VViViD Vinyl Wrap Reviews - Part 1 Carbon
Real VViViD Vinyl reviews by industry professionals. Unedited.
8 years of wrapping experience, first time trying VViViD, Great high gloss carbon fiber.,
This review is for: VVIVID® XPO Black carbon gloss Tech Art 2 ft x 5 ft
Just a little background on myself, I've been wrapping vehicles for 8 years. Mostly I work with 3M and Avery products with the occasional Oracal or Arlon. I wanted to branch out and give something new a try, this Tech Art looked like it'd be great opportunity to do so. I had a few plastic interior pieces on my personal vehicle that I wanted to cover with a gloss vinyl so why not a nice glossy carbon fiber?
First let me say that vehicle interior plastics are one of the hardest things to wrap. They are usually a very complex shape that is covered in layer after layer of Armorial. They are always the type of plastic that is constantly gassing which conflicts with the adhesive of vinyls. So they are not the ideal test platform for a new vinyl but at the same time, if it sticks to that it'll stick to anything.
After the proper prep stage and really treating the plastic well I started to apply the Tech Art. The first thing you'll notice is how thick the vinyl is. According to the VViViD website it's 5.5 mils thick, which is much thicker then the normal 3 mil of a gloss or matte vinyl I think most carbon fiber vinyls clock in at 3.5 to 4 mil. The thickness is not a negative aspect, it's just something to be aware of. Due to this factor heat is a must if apply to any type of none flat surface. I typically use a blowtorch which puts out a lot of heat very quickly. This vinyl can take a good blast of heat without any distortion or discoloring. I feel you can really hit it with more heat then you normally would get away with, which makes the thickness easier to deal with.
After working the vinyl for a bit I started to notice that the adhesive wasn't quite as strong as I was accustom to. But again, we're talking about a none coated plastic. So I decided that I'd try to cover the fuel door, just to make sure that it was really the plastic and not the vinyl. Sure enough it stuck really well to the smooth paint I had no issues getting it to fit the contour of the grip notch and the vinyl, once heated just rolled right around the lip of the door.
I also noticed that the adhesive is slow to set. So on occasion I was noticing some bubbling in the day or two after application. But once you pressed the bubble out the vinyl stuck again and the issue never really returned. Which leads me to believe that the adhesive is a little slower to reach it's full potential then what I was use to.
My only real complaint, is the contrast in the texture. The top layer is amazingly glossy so much so that it prevents the detail of the carbon fiber texture from showing through. In non direct light the vinyl usually looks black but if the light hits it right it really looks nice. The other thing I noticed is that the vinyl is fairly translucent, so darker surfaces tend to help hid the textures, but a nice white or silver surface really helps to improve the contrast.
Conclusion Pros/Cons
Pros:
* Glossy
* Thick yet playable once heated
* Great adhesive
* Really cuts clean with a sharp Exact-o
* Easy to work with
Cons:
* Not enough contrast on dark surfaces
* Slight learning curve if not familiar with thick vinyls
* Slow setting adhesive
Conclusion
I already purchased more VViViD vinyl. I will in the future purchase more of this Tech Art to finish off the interior. Overall I was really impressed with this product. If you are looking for a nice gloss carbon fiber this is an excellent choice.
First let me say that vehicle interior plastics are one of the hardest things to wrap. They are usually a very complex shape that is covered in layer after layer of Armorial. They are always the type of plastic that is constantly gassing which conflicts with the adhesive of vinyls. So they are not the ideal test platform for a new vinyl but at the same time, if it sticks to that it'll stick to anything.
After the proper prep stage and really treating the plastic well I started to apply the Tech Art. The first thing you'll notice is how thick the vinyl is. According to the VViViD website it's 5.5 mils thick, which is much thicker then the normal 3 mil of a gloss or matte vinyl I think most carbon fiber vinyls clock in at 3.5 to 4 mil. The thickness is not a negative aspect, it's just something to be aware of. Due to this factor heat is a must if apply to any type of none flat surface. I typically use a blowtorch which puts out a lot of heat very quickly. This vinyl can take a good blast of heat without any distortion or discoloring. I feel you can really hit it with more heat then you normally would get away with, which makes the thickness easier to deal with.
After working the vinyl for a bit I started to notice that the adhesive wasn't quite as strong as I was accustom to. But again, we're talking about a none coated plastic. So I decided that I'd try to cover the fuel door, just to make sure that it was really the plastic and not the vinyl. Sure enough it stuck really well to the smooth paint I had no issues getting it to fit the contour of the grip notch and the vinyl, once heated just rolled right around the lip of the door.
I also noticed that the adhesive is slow to set. So on occasion I was noticing some bubbling in the day or two after application. But once you pressed the bubble out the vinyl stuck again and the issue never really returned. Which leads me to believe that the adhesive is a little slower to reach it's full potential then what I was use to.
My only real complaint, is the contrast in the texture. The top layer is amazingly glossy so much so that it prevents the detail of the carbon fiber texture from showing through. In non direct light the vinyl usually looks black but if the light hits it right it really looks nice. The other thing I noticed is that the vinyl is fairly translucent, so darker surfaces tend to help hid the textures, but a nice white or silver surface really helps to improve the contrast.
Conclusion Pros/Cons
Pros:
* Glossy
* Thick yet playable once heated
* Great adhesive
* Really cuts clean with a sharp Exact-o
* Easy to work with
Cons:
* Not enough contrast on dark surfaces
* Slight learning curve if not familiar with thick vinyls
* Slow setting adhesive
Conclusion
I already purchased more VViViD vinyl. I will in the future purchase more of this Tech Art to finish off the interior. Overall I was really impressed with this product. If you are looking for a nice gloss carbon fiber this is an excellent choice.
on November 10, 2015
This review is for: VVIVID® XPO Black carbon gloss Tech Art 2 ft x 5 ft
This vinyl is amazing. So close to the real thing, she'll never know. :)
Honestly, can't recommend this stuff enough. If you know anything about how vinyl works and have the utmost of patience, you can do this yourself on just about any surface. I say this because I was able to wrap what any professional will tel you is the most difficult part of a car to wrap, the mirror caps. Yes the product may be fragile and scratch easily but that is to be expected and i don't see how it would be any different than a matte finish vinyl would be (which my last car was wrapped entirely in).
Anyway, I'm going to order a 7' x 5' roll so i can do my roof next. I park in a garage and live in Southern California so cannot speak to how this product would perform in harsher climates.
**UPDATE** Bought a larger roll to do the roof of my car (and some of their blue to redo my mirror caps and shark fin antennae). This stuff is amazing but very hard to work with due to the thickness. It was my first time wrapping a large panel so it took forever, but the finished product is exactly what i wanted.
Honestly, can't recommend this stuff enough. If you know anything about how vinyl works and have the utmost of patience, you can do this yourself on just about any surface. I say this because I was able to wrap what any professional will tel you is the most difficult part of a car to wrap, the mirror caps. Yes the product may be fragile and scratch easily but that is to be expected and i don't see how it would be any different than a matte finish vinyl would be (which my last car was wrapped entirely in).
Anyway, I'm going to order a 7' x 5' roll so i can do my roof next. I park in a garage and live in Southern California so cannot speak to how this product would perform in harsher climates.
**UPDATE** Bought a larger roll to do the roof of my car (and some of their blue to redo my mirror caps and shark fin antennae). This stuff is amazing but very hard to work with due to the thickness. It was my first time wrapping a large panel so it took forever, but the finished product is exactly what i wanted.
By timdtoolman on September 26, 2015
Verified Purchase
I looked for a long time before deciding on getting this Vivid brand vinyl and strongly considered wrapping these pieces with real carbon fiber but I decided it was more work than I was willing to do but I didn't want a vinyl that looked cheap so I went with this because it had a gloss finish which is more like real carbon fiber than any other vinyl I saw during my research. I have to say I was underwhelmed when I opened the package but after a couple of days I decided to just stick it on my steering wheel spokes (where I planned to install it in the first place) very quickly and see what it looked like on a part and not just on the roll and I though that would give me a better idea as to how this vinyl was going to look and I was pleasantly surprised once I had it installed, it looked really good and a very good likeness to the real thing and it definitely looked better than the factory paint that was starting to show some wear.
As I said I was not impressed when I first opened the package and could see what another reviewer meant when they said "it looks like just black" because I thought the same thing and I thought it would not show up as "carbon fiber" but just black but one I got it installed I think it looks as good as it possibly can being that this is a vinyl and the cost is next to nothing compared to real carbon fiber parts . I also saw a reviewer that said it was very thick and difficult to install but I have never done this before and I just used a heat gun (a hair dryer will work too) and it laid down easy enough. I did disassemble the 2 spoke covers to make it easier for me to get good clean edges so keep that in mind if your think about trying your hand at installing this vinyl.
I will see how this holds up after a month or two and if there is an issue I will update my review but as it stands now I am very pleased and I will say that what I received is exactly what is pictured although I could see how someone might think differently when they first open the roll but my advice would be to install it on the part you want to cover and then decide if you like this vinyl or not.
I was a little confused after reading the reviews before I bought this stuff because there are a full range of buyers from thrilled with it to completely unhappy with it so I will say I am a very picky person and am not easily pleased so bear that in mind too.
As I said I was not impressed when I first opened the package and could see what another reviewer meant when they said "it looks like just black" because I thought the same thing and I thought it would not show up as "carbon fiber" but just black but one I got it installed I think it looks as good as it possibly can being that this is a vinyl and the cost is next to nothing compared to real carbon fiber parts . I also saw a reviewer that said it was very thick and difficult to install but I have never done this before and I just used a heat gun (a hair dryer will work too) and it laid down easy enough. I did disassemble the 2 spoke covers to make it easier for me to get good clean edges so keep that in mind if your think about trying your hand at installing this vinyl.
I will see how this holds up after a month or two and if there is an issue I will update my review but as it stands now I am very pleased and I will say that what I received is exactly what is pictured although I could see how someone might think differently when they first open the roll but my advice would be to install it on the part you want to cover and then decide if you like this vinyl or not.
I was a little confused after reading the reviews before I bought this stuff because there are a full range of buyers from thrilled with it to completely unhappy with it so I will say I am a very picky person and am not easily pleased so bear that in mind too.
By @Chrsitiancredible on December 23, 2015
As a certified installer I've been waiting for a product that looks like a more realistic carbon fiber. This stuff is bang on. I've done dozens of vehicles using this carbon fiber. Anywhere from hoods, roofs, mirrors, door handles, diffusers, lips, trim pieces this can be installed on almost anything and it looks great. Holds its shape very well after stretching. Conforms nicely when enough heat is added. I'm my opinion this is the nicest exterior gloss carbon fiber I've ever seen on the market! BEWARE OF PEOPLE SELLERS SELLING YOU THE WRONG PRODUCT. Make sure you're buying this from Vvivid Vinyl and not someone else. There are a lot of sellers selling a replica version of this material.
By CounselorTony on January 27, 2016
Verified Purchase
this is the best looking vinyl carbon fiber. I have tried 4 other styles, but the deep gloss here makes a big difference. It looks more like the real thing than any others. One thing that has not been mentioned here is that this is a 3 ply product. This means that in addition to the paper backing on the adhesive side, there is a clear film on the top of the black carbon vinyl. This protects while installing, but the gloss increases when you take it off. It's a little tricky to get started in peeling it off, but goes quickly afterward.
By James on August 9, 2015
Verified Purchase
Vvivid vinyl has always done pretty well for me. Good price.
