Why Our Signs Are Different: Real Materials vs Modern Shortcuts
Darrien Eouse
The Following Is a Breakdown & Detailed Explanation Comparing Porcelain Advertising Neon vs Other “Competitor” Neon Signs From Price, Construction, & Quality
The term “real neon” is used loosely in today’s market.
Technically, if a sign uses glass tubing filled with gas, it can be called neon. But that description only addresses the light source. It says nothing about how the sign is built.
Two signs can both use hand-bent glass tubing and still be built completely differently.
The difference is not cosmetic. It is structural.
This article explains what separates a fully constructed steel-can porcelain neon sign from the open-frame aluminum builds commonly sold today — and why construction matters more than marketing language.
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Before Neon Begins: The Porcelain Foundation
Way before the neon construction begins every sign we make has gone through a several day, time-intensive process all it's own. Each sign features real kiln-fired porcelain enamel which gives the authentic vintage feel and requires yet another highly skilled craftsmen over several days to complete.
On a properly built neon can, the process does not start with glass.
It starts with steel and porcelain enamel.
Before any tubing is bent, before any transformer is wired, the face itself must be manufactured.
That process is not printing. It is not vinyl. It is not a plastic overlay.
It is layered, kiln-fired porcelain enamel on steel.
The process involves:
- Heavy-gauge steel forming
- Cleaning and preparation of raw steel
- Application of base enamel layers
- Multiple color layers applied separately
- High-temperature kiln firing between layers
- Controlled cooling to fuse enamel to steel
- 20-step proprietary vintage finish
Each color is fired individually. Each firing permanently bonds powdered glass to the metal surface.
This is the same fundamental process used in original mid-century American porcelain signage.
It is time-intensive. It requires industrial kilns. It requires precision.
Only after the porcelain face is complete does the neon phase begin.
If a sign uses printed acrylic or a digitally applied surface, that entire porcelain process is eliminated.
That is not a small difference. It is an entirely different product.
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Steel Can Construction vs Open Skeleton Frames
A traditionally built neon sign is housed in a fully enclosed steel can.
Our neon cans are approximately 7 inches deep. They are fabricated from heavy steel, assembled with structural integrity in mind, and then powder coated after fabrication to ensure long-term durability and corrosion resistance.
The can is not decorative trim. It is the structural housing.
By comparison, many retail neon signs use:
- Open aluminum skeleton frames
- Thin aluminum backing rings
- Acrylic backboards that are partially transparent
- Exposed internal wiring
These builds are significantly lighter because they use less material.
A 24-inch steel-can neon sign built with porcelain and full housing can weigh approximately 50 pounds.
A similarly sized open-frame aluminum build may weigh around 14 pounds.
That weight difference reflects material difference — not inefficiency.
Steel has mass. Acrylic does not.
An enclosed can also:
- Protects internal wiring
- Shields the transformer housing
- Creates visual depth
- Adds structural rigidity
-
Replicates traditional construction
Open frames do not provide the same enclosure, depth, or durability.
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Powder Coating vs Painted or Raw Components
After fabrication, our steel cans are powder coated.
Powder coating is not cosmetic spray paint. It is an electrostatically applied finish cured under heat to form a hard protective shell.
This process:
-
Resists corrosion
- Prevents chipping
- Increases durability
- Extends lifespan
Many lightweight builds either leave aluminum raw, use minimal coatings, or rely on thin finishes.
Again, the difference is in process and longevity.
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Porcelain Enamel vs Printed Acrylic Faces
A porcelain enamel face is fused glass on steel.
An acrylic face is printed plastic.
The visual difference may not be obvious in an online product photo. But physically, they behave differently.
Porcelain enamel:
- Has depth and gloss
- Is kiln-fused to steel
- Resists scratching
- Will not peel
- Does not delaminate
Printed acrylic:
- Is lighter
- Can scratch
- Can fade
- Is bonded mechanically, not fused
One is industrial. The other is decorative.
Both can be called neon signs. They are not built the same way.
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Handblown Glass Neon Tubes
Both builds may use glass tubing.
However, installation matters.
On a steel-can porcelain neon sign:
- Tubing is mounted to a rigid, fired surface
- Internal wiring is concealed within the can
- Transformer housing is integrated
On open-frame designs:
- Wiring is often exposed
- Mounting brackets are visible
-
The structure itself is minimal
Glass alone does not define quality. Integration does.
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Our Patent Pending Neon Porcelain Can Design
Our neon can construction incorporates a patent-pending modular anti-warp design system.
Learn More About USPTO Confirmed Patent Pending Neon
This design was developed to:
- Improve structural integrity
- Standardize depth and housing strength
- Allow serviceability
- Maintain authentic proportions
- Support heavy porcelain faces properly
The goal is not novelty.
The goal is to replicate the physical presence and build style of traditional steel-can neon signage while modernizing internal support and assembly standards.
This structural system separates the product from thin open-frame designs that are not engineered around weight, depth, or enclosure.
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Weight as an Indicator of Material
Weight is often dismissed as irrelevant.
It is not. It is one of the easiest ways to determine quality and authenticate your vintage sign differentiating between cheap modern copies and authentic vintage originals is easy once you learn what to look for.
For example; after taking the time to research and shop around online to see what real neon signs are being offered for sale and what I found is scary.
“Competitors” selling a round 24” neon sign are asking as much as $700 and weigh anywhere between 13lbs-20lbs.
For perspective, the same size and style from Porcelain Advertising weighs approximately 50lbs, while our retail price isn’t just comparable. It’s often cheaper for first time buyers using their welcome discount or when in-stock neon is actively on sale.
How Does Weight Impact Value
If a 24-inch neon sign weighs 14 pounds, it cannot contain:
- A 7-inch deep steel can
- A heavy-gauge steel face
- Kiln-fired porcelain enamel
- Full enclosure
- Material mass is measurable.
Every one of the 24-inch steel-can neon porcelain signs from our collection of round neon weighs approximately 50 pounds as a direct result of product standards and choice to invest in genuine material of premiere quality.
Porcelain Advertising starts with only the highest grade materials and follows strict quality controls and standards to guarantee every sign we produce is considered one of the best-of-the-best.
Heavy gauge steel housing, 10mm handblown glass tubes, and authentic porcelain enamel design face kiln-fired and fused to 14 gauge steel.
Weight alone does not guarantee quality, but it is evidence of material use.
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The Pricing Question: Higher Quality Doesn’t Mean Higher Price
Here is the critical point. When priced fairly, the quality may be 10x but the price is often the same OR cheaper.
It begs the question, why is a massive factory charging the same as a small handcrafted business for a product made in clearly lower quality?
In many cases, lightweight open-frame builds are priced the same — or even higher — than fully constructed steel-can porcelain neon signs.
For example:
✅ Our 36-inch neon can use steel & porcelain retails $1,399 or less with a lifetime warranty.
👎🏼 Competitor’s offering the same size builds with a plastic housing + printed acrylic retail at $1,499.
Ours:
- Enclosed steel housing
- Powder coating
- Kiln-fired porcelain
- Patent-pending structural design
- Substantial material weight
Theirs:
- Aluminum framing
- Acrylic backing
- Printed surfaces
- Open structure
If pricing is similar, and someone elects for the lower quality competitors… the question becomes:
What are you actually paying for? 🤔
Marketing language or materials?
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Tired of Waiting for Someone Else To Do It
After 15 years as an auctioneer and a lifetime in the vintage reproduction manufacturing industry watching and helping my family's wholesale and retail operations scale to become prominent national brand with a reputation for unmatched quality and the unique furnishings, wall decor, lighting, seating, bronze and marble, plus so much more.
Eventually, leading the industry in the space and developing long lasting relationships selling and working with with the biggest names in the country; Home Goods, Costco, Rooms To Go, Universal Studios, Darden Restaurants, and the Cosmopolitan Hotel.
Not to mention I am a true collector.
I appreciate authenticity, craftsmanship, and don't intend to replace the originals that continue to skyrocket in value.
How a Lifetime of Experience Makes the Impossible, Possible
My experience has shown me both how everyone is getting screwed at auction and buying from these online retailers who all sell the same product, for the same price, and don't stand behind what they sell.
I was tired of waiting for someone else to do what seemed obvious to me; respect our heritage and celebrate Americana through recreation of these iconic images and designs by using the same traditional techniques and simple but high quality materials and charge a fair price.
How a Premium Product Ended Up Similarly Priced
I believed people would pay more for better quality investment grade signage.... we weren't trying to compete with the mass produced signs everyone else sells. Our goal was to recreate history, no matter the cost.
But something funny happened, it turns out if you charge a fair price you can offer a 10x better product for the same or even cheaper than everyone else sells the low quality acrylic copies. Plus, we stand behind our product and are proud of what our artists have created,
I couldn't take it anymore and that's how Porcelain Advertising started.
Eventually, deciding to tell everyone what they don't want you to know and Exposing the Racket in the Neon & Vintage Sign Industry.
What Matters in Comparison
When evaluating neon signs, ask:
- Is the face kiln-fired porcelain enamel or printed acrylic?
- Is the housing a full steel can or an open aluminum frame?
- What is the depth of the can?
- What does it weigh?
- Is wiring enclosed?
- Is the structure engineered for longevity?
“Real neon” only answers one of those questions.
Construction answers the rest.
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Final Perspective
This is not about criticizing competitors for existing.
There is a place for lightweight decorative neon.
But a steel-can porcelain neon sign built with traditional materials, powder-coated housing, kiln-fired enamel, handblown glass, and patent-pending structural design is a different category of build.
The materials cost more.
The process takes longer.
The structure is heavier.
The result is permanent.
When two products are priced similarly, construction is the deciding factor.
Glass tubing glows the same.
How the sign is built does not.
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