Review: Graph Glass
It’s a good idea that’s very well executed
This spring, I installed a sheet of Graph Glass on a new 10-inch graph at the console of my boat. Six months later, it’s going strong, and I’m happy to have it every day I fish.
Graph Glass is a tempered screen protector that you can self-install on the most popular models of fishing electronics. For about $45 to $60 per unit, it protects the screen from flying tungsten or other projectiles, and there are other benefits as well. As far as I can tell, it’s a real winner of a product.
Solid protection
Graph Glass is the brainchild of FLW Tour pro John Hunter, and he’s been using it or prototypes of it on his Lowrance units for about two years now. According to Graph Glass, the product is “explosion proof” and tested to be very resistant to scratches. It’s also touch friendly, just like a screen protector on a phone, so it’ll work on all the touch screens that come on most every Lowrance unit.
Previously, I hadn’t thought much about screen protectors for my graphs. I’ve seen my share of busted screens, but they have always been on someone else’s boat. I haven’t gone out and taken a hammer to my graph to test it, but based on the existing market for screen protectors and everything I can tell about Graph Glass, it seems like a product that’s almost essential on larger, more expensive units. I know for sure that it’s given me a lot more confidence to trailer down dirt roads, and taken the fear out of missed hooksets on the back deck.
The visuals
There are standard and anti-glare models available, and both are easy to see through. Off the screen, the anti-glare versions have a frosted or matte finish, but once you turn the screen on it’s not noticeable. Hunter says the anti-glare models have been a huge hit, and that, although you lose a little transparency, the amount of glare you get on bright days is dramatically less than you’d get on a unit without Graph Glass or with the standard version.
With the standard model, the screen is definitely slightly dimmer on really bright days, but I don’t think you’re missing out on much, especially when you get used to it. I know that I’ve spent plenty of summertime hours idling around with my eyes trained to my graph, and I haven’t once thought about taking the Graph Glass off.
My favorite perk
It’s not the main point of the product, but my favorite thing about Graph Glass might be the oleophobic coating on it. That coating is oil resistant and essentially means that any smudge you do get on the screen will wipe right off. Compared to my older unit next to it, I can get the screen with Graph Glass significantly cleaner, and it starts out cleaner as well. It’s really night and day, and once you get used to screens that are actually clean it’s hard to go back.
The install
Like a screen protector for a cell phone, Graph Glass sticks right on the screen of your graph. It comes with a wipe and a microfiber towel in the package to prep the screen, and the instructions to install it are clear and easy. I’m terrible at putting stickers on things, so I was a little concerned, but after cleaning the screen thoroughly and sticking it on carefully, I believe my install was a success. Because Graph Glass is rigid, it’s fairly easy to line up and make sure you get it on how you want it. With more than six months use, I haven’t seen it even begin to come off.
The verdict
I’m all-in on Graph Glass. There isn’t a size for every unit on the market, but they cover most of the more popular ones. I think especially if you have a graph with a really big screen it’s an add-on that you should consider. The price seems pretty fair to me as well, especially when you consider the amount of money at stake. Beyond the initial purchase price of a modern 10-inch electronics unit, it can cost upward of $300 to get a new screen installed, and on top of that you’re without the unit while it’s off getting fixed.
Details
Company: Graph Glass
Product: Graph Glass
Models: Sizes for most current Lowrance and other units
Price: $42.99 to $59.99
