Okay, been thinking about this for a while (yes, it hurt sometimes, but nothing a decent whiskey could not solve)
How much do you value the weight of the pressing above a recognized pressing?
Being a polymer chemist (plastics), I am for the heavier pressing as they will tend to warp less than the thinner ones (provided they were done at the correct temperatures and cooled correctly to avoid inherent polymer stresses).
In my opinion it still goes back to the start of the process, preparing the template for the press.
If that is not done to very tight tolerances, the vinyl can be as thick and heavy as it wants to be, it does not ensure quality.
Then there are physical cutting processes where limited numbers of copies are made, thus starting with a flat blank disc and cutting the grooves as if making the templates.
Surely this can be done on as thin/light a piece of vinyl as you like (provided once again that the original forming process was done correctly to avoid material stress)
Case in point, I have a Roger Waters Radio Kaos done on vinyl that is so thin, if I hold it on one end it sags significantly, but quality is amazingly clear.
then, I have a newly pressed 180 gram copy of Throwing Copper, sound is not well defined, held back and just not fun to listen to.
Thus, question is, weight, release studio or country of origin?
How much do you value the weight of the pressing above a recognized pressing?
Being a polymer chemist (plastics), I am for the heavier pressing as they will tend to warp less than the thinner ones (provided they were done at the correct temperatures and cooled correctly to avoid inherent polymer stresses).
In my opinion it still goes back to the start of the process, preparing the template for the press.
If that is not done to very tight tolerances, the vinyl can be as thick and heavy as it wants to be, it does not ensure quality.
Then there are physical cutting processes where limited numbers of copies are made, thus starting with a flat blank disc and cutting the grooves as if making the templates.
Surely this can be done on as thin/light a piece of vinyl as you like (provided once again that the original forming process was done correctly to avoid material stress)
Case in point, I have a Roger Waters Radio Kaos done on vinyl that is so thin, if I hold it on one end it sags significantly, but quality is amazingly clear.
then, I have a newly pressed 180 gram copy of Throwing Copper, sound is not well defined, held back and just not fun to listen to.
Thus, question is, weight, release studio or country of origin?
