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| Plastic SOLO Style Cups Work Too! |
I have a bunch of glassware in my RV. Always difficult to store safely,
they take up a lot of space. Especially for ones that I do not use frequently. Recently, I have begun to
replace the glass items with polycarbonate ones. Drinking glasses, wine glasses and tumblers all made from that fantastic plastic. They look like glass and work very well. But there now is another product that is even more interesting and way cooler. Maybe even cooler than the originals! It's called
Shupua, is made in Japan, and is constructed from completely flexible food-grade silicone that is completely clear! Well, you can get tinted versions in blue smoke grey and green as well.
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| Holy Cow! |
These things are amazing. They look just like glass, but are flexible. You can squeeze them and they will deform. Drop them and they simple deform and stop on the floor. How is that possible? Well Silicon (one of the most abundant elements in the Earth's crust) is present in both glass and Silicone. There is a fair amount of crossover of properties between the two. In fact, these glasses can be used at up-to 392 degrees Fahrenheit and down to -22 degrees. What I wonder is....given that information why they recommend NOT putting them in the dishwasher.
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| Use As A Funnel! |
Right now, you can buy them in many colors and sizes. They can be found on the Japanese version of Amazon. They company is
HERE. I've already ordered a few to test out. I may even try and wash one in a dishwasher. This appears to be cool, really cool. Imagine someones surprise when you "crush" one and it simply bends. Kind of like a magic trick (does doing that to someone make me a bad person ;)?) Seriously, these would be good any time you want something that looks good and is, essentially, unbreakable. Sounds like just the thing for RV traveling. What's the down side? Well, they are currently around $15 USD per glass, so I'd wait for the price to drop a bit (or maybe the Japanese Yen exchange rate!) If they really are what they say they are then I imagine you'll see them in stores soon enough.
As technology and material-science advance, we'll see more durable and more interesting products made from stuff that we can only imagine. How about bearings that never wear at all? Sounds ridiculous now...but who knows. I, for one, will be waiting and watching.
Be Seeing You...Down The Road,
Rich
"The Wanderman"
www.thewanderman.com
If you bend them, will they go back to a round shape or stay deformed?
ReplyDeleteBob,
DeleteThey snap right back to their original shape. Amazing stuff!
Rich "The Wanderman"
They might "fog" if put in the dishwasher. I will stick to my plain old canning jars as glasses. I can also use them as storage containers. I rarely break one. Never have broken one as a result of traveling.
ReplyDeleteLMS,
DeleteI have seen polycarbonate glassware "fog" or get lots of tiny scratches. This stuff should do that. We will have to wait and see!
Rich "The Wanderman"
Not everything on Amazon is a deal... They are $2.50 each on aliexpress.com ... you're welcome.
ReplyDeleteThe reason polycarbonate fogs in the dishwasher is that, in order to clean your dishes, detergent abrasive is just a little softer than glasses and plates, and quite harder than PC plastic, which gets effectively sand blasted.
By the way, your headlights fog from road grit for the same reason - it's more about sand blasting than UV. Polishing out the scratches (micro abrasive or flash heating) restores them to clear because the fog is on the surface.
Wolfe,
DeleteThanks for the tip! I have had some bad experiences with aliexpress in the past YMMV. Interesting info about plastic "fogging!"
Rich "The Wanderman"