glasscreen

I was aware of the Asus and Dell monitors. My business has a shop that "eats" those delicate plastic screen monitors. The Dell monitor is an overpriced toy for guys who want showoff to their friends or clients. Even the Asus monitor has some kind of leather trim. A monitor with leather trim doesn't seem suitable for a shop with wood, plastic, and metal fragments flying all over the place! I never thought about using a TV as a computer monitor. If that ViewSonic model really has a rugged glass screen it might be the way to go. The reason for contacting companies like Fast Lane, Parcel 2 Go, etc., is their claim that they act as an imtermediary between the buyer and seller. I want to buy from a company that won't ship to USA. They're suppose to handle the transaction for me, or at least that's what I thought an intermediary does. They use all the big shippers like DHL, UPS, and Fedex. You pay them a little extra to send someone to pickup the parcel for you. If they don't act an intermediary, why do they exist at all? I've wasted enough time with these guys. It still seems strange that none of the companies I contacted bothered to reply. Anyway, I appreciate your reply, powdarrmonkey.

My quest for a simple and rugged hard glass monitor was revived when I found this 24" model from Novatech. Novatech 24" Hard Glass Widescreen LCD Monitor - Black : novatech.co.uk : NOV-LCD24E OK, I thought, now all I've got to do is use one of those UK based courier services that would collect this monitor from a local Novatech retail store and ship it to my address. I selected a company called Fast Lane. Here's their URL: Fast Lane International Couriers - I went through their step by step form. Each time I hit the "continue" button I was looking for a page where I could enter info about the item I wanted . I finally got to end where you pay the shipping fee. What was I paying for? Nothing, as far as they knew! The only info they had was the approximate weight and dimensions of the item. If the parcel was to be collected from a private residence that would be fine. My order had to be purchased from a business. Strangely, they had a box for the company name, but there was no place to enter the price of the item or how they would get paid for the monitor. I emailed them twice. No reply. I tried again with Parcel 2 Go. International Shipping to USA and Canada | Parcel 2 Go I immediately sent them an email explaining that I would pay them directly for the monitor and shipping costs. I asked if they could buy, collect, and ship this Novatech monitor. Again, no reply. Finally, I contacted Novatech directly. I know they will not ship to the USA, but I was hoping they could recommend a courier service. Nothing. No reply. Does anyone know what the heck is going on here? Is it common for UK based companies to completely ignore potential customers? Even a two word reply from any of these companies would be better than nothing. Something like "sorry, no" would be ok with me. You folks who live in the UK are my last hope. Should I quit, or is there a courier service that will do the job?

I think your info about Edge10 pulling out of the monitor market is correct, Dan. If proof is needed take a look at eBay's UK listing. Someone is selling the monitor at a price well above any of the online retailers. That could only mean one thing. Production has stopped. This guy on eBay is selling off the last few he has in stock. If the supply was abundant, would any eBay seller have such a high "buy now" price? I don't think so. If you want to sell on eBay, your merchandise has to be priced at or below the average online store. The sad truth is that it's cheaper for me to buy low end plastic screen monitors and replace them, frequently! The glass monitors available in the USA are very expensive. We do give our monitors to a reputable recycler, but I'd much rather buy fewer rugged monitors that can survive in our shop.

After emailing Edge10 about their hard glass 22" T223 monitor and not receiving a reply, I tried again a few days ago. Much to my amazement, I did receive a reply. I wanted to know when online retailers would be restocked with this monitor. The Edge10 sales representative said something about this model being "temporarily constrainted," whatever that means. I indicated that if I could buy one at a reasonable price and it worked ok, I might order a dozen more. He suggested I could make the purchase directly from their factory in China. Would you buy a dozen monitors without trying one first? If you own or purchase for a business you may have been offered a "free sample." Not a good idea. The only way to judge a product is to buy at least one like any private consumer would. It's randomly selected from a warehouse rack, which is exactly what you want. Too often, "free samples" are carefully checked by a technician before they are sent to a potential volume buyer. My business is located in the USA, so I don't have any direct knowledge about the actual status of this company. If you've read anything in a UK newspaper or magazine I would appreciate the info. I searched a few business sites, looking for data on the financial status of Edge10. I couldn't find anything that would indicate that they were about to go bust, but you never know with the world economy in such a mess. As I said in the subject line, I promise never to post about this topic again. When you find a product that might resolve a problem you've had for years, its hard to shut the door forever, if you know what I mean. Thanks EduGeek members!

Thank you Stephen. During my hours of searching I came across several companies that manufacture hard glass monitors. All distributed their monitors in Europe and Asia only. Very strange. There are millions of public institutions and private businesses here in the USA that could benefit from a monitor with a rugged glass screen. The truth is I hate all monitors with those slightly soft plastic screens. You have to clean them with microfiber cloths. If you use the wrong cleaning agent the plastic is damaged forever. A paper clip or pencil that accidentally bounces off the screen can leave permanent scratches or even a deep gouge. Those big, heavy CRTs are almost completely gone, which I suppose is good since they contained several pound of lead shielding. The thing I really miss is how incredibly rugged they were. The only thing that could damage the screen on a big CRT monitor is a sharp blow with a hammer! I'll email Egde10, as you suggest. Thanks again, Stephen.

Despite all our economic problems here in the USA, we still are the worlds marketplace (some say dumping ground) for computer hardware. I'm a partner in a business that produces custom components for many different industries. We have a shop that generates a considerable amount of dust from wood, plastic, and metal. We must have monitors and keyboards inside our shop. Keyboards are remarkably durable. You blast out the dust with compressed air and they keep working. LCD monitors with their delicate plastic screens have always been a problem for us. I've made or purchased glass screen protectors. After awhile someone in the shop will remove the protector because dust will work its way behind the glass. Needless to say, our shop monitors get replaced frequently! I don't think any of them have lasted more than a year. As far as I know, only Dell and Asus sell a 22" hard glass monitor in the USA. Both models are definitely not suited for a harsh environment. The Dell model is very costly. Its an overpriced toy, not a plain and simple "workhose" monitor. The Asus monitor has leather trim. Not exactly what you would want in a shop! A few days ago I came across the Edge10 website. They make a full line of inexpensive hard glass monitors. I quickly realized that they were sold only in the UK. No problem, I thought. I'll use one of those UK based companies that makes the purchase for you, and sends it to the USA. My hopes were dashed when I checked dozens of online computer stores for the 22" T223. Its out of stock or discontinued. Perhaps Edge10 has stopped making these monitors. They may be bankrupt. I really don't know. The question is, should I abandon my quest for a simple and sturdy 22" hard glass monitor? Maybe you know sources for this type of monitor that are not easily found using Google or a similar search engine. If you do, I would really appreciate a helping hand. Thanks guys!