I personally think toppers are silly. Especially for what they cost. I would go for the upgraded glass. At least that has an affect on the way you enjoy the game because you can see the playfield much better. A topper you only look at when you're not playing. What's the point?

But in the end if I'm spending money to "upgrade" my game, I'd buy a colorDMD instead of either of those choices.

What do you look at when you play pinball?

I like certain toppers too, but there's no contest between these and PDI glass for me.

It’s a tough one. Toppers are really cool but you are looking at the playfield, not the top of the game. I wish I could afford both, but because I can’t, I’d just say go for the glass. My ceiling isn’t tall enough for toppers anyway.

glass is my favorite upgrade as long as the lighting is good. My 2 favorite upgrades with topper being 3rd.

What pin are you buying for??

Glass; you look at that the entire time. It’s your primary interface with the game.

I have PDI/invisiglass on all my games. GB was one of the ones that needed it the most.

Go for it!!! You only live once!! Buy them all

Only original stock toppers for me...go for the glass.

Topper. My opinion glass looks great but still scratches and breaks all the same.

I would never pay the price for PDI glass. I would also not spend a lot on a topper. I do like factor toppers and want them on my machines. Reasonably priced toppers are ok, I do have horns on my AC/DC but they were not expensive.

neither
i like thwt some of my games have toppers, but i dont want toppers for all of them
invisiglass is good, has the benefit that you can use it in any game, but it is expensive

This!!

Could not have said that better myself. ColorDMD all the way over either of the subject accessories. Glass requires upkeep, and toppers come off as so gimmicky.

Before I owned a cat it would've been glass, easily. Now that I own a cat, it's probably.....neither.

I like my gameroom fairly dark, so glare really isn't an issue and I don't need PDI glass. That said, I think toppers add a lot of look to the overall game.

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Glass for me. I have a couple of sheets right now, but I plan on getting more.

After the AFMRLE topper the rest of them blow by comparison so I voted for the glass over the topper

I have a list of must-buy mods when I get a new game... Flipper Fidelity speakers, LED OCD, BriteButtons, and speaker lights.

On to toppers... I love toppers. I think they round out the look of the game, as long as they are professional looking, i.e. Tilttopper, laseriffic, Stern, etc.

I’m not a big fan of PDI glass. I don’t see (pun) the value, but it seems like I’m in the minority.

Having said all that, ColorDMD (if available) is where the money goes first.

Neither.

Pinsound and / or cliffies.

Color DMD, Invisiglass, and Cliffy protectors is all one needs

Although the topper that came with me AFMRLE is pretty cool (its my only topper for the record)

Hahaha, we have 4 cats and I frame every pinball expense in terms of vet bills now. “$500 seems like a lot, but that’s less than one cat injury!”

I'd go ColorDMD, external sub, shaker, Cliffys, and LED-OCD, before toppers and invisiglass.

Agreed... polk sub is a must and the upgrade kits suck imo

PDI is better in terms of lower reflectivity levels and you can buy in bulk direct from the European supplier. Invisi as proprietary product you are stuck with the local reseller markup.

I imported a crate load of PDI last year and have it as an optional extra for clients with any successful machine sale as a gesture of goodwill.

Regarding toppers, unless the machine is some poorly designed clunker, how many times are you going to look up at an overvalued aftermarket topper anyway whilst playing?

Can you provide a link for the European supplier?

Not sure if he has a dedicated website and probably wouldn't want his personal contact details displayed on a public forum. Sorry.

PDI Glass Roman Germany with some googling should do the trick.

Note: pinballdecals inc is the distro for this glass (PDI get it) in the US (exclusive?) so not sure on how successful you are going to be with a bulk order.

One or two sheets isn't worth it with international shipping costs.

Neither, I am too cheap to buy a $200 topper or a $250 sheet of glass. $400 Color DMD-are you crazy? I personally would rather have more machines instead of a bunch of mods. I would rather save up for another machine, and the funny thing is as time goes on I actually am starting to prefer my games to be completely stock and all original. I now look for non-modded games that are pristine when buying games. Complete turn around from when I first started collecting and all I could think about was how to mod my machine instead of just playing it and enjoying it.

Only mods that get my money are Cliffy's, shaker, Polk Sub, or LED's

Neither

has anyone ever gone to a picture framing shop and see if they can do glass for a pinball as they seem to be able to supplier a museum glass (non-reflective) though not sure if it is toughened

might have to go to a local shop and see

Toppers are silly.

Glass, easy. On some games in my apartment it's hard to go back to them with normal glass.

Toppers, really depends on the game. example GB the echo lights are top notch, they work during game play and attract mode, adds that extra special look to the game, esp since it’s coded to the game it’s a win win, aftermarket standard none interactive I’ll skip 100%.

I have Stern HD glass on my pins, looks great and reduces glare.

Yep - I REALLY noticed a difference with my newest games that had standard glass in them rather than PDI glass like my others.

My cats are my toppers

Its value is playability of the game: better sight tracking, less glare. Clear vision of the playfield.. A topper doesnt benefit a player, those are just for observers.

Same thing I find with Mirror Blades