I was wondering which would be the best route on vinyl for an outdoor sign that will be in the sun most of the day. I usually use LG Chem Vizuon 6000 which has 6 year durability and have gotten along good with it. I notice the high performance vinyl has 7 year durability but for double the price. Any thoughts would be appreciated!
Posted by Jane Diaz (Member # 595) on :
If you want it to last longer, it costs more. We rarely buy anything but high performance vinyl and we use alot of Oracal and 3M.
Posted by Alicia B. Jennings (Member # 1272) on :
I'm a big fan of 3M.
Posted by Mary Wallace (Member # 4557) on :
Thanks for the info!
Posted by Bob Rochon (Member # 30) on :
Been 3M since day one, never had a failure before it's time.
Posted by Jillbeans (Member # 1912) on :
Calon II by Arlon has never failed me yet. Been using it since 1998. I also use a lot of Oracal but have not liked it lately as much as I used to. Love....Jill
Posted by stein Saether (Member # 430) on :
3M lasts forever
Posted by Dave Sherby (Member # 698) on :
3M or Trendfilm from Gregory. Never had a failure with either. We only stock high performance. For the money you you would have tied up in inventory from stocking both, you are better off stocking only HP vinyl for the few jobs that come in for temporary signs. And most of those end up being used way longer than the customer usually tells you. My reputation is on the line with every job you do. I won't trust cheap vinyl.
Think about how much vinyl you really use per sign. The difference is only going to be a few dollars. I consider it cheap insurance for customer loyalty.
Posted by Dave Grundy (Member # 103) on :
Just happens that Shirley went shopping for "woman" stuff this afternoon so I had her drop me off at the local Legion. While there I looked at a couple of outdoor signs I did for them about 18 years ago.
The MDO background boards were sprayed with catalysed automotive acrylic enamel and the colour is still looking good but the finish is looking a bit "chalky".
The graphics were all done with 3M and Avery (pre-problems) Hi-performance calendered vinyl. At the time those products boasted a 7 year life span.
Today they still look good. Not GREAT, but good. There is fading, of course, after 18 years and a TINY bit of edge curling. But, after 18 years, the signs still look pretty good.
Back in the day I would have said Hi-performance calendered, and would have recommended Avery over 3M because of price and colour choice. In recent years I would have only recommended 3M.
I did stock 50 yd. rolls of VERY cheap black, white and red vinyl for stuff like golf tournament coroplast sponsor signs though. Most of them survived the day OK too!! Posted by Carl Wood (Member # 1223) on :
Oracal 651 is rated for 6 years...no problems here with it, who wants a sign to last over 6 years anyway?
Posted by stein Saether (Member # 430) on :
3M is rated for 7 years or more and last until you want it down, then it is easy to take it off, worth the extra money
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