My Line-X Eight Year Review

[Ben]

So having just shoveled a yard of sand out of the back of the truck (one of I guess a hundred or so of sand, gravel, etc. in the last eight years), I took the time to examine my Line-X coating. I have to give this stuff two thumbs up and five stars. Besides the dirt loads, I've hauled roofing, lumber with nails sticking out everywhere, scrap metal, all kinds of stuff that would scrape the hell out of the metal truck bed.

The Line-X has scratches in it, and a couple of light gouges, but zero penetration of the coating. One of the reasons I looked today was all the times the shovel blade made contact with the coating when I was working around edges of the bed. I hit the stuff hard, and the shovel does nothing to it. I think my gouges are from the sharp corner of some heavy metal stuff I hauled a while back. Otherwise the stuff is freakin' nearly indestructible.

Anyway, if anyone is ever thinking about a bedliner, I highly recommend Line-X. It's definitely going into my next truck.

[vaskidmark]

After 9/11 the Pentagon used it to reinforce exterior walls.  If you put it on thick enough it will become bullet resistant.

stay safe.

[dogmush]

There's Line-X coating on the plates in my body armor.

[Neemi]

So what you're saying is that TWD crew should make Line-X armor...

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

[wmenorr67]

After 9/11 the Pentagon used it to reinforce exterior walls.  If you put it on thick enough it will become bullet resistant.

stay safe.

Reminds me of a story several years back.  Bunch of college age kids get bright idea to sell bullet resistant t-shirts.  What they sold was normal everyday t-shirts with the words bullet resistant printed on them somehow.  Some people were upset because they were expecting bullet "proof."  They got away with it because technically everything is bullet resistant, the only thing is how resistant.

[brimic]

Reminds me of a story several years back.  Bunch of college age kids get bright idea to sell bullet resistant t-shirts.  What they sold was normal everyday t-shirts with the words bullet resistant printed on them somehow.  Some people were upset because they were expecting bullet "proof."  They got away with it because technically everything is bullet resistant, the only thing is how resistant.

My body is bullet resistant.

[birdman]

After 9/11 the Pentagon used it to reinforce exterior walls.  If you put it on thick enough it will become bullet resistant.

stay safe.

It has to be -really- (as in unreasonably, even for the pentagon) thick to stop a bullet.  The reason it's used on buildings is for spallation mitigation when hit with a blast wave--it prevents whatever wall it's applied to from shattering, means that you can use materials with high inertia and good compressive strength (masonry) that have poor tensile strength (which would normally mean they get blown apart by a pressure pulse, like masonry) in combination with the plastic (deforms without breaking) nature of the line-x to create a combination barrier that absorbs the blast without creating dangerous fragments.

Now...in combination with hard materials that blunt and spread the impact of a bullet (eg ceramic tiles), thin high tensile materials with decent ductility (steel sheet), and covered with the plastic material (line-x), one could make a low cost but effective bullet resistant barrier.

[Ben]

Line-X has some videos of the military / security applications:

http://www.linex.com/pages/2010/military/

I remember seeing something years ago about some people replacing their vehicle paint with Line-X. If i had a beater truck or an older jeep or something, I would consider it myself. You'd never have to worry about caring for your exterior finish again. I have the color matched Line-X and I can't even tell if it has faded at all over the last eight years. I think the only downside is the aerodynamics, unless there's a way to apply it as a smooth finish.

[Fly320s]

Line-X has some videos of the military / security applications:

http://www.linex.com/pages/2010/military/

I remember seeing something years ago about some people replacing their vehicle paint with Line-X. If i had a beater truck or an older jeep or something, I would consider it myself. You'd never have to worry about caring for your exterior finish again. I have the color matched Line-X and I can't even tell if it has faded at all over the last eight years. I think the only downside is the aerodynamics, unless there's a way to apply it as a smooth finish.

One of the Sig Academy instructors had that done to his FJ Cruiser.  It looked good, but I don't know about the durability.

[Boomhauer]

There is a newer Suburban running around down here with a bedliner paint job. It does not look good and it is worn in several places. Personally I wouldn't do it just looks wierd

[Ben]

There is a newer Suburban running around down here with a bedliner paint job. It does not look good and it is worn in several places. Personally I wouldn't do it just looks wierd

It must have been applied poorly. I try to mess mine up and I can't. I can't fathom an exterior finish being abused more than a pickup bed. I remember when I was originally researching it, one of the keys was getting a qualified person to apply it. Prep is supposed to be super important, but so is actual application.

[wmenorr67]

Bar I worked at for a time considered using this to line their beer tubs and trash cans and actually had one done up as a sample.

What stopped us from going forward was the cost the guy was going to charge us.

[Sawdust]

Line-X is a great truck bed protectant, but it sure makes it tough to slide anything in and out.

And yes, I know...'phrasing'. 

[41magsnub]

I did the rocker panels on my land cruiser 4 years ago.  Still looks great.  Only (REALLY minor) problem is is really holds dirt so it always looks gray.  Almost takes a pressure washer to clean it.  Still looks new.

[Boomhauer]

I did the rocker panels on my land cruiser 4 years ago.  Still looks great.  Only (REALLY minor) problem is is really holds dirt so it always looks gray.  Almost takes a pressure washer to clean it.  Still looks new.

Yeah I would do the rocker panels just not the whole vehicle...

[41magsnub]

There is a newer Suburban running around down here with a bedliner paint job. It does not look good and it is worn in several places. Personally I wouldn't do it just looks wierd

It could have been monstaliner or one of the other DIY bedliner kits.  A local guy did that to his land cruiser, painted the entire rig.  Seems to be holding up but it looks like ass.

[seeker_two]

My body is bullet resistant.

So are "Gun Free Zone" signs.....

[roo_ster]

I have seen several Line-X / bedliner paint jobs.  None were ate up.  Most recently I saw a 4-door Jeep Wrangler with it.  Could not tell at first, had to get up close.  Boy, it looked good, a sort of blue-gray with very mild texturing.

I told my wife if she wanted a jeep to buy an old one and we'd get it pained pink and black zebra striped bedliner.

[Ben]

Line-X is a great truck bed protectant, but it sure makes it tough to slide anything in and out.

And yes, I know...'phrasing'. 

Yeah, that was a decider when I was looking at bedliners. I forget the name of the main competitor at the time, but their "plus" was that stuff slid on it easier. While it's a little harder to slide some things out, I ended up looking at that as a "plus" for me. I'm a guy who can be wearing rock climbing shoes while walking on sandpaper, and still find a way to slip. I decided I prefer the less slippery Line-X since I'm often in the back of the bed removing stuff, and I'd prefer not to slip and impale myself on something. 

[wmenorr67]

Yeah, that was a decider when I was looking at bedliners. I forget the name of the main competitor at the time, but their "plus" was that stuff slid on it easier. While it's a little harder to slide some things out, I ended up looking at that as a "plus" for me. I'm a guy who can be wearing rock climbing shoes while walking on sandpaper, and still find a way to slip. I decided I prefer the less slippery Line-X since I'm often in the back of the bed removing stuff, and I'd prefer not to slip and impale myself on something. 

Rhino-liner(ing)

[rcnixon]

Line-X has some videos of the military / security applications:

http://www.linex.com/pages/2010/military/

I remember seeing something years ago about some people replacing their vehicle paint with Line-X. If i had a beater truck or an older jeep or something, I would consider it myself. You'd never have to worry about caring for your exterior finish again. I have the color matched Line-X and I can't even tell if it has faded at all over the last eight years. I think the only downside is the aerodynamics, unless there's a way to apply it as a smooth finish.

You're worried about the aero on a beater Jeep?  In any case, wouldn't the texture trip the laminar flow and cause it to separate?

Russ

[birdman]

You're worried about the aero on a beater Jeep?  In any case, wouldn't the texture trip the laminar flow and cause it to separate?

Russ

Given how soon the layer trips on a car, the surface might actually improve aero by adding some energy to the boundary layer.

[Jamisjockey]

Ben, I've got a year on you with my line-X, and have pretty much the same review.  The *expletive deleted*it is awesome.