Plastic or glass

[GregD]

Trying to decide whether to use a smoked plexi or tinted glass for my bezel.  Why don't more people use 1/4" glass with edges polished?  Also, i see a couple of different products at Tap Plastic for the smoked plexi.  Exactly which product does everyone buy?  Is solar grey the right color?  Polycarbonate or acrylic?  Thanks

Meant to post this on main forum.  Sorry about that.

[TopJimmyCooks]

it's a personal choice.  I prefer 3/16" glass for displays but you can't work it yourself easily, you have to buy the pieces cut to size.  I ask for 35% light transmission gray.  Be careful on anything called solar, solar is often associated with a reflective surface which you don't want.  Also, solar bronze is a common tint but it's brown rather than gray so not desirable for arcade games.  I order glass cut the exact size that I need, then if it's too big, I use a belt sander to take a little off the edges.  with plastics, you can cut to your size with a router and a carbide straight cutting bit. 

[Well Fed Games]

I have found that glass is just easier to work with, although I have used both. Plexi seems to hard to keep unscratched and lint-free. I ordered several pieces of the solar grey plexi from Tap and was pleased with it.

[ed12]

glass is hand's down  over plastic

ed

[Santoro]

Glass.

[BobA]

Glass is resistant to scratches and not bothered by lint as much (less static) but you have to get it cut while plastics you can cut yourself.   If you have a rectangular area to fill and you can take proper measurements then you are good to go but if your cab is a little off then the glass will not fit.

[ark_ader]

Glass with those sheets you apply to car windows for tint.

Hate cutting plexi, but if you do try using a tile cutter! 

[Donkbaca]

Applying the tint is a pain in the ass.  I did that on my cab, it sucked, i wouldn't do it again.  Get smoked plexi from tap plastics.  Its cheaper, lighter, and in the event something happens that would cause it to break, you don't have a dangerous situation on your hands.

I wouldn't worry about scratches, there aren't many situations where it would be subject to getting scratched, plus you can buff out light scratches with novus.

[Blanka]

If you can hide a part behind the wood.... IKEA sells smoked hardened glass for close to nothing, as long as you buy it billy-shelf sized.
Glass+1
Glass is flat, plastic hangs through... giving curvy reflections.

What screen do you put behind? If LCD, go for clear glass. The panel is black enough already.

[DaveMMR]

I went with glass on my cabinet and while I like the looks of it, I may just go with plexi on further builds.  The extra expense (albeit $30 per sheet) and lack of control put me off.  Not to mention I have to take into consideration more weight when mounting it (with plexi, you can pretty much even just screw it in where it's out of sight.)  Plus, I hate working with glass in general.

If the Plexi gets messed up, it's cheap and easy enough to cut a new sheet to replace it.

[ed12]

call me anal
but i just finished a ms-pacman rebuild
and i tried plexi on it
it looked like crap
the owner said go back to glass
$50.00 is not so bad
take it for what it's worth

ed

[muchuckwagon]

A few people referenced the cost of glass.  I pay $10 for my tinted glass cut down to the standard bezel size of 23x22(?) inches and $50 if I want it cut for a cocktail.  I'd much rather have glass versus plexiglass on my cocktail and for uprights, $10 is cheap in my book.

The key is to call around to a few local glass shops.  I had a few people quote me some insane prices but smaller operations will be very happy to help you out. 

[Dervacumen]

Get smoked plexi from tap plastics.  Its cheaper, lighter, and in the event something happens that would cause it to break, you don't have a dangerous situation on your hands.

I wouldn't worry about scratches, there aren't many situations where it would be subject to getting scratched, plus you can buff out light scratches with novus.

I used smoked plexi from TAP on both of my cabinets, and the first one got scratched within the first 6 months, but that was due to a 4 year old doing what 4 year olds do.  I never tried to remove the scratches because they don't really bother me.  The second cabinet isn't seeing that type of wear now that the kid's 8.  I chose plexiglass only because of the fear of my daughter breaking glass in the first place.  I was probably overly cautious since she hasn't busted any of the glass on my other arcade machines.  Or any of our windows or TV's.

I'll use glass for every other project from now on.

[Endaar]

Count me down for glass as well: 1/4", solar gray, polished edges. I ordered from onedayglass.com and am really happy with the overall result. I have to disagree with an earlier poster though - LCDs are so bright that the gray tint on the glass helps drop things down to a more normal level and so I'd reccommend it.

Endaar

[GregD]

 :(To those that use glass, do you bother getting it tempered?

[DaveMMR]

:(To those that use glass, do you bother getting it tempered?

Not I.  The cost for tempered was over $100 compared to under $30 for regular glass. As long as you're not doing anything out of the ordinary with it, it should be fine.

[monkey puzzle]

I used toughened bronze glass (cost £12.50 (about $20)) and am very pleased with the look of it. I just painted around the outside of the monitor (on the inside of the glass). I think this looks perfect and would definately do this for all my future projects.

Tip: When painting glass don't mask off with masking tape. Use fine-line tape (or electrical tape if you cant get any) and you will get a much better edge when the tape is removed.

[cammada]

so instead of apply tint on glass, isn't it better to tweak monitor setting to avoid bright? Also what about anti-reflective glass, isn't tint glass the same?

[GregD]

so instead of apply tint on glass, isn't it better to tweak monitor setting to avoid bright? Also what about anti-reflective glass, isn't tint glass the same?

I like the look of the tinted glass when the machine is off. 

[DCsegaDH]

so instead of apply tint on glass, isn't it better to tweak monitor setting to avoid bright? Also what about anti-reflective glass, isn't tint glass the same?

I like the look of the tinted glass when the machine is off. 

+1  I like the look too.

[RandomCitizenX]

Count me down for glass as well: 1/4", solar gray, polished edges. I ordered from onedayglass.com and am really happy with the overall result. I have to disagree with an earlier poster though - LCDs are so bright that the gray tint on the glass helps drop things down to a more normal level and so I'd reccommend it.

Endaar

Which finish did you order?

[Dawgz Rule]

Glass all the way.  Don't bother with tempered.

http://www.grayglass.net/product.cfm/GrayGlass/GRAYLITE-31/product_id/4174

http://www.grayglass.net/product.cfm/GrayGlass/GRAYLITE-14/product_id/4173

[Santoro]

Glass all the way.  Don't bother with tempered.

You don't have kids do you? 

[alfonzotan]

I just (meaning, like an hour ago) replaced the smoked plexi in my cab with a sheet of Graylite 31, and it is night-and-day better.  The image is clearer, the light and colors pop out, the surface of the glass itself looks great... just a big improvement all around visually.  The game graphics look like they're floating in midair instead of being displayed on a monitor.

Only real problem was finding a local source... the glass shops around Atlanta wouldn't even return my calls for such a small order.  I wound up buying it from a glass shop in my old hometown over in Alabama ($37).

HOWEVER... as noted above, glass is something you have to be VERY careful with, and I have a 3" scar on one of my hands to prove it (long story, fortunately not related to arcade games).  Like Santoro said, if kids are going to be around/playing your game, you might want to go with plexi, or maybe have a sheet of clear plexi between them and the glass for safety's sake.

[Dawgz Rule]

My kids are all grown up and out of the house.  That aside, even if they were still at home, I wouldn't bother with tempered glass.  Not worth the cost and I taught my kids well enough not to mess with things that don't belong to them......especially dad's stuff.

[kahlid74]

As long as you get your measurements right, glass is the way to go.  I prefer however Lexan because I can cut it myself and I use brace supports to prevent sag.

[wp34]

Anybody know where to get Graylight 31 online?  It does not look like OneDayGlass.com carries it anymore.

[Waglo]

Bump, I'm interested in buying this glass online as well, anyone know of any sources?

[bizkonson]

i went with plexi on my 3 mm thick full transparent used it for the top banner and to put on top of the control panel graphics, had it cut with laser as per an Autocad file. laser cutting is the way to go when it comes to plexi.
its smooth finished and looks great. Costs almost nothing 100nis = $25 including the laser cutting.
i thought about glass but gave up thinking its harder to work with and it might not be comfortable to the touch on the CP or even brake or crack (drunken friends playing).

[TGov]

I got a piece of smoked tempered glass made to size for $30.  I don't understand people that are saying tempered is so expensive.

[MTPPC]

I got a piece of smoked tempered glass made to size for $30.  I don't understand people that are saying tempered is so expensive.

Roger on this comment. Nothing beats real glass and its usually cheaper than plastic.

[wcndave]

I went with plastic cos i could cut and fine tune myself.

No problems with sag, but it does scratch easily and the static is amazing.

Each day it is covered with a layer of dust.  I have laminated hardboard around the screen, and the plastic is pressed against this.  There is no gap at top/bottom/sides, so it's amazing that so much is finding its way behind the plastic between it and the laminate.  It does not help that my cab lives in my workshop, however i have already taken out the plastic 3 times and cleaned. It just comes back.  I have ordered some anti static cleaner, however for me this seems like a really good reason to choose glass.

[mgb]

I went with smoke plastic for mine because I was having a hard time getting glass local and shipping was a bit much.
  I plan on looking again into glass and swapping it at some point. The plastic really does scratch easily

[Venomouse]

glass  I used acrylic and will be replacing  acrylic scratches easily when cleaning

[DeLuSioNal29]

Glass all the way.  Don't bother with tempered.

You don't have kids do you?

The main reason I went with Plexi was because of my son.  At the time of my build, he was crawling and beginning to walk, so always found things on the floor, as all kids do, to put in his mouth.  Two things I envisioned in my head:
1) The untempered glass slicing him if it broke when he got older.
2) The tempered glass shattering and after cleaning it up the best I could, still having the possibility of him swallowing a bead of glass and having it cut him up inside.

Both were dangerous in my book if you had small children.  So I opted for Plexi.  Maybe when he gets older I will switch to glass, but probably not.

DeLuSioNaL29

[TopJimmyCooks]

A counterpoint: No question tempered glass is safer than plate glass.  However, you and your kids are surrounded by untempered glass pieces every day that are much more likely to be broken than your arcade cab glass.  Hmm, lets see:  All the drinking glassware in your kitchen - all the glass jars in your refrigerator, soda/beer bottles - all the windows in your house, unless they're 18" or less from the floor or a door.  Any CRT screen. every light fixture, every mirror. 

With all the deadly slicing force hanging around the house, having one more on the arcade cab is just not that big of a deal.  If you use 3/16" or better thickness, and support the edges, it's just not that easy to break.  An adult could punch it but I doubt a young child could do it without a tool. 

[CheffoJeffo]

Comparisons to mirrors, which are typically mounted against walls and CRT's, which are not made of plate glass at all and the exposed portions are bloody strong, are not all that useful.

As for glasses, bottles and jars -- who hasn't broken one ? And a flat piece of plate glass is  much more likely to cause a bad cut than any of those.

I see it as similar to other arcade-related safety issues -- sure the odds may seem small, but thinking that way is when that big cap bites you or you get the zap from the anode.

If you are going to go to the trouble and expense of building an arcade cabinet, the added expense of tempered glass, plexi or lexan is negligible.

[mcseforsale]

I went with 3/16" solar gray plexi from Tap.  I could NOT find anyone local who would cut/temper anything remotely as small an order as one 23" x 23" piece of glass. 

Agree about the static.  My arcade is currently residing in my garage/workshop as I work on another cab for someone else and it collects dust a bit.  But, I use a large microfiber monitor cloth (it's like a large version of those sunglasses cleaners) and it takes the dust away.  Also, a swiffer would work pretty well.

As for safety, I have 3 kids and eventually, this machine will be going into my basement which will have a pool table.  An errant break playing 9-ball could easily shoot a queue ball into the monitor area and result in a nasty break if I was using glass.  And, knowing my kids, the thing would sit there broken with the glass shards all over the place for weeks until it was noticed by someone and cleaned up. 

Plus, they throw stuff. 

AJ

[Dawgz Rule]

A counterpoint: No question tempered glass is safer than plate glass.  However, you and your kids are surrounded by untempered glass pieces every day that are much more likely to be broken than your arcade cab glass.  Hmm, lets see:  All the drinking glassware in your kitchen - all the glass jars in your refrigerator, soda/beer bottles - all the windows in your house, unless they're 18" or less from the floor or a door.  Any CRT screen. every light fixture, every mirror. 

With all the deadly slicing force hanging around the house, having one more on the arcade cab is just not that big of a deal.  If you use 3/16" or better thickness, and support the edges, it's just not that easy to break.  An adult could punch it but I doubt a young child could do it without a tool. 

Exactly.  There are so many glass or other items throughout the house that present much greater risk than the arcade glass.  The pool table is a good point though.   Ever shatter a piece of corel dinnerware? 

[mcseforsale]

What's funny is that my wife's aunt was a tupperware distributor for 20 years (made a fortune in the 80s) and I don't think we drink or eat from "normal" dinnerware ever.  When I go to a friends house and have a glass of something, I think "wow...I'm gonna break this".

Plus 14 years of sippy cups and plastic plates have taken their toll on me.  Needless to say, we have several sets of fine china in the basement kitchenette collecting dust.

hahahaha.

AJ

A counterpoint: No question tempered glass is safer than plate glass.  However, you and your kids are surrounded by untempered glass pieces every day that are much more likely to be broken than your arcade cab glass.  Hmm, lets see:  All the drinking glassware in your kitchen - all the glass jars in your refrigerator, soda/beer bottles - all the windows in your house, unless they're 18" or less from the floor or a door.  Any CRT screen. every light fixture, every mirror. 

With all the deadly slicing force hanging around the house, having one more on the arcade cab is just not that big of a deal.  If you use 3/16" or better thickness, and support the edges, it's just not that easy to break.  An adult could punch it but I doubt a young child could do it without a tool. 

Exactly.  There are so many glass or other items throughout the house that present much greater risk than the arcade glass.  The pool table is a good point though.   Ever shatter a piece of corel dinnerware?

[Dawgz Rule]

I will add that an additional factor for me was availability.  At the recommendation of a friend I purchased my glass local and it was going to be a couple of weeks and twice the cost to have a tempered piece of glass whereas the alternative was available in a day.