Stripes from MnP Customs on EBAY

[Mark1SS]

Anyone use them for vinyl? $50 for the hockey stripes!

[flyinlow89]

I have decent quality. Seemed a bit thinner than most vinyls shops

[Synerbee]

I bought from them and had it installed by them. great products and love the way my car looks now. They have a website mnpcustoms.com

My car on the slideshow

[whamslam3]

i just got my stripes in from them a few days ago. but i havnt put them on yet. i have to wait until wed to put them on and then ill post some pics
i got charcoal metallic rally stripes

[bajamoon]

They are good. User name mnpcustoms on here

[Mark1SS]

Ya, I think all of the vinyl is 2 mil. I don't know if 3M is any better than other suppliers.

[Xmicro_SS]

Just for all of your info. The difference in the price of vinyl supplies varies GREATLY based on quality and outdoor life expectancy. You usually get what you pay for, I have no idea what the vendor, that the OP is asking about, uses, nor am I commenting on his offerings. This is just general vinyl knowledge, that an educated buyer should have. If others are happy with their purchases over time, that is always the best gauge.

Just to give you an idea or supply cost differences.

A 24" x 10 yard roll of cheaper (short term) "name brand" vinyl will run about $25. 3 yr vinyl. Great for temporary, short term, exhibition or store front signage.

A 24" x 10 yard roll of premium (long term) CAST vinyl same "name brand" is about $70. Almost 3 times the cost. 8-10 year vinyl. Great for car graphics or long term store window applications!

So there is a major difference in material cost. Keep in mind, there is a ton of waste when cutting vinyl. The area around the graphics usually is almost equal to the area you use. And this gets "weeded" or picked away and thrown out. Vinyl also takes a great amount of time to do properly. So there are other areas vendors can cut back to save YOU money. But think to yourself, if YOU had to spend all that time, programing, cutting, weeded, masking, packing and then going to the post office, plus materials, you have to make something, unless you are very charitable.

This is why I say, you USUALLY get what you pay for. The tough thing is, some vendors take advantage of the fact that people do not know. And you really cannot tell how good the vinyl is, until time goes by. So in two years when it starts to peel, crack, or fade, you assume YOU did something wrong.

Just a FYI, but I have no idea what said vendor uses, you guys can always ask for the brand and series of vinyl being supplied and do the research before spending your hard earned dollars. Some of the vendors that put out a quality product get a bad wrap, because they charge a bit more. Then people go only for the cheap stuff and that causes slow vendors who are trying to maintain QUALITY to "step down" and offer a comparable product and price.

As you can tell I am in the business. I am one of the quality oriented people who have seen quality go out the window for price. That is the problem with this country. I call it the "CHINA SYNDROME". Everyone wants to Earn more and spend less. We are seeing now how that DOES NOT WORK!!

Here is some interesting factual info about vinyl, you may or may not appreciate. Enjoy!!

What Makes Vinyl Vinyl
Let's begin with a few of the basics on vinyl films. Most vinyl films are made from the same basic raw materials. We begin with polyvinylchloride (PVC) polymer, which is simply basic plastic, and is, by nature, relatively rigid. Other ingredients are then added to the PVC. These ingredients include: plasticizer to make the film flexible, pigment to make the desired color, and additives to help achieve specific properties such as UV absorbers to improve resistance to UV radiation, heat stabilizers, fillers and processing aids. These raw materials can be chosen from a wide range of quality levels. Of course, for a film with limited durability, often the least expensive raw materials are chosen.

Apart from the type of raw materials that are used at manufacturing, the manufacturing process and the type of plasticizer used create the main differences of vinyl films. Vinyl films can either be made by calendering or by casting. Each of these processes renders different qualities of films. Casting generally results in better quality films. The grade of plasticizer that is used to make the film flexible also greatly affects the grade of the film. Generally for pressure-sensitive adhesive films a choice is made between polymeric and monomeric plasticizers. We won't go into detail on the plasticizers in this article, but for simplicity's sake consider polymeric to be the higher grade and monomeric to be the economy grade plasticizer. The combination of these factors greatly determines the durability of vinyl films.

Cast Films
Cast films, also known in the industry as premium, high-performance or 2 mil are considered to be a premium product with excellent durability and conformability characteristics. The term "cast" refers to the manufacturing process of this type of vinyl. Making a cast vinyl film is a lot like baking a cake. The vinyl begins with a "recipe" calling for a list of ingredients known as the formulation. These materials are added to a "bowl" or mixing churn in a predetermined order while mixing at specific speed and for a set amount of time to ensure a complete and consistent mixture. This liquid mixture, known as organosol, is then "poured" or cast onto a moving web known as the casting sheet and is then processed through a series of ovens which allows for the evaporation of solvents. When the solvents are evaporated, a solid "film" is left behind. The film is then wound up in large-diameter rolls for subsequent adhesive coating. The casting sheet determines the texture of the film.

Because the vinyl is cast on the casting sheet in a relaxed state, this material offers very good dimensional stability. This process also allows the film to be very thin (most cast films are 2 mil), which helps with the conformability of the product. Material manufacturers recommend the use of cast films on substrates such as fleets, vehicles, recreational vehicles or boats where the customer wants a "paint-like" finish that will last a long time, usually five to eight years depending on how the film is processed.

But do not use thinness as a gauge of quality, there are thin films that are not cast, but are calendered (under 3mil). Just another FYI!

[Xmicro_SS]

Originally Posted by Mark1SS

Ya, I think all of the vinyl is 2 mil. I don't know if 3M is any better than other suppliers.

No vinyl comes in may thicknesses and brands. Each brand has multiple series depending on the use of the vinyl. And 3M is the BEST, but you pay for it. It is 20%+ more expensive than other good brands such as Avery and Oracal, and about 10% better if that. Hard to prove, there are so many factors that effect vinyl life. But 3m has a great guarantee and stands behind there product with little question!

[Mark1SS]

Good info to know. But, if they say they use Avery or Oracal, how can we tell?
Also if the car is in the garage 90% of the time, won't that extend the vinyl life?

[Xmicro_SS]

Originally Posted by Mark1SS

Good info to know. But, if they say they use Avery or Oracal, how can we tell?
Also if the car is in the garage 90% of the time, won't that extend the vinyl life?

If they say they use Oracal or Avery, you can tell because the release liner usually has the name on it.

And YES, if the car is garaged, like with the paint even, it will GREATLY extend the life. And hey at the cheaper price sometimes it pays to get it and replace it in two years. By then you may be sick of it and time to make a change.

I just like to help my fellow Camaro members with information that will help make good decisions, not uniformed ones. And I appreciate when other member do that in an area of their expertise. That is what makes this board powerful and well worth reading through!

Best of luck!!