Had it with Strataglass

[regalman190]

OK, reached my limit. I've had it with Strataglass. I've ordered over 10 sheets of Strataglass in the last two months and every sheet has had defects. I even went to my supplier and they pulled over 5 sheets from new drums and all had defects. The ends are rough and ugly and the sides have ghosting. Manufacturer says they have a 3" tolerance all around for defects. Are they nuts? We
need every inch of a sheet we can use. My supplier says return it before I cut it. But many times you can't see it until it's hung in sunlight. Even found defects in the middle of the sheets.
I think I'm going to try O'Shea. Keyston is here and they carry it. And it's less expensive.
Anyone here try O'Shea?

Sorry for the rant.

[Eric]

Regal, I have the same problem, as stated in JoJos  thread. Just went thru irritating warranty claim from them. I will stick with o'sea, a better product as far as I'm concerned. Stay away from strataglass and there bad customer service and quality control.

[Mike]

I havnt  ordered any strat for a time but i know what you neen on the edges. Ive had a cew spots in the iddle ive been able to work around.   Keyston and miami   Are my main suppliers.

[Mike]

There wa a time some yeasr ago. We had some bad strataglass. Alot of people dont cut the heavy. Inyl but score it with a blade then tear it   And it would crock off in a new direction. Ruining the whole piece. 

[Old sailmaker]

Ouch! Ive used both and didnt notice much difference but the Osea did have a slight tint that i could notice but only when side by side in the sunlight. I think Im going to start using Osea as both are way too expensive to be having defects when you pay that much for a piece of  pvc plastic basically.

[regalman190]

Also. Is it me or has it gotten softer. It seems like it. I also don't like how it buckles after sewing. But, that goes away when I install them.

[forsailbyowner]

Ive got strataglass , roll vinyl and makralon on my dodger as typically I use scraps from other peoples jobs to build my own stuff. After a few years the strataglass doesnt look any better than the roll vinyl.
the makralon is still super clear almost like glass. Im selling the makralon to my customers when i can. I think stataglass is just a lie as to the 10 yr claims.

[Old sailmaker]

@regalman- i think it has gotten softer as well. Not sure if it is the heat/ambiant temp or not but the last couple of jobs Ive used 40ga and it seemed to be super soft. Im thinking 60 gauge for my next couple of projects.

[Mike]

60 is nice ive used it on big boats and had some leftover I use  sometime ago on the front windows on a trawler I had

[jsquail]

I have been using O'Sea 30 and 40 gauge for 2 years now. Good stuff.  I had some issues with Crystal Clear a few years back and stopped using their products. Unless I have a customer who specifically requests Strata, i dont use it.

[Old sailmaker]

So since on the subject of strata i have another question, what mill are you guys using on the large sportfish boats? Say 47' and up boats, 40-60 gauge? 40 seems maybe a little loght?

[JuneC]

It's softer and thinner IMHO.  I recently bought some 40 gauge and I swear I thought I had been supplied 30.  The rolls I bought had razor sharp factory edges that were a mess - not trimmed up at all.

June

[Mike]

It's softer and thinner IMHO.  I recently bought some 40 gauge and I swear I thought I had been supplied 30. The rolls I bought had razor sharp factory edges that were a mess - not trimmed up at all.

June

is straglass available in rolls now? sweet I hate when I have a quarted of a sheet I cant use

[JuneC]

No, just sheets.  My bad - I used the wrong term.  I was very frustrated by the last I got because the sharp edges had scratched the glass where it had been rolled up.  I was able to cut around, but I hate having to get all creative on cutting when I've already done my work in layout before I ever ordered. 

June

[Mike]

I havnt order any strata for some time. Bit last i did it had some cloudy edges that i didnt see intill i made the windows and saw a cloudy spot 1/2" into the panel beyond the facing. Licily it wasnt a problem.