAF | IKO | Owens Corning | TAMKO