I just got an external flash for my camera. On all name plates and control surfaces it had that clear, thin plastic film covering. You know, the kind that peels off easily and exposes the real beauty and wonder of the device? It seems completely useless… Like they could remove it before packing and it would make the first impression even better upon unpacking the item. It also seems that the use of this covering has dropped off considerably since the 80’s. I remember most of my 80’s electronics had this somewhere (sometimes on the back panel, even). The thing is, I still find old electronics with it still on… I peel it off and the item looks better and I suddenly wonder why I left it on in the first place. I never saw it or took it off! Some people I know have it on their devices and do not realize you can remove it (or do not see it). In fact, I used my old TI-99 for years before realizing it was on that, too.
Is there a name for this covering? How many of you leave it on your electronics? If you don’t know what it is… Check some (especially older) electronics like radio scanners, old console computers, camera gear and see if it is there.
I’ve always been curious… Of course some of you are going to think I’m nuts if you do not know what I’m talking about… Just realize that it is hard to explain without visuals.
SF
PS - I just found iton my new Pitney Bowes mail scale. I think this one was static cling, too!
Yep. I find them now and again. I peel them off immediately if I see them but often I don’t notice them until months later and then peel them off. My mom NEVER sees them and I usually notice them and peel them off for her. She once played a Gameboy for weeks and complained about how fuzzy the screen was until I took it off. They are sometimes hard for even me to see. I don’t know what their name might be…
Why are they there? Presumably for protection. Even in a well designed box clear plastics can get scratched so someone decided putting these plastic covers would protect the plastic so you wouldn’t send it back when it arrived with a scratch on it. Hijack coming…
What I don’t understand is while the plastic peel offs are becoming less common those little packages of dessicants (sp?) are showing up everywhere now. Where are they making things these days that is so humid that they have to add these things to almost everything?
I thought the film was there just to protect exposed metal surfaces from damage such as oxidization & scratching. Incidentally, to prevent scratches, Boy-Scout type web belts come with translucent blue plastic film covering the shiny, gold-tone buckle.
I love peeling it off of everyone’s devices and watching them in amazement.
My in-laws have it over the screen on their VCR and the screen pad on the microwave. I went to peel it off and they freaked out. “it’s supposed to stay on”, they reply.
The strange thing is that it sometimes doubles as a little advertisement for the item’s features.
It always seemed apparent to me that when the screens are manufactured, the manufacturer puts a little protective vinyl on top so that it isn’t damaged during assembly of the final product, which probably happens at another site. The screen maker is a supplier and just protecting the plastic screens and such because they have to jostled about during manufacture.
I guess they could peel it off right before packing, but why remove something that would just serve to protect the item more? On VCRs and larger items, the owner would be best to keep the film on until the unit has been set in place.
Yes, I know exactly the stuff of which you speak. I have found that in my experience, it most often covers a device’s “screen” or clear plastic viewing surface, or sometimes a control pad. I always assumed it was to prevent scratches or scuffs on the plastic from packing or shipping. Just like you, though, I’ve noticed some older devices that seem to have it stuck everywhere. This proved to be convenient, in that I had, say, this old dusty, scratched, crappy looking VCR, that worked really well. I disovered that it was almost entirely wrapped in this plastic. PEEEEEEEEEEL, and woo-hoo!!! New VCR! For this reason, as long as the plastic isn’t bothersome, I usually leave it on. Then, when it eventually starts to look like crap, I peel it off, and it’s like Christmas all over again.
About a month ago Mr. Scarlett and I attended our friends’ son’s 1st birthday party. The buffet included meat served in a large stainless-steel steam tray, the kind with a flat panel underneath that has holes in it to hold Sterno cans. Our hostess told me that her mother had given her the steam tray from her own kitchen. Later the mother showed up and commented that she didn’t remember the bottom panel being “all white like that.” With some investigation, we discovered that the white film protecting the bottom panel had never been removed. The mother had owned the tray for several years before giving it to her daughter.
I’ve seen stories about consumers returning electric clocks because they always showed 12:00. Yup – they hadn’t removed the film from the display. :rolleyes:
Maybe keeping the manufacturer’s stick-on plastic with the flashy words “3 disc changer with anti-skip tracking system” impresses their friends. Like those pathetic guys (yes, only guys do this) who leave the lift tickets on their coats, even though they haven’t been skiing in 5+ years.
When I worked in service I used to see stuff come in all the time with the plasti-shield still in place, and I always removed it before sending it back out. Nobody ever complained. Some of these things were 6 or 8 years old.