Acrylic, steel or injection moulded?

[Pile]

What is better, I think I have unearthed 3 types of bath and can't decipher the difference between acrylic and injection moulded

[Christian McArdle]

I'd avoid anything that sounds like plastic. Steel is much better.

Christian.

[nightjar]

Injection moulding is when hot, liquid plastic is injected, under high pressure, into pre-shaped dies, usually of hardened steel. It can be used to make very complex shapes and the bath may have strengthening ribs and / or feet moulded in.

An acrylic bath has probably been made by vacuum moulding - a sheet of plastic is held over a pre-shaped mould, heated until malleable, then sucked onto the mould. The sheet becomes thinner on those parts that stretch - probably the sides and bottom of the bath. The method can only be used for fairly simple shapes, so these baths will probably have a plywood support attached to the bottom with glass reinforced plastic and the feet will be fitted separately, probably by screwing to the wooden support.

The steel bath will be formed in a press and bits like feet can be welded on. The main disadvantage of steel baths is that they don't keep the water as warm as plastic.

My personal choice was for an 8mm thick acrylic bath.

Colin Bignell

[The Natural Philosopher]

There are basic thin skin tin, thin skin fibergalls, cast iron and thick acrylic or other plastic.

The thins stiff flexes, the timn is boringly shaped. The cast iron is very cold, and brittle, and the enamel marks up. Its alos expensive./

Which is why I settled on very thick plastic - no idea whether its injection or laid up, but its all of quarter of an inch thick minimum, and doesn't flex, isn't cold, and doesn't chip.

[The Natural Philosopher]

nightjar

Me too.

[Suz]

I know you've expressed this preference before Christian. Why is steel better than thick acrylic? As the thick acrylic is more expensive, there must be some reason people will pay more for it, surely?

Suzanne

[The Natural Philosopher]

It just looks and feels better thats all.

[Christian McArdle]

Some people think steel will be cold. They forget that you will fill it will hot water, which makes it hot. Also, acrylic is available in all sorts of shapes and colours.

Christian.

[BillR]

I too prefer steel. Even the thinner ones are better than plastic imho. They don't flex, the corners are squarer so easier to seal and they come in white which is fashionable. As you say they aren't really colder. According to swmbo, who is the one for baths, they are fine if you put hot only water in first.