The Dangers of Buying Low-cost Budget-brand Epoxy
These days when shopping for epoxy resin, consumers have thousands of options available.
Contact us to discuss your requirements of does resin biodegrade. Our experienced sales team can help you identify the best options for your needs.
In recent years, online marketplaces like Amazon and eBay have seen numerous unknown sellers listing uncertified resin products. This has led to a surge of so-called epoxy "budget brands".
Budget-brand listings often share the following traits:
- Surprisingly low upfront cost
- Unusual or unfamiliar brand name
- Sourcing from outside of the USA—or undisclosed sourcing
These low-cost epoxy resins often come with a hidden price: Your health and safety.
We'll explain how these brands compromise on quality and manufacture their resin in under-regulated countries, taking advantage of potential customers.
The Hidden Costs of Budget-brand Epoxy
Shopping for the right epoxy brand can be tedious. With so many different brands, making the right choice often involves scrutinizing product pages, studying user reviews, and researching brand names for credibility.
This complexity can lead to settling for unfamiliar products that seem okay.
There are major concerns that many people overlook, resulting in subpar epoxy resin from manufacturers that cut corners on safety standards and quality assurance.
When shopping for epoxy, keep these points in mind:
- Low-cost resin often means low-quality resin. You get what you pay for.
- If an epoxy seller doesn't disclose its origin, be wary.
- Low upfront costs can mean high long-term costs.
- Your health is important—don't risk it with uncertified resin products.
Let's go over these in more detail.
#1: Low-cost Resin Often Means Low-quality Resin
One of the first things you'll notice when browsing a marketplace is the price.
Epoxy prices vary widely, determined by various factors indicative of quality.
With the surge of unfamiliar epoxy brands, a segment of the industry has been dubbed "budget brands".
These brands offer incredibly low upfront costs that seem attractive. Unfortunately, it's often too good to be true.
To offer these low costs, many resin manufacturers cut corners on production.
High-quality epoxy is expensive to make, and some manufacturers use cheap fillers or lower quantities of essential ingredients. This creates a product that looks fine initially but will likely degrade over time.
Avoid using low-cost brands that haven't been properly vetted, as their longevity is uncertain.
Many users leave reviews immediately after finishing a project, without revisiting them. Major issues with these resins often don't become apparent until months later.
The Solution: Stick with Premium Epoxy Brands
Avoid these pitfalls by choosing a premium epoxy brand with a credible reputation and comprehensive post-purchase customer support.
At UltraClear Epoxy, we offer premium-grade resins and ongoing support. Interested customers can contact us for more information, guidance, and project planning advice.
Our resin specialist support team is available to help with any issues during shipping, delivery, or while working on your project.
Explore our premium epoxy products:
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UltraClear Table Top Epoxy - Our strongest resin finish, ideal for table tops, countertops, and more.
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UltraClear Deep Pour Epoxy - Ideal for river tables, silicone casting molds, and object embedding.
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UltraClear Marine Epoxy - Our three marine epoxy resins, used on watercrafts, accessories, and composite materials.
#2: Be Wary of Epoxy with an Unknown Origin
Another key factor is the source of the epoxy resin.
In other words: Where was it made?
Many low-quality epoxy brands are manufactured overseas and imported to the USA. Customers often buy these without knowing the risks involved.
Epoxy imported into the USA isn't inspected for quality assurance or safety, meaning it only meets the regulations of its origin country.
Imported epoxy resins may not meet the quality and safety standards set by the USA, unlike those manufactured domestically.
The Solution: Buy Epoxy Resin Made in the USA
Choose brands manufactured in the USA to ensure high industry standards.
Our UltraClear Epoxy resins are all 100% made in the USA.
When you purchase from us, you get what you paid for. We don't compromise on quality.
#3: Low Upfront Costs Can Result in High Long-term Costs
Buying budget brands can be deceptive. While you initially save, you often spend much more in the long run.
Low-cost epoxy with reduced quality requires more maintenance and upkeep. They're more prone to dents, scratches, softening, and yellowing, leading to additional treatments and repairs.
Sometimes they just fail completely, rendering the entire project unsalvageable.
The Solution: Use Long-lasting Premium Epoxy That Requires Less Maintenance
While it's wise to save money, sometimes the obvious solution is the wrong one.
Spending more on a premium epoxy brand upfront will save you time, money, and potential headaches later.
Epoxy is expected to last for years, so invest in quality from the start. Buy premium, and you'll thank yourself later.
Our premium UltraClear Epoxy resins are designed to last a minimum of 7 years with proper handling. With good care, this can be extended further.
Moreover: When your finish shows its age after years, you can refresh it with a light sanding and a new coat of our UltraClear Epoxy resin.
#4: Your Health is Important. Don't Risk It with Uncertified Epoxy
Our final point concerns personal health risks.
Under current U.S. regulations, two-part epoxy resin is considered relatively safe.
Two-part epoxy consists of a resin and a hardener. When combined correctly, a chemical reaction hardens the components, resulting in a solid surface.
Once cured, high-quality epoxy resin is inert, VOC-free, and food safe.
However, any epoxy can release mild fumes during the process, affecting those with sensitive lungs. It's also a mild skin irritant.
High-quality epoxies mitigate these issues. For fumes, wear an N95 respirator. For skin contact, use nitrile gloves. Epoxy is easy to wash off if it gets on your skin.
However, with Low-quality Unknown Resins, Concerns Are Greater
Low-cost epoxy brands often use impure chemicals and fillers. Unknown additives can pose health risks.
You can't be sure of the safety of budget-brand epoxy without knowing its composition. Unstandardized chemicals may cause severe allergic reactions.
Avoiding budget-brand epoxy resins minimizes high-risk ventures for minor upfront savings.
The Solution: Choose Epoxy from a Reputable Company
Using high-quality epoxy ensures the product isn't contaminated or unsafe.
Always wear gloves and a respirator when working with any epoxy. Quality epoxy will pose very mild health risks at most.
Our UltraClear Epoxy resins are premium and cause minimal skin irritation. Once cured, they become inert and VOC-free.
Final Remarks
We hope this article helps you make an informed choice about epoxy resin.
Whether you're a resin enthusiast or a newcomer, consider UltraClear Epoxy for your next epoxy project.
Our
UltraClear Epoxy
Resins Meet the High Standards Discussed:
These features are crucial for choosing a safe, quality resin that will last for years without fail.
You can find our epoxy resins on these pages:
-
UltraClear Table Top Epoxy - Our strongest resin finish for table tops, countertops, and more.
-
UltraClear Deep Pour Epoxy - Ideal for river tables, silicone casting molds, and object embedding.
-
UltraClear Art and Craft Epoxy - Designed for arts and crafts, thicker than Deep Pour for topcoating.
-
UltraClear Marine Epoxy - Our marine epoxy resins for watercrafts, accessories, and composite materials.
For a more in-depth analysis, check our ebook, The Ugly Truth About Epoxy Resin: What Companies Don’t Want You to Know, where we provide additional tips and detailed explanations.
Have Questions? Want Advice? Contact Us!
If you have any questions about epoxy resin or related topics, or need assistance planning an epoxy project, contact us at UltraClear Epoxy.
You can reach us via phone or email. During business hours, you can also chat online with an epoxy specialist by clicking the Help button at the bottom right of your screen.
Prime vs. Off Grade Plastic Resins
Plastic resins are made by major petrochemical companies. The best batches are sold through their direct sales force or "prime" distributors. What happens to nearly-missed or transitional resins?
No controlling legal authority oversees off grade resin distribution.
Resin brokers are like French wine negociants, laundering excess or less-than-prime production. Just as with wine, there are reputable and unscrupulous brokers. The rule of thumb: if you're not proud of it, you don’t brand it.
Misrepresentation of key properties is common. There are no prerequisites for being an off-grade resin broker.
A "major" is a major petrochemical company making plastic resin. A "broker" takes title to resin not deemed "prime". Majors sell prime through direct sales and prime distributors.
Want FDA approval for off grade resin? The broker tweaks a word doc, creating "food grade" status.
A data sheet lists properties defining resin characteristics. The first—melt index or flow—describes viscosity, crucial for predicting material behavior. Other criteria exist, but going in-depth goes too far afield.
Each criterion has a target range for “prime” status, set by the product manager. These parameters shift based on supply. When resin is plentiful, standards tighten. When tight, they widen. Product managers decide which lots are prime, off grade, or transitional.
Off grade, or OG, is sold through brokers, obscuring its origin. Brokers discreetly sell off-grade resin to non-direct customers, ideally in different applications than intended. A business model based on others' mistakes sounds precarious, but there's always resin rejected by processors. We reject several prime railcars annually, even from ISO 9000 certified major resin companies.
Majors have designated people offloading the off grade, often high-turnover roles due to potential for unethical profit. Brokers make sellers' jobs easier by taking as much material as possible, both winners and losers.
Suppliers are valued inversely to customers. Establishing a major relationship is tough; customers can always be replaced. In the 1980s, I worked for a resin reseller in LA. My first large order saw angry calls from rejected lots. My boss had a pragmatic approach: "sell them somewhere else".
The most ethical brokers become prime distributors, selling prime to smaller processors not served by the majors' direct sales force.
Here’s a rookie mistake: showing an invoice from a distributor to a direct sales rep. Experienced buyers know to quickly unload a car so the direct rep doesn't see it.
Sales reps from major resin companies are often unaware of brokers' actions. Some brokers misrepresent materials; others disclose the full truth. Processors save by using "not exactly" resin, but face unforeseen issues, affecting consistency and quality.
For due diligence, ask suppliers in person if the resin is "prime". Request FDA letters and invoices for resin used in your products. Non-major letterhead is suspicious. Some brokers do sell "generic prime", analogous to private label brands, sufficing for utility applications.
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