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Plexiglass vs. Lexan / Clear vs. Smoked (for LCD Monitor)

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gman314:

I currently have a 15" LCD monitor inside of a bartop, and needed some input on what would be the best choice: plexiglass or lexan... and then, clear or smoked?  Currently, I have a custom adhesive-backed bezel pressed in between two pieces of clear plexiglass.  The problem is that, since I got the plexiglass from a hardware store, it already had many noticeable scratches/smudges on the surface (this is inacceptable to me).  Also, I noticed that most people seem to favor smoked plexi/lexan over clear, however, since my adhesive bezel already covers the inner depths of my cab, is this really necessary?  Will it really make the picture look significantly better on an LCD?  Also, I'm not exactly thrilled at the prospect of having to crank up the brigtness (thus, shortening the monitor's life) if I decide to go with the smoked. 
I'm thinking that the most sensible thing to do is to get two brand new pieces of clear plexi, but I wanted some opinions/input before I do so.  Does anybody know a good place that sells unscratched plexi (and can drill holes in it without cracking it)?  Thanks.  :) 

gman314:

Any advice on this? 

In any event, I've been in contact with mameroom.com (the place where I purchased my original kit), and they seem to think that clear plexi is the best bet.  I know that a lot of people are in favor of smoked plexi, but since I have a very new LCD with good contrast/black levels as is, will I benefit much from the smoked variety?  I tried playing numerous games with the lights out and sunglasses on, and it didn't seem to make too much of a difference.
I can see the benefits of using smoked glass with an old CRT monitor, but would I benefit much?   ???

dkubarek:

There was a thread a few months ago that covered the merits of each. You can search for it. I think plexi and lexan scratch very easily and don't like either. I never tried smoked, so I can't comment on that. In that last thread I think tempered glass got a few thumbs up as did the smoke effect. Tempered does not scratch easily and breaks in tiny pieces (no jagged edges) if it does break but it cannot be cut, etc. after it has been tempered. It is a bit pricey, but so is lexan or plexi, so I don't think it's out of the range.

Endaar:

If scratches are a concern, I'd think glass makes the most sense; that's the way I intend to go. I'm pretty certain there is a thread on the boards here from someone who purchased glass from http://onedayglass.com/ and it was around $40 for the full-size UAII kit. I doubt Plexi is much less.

Endaar

Turnarcades:

It's just a matter of preference - decide what looks and plays best for you. Scour ebay for a custom plastic cutter who can laser-cut a clean piece to the size you need for cheap. You also don't need to have two pieces of plastic there either - mount your bezel on a stiffer backed surface like half inch mdf and you will not need two pieces, possibly reducing light refraction and glare.

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