Which 2-way mirror is the best?

[MadScientist]

So, I am almost done with my project. Just waiting for some small parts from China.
Now I will have to start thinking which 2-way mirror to buy. I found some options in Germany (where I live) but I am not sure which one is best for a Magic Mirror.

The LCD comes from a 24" screen with a faulty power supply. I’d like to have the mirror the same size as the LCD panel, or at least not too much bigger. These are the mirrors I found that are available in Germany:

Glas-per-klick.de:
Spionspiegel Silber, 4mm thick, 40x60cm, 57€ plus shipping.
Mirona “STANDARD”, 4mm, 40x60cm, 61€ plus shipping
Mirona “BEAMSPLITTER”, 4mm, 40x60, 105€ plus shipping

Glas-star.de:
Pilkington Mirropane Chrome Spy, 4mm, 55.6x32.3cm (exact same size as LCD), 4mm, 135€ incl. shipping

MySpiegel.de:
55.6x32.3cm, 8mm, 69€ plus shipping.

The one from MySpiegel is very think and therefore heavy I assume. The price is pretty good though but I read that it quit dark.
Only heard positive things about the Pilkington. It’s by far the most expensive but I don’t mind if it worth it. Has anyone experiences with the Mirona “STANDARD”? The price is very attractive. Is the high price justified for the BEAMSPLITTER? How about the quality of the cheapest “Silber” one?

Would love to get some feedback before I place the order just to be disappointed afterwards. :-)

[__Tom__]

Hi Mad,

ich habe 2 MM “gebastelt”…
Bei Brigla habe ich einen Spiegel (40x60) für rund 50€, inkl. Versandkosten und Steuern bekommen.

Dies ist ein:
MIRASTAR Spionspiegel 4 mm Smart-Mirror
Artikelnr. o-00022 24,02 EUR 1 €24,02 EUR plus Versandkosten und Steuern

Dazu brauchst einen starken Monitor, denn bei Sonneneinstrahlung wird der Text schwach…

Brigla hat auch andere Spiegel im Angebot, die andere Koeffizienten haben, dazu kann ich aber
keinen qualifizierten Kommentar abgeben…

Meinen ersten Spiegel habe ich vom Glaser meiner Wahl in KA.
Stärke 8mm und mehr Durchlässigkeit als der zweite (s.o.).
Kosten des Spiegels waren ähnlich (ohne Versandkosten)…

Beide Spiegel sind im Dunkeln eher dunkel.
Der Mirastar ist etwas heller und ähnelt einem Spiegel, aber das scheint
der Preis der Spionspiegel zu sein…

Gruß
Tom

[MadScientist]

Hi Tom,

thanks a lot for the tip with Brigla. Haven’t found them before although I was searching the web for a long time already. I have placed an order for the Mirropane Chrome Spy with a transmission of 8%. It is less than 50€ incl. shipping. Pretty amazing price! Almost a third of what I would have paid at Glas-star.de! At least I didn’t burn too much money if that’s not the right mirror. Anyhow, I’d still like to get feedback from other users about their choices. That’s also why I reply in English :-)

[lavolp3]

@__Tom__

Thanks Tom for the Tip. I think I will also order from this site, since the local glazier wants to have more than 100€ for a quite small mirror.
The question now is, which one is better for which lighting?

Mirastar:
Thickness: 4mm or 6mm
Reflection: >58%
Transmission: 3%

Mirropane:
Thickness: 6mm
Transmission: 8%

I would assume with lower lighting you’d need a lower transmission value?

Shouldn’t the Mirastar transmission be dependent on the thickness?

[MadScientist]

I don’t think the thickness of the glass influences the transmission as glass itself is very light-transmissive and the reflective layer is just a very thin coating on the glass.

I also think that in a darker room the Mirastar should be better but this is the first time I am dealing with 2-way mirrors…

[__Tom__]

Hi,

I have the MiraStar with 3% transmission (4mm).
If the sun is right on it then you need a bright and high-contrast monitor.
It seems that this mirror shines more silver in a “dark” room than my 2nd mirror (see below).

My other mirror has a transmission of 8% (8mm).
With the result: the mirror looks darker but you can read everything on it.

This are my impressions.

Kindly Tom

[lavolp3]

@MadScientist I have now ordered the Mirastar from Brigla for a really great price of 40 €. Had to cut one side by 0.5 cm to get the lower freight fee :-)
I chose this one with lower transmission because the mirror will be in a room without windows, only one LED ceiling light.
Let’s make a comparison when we have them.

[MadScientist]

I am currently fighting with the software and I still have to build the frame but I’ll post pictures once everything is done.
I already got my mirror and it is indeed dark. Though, that should be ok as it is a tiny room with a window (our guest toilet).

Edit: I would like to mention the very nice service of Brigla. First, it arrived only 24 hours after I placed the order but the mirror had a minor defect (one tiny spot without refective coating). So I wrote them an email about it yesterday. This morning they replied they would ship another mirror and I don’t have to return the old one. Effectively giving me two for the price of one…
Fun fact: They are only 70km from where I live.

[__Tom__]

@MadScientist

Dann könnstest Du Dir auch die Versandkosten sparen und so vorbei fahren ;)

[MadScientist]

@__Tom__
It’s one hour per direction. Not worth for 12.50€ but I would probably do for bigger mirrors as the shipping costs can get quite expensive.