Activity Feed Forums Sign Making Discussions Vehicle Wrapping Avery Supreme, what alternatives do you recomend trying?

  • Avery Supreme, what alternatives do you recomend trying?

    Posted by Tim Hobbs on December 7, 2020 at 12:14 pm

    I generally love Avery supreme. Dead easy to fit by a solo installer with it’s repositionable glue. I have been using Oracal 970RA a lot more lately and I find that I like it’s finish and range of colours. Slightly more difficult to fit and often requires a colleague to help initially with the larger panels such as roof or bonnet. At half the price of the AS though it’s worth it.

    My question though. Are there other vinyls out there with the truly repositionable glue used by Avery? Or is that what makes it cost more? Quite happy with the results I’m getting with these two vinyls but I love to experiment with different products.

    Graham Scanlan replied 3 years, 10 months ago 5 Members · 6 Replies
  • 6 Replies
  • Shane Drew

    Member
    December 7, 2020 at 12:45 pm

    Hexis ‘hex’press’ is a product I use more than before, probably not as easy to apply as AS but much cheaper and their colour range is very good.

    3M™ Wrap Film Series 2080 is also getting rave reviews here in Australia

  • RobertLambie

    Administrator
    March 29, 2021 at 12:40 am

    A big factor with ANY decent wrapping film is the installation conditions, Tim.
    We are sign makers that offer vehicle graphics and wraps, so, no I don’t have a fancy custom-built unit specifically for this, but still there are ways to get the working environment to a point that helps the application process.

    Two key factors are getting the room to the proper temp and cleanliness.
    leaving a car in a unit overnight with a couple of small oil-filled Delonghi heats works great as it slowly brings the room up to temp along with the vehicle body’s metalwork.

    3M, Avery, and Arlon digital wrapping films have their own unique adhesive systems that really do help a solo installer.
    The rest are using a licenced air-release adhesive system. otherwise known as “bubble-free”. some work differently from others though as they are differences again of this system from one brand to the next.
    I am not sure on their 970 range just yet, but I cant see why it won’t be, but Oracal did launch a tweaked version of their wrapping adhesive that is a sort of an attempted copy of what Arlon has been doing with its SLX adhesive. I wouldn’t say it’s the same or as good but it’s another option for you to consider. I forget the name they have called it but I expect your Oracal rep will know exactly what’s what.

    ARLON
    You will probably have seen this video testimonial I did for Arlon.
    What nobody really knows is that I have a badly damaged right shoulder due to tearing a rotary cuff and a damaged bicep tendon on my left arm. yet I still managed to wrap this van on my own without any problems or pain in either arm! To me, that is something else because I am normally in pain after 30 minutes fitting normal cut vinyl graphics. so it says a lot for the ease of installation of the vinyl based on that alone!

    However, if the room is at the wrong install temp. you will find that it doesn’t initially adhere because its initial grab is low, on purpose! Arlon have now brought a new version with a slightly higher grab for those who prefer the higher initial tack.

    3M
    If a room is too cool with 3M control tack system it can leave a sort of rash of tiny risen dots where the adhesives glass beads haven’t been absorbed by the adhesive properly.

    ORACAL
    Oracal 970 does not like a cool room and becomes very stiff and not easily manageable.
    But a gentle heat of the film and it becomes super stretchy.

    My point in mentioning some of these things is that ALL vinyls have downsides and these are escalated greatly unless the working environment is warm and clean.

    Back to your question, I would say on par with Avery Supreme because it has the elevated adhesive system, would probably be 3M 2020, but there is not much in price difference if any, these days.

    https://youtu.be/RsosJ8gkoNE

  • David Stevenson

    Member
    March 30, 2021 at 9:45 am

    We use a lot of Oracal 970 and like Robert says it definitely doesn’t like the cold. It is however much more forgiving than Avery been that bit thicker and if I’ve a 2nd pair of hands I prefer it for certain jobs. For De-chroming (we do a lot of that) I find been that bit tackier helps prevent it lifting. We also use Oracal 3951GRA which is a printable wrap. It has a repositionable adhesive which works really well provided you allow it to outgas properly before laminating (at least 24hrs). If you don’t let it outgas you’ll see a massive difference in the tack it has. Oracal also have a material called 3551RA which is a budget wrapping vinyl. It’s new to us but I really like it for things like box vans, catering trucks etc. Again if allowed to outgas properly it’s really easy to fit and conforms really well around raised objects. We recently used it on a huge coffee & ice cream trailer which was covered in a couple of hundred rivets. Whilst we still cut around the rivets when we were finished it made dealing with them so much easier. It’s also a printable material. Hope this helps

    David

  • Tim Hobbs

    Member
    March 31, 2021 at 5:54 pm

    Thanks Guys.
    Very comprehensive and helpful as ever Rob.

    I’m lucky enough to have a fitting bay with good heating but I absolutely agree with those points.

    David – I too like the 970 for certain jobs because of it’s slightly higher tack. Particularly on mirrors and de-chrome jobs. It inspires a bit of confidence.

    Time is such a factor though. I have a Porsche to wrap in a couple of weeks. They want Pearlescent White. We will probably work with the Avery Supreme because it’s just so much easier to work with. 970 would probably save us a bit on the material costs but take two people to fit. The saving in man hours is more attractive.

    • David Stevenson

      Member
      March 31, 2021 at 10:53 pm

      Saving time and hassle is definitely a huge factor. A few extra quid on material is well worth it for certain jobs. I remember when we started wrapping one of the reps referring to us as “heroes” after he we told him about some of the things things we’d managed to wrap with KMPF film. It was only after training with Justin Pate that my eyes were opened to the advantages offered my the more expensive materials. Good luck with your Porsche , sounds an enjoyable job 🙂

  • Graham Scanlan

    Member
    April 2, 2021 at 8:50 am

    When you get 5 minutes take a look here

    https://graphics.averydennison.eu/content/dam/averydennison/graphics/eu/en/Sell-sheets-and-brochures/Supreme-Wrapping-Film/2016-benchmarking-study.pdf

    Granted it was in 2016 and the competition now have other adhesive options, an interesting read

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