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3M 680 compared to 3M 680 CR compared to Oracal 5600

paul luszcz

New Member
Does removable vinyl adhere as well as permanent vinyl? Is 3M 680 a better choice the Oracal 5600?

We've been using Oracal 5600 reflective vinyl for lettering street signs in a large development for about four years. Lately we've had to replace ten panels because the vinyl was failing. It was always one side of double sided signs, but oddly they were not all the south or other exposure, but apparently random.

The panels are HDU with Matthews acrylic urethane satin paint.

As we replace the vinyl, I don't want to repeat prior mistakes. The only things I can think to change are the brand of vinyl and the cure time for the paint.

If I change to 3M vinyl, I have a choice of permanent or removable vinyl. Your might think I'm crazy to even ask, but being able to change copy is a great feature.

Does removable vinyl adhere as well as permanent vinyl? Is 3M 680 a better choice the Oracal 5600?
 

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ikarasu

Active Member
3M 3290. About a quarter of the price as 680. Non removable sticks better and is more tamper resistant.

680 is conformable, meant for car wraps / graphics.

7930/3430 are other options for 3m, they're thicker / meant for street signs, so it's another choice.

Even though it's non removable... With a heat gun and some glue remover you can remove it .It'll take longer than a few seconds like removable will take, but if they're smallish signs it's not too hard .

[Edit] just saw the picture. For that we'd use 3430.

3290 would work, and price wise is probably the best choice. 680 is overkill, 4x the price, but it would also work.
 
Last edited:
I'd choose Oracal 5800 over 5600 for street signs. 10 year durability and higher reflectivity are the advantages. 5600 is conformable like the 680 and is geared more towards vehicle wraps, as ikarasu mentioned.
 

Zendavor Signs

Mmmmm....signs
Matthews paint needs at least 48 hours for cure time before applying vinyl. A manufacturer rep told me that reflective for some reason needs even more time.

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