Glass wipe boards are simply whiteboards that use glass instead of dry erase plastic. Glass wipe boards are more eco-friendly and often have less glare than their plastic counterparts. Glass wipe boards are not without their down sides however. They require a special surface cleaner which can be expensive, and they’re not as easy to write on with markers as a traditional dry erase board. For these reasons, glass wipe boards are often seen in classrooms, where teachers need to use both types of board throughout the year.
The benefits of glass wipe boards
- Glass wipe boards are easy on the eyes.
This is probably the biggest reason teachers prefer glass wipe boards over plastic alternatives. With their lack of glare and smooth surface, glass wipe boards are easier to use for extended periods of time.
- Glass wipe boards last longer than traditional dry erase boards.
Traditional dry erase boards last about 2 years before they are no longer usable for writing and drawing. Using a glass cleaner on a glass wipe board can extend the life of the board to 4 or 5 years, saving lots of money in replacements and labor costs.
- Glass wipe boards can be cleaned with paper towels rather than special cleaners and cloths.
The specialized cleaners needed for dry erase boards are expensive and can’t be purchased with school funding. Glass wipe boards don’t need these special cleaners, allowing teachers to simply use paper towels to clean them.
- Glass wipe boards require less maintenance than other whiteboards.
Because they are made of glass, glass wipe boards don’t have the problem that most plastic boards have of ghosting or showing ghost images after being cleaned repeatedly with a dry cloth or eraser. They also do not scratch as easily as plastic alternatives, making them last longer and look nicer in the long run. However this is offset by the fact you need a special surface cleaner which is more expensive than a regular eraser or dry erase cleaner.
The disadvantages of glass wipe boards
- Glass wipe boards are more expensive than standard whiteboards and other “dry erase” alternatives.
At about $30 for a 3′ x 2′ glass surface, a teacher may feel that the expense of cleaning their board is not worth saving some time by using a cheaper (and less long lasting) alternative. However, once you compare the cost to the money saved on replacement dry erase markers and eraser refills, it’s easy to see that the cost of a glass wipe board is well worth it. The average teacher spends hundreds of dollars per year on markers and erasers alone, without even counting the replacement cost for cleaning supplies. The cost of a glass wipe board is far less, and the money saved can be used for other classroom supplies.
- Glass wipe boards are not as easy to write on as standard dry erase boards.
Because of the smooth surface, glass wipe boards require special markers that won’t damage the surface, making them a bit harder to use than a standard whiteboard or dry erase board. Therefore teachers often choose to use both kinds of board at once in order to write on both surfaces at once.