Where to buy good two way mirrors ?

MichMich

@EoF Lets say the whole project will cost somewhere around €250,- including monitor. The foil will only save you around €25,- while it has a major impact on the end result.

EoF

@MichMich Fair point. In my project however, I am actually making a touch screen “magic mirror”. So I actually chose to go with foil due to it being so thing (still waiting to test to see if touch screen will work through it).

Edit: If I were going for no touch screen, I would for sure go with an acrylic two way mirror.

KirAsh4

Personally I wouldn’t use acrylic either. While lighter, over time and with cleaning it will scratch. I prefer glass, even though it would be heavier.

In fact I’m thinking of putting a large (3-4 feet wide) mirror up and use a 24" screen on one side of it. But that’s just a thought at the moment. Still pondering it.

michelleoj

I used acrylic for my project and it seems to be fine. If you’re gentle with your mirror, you shouldn’t have to worry about scratches too much. I got my acrylic 2 way mirror from http://www.twowaymirrors.com

They also sell glass and they have a “special” glass for the smart mirror project. They ship internationally too since they are a US based company.

paviro

Wouldn’t the reflection you get by using their special glass be pretty close to none? I mean I am using a normal two-way-mirror and without a light attached the reflections aren’t that extrem and it’s supposed to be a mirror after all…

michelleoj

@paviro It’s still a 2 way mirror but they’re talking about the material it’s made out of. Here’s an example of a smart mirror using their Vanity Vision Glass from their website:

alt text

KirAsh4

Looks like their “Vanity Glass” has a 70% reflection and 25% transmission. The Dielectric however has a 40 reflection and 60% transmission, designed for very bright rooms. They have a comparison of the different types of glass on their site: http://www.twowaymirrors.com/smart-mirror/

paviro

I think mine has 70% reflection and 30% transmission. Okay I understand it now so their Dielectric would only make sense in bright environments.

KirAsh4

Aaaaand that “Vanity Glass”, at the size of the monitor I’m using (22x15), with polished edges, would cost $600 … I’m actually afraid to see what the full size that I plan to use would cost.

Ok, I checked … $2k. I’ll get right on that. :)

michelleoj

Haha hence why I went with the acrylic. It cost around $60.