# glass vs perspex



## hrafna (Mar 4, 2011)

what are people's thoughts on using clear food grade perspex instead of glass for an enclosure? wouldn't that help with the heat loss experienced with using glass?


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## reptishack101 (Mar 4, 2011)

Ive found that perspex costs allot more then glass i built a massive wall unit for a mate it had 4 5foot tanks and 8 4 foot tanks all with sliding glass doors that glass cost me $220 for 5mm glass i also priced perspex witch was more than double the price the only good thing about perspex is its allot more stronger and can handle all the pounding from all the bigger snakes so depending on how much money there is to spend. also you gotta think about perspex flexabilaty i had an 8foot coastal in an enclosure with perspex sliding doors and it thought it would be fun to push the perspex until the gap between the two pieces was big enough to fit through so i only use perspex for fixed fronts with side doors and glass for sliding doors with heating i haven't found any difference in the two i just set the thermostat to the temp i want and it usually stays at that temp


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## Moreliavridis (Mar 4, 2011)

Glass is the way to go. cheaper and not as flimsy


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## saximus (Mar 4, 2011)

Wouldn't Perspex scratch more easily too?


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## Dannyboi (Mar 4, 2011)

It bends out of shape under weight and scratches but other than that its great. I have used it once or twice for random things but honestly glass works out better in the end.


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## Vixen (Mar 4, 2011)

I have a few big ones with perspex fronts, probably around 2 1/2 years old now and the perspex is getting very cloudy and scratched - I will be replacing with glass eventually. Glass does seem to be cheaper sometimes anyway!


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## hrafna (Mar 4, 2011)

ok, thanks for the input everyone!


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## Japster (Mar 4, 2011)

I paid $220 for a 1200x2400 sheet of 4mm polycarbonate.
In hindsight, I would have gone for Lexan which was $100 more.
Polycarb is a little brittle and more care needs to be taken when working with it.
I have a wall mounted enclosure and I think glass would have upped the scales a bit too much.


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## Just_Plain_Nuts (Mar 14, 2011)

Glass is best, however there is a special polycarbonate that doesnt scratch but it is extremely expensive. About $2500 per sheet 2100 x 1200 and most places will not sell anything but a full sheet.


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## Wild~Touch (Mar 15, 2011)

Polycarbonate dulls considerably (after awhile) Mine had to be replaced with good ol' glass
Cheers
Sandee


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## Pythoninfinite (Mar 15, 2011)

Japster said:


> I paid $220 for a 1200x2400 sheet of 4mm polycarbonate.
> In hindsight, I would have gone for Lexan which was $100 more.
> Polycarb is a little brittle and more care needs to be taken when working with it.
> I have a wall mounted enclosure and I think glass would have upped the scales a bit too much.



_Lexan_ is polycarbonate, it's a just a brand name, just as _Perspex_ is simply a brand of acrylic sheet. There are heaps of different manufacturers of these products, all have basically the same properties.

Jamie


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## dickyknee (Mar 15, 2011)

5mm acrylic in glass sliders will have some flex in the middle , use glass ...


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## Shadow86 (Mar 15, 2011)

Perspex will go cloudy and even crack after time and exposure to maintain levels of heat. it also flexes a lot unless with rigid support. If in direct sunlight over time it gets what i call crazy cracks which are really fine cracks and can splinter really bad.


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## Pythoninfinite (Mar 15, 2011)

Polycarbonate sheeting is very stable in UV and isn't affected by water or humidity, but it is very flexible and it scratches easily, so its suitability for enclosures is very limited by those characteristics.

Acrylic sheeting (commonly Perspex, but there are other brands) has very high clarity, but it absorbs water (warps if it gets wet or humid on one side) is highly flexible, is not stable in UV light, scratches very easily and will 'craze' over time. Not a good choice.

Jamie.


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## bowdnboy (Mar 15, 2011)

I have used both glass obviously and polycarbonate. I've got poly on a curved front enclosure. 

As others have said. Glass is best. Unless your encl has a curved front where u need to bend it or u have weight restrictions, ie wall mounts etc...go with glass.

As 'Nuts' said, the scratch resistant stuff is very exxyy. In the below pic (Pic taken only about 3 weeks after making and u can see how many scratches there are already in it from the 2nd pic. U can only imagine what its like now!), I think it cost about $100 for normal Poly. If I went with Scratch proof stuff, it would have been $500. However b/c of having beardies in it, it is very scratched up. I doubt snakes would scratch them up much at all.

Cheers
Colby


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