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The Downsides of KPMF Cheaper Vinyl.
Hi guys,
I’m in the process of diversifying and potentially offering Vinyl Wrapping as a service. However, I’m having a bit of a dilemma when it comes to picking my ‘go-to Vinyl brand’.
There’s no doubt in my mind that 3M, Arlon etc are going to be far better than KPMF. However, I’m going to need to train a couple of other guys to help me, and I don’t want to spend an arm and a leg on stuff which is going to be taken off the car maybe a week after installation.
Has anyone else had experience with KPMF? I’ve been searching the forum, and someone mentioned that the Black Cabs have experience with it removing paint when removed. This is obviously something I would completely want to avoid.
Any insight would be great.
Hope to have a long relationship here!
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9 Replies
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If you are going to be using 3M & Avery day today then I personally think that’s what you should use to teach fitters with.
Whilst they’re really easy to work with there’s a right and wrong way to fit each brand.
We used Mactac Tuning film on a car the other week and it behaves nothing like 1080, it was awful. until we got a ‘feel’ for it.
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I think it is ok to use the KPMF while they are learning general techniques. Vinyl wrapping is all about finishing mainly rather than laying the vinyl.
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Any vinyl has the potential to remove paint when taken off so I doubt the KPMF vinyl was the route cause of any problems, could just as easily have been down to poor paint finish & any brand of vinyl would have caused problems when removed.
As David has said every brand of vinyl has slightly different properties & slightly different fitting techniques & you also have to compare like for like. Avery Supreme, 3m 1080 wrap films are repositionable which makes fitting easier & much quicker. KPMF do not offer a repositionable vinyl so straight away there is a big difference in how you might approach the job.
My advice would actually be to send the guys on a proper course rather than try to teach them yourself, they will learn to fit properly from properly qualified people if you send them on the right course. -
Martin,
Which courses would you recommend? Obviously, with Paperlinx being no more, I’m not too sure what’s happening with the UKSG training.
I’m currently looking for a vinyl wrap course, flat glass application course and window tinting course!
Regards,
Pete.
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Pete, Difficult question to answer as obviously I only have limited personal experience. Try a search on the forum for courses, I believe the one held at William Smiths gets some good reviews & Roland course has been mentioned a few times.
Personally of the courses, I have done the most recent was the UKSG course, this is the only independent course that I know of. It was very good & I would suggest you contact Chris Montgomery at UKSG for an update on what is happening because I know Robert was looking at various options.
I also did one at MDP supplies some time ago but I would say that is more of an introduction to KPMF wrap films rather than an actual course, it was only one day & next to no theory but that is reflected in the price. Enjoyed it but if you are seriously looking at doing wraps then it’s not enough on its own in my opinion.
I have actually done 2 courses on KPMF vinyl first one was at Hexis when they sold KPMF back in about 2000 ish. -
I wouldn’t worry about the paint being pulled off of taxis, I know the wrap market with these taxis relatively well and most of them have all had more hits than the Beatles and it’s always a quick fix to get them out the door.
Courses are a good suggestion and also high probability they would actually be cheaper for you if you account for your actual time teaching and supplying the materials.
KPMF isn’t a bad vinyl, like everything else in the market it serves a purpose and does get used on the Hackney taxis a lot as they don’t really have any recesses so the vinyl stands up not too bad.
If your keen to teach the guys yourself I’d buy a range of types of vinyl and obviously use the cheapest to teach the bare essentials and progress to the more expensive to get a better feel for techniques and usability.
One thing I would mention and I mean this in the best possible way as you may be one of the best wrappers out their… If you teach them then you will have a workshop full of your bad habits (we all have them) but more importantly, think of the skills they may come back from a course with that you don’t know that could increase production and justify the course cost.
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An update for you.
I purchased 2 metres of KPMF Matt Anthracite to do a little test with it. I didn’t want to buy whole rolls and find out its actually rubbish.
It’s definitely a case of getting used to it.
It’s not easy to use. But it’s not awful either. I had to take it very very slowly. It was also noticeable that the ‘finished product’ got better and better as I got further through the surface.
HOWEVER. I was literally getting lines and seams probably every 5-20cm. Which was a royal pain. It took me about 2 hours to do the bonnet.
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Sounds like you need to heat more area of vinyl. Or at least get someone to help you.
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This is probably true.
I think my mistake was treating it as though it was an easy lay.
I ended up just overstretching it which left me with a lot of bunched up vinyl.
Overall, I’d imagine it’s ‘good’ if you treat it for what it is. You won’t get a magically simple application process. However, it does what it says on the tin.
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