SW exterior paint choices and sheen

[nicolewi]

We're getting quotes on painting the exterior of our house. Major sticker shock!! Anyway...

The color consultant lady suggested using a satin finish for the siding, and said it holds color better over time and won't look too shiny. One of the painters also said he likes to use satin. Two painters said that they really prefer flat (and one knows the color lady and said he knows they differ on this). I think they all do satin on the doors/trim. Thoughts?

Second, is there much difference between SW Superpaint (base level exterior paint) and the higher level Emerald line? Again, two quoted Superpaint and one said he prefers to use Emerald and thinks it is worth the difference. 

[majesty318]

I can only speak for interior paint, but we found a huge difference. We did almost our whole house using their Duration line. At the last minute we decided to do another bathroom, and I was over spending money so did Super Paint. It was so much messier to apply - streaky - and gets water spots like crazy. The Duration rooms were nearly OK in 1 coat but Super Paint took like 3.

[carmenere]

IME you get what you pay for when it comes to choosing between the basic and higher-end paint. For an exterior paint job that's exposed to the elements and needs to hold up a long time, it's worth it to invest in the best paint.