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Quick question - has anyone done a comparison of the different brands of 2-ply acrylics?
I go through a *lot* of Rowmark's stuff every week. I'm pleased with the quality (but their reds seem "sticky") and none of my customers have ever complained about the material failing them, but is there something on-par with their stuff that's cheaper and equally awesome?
Thanks kindly in advance. I appreciate your time. :)
-Mel
Do a recent search here, there have been at least 2 alternatives discussed.
Many options, 'equally awesome' is in the eye of the laser user. I hear too many 'not quite as good' references to the cheaper stuff.
I too go thru a ton of the stuff, about $1600 worth a month lately. Luckily, the cheapest place to buy Rowmark on the planet is a few miles from me :)
The red does suck. Only one sure fire way I've found to combat guck is pain but it's simple and it works..
step one: engrave
step two: take engraved piece to sink. Put a couple of drops of dish soap in a bowl and add water. Take a Magic Eraser (I use Home Depot brand because it's less aggressive), wet with soapy water, and lightly scrub and rinse the whole plate.
step three: engrave again.
step four: Wash & rinse again.
Your engraving will be pristine. I do this with other colors too depending on the engraving. Just don't scrub too hard with the eraser because they CAN scratch and remove the top surface!
Obviously, this requires parking the work in the exact same place it was to start with. You DO need a good corner with two square edges, which can be a trick in a Chinese laser, but it's do-able...
Gemini - so far so good. Much less expensive
Southeast Plastic - seems to get good reviews from one member on here. About the same price as Gemini.
IPI - Used it for years and found it to be more or less comparable to Rowmark despite being a bit cheaper.
I have been using IPI for many years. It may be a little more expensive but it's a material I can count on being the same every time. I have no reason to consider a change even though the price may be lower on some other material.