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

[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.

[Blanka]

Just go for real glass, and consider tempered for safety.
Smoked does little for the contrast, it merely just reduces maximum AND minimum brightness. You can also use the brightness regulator on the screen for that. Unless you have one of those few LCD's where the minimum brightness is still too bright (you said it looked OK already, so I guess you don't), I would say clear tempered glass is the best.

[Franco B]

2nd for tempered glass.

If it is a choice between Lexan (polycarbonate) and Plexi (acrylic) go for acrylic. Polycarb scratches easier than acrylic. Acrylic is marginally more harder to cut than polycarb but it still does cut easily, especially if you use a router.

[gman314]

Tempered glass does seem to be the most sensible solution.  However, one of my concerns is that my current plexiglass has holes drilled into it, in order to hold it in place.  Is this even possible to drill glass, though?  (I know that plexi cracks easily, but I would imagine that glass would shatter as soon as it comes in contact with a drill).  Also, for those of you using glass, do you merely have the bottom of the glass resting in the upper lip of the control panel... without anything else holding it in place?

I also like the idea of keeping the bezel in place with a board of some sort (I would only need one piece of glass instead of two  )  However, would nothing be holding the bezel in place other than gravity?  Would I just simply rest the bezel against the outer edges of the monitor?  Thanks.

[Blanka]

Come on... there must be a way to mount the glass blind. Screws are never a solution for mounting glass nor plexi. Show me a section, and we can find a way to hold the glass in place, even when you hold the cab upside down.

[dkubarek]

yea, you can use "L" shaped clips and put the screws on the sides and into the wood. Another option is the magnet locks. You put a piece of metal in the wood underneath the glass and hold it in place with the magnets. Never tried them, but it sounds like a solution that allows quick access. I never checked with the local gas shop, but I would imagine they could cut and drill tempered glass for you. They do the cutting before the tempering as I understand it. Probably same goes for drilling. But, yea, I wouldn't go after a $40 piece of glass with a drill if I were you.

[xtravbx]

Definitely tempered glass - and I went w/ smoked, simply because I like how it looks when it's powered off.

I just prefer a very light smoke to the glass.

I have tempered smoked glass for my cocktail.

[dkubarek]

my glass guy said something about antiglare stuff, too, but he said it distorts objects that aren't touching it. anyone try this stuff?

[gman314]

xtravbx, you mentioned that you have lightly smoked glass.  Do you also have an LCD monitor like I do?  Did you have to increase the brightness/contrast on your monitor?  I'm just trying to determine if there will be a noticable difference, for better or for worse (hopefully better, though), if I go with a light smoked glass.  As I mentioned earlier, I actually tried to play my arcade with sunglasses on, in order to see if it made a difference.  It really didn't, though.  Maybe this is a sign to stick with clear, but who knows...   

By the way, does anybody know what polybanner material is?  If I order a bezel made out of this material, would I not have to place a stiff board behind it to keep it in place? 

[Blanka]

LCD's have the optimum contrast around 150cd/m2. If you put them higher, they often leak more light through the black relatively to the whitepoint. Besides that, the lifespan of an LCD is shortened much when running on maximum brightness.
If you tune the brightness well to the room light, you can do perfect with clear glass and use the LCD for a very long time.

[gman314]

I think that I have decided to go with my original setup:  a custom bezel (from mamemarquees.com) sandwiched in between two pieces of clear plexiglass.

Speaking of mamemarquees, they offer two different types of bezels, adhesive backed vinyl and polybanner.  Can anybody describe exactly what the polybanner material is?  I'm not sure what material would best suit my needs.