Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

On screen protectors

M

mixvio

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Apr 12, 2009
388
0
Sydney, Australia
Is it just me or are they all crap? I've gone through two now that were each a waste of money. The first was some sketch one with badly translated English so it could be expected, but the second was the Belkin one that I least thought would be good

Both of them left massive tiny air bubbles that I couldn't smooth out, and the Belkin one looked bad on top of that. My screen seemed dirty and filmy and it wasn't an improvement at all.

I don't really care for the Apple iPad case and I would rather rock my iPad without one, but I'm terrified of scratching the screen. Has anyone had any luck with these or are they just garbage?
 
I think they are a waste of money. I have had multiple PDAs in the past and spent the $20 on a piece of plastic film once. Small piece. What a rip off. My iPad is naked, no scratches on it's screen or any other PDAs that I have had.
 
firewater said:
zagg invisible shield is the best, check YouTube video for review:)
Click to expand...

Agreed, ZAGG is great. I have it on all my products including the iPad (maximum full body). When they get to worn or sometimes things just get messed up, they send you a brand new one per the lifetime warranty which is great! No questions asked
 
Ok, first off, getting these things on without bubbles takes a LOT of patience, time, prep, and (honestly) luck...

Getting your screen ABSOLUTELY PERFECTLY clean is essential before starting... You also need to get as much dust out of the air in the room you're doing it as possible. Some suggestions I've seen in the past include doing it in the bathroom after you've run the shower on hot for 10 minutes so the steam gets all the dust out of the air. Check YouTube for application demonstration videos...

I went with the PowerSupportusa.com anti-glare protectors. Mine went on perfectly... Then I went to do my buddies 5 minutes later and it turned into a disaster, so much so that we ended up throwing it out and giving up....

3 months in and it still looks perfect, has removed that damn mirror glare of the screen, and done a great job of protecting the screen.
 
I remember that Zagg and other companies made the dry-apply films, but not anymore. Those dry films were, in my opinion, the best screen protection that you could get. They were made of hard plastic that doesn't catch your fingertip when you're playing games, and they are considerably easier to apply than the new wet apply ones. That being said, I stick with Zagg due to their "Wear it out and get another one for free" policy. I do agree that the glare is a problem along with the "stickiness" of the film, but the film's durability, self-repair, and anti-bubble properties are great. By anti-bubble properties, I mean that almost all bubbles, giant or tiny, disappear within the week.
 
2002cbr600f4i said:
Ok, first off, getting these things on without bubbles takes a LOT of patience, time, prep, and (honestly) luck...

Getting your screen ABSOLUTELY PERFECTLY clean is essential before starting... You also need to get as much dust out of the air in the room you're doing it as possible. Some suggestions I've seen in the past include doing it in the bathroom after you've run the shower on hot for 10 minutes so the steam gets all the dust out of the air. Check YouTube for application demonstration videos...

I went with the PowerSupportusa.com anti-glare protectors. Mine went on perfectly... Then I went to do my buddies 5 minutes later and it turned into a disaster, so much so that we ended up throwing it out and giving up....

3 months in and it still looks perfect, has removed that damn mirror glare of the screen, and done a great job of protecting the screen.
Click to expand...

I agree 100%
First of all, the PS anti glare screen protector is AMAZING. I actually prefer the iPad with the protector MUCH MORE than without it. The screen has much less glare/reflections and the surface feel soooo much smoother. Also, it helps with smudges a lot. My iPad experience is just enhanced overall. PS makes great quality screen protectors and I would recomend it 100%.
Now the installation....it is very difficult. Mine came out 95% perfect, but it took a very long time. I can't stress enough how clean the screen has to be. The best way to remove dirt/dust particles is with tape. I used a LOT of tape to take out those little particles. Even the tiniest thing will create air bubble s that can't be removed unless you take out the dirt. It is painfuly long and straining, but once it is on, the PS anti-glare protector is just amazing. Best "accesory" purchase Ive made.
 
I also use a Powersupport screen film on my iPad and its such a high quality that you can't tell its on. It feels just like the bare glass and does not degrade touch sensitivity. There's none of that cheap plasticy look that many screen protectors have and they are applied without any type of adhesive or liquid--just static. I've seen some of the other protectors and they look like Saran wrap over the screen. People don't realize there are much better ones.

They are pricey but worth it. A single scratch on my iPad screen would ruin it for me.
 
barkomatic said:
I also use a Powersupport screen film on my iPad and its such a high quality that you can't tell its on. It feels just like the bare glass and does not degrade touch sensitivity. There's none of that cheap plasticy look that many screen protectors have and they are applied without any type of adhesive or liquid--just static. I've seen some of the other protectors and they look like Saran wrap over the screen. People don't realize there are much better ones.

They are pricey but worth it. A single scratch on my iPad screen would ruin it for me.
Click to expand...

Oh yea, that's one thing I forgot to mention
PS Anti-Glare screen protector has GREAT quality...BUT, it is pricey. I spent $31 (including shipping) on it. It's worth it imo. If the quality is anything like the screen protector for my iPhone, this anti-glare from PS should last at least a year before it begins to show any sign of wear and tear.
 
firewater said:
zagg invisible shield is the best, check YouTube video for review:)
Click to expand...

I'll forth the zagg. After following the instructions, i was about to rip it off, it was such a mess. It's kind of rubbery so spraying lightly as suggested isnt going to work when getting the bubbles out. I watched that YouTube video on how it should really be done so I redid it and did a 180. Absolutely no complaints... No fingerprints, clear, and beautiful. Even my anal dh was impressed.
 
Its not really that hard to put a screen protector on. I have an antiglare one on mine went on fine. Just grab a card and scrape it down getti rid of the bubbles as your applying it. Simple.
 
sweetice2007 said:
Its not really that hard to put a screen protector on. I have an antiglare one on mine went on fine. Just grab a card and scrape it down getti rid of the bubbles as your applying it. Simple.
Click to expand...

I did that with the Belkin one and it had no effect. There were a billion bubbles no matter what.

I'll consider the trick with the hot shower in the bathroom though if I get another.. I threw the other Belkin one away out of spite. :p
 
I own a first gen iPod Touch Since it came out probably three years ago, dropped it a lot, used it every day and no scratch on the front, this glass is really good, don't worry about it, you're more likely to break the glass on a drop than scratching it
 
alectheking said:
Agreed, ZAGG is great. I have it on all my products including the iPad (maximum full body). When they get to worn or sometimes things just get messed up, they send you a brand new one per the lifetime warranty which is great! No questions asked
Click to expand...

I've had a few screen protectors from a variety of manufacturers, but the Zagg, for me at least, was the absolute worst. The instructions that it comes with are small and extremely vague. There are no tabs on the piece of plastic to hold on to, so when you peel off the backing, which was adhered on a little too aggressively in the first place, you can't help but to touch it without dropping it, then you have fingerprints on the adhesive side and it goes downhill from there. The idea of wetting your fingertips sounds good, but the spray that they give you evaporated very quickly, and you end up with a mess. This $30 cluster is going back to Best Buy today.

The best protectors I've had are from Power Support and SDP. Very easy to apply, great instructions, and looked almost invisible once in place. I'll be reordering from one of them.
 
mixvio said:
I did that with the Belkin one and it had no effect. There were a billion bubbles no matter what.

I'll consider the trick with the hot shower in the bathroom though if I get another.. I threw the other Belkin one away out of spite. :p
Click to expand...

Odd hope you manage to apply it properly next time :p
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back