Reflective Striping Input Needed

[Firejeep3]

[/font:2cb82f1374] :-k Need input from anyone who has any vehicle with 3M Diamond Grade reflective striping or a similar material. My department is about ready to take delivery of 2 Chevy 4500 series squads from Lifeline. And we are trying to settle issues between ourselves and the sales man as well. Is the Diamond grade or similar material any good over time???? I have seen several squads with it on a believe that is the way to go esp. at night in high traffic area, highway. We spec'd Whelen Super LED's on everything except the front lightbar, so it should be seen but with the idiots on the road every little bit helps. Thanks for your help. :salute:

[Dustdevil]

Best I can tell, it is the ONLY stuff that is any good over time. Especially if your vehicles are not housed indoors. It is definitely brighter. And, unlike Scotchlite, it is vinyl clad, which protects the finish and the reflective properties, much like Reflexite. I simply don't see anybody getting anything other than Diamond grade striping around here anymore.

Of course, there is the legitimate argument that degree of reflectivity isn't of primary importance since it is only a factor at night when your lighting should be doing the job. Although I believe that NFPA standards specify reflective striping now, the colours of your apparatus, and the contrast they provide to the surroundings, is a much more important concern, especially during the day.

Just curious what your salesman has to say, and what company he is from.

And what exactly is the controversy?

[Guest]

I agree the 3M is the way to go..

But as a side note ... if it were allowed i would rather turn off my lights at night. all they are in my opinion is a bright shiney target for gawkers. the attract more attention than is needed and accually increase traffic around you from the Gawkers wanting to get a cheap trill off someones misery. thats when medics and firefighters get hit at night more than any other time.

Race

[zippyRN]

we have 4 vehicles which are about 6 -8 years old that were delivered ith all reflective livery

the oldest three had 'engineering grade' livery and all needed replacing after 4 or 5 years - now replaced with diamond grade, the last vehiclestill looks good as new with it's original diamond grade livery, there's a few cells gone where the ege sealing has failed by the vast majority of the livery is good as new

diamond grade for livery , engineering grade or plain vinyl or even proper signwriting for wording

[Firejeep3]

:thumbup: Thank You all. Dust Devil the main controversy happens to be how well the material( 3M Diamond Grade) holds up. Our squads are housed unless on a call so we are hoping the material doesn't fall off after a year or two, like some have told us. The other reason I think the salesman doesn't want us to use it; is that it will cut into his commission. We were deciding on changes on our color/striping and lettering while we worked out the specs of our squads. We have been trying to finalize the details but the salesman seems preoccupied with something else, it is almost like we never ordered two squad at around $130,000 = $260,000. :angry8: If the service is like that now what the heck will it be like after they are delivered. I believe the vehicles will be of top quality since they are Lifeline, its the sales service that become VERY questionable. How was wondering how much is usually allotted for lettering and striping in squad specs, does anyone have any ideas.

Thanks again for your input

:salute:

[Firejeep3]

Hello All I guess this thread is dead Like anything in EMS most people just go to work and only a few show interest in the details. There are alot of people on this form and I was hoping to get more input from those that care about the details. If anyone else replies I Thank You. :salute:

[Dustdevil]

I definitely care about the details. Have spec'd out and ordered a couple of ambos myself in the past and am passionate about the process. I like ensuring that we get what we really want and really need instead of what the salesman wants to sell us or simply what "everybody else" has. Unfortunately, it's been many a year since I partook of the process, so I can't offer you any figures or up-to-date info. Good luck, though! I hope somebody else here has some recent insight for you.

[future medic 48_234]

Get the squads yet? If not, Heres' my 2 cents. If the salesman only cares about commission and he's giving you the run-arround, I would go somewhere else. Evidentually, if the service is like that while your working out the details, I would assume that if the do your mechanical work too, just imagine what that will turn out to be. :roll: Seems like he only cares about himself.

[Dale]

There are several styles of "reflective" vinyl available from several manufacturers. And each of those may offer specific "grades" for a particular use (like road signs.) Some are easier to install than others depending upon the surfaces where it is applied.

It is true that some "vendors" may offer you a cheaper price for striping but it is usually the cheaper grade that has a much shorter life span. I recall a local department that bought a truck and thought the manufacturer was too expensive for the striping and lettering package. They got a local sign shop to quote them something less expensive. Of course, what they did not know was that they got the cheap vinyl that literally fell off the truck within 2-3 years. Yep, they had to go back and have it redone again. So they spent over 100% more to get the same thing they should have gotten originally for 20-30% more the first time if they had listened to the manufacturer that puts its on their vehicles as a business.

Look up Avery Dennison, Reflexite, and 3-M to review the options. Some offer reflective vinyl while others offer striping that also has fluorescent or luminescent qualities (which is favored by those in Europe.)

Some of they vinyls are only available in specific widths and can be costly, especially when a vendor must buy a large roll of a color to maybe only use 30-50 feet on your rig. Someone ends up paying for the whole roll (or two or three) for some special striping that may never get another customer request to use. Ifyou have to pay for the whole, maybe ask the vendor to provide you with the balance of the roll for any future repairs or upgrades to that vehicle (or maybe another one in your fleet?)

Most of the damage I see to striping and lettering involved the use of a stiff bristle wash brush that tends to force bristles beneath the edge of the vinyl striping, especially when the striping is hard due to cold weather or has a year or two of use on it. The edges tend to get chipped away, just like some pinstriping can get damaged. The second thing that can damage vinyl striping is the use of strong or full-strength cleaning solutions like Simple Green or Formula 409 that have not been diluted to the recommended strength (full strength must be better than diluted strength- works faster?- yeah, right!) It can damage the coating or even cause some of the ink dyes to run. Leaving a cleaning solution on the surface for too long can also damage just about any surface so a thorough rising is necessary.