Real Glass Window?

[PsychoPilot]

Are there any cases that come with a real glass side window?

 

[Arcygenical]

Nope, but you can make one for around 5$ in an afternoon!

 

[voigts]

Glass of course is kind of heavy and harder to mount as you can't exactly just easily go and drill holes through it.Not to mention I can see $$$$$$$lawsuits from people getting cut if a case maker was to do this.

 

[MC FLMJIG]

Case would be a tad heavier too. Would look a tad nicer too because of transparency.

 

[Rob Black]

Case would be a tad heavier too. Would look a tad nicer too because of transparency.

i agree

 

[Zero82z]

Glass is much heavier and more brittle than acrylic, so the weight could be an issue and it would be hard to make a mounting mechanism for it. It would look pretty cool, but the execution would be fairly complicated.

 

[Michael Daly]

Use tempered glass cut to size and have them drill mounting holes where (if) you need them. Other glass types would be kinda brittle as others have pointed out.

You could drill regular window glass with a diamond drill (available at Home Depot) if you're not worried about breakage. Not as trivial as drilling a softwood 2x4, but doable.

 

[desolatordan]

Why would one want glass instead of acrylic? There are plenty of reasons for not using glass, are there any for using it?

I think your only option is to do it yourself. Buy a case with an acrylic window, and take it to a glass shop where they'll be able to make a new window for you to simply replace the acrylic one.

 

[Enlitence.Systems]

the transparency or "see through" ability on glass is 10fold better then that of lucite, plastic, or any other synthetic product, this is why the Apple iPhone used an "Optical Glass" so it would not get scratched easily and the viewability is best.

however, since you dont really need to have perfect viewing on a PC case and there are scratch remover products like Brasso, there really isn't a point to use glass.

 

[LesterOfPuppets2]

No mass produced ones that I know of. They don't wanna deal with breakage in shipping and crybaby lawsuits like voigts mentioned. {have you heard those McDonald's Coke glasses commercials? The disclaimer is HIGHLARIOUS! "Excercize caution. Glass is breakable!" or something like that Har, Har Har!!!}

It would be a fairly easy project. Get some glass (I'd suggest 1/8") of the appropriate size. Around $7 at the local glass place 'round here. Then find a local supplier for these doodads (maybe 8 of 'em) and some nuts and bolts that look good and fit in the holes. Drill 8 holes in yer case. Put some felt pads between glass and case side. Lay glass down on the felt pads. Install mirror clips with nuts and bolts.

If you decide to do the project, I could direct you to some better hardware, that was just the first google hit.

 

[RangerSVT]

the weight depends on the thickness of the glass. some of you act as if glass is heavier than the pacific ocean

 

[Michael Daly]

the transparency or "see through" ability on glass is 10fold better then that of lucite, plastic, or any other synthetic product,

I guess you've never heard of optical polycarbonate. If you see someone wearing glasses, they likely have CR39 (a type of polycarbonate) or high-strength polycarbonate lenses.

Vivak (polyethylene terephthalate glycol) and similar plastics are noted for their superb optical clarity.

it would not get scratched easily

This is a good reason in some cases.

 

[Zero82z]

the weight depends on the thickness of the glass. some of you act as if glass is heavier than the pacific ocean

A lot of glass requires more thickness than acrylic to maintain the same level of integrity, and it's also much more dense. Glass that matches the strength of 5mm plexiglas would weigh a lot more than the plastic.

 

[Living Weapon]

The best way to mount glass is with rubber channel molding, just like thye use for side mirrors on trucks. Just have your local glass shop cut a piece to the size you want, including a radius at each corner. Molding has the advantage of providing a fairly flush mount, and no bolt holes anywhere - it looks very clean.

As a few others have pointed out, a high quality plastic can be very clear and much more practical - polycarbonate in particular can also be very scratch resistant.

If you want something seriously scratch resistant, look into a sapphire or spinel