In Depth Review: RaceDeck vs. "Another Tile"

[scoobers]

Hello guys!

While doing research for my garage floor build, I decided on tile. I was disappointed when I couldn't find an in depth review. I vowed that if I had the opportunity, I would do one for future garage enthusiasts to reference.

I ordered two Samples from two different tile companies.
1.) Racedeck
2.) A Random Tile Company(I will refer to this anonymous Random Tile Company as"Random Tile Company" throughout my post)

Arrival time:
-A Random Tile Company(3 days)
-Racedeck Tile(4 days)

What was in the package:
-A Random Tile Company(2 tiles, a business card)
-Racedeck(2 tiles, a letter of appreciation, A sample key chain of colors)

Initial Impression:
-On both tiles, great

Customer service:
-On both tiles, great

Price: Both prices fluctuated and the closest in price I could get them was $.29. They both averaged a price difference of $.50

So here are the initial Shots:

Racedeck on left, A Random Tile Company on right:

Bottom View of Racedeck:

Bottom View of Random Tile Company:

Race Deck Connected:

A Random Tile Company connected:

After I seperated the RaceDeck Tile, all pieces remained intact.


After I seperated the Random Tile Company tile(Notice piece broken on red and gray)

Next, I wanted to compare the tile texture

Racedeck: Smooth and glossy, looks easy to clean:

Random Tile Company: Minutely porous, might have to utilize some elbow grease:

Comparison of Locking Mechanisms:

Note:Racedeck on Top, Random Tile Company on Bottom:

I then put all tiles on the table. My table is as flat as Hank Hill’s ***. One of the Random Tile Company tiles seemed to float a little. The Racedeck one lay flat. I applied a can of soda on a corner of each of the tiles on my table.

The Random Tile Company:

Racedeck:

DISCLAIMER:I will not reveal the brand of the Random Tile Company because I am not on here to trash brands. This is not an official consumer review. This is a review I did on my own accord and posted pictures as a result. I am in no way affiliated with either company.

I AM NOT A QUALITY CONTROL EXPERT. THESE ARE TWO SAMPLES OF A HUGE MARKET OF SAMPLES OUT THERE. THESE ARE ONLY TWO COMPANIES OF SEVERAL COMPANIES ON THE GARAGE TILE MARKET. I SIMPLY DID THIS TO DEMONSTRATE THE NEED TO COMPARE TILES BEFORE MAKING A PURCHASE. IF ANYONE DISAGREES WITH MY TESTING METHODS, THEY AREN'T UNIFORM TO INDUSTRY STANDARDS. I'M A GUY IN THE MEDICAL FIELD, NOT ENGINEERING.


I left Racedecks sticker on because I could not get it off. So sorry racedeck, you shall not remain anonymous; however, I doubt you will care

 

[SteveCh]

Excellent and fun review, thanks.


I have six golden retrievers. To date, there is no toy made they cannot and will not wreck in short time. Even the heavy-duty "indestructible" ones.

 

[scoobers]

Excellent and fun review, thanks.


I have six golden retrievers. To date, there is no toy made they cannot and will not wreck in short time. Even the heavy-duty "indestructible" ones.

Tell me about it. I've spent countless $$$ on toys for him. He rips a tennis ball in half in about 4 minutes. Nylabones don't last long either.

Thanks for the + feedback

 

[Dan Babb]

Great info.

Just curious...what's the cost difference between the two tiles?

 

[bdamico]

I seem to remember someone else doing one of these with side by side shots. Someone will post the link

edit: searched "tile comparison" and this was one of first threads that i remembered

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=114940&highlight=tile+comparison

 

[scoobers]

Great info.

Just curious...what's the cost difference between the two tiles?

It depends on where you get them. Remember, some places also offer a TGJ discount. I know for a fact race deck does because the owner frequently posts on here.

I seem to remember someone else doing one of these with side by side shots. Someone will post the link

edit: searched "tile comparison" and this was one of first threads that i remembered

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=114940&highlight=tile+comparison

Damn, I like that thread. I never saw it; however, I wanted to do some destruction testing due to people frequently inquiring about dropping stuff on it/can it hold up/etc.

I also wanted to do the snap/lock stability test. If one of those breaks, it leaves your tile elevated slightly in that spot.
Racedeck, through my discovery, showed that it can handle removal/snapping generously and will be forgiving if you need to take it apart and move

Thanks for posting up that link

 

[Garage Flooring]

You did a great job with this review, and you will never get an argument from me that Racedeck makes a quality product and does a good job marketing it. I do know who's brand this and I would say that I have mixed emotions about the 'nameless' review.

If a consumer has done an unbiased comparison of two products, I think both products should be named or it could create some fear in the mind of consumers about other quality products that were not the subject of this test.

I also think it is important to mention that laying flat is an important point, however a lot of that has to do with how the sample was stored before, during and after shipment. Any plastic product stored improperly can yield similar results.

In closing, as I would tell any customer of mine on the phone, I would never fault a customer for going with a competing, quality, American product.I commend you for taking the time to do the research on the products before making a purchase!

----
Added: I forgot to say. My 85 pound Lab / something was a rescue dog and chews through everything. Bully sticks are expensive and eventually he gets through it, but dollar for dollar, definitely a good buy!

 

[pmilin]

This review seems biased based on the outcome. Since Racedeck fared well its ok to specify their tile? This reminds me of TV commercials where you have the item being advertised versus the other "leading brand". If this was an actual unbiased review you should have no problem specifying the brands of all products in the review.

Don't get me wrong. I appreciate the effort you put forth in posting your results. I just think to be useful this review should state the brands involved.

Also, I think the maker of the "random brand" would question the test methods since I doubt the product was designed to be leaned up against a step and pounded on. Sure one product might fare better then another in a test like this but it tells me little about how the product will perform in its intended use. Did you actually drive on them? How about drop a hammer from a ladder or something like that.

 

[scoobers]

You did a great job with this review, and you will never get an argument from me that Racedeck makes a quality product and does a good job marketing it. I do know who's brand this and I would say that I have mixed emotions about the 'nameless' review.

If a consumer has done an unbiased comparison of two products, I think both products should be named or it could create some fear in the mind of consumers about other quality products that were not the subject of this test.

I also think it is important to mention that laying flat is an important point, however a lot of that has to do with how the sample was stored before, during and after shipment. Any plastic product stored improperly can yield similar results.

In closing, as I would tell any customer of mine on the phone, I would never fault a customer for going with a competing, quality, American product.I commend you for taking the time to do the research on the products before making a purchase!

----
Added: I forgot to say. My 85 pound Lab / something was a rescue dog and chews through everything. Bully sticks are expensive and eventually he gets through it, but dollar for dollar, definitely a good buy!

Thanks for the tip on the bully stick

I really didn't want to mention the other brand. This was done to show that you should obtain a sample before making a thousand plus dollar purchase
I was actually going to go with the nameless brand before ordering samples. I had it narrowed down. When the first sample came, I connected it and disconnected once and a snap lock broke off. That's when I was like "Comparative review time."

My review was amateur at best. I want to disclose I was trying to encourage others to obtain samples. Not go with a particular brand.

You don't even know how mad I'd be in five years when I plan to move and took apart the "Nameless" deck and half of the snap locks break!

Thanks for your input. You guys at GarageFlooringLLC are always classy and professional

This review seems biased based on the outcome. Since Racedeck fared well its ok to specify their tile? This reminds me of TV commercials where you have the item being advertised versus the other "leading brand". If this was an actual unbiased review you should have no problem specifying the brands of all products in the review.

Don't get me wrong. I appreciate the effort you put forth in posting your results. I just think to be useful this review should state the brands involved.

Also, I think the maker of the "random brand" would question the test methods since I doubt the product was designed to be leaned up against a step and pounded on. Sure one product might fare better then another in a test like this but it tells me little about how the product will perform in its intended use. Did you actually drive on them? How about drop a hammer from a ladder or something like that.

-It would be biased if I was encouraging others to buy racedeck. But I'm not.

-It would sound like one of those commercials if I was advocating for racedeck, but I'm not.

-I couldn't get the sticker off of the racedeck tile and didn't want to mess with it for 20 minutes. I left it on and began testing. If both products compared somewhat even, I would have named both; however, I am not naming the other product for reasons you stated... they usually don't undergo that rigorous of testing.

-My idea to do a comparative analysis(an amateur one at that) started when I assembled and disassembled nameless product once and it broke.

-I did hit it with a hammer. That seemed like a fair test... Say I am on the floor hammering something or one of my kids are... they miss the board and hit my tile. Oops, one crack(too many)

-The fact the snaplocks on nameless brand came off that easy were my initial turnoff

-As far as the bending, I've seen people on here try the over the knee method with some products. I chose the stair.


Once again, I'm not trying to steer anyone any certain way; however, obtain samples!!!!
Like GarageflooringLLC stated... There are MANY brands that are out there, and my review is in NO WAY to be taken as RD vs. ALL OTHERS. It was RD vs. One other sample. If you called distributors, I am sure they can steer you in the right direction and/or give you advice and samples for you to make a decision based on your liking

 

[bullnerd]

The surface finish alone is a deal breaker. That would be like sweeping bare concrete.

Nice review.

 

[dubber]

Very cool to see this review. BUT i do agree with a few people who mentioned above both parties of the "test" should be identified. Race Deck's quality is definitely evident throughout and even just through the close up pictures its obvious.

 

[scoobers]

The surface finish alone is a deal breaker. That would be like sweeping bare concrete.

Nice review.

Thanks

Very cool to see this review. BUT i do agree with a few people who mentioned above both parties of the "test" should be identified. Race Deck's quality is definitely evident throughout and even just through the close up pictures its obvious.

I did this review to encourage members to get samples.

I don't want to be a douche though, so I'll say that bdamico posted a link above where another member reviewed tiles. If you look closely.....................................

 

[Garage Flooring]

I could not agree more with your conclusion regarding samples. And thank you for the compliment. Even if a guy decides he trusts Brand X then he should get some samples of the different patterns and colors. If you throw all the questions about quality out (which I could never do, but some people...) I work off an Alienware m17x in a docking station with a high quality high res monitor. Both have been calibrated because I do a lot of design work.

I can take a photo in the raw format and have half on each screen and there is still a difference.

Add to that the need to compare different products, etc. Samples are a must!

 

[DRP6833]

Couldn't help but notice, but this is a molding defect. It's a "short shot," a result of the mold not filling completely.

 

[dandan111]

Great review. But I'm not sure i agree with the test. Are you comparing a luxury car to a compact? The race deck is by far the winner here but what tile are you comparing? A high end or low end alternative?

 

[cbracer]

Gotta jump on this bandwagon, yes the review sounded tainted and you wanted racedeck to win. List the brand of the other tile for starters.....

 

[scoobers]

Great review. But what tile are you comparing? A high end or low end alternative?

bdamico posted a link above where another member reviewed tiles. If you look closely.....................................

Gotta jump on this bandwagon, yes the review sounded tainted and you wanted racedeck to win. List the brand of the other tile for starters.....

bdamico posted a link above where another member reviewed tiles. If you look closely.....................................

I made this post above, but I'll say it again:
For the record, I had my choice narrowed down to two choices. I was originally going to go with the other brand; however, decided to obtain another sample to compare it to.
Initially, I assembled the first set of tiles and they snapped upon disconnection... in two places.
I decided to do an amateur comparative analysis with my two samples.

There are tons of different samples I could have chosen. If I were to say RACEDECK is the best ever, I would be statistically incorrect d/t my he-man test methods, small sample size(with only two tiles from each company), small company sample size(I only used two companies).

If I were to do a quality test, I would need several samples, do more methodical testing, etc.


I made this post above, but I'll say it again:
THIS TEST WAS TO DEMONSTRATE SOME THINGS I NOTICED WHILE COMPARING SAMPLES.
MY EMPHASIS IS TO COMPARE TILES BEFORE MAKING A SELECTION. GRAB TEN SAMPLES IF YOU WANT!

I only grabbed two samples. I found what I was looking for.

To answer your question DANDAN11, the two tiles were comparative in price with a $.50 cent difference.




Please read the thread and replies before asking what tile brand. I'm not here to trash anyone because my testing method was amateur at best. I could have gotten a couple of bad tiles. Who knows. I'm not a quality control guy.

 

[dandan111]

Gotcha. Good test and looks like 50 cents savings is a nice comparison. I have wondered about some of the cheaper tiles.

 

[scoobers]

Gotcha. Good test and looks like 50 cents savings is a nice comparison. I have wondered about some of the cheaper tiles.

It is weird too because a lot of the tiles online look almost identical! You can see the side by side comparison.

From vendor pictures, I said "They are the same thing, I'll just order product x for a few hundred dollars cheaper." But I was reading other reviews where reputable members on this site were emphasizing obtaining samples. I was wowed by the difference.

 

[dandan111]

Yes,even in your pictures they look close to the same but up close and it shows a big difference!

 

[Cobra Jet]

IMO, the review of the tiles (regardless of brand) was excellent from the point being - try to get samples of the product you are thinking of buying or installing, rather than just buying based on price or other online peer reviews of said products.

Often times, folks buy a product solely on reviews, but suppose that product does not meet their specific needs or does not perform to THEIR expectations - then you have a consumer that bought X merely because Persons X, Y and Z touted it to be awesome in their eyes (but were not abusing or using the product to its max performance).

Sure, tiles are not meant to be laid up against steps and jumped on for a "stress test", however, would you all argue the same if the OP had each brand of tile on his garage floor and dropped say an engine head or engine block on either for a test that *may have* produced similar results (tile creasing or weakness of plastic)??

I believe his review was very good in demonstrating:

1) don't go by only peer reviews (ie: "this is a great product") without actual visual aids (such as what was demonstrated between two brands here)

2) if at all possible, contact whatever companies and request some samples for actual comparative analysis

3) just because there are multiple products available, performance, quality and pricing vary for many reasons

4) what and how Person A uses Brand X may not be applicable to or meet the same standards as Person B's use (or in some cases, abuse). For instance, with garage flooring, some folks are just parking their show car on it, while others are utilizing the floor in a more demanding manner such as actual mechanical work, dropping things on it, dragging things across it, leaking fluids onto it etc., all reviews are subjective. The purchase should be made based on HOW YOU will actually use the product, not how others are using it.

Great thread, regardless if it was a comparison between garage tiles or X...

 

[Jeff]

I was the one that did a review of interlocking floor tiles back in 2011: http://garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=114940

As others have said, you should have named the other tile company. In my comparison, I listed all the tiles I received, including the ones I paid for and the ones I received free as samples.

Your review is biased towards one tile company and not a true representation of other companies products.

 

[scoobers]

I was the one that did a review of interlocking floor tiles back in 2011: http://garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=114940

As others have said, you should have named the other tile company. In my comparison, I listed all the tiles I received, including the ones I paid for and the ones I received free as samples.

Your review is biased towards one tile company and not a true representation of other companies products.

You obviously didn't read the whole thread



Would be biased if I was encouraging a product purchase instead of ascertaining samples. As I've stated.... about 15 times now


And I saw your thread after mine was made. Nice work! I wish I had the resources to do your type of review

What tile company did you end up going with Jeff?

 

[holland_patrick]

Just saying

 

[Rockuf8]

Just saying

 

[scoobers]

Thank You Patrick !!!!!!!!

Keep in mind, I never mentioned it

 

[holland_patrick]

Yep you never did

 

[bdamico]

Now that all has been revealed, floor junkies is going to be very upset with you.

 

[NWphotog]

Maybe it is just me but I thought the unnamed tile came out ahead in several of the tests.

 

[bdamico]

Maybe it is just me but I thought the unnamed tile came out ahead in several of the tests.

Maybe I'm confused but I thought the whole point of this thread was that Scoobers was saying that Racedeck is better than Floor Junkies coin top?

 

[Cryptic1911]

Now that all has been revealed, floor junkies is going to be very upset with you.

If they are that upset about their product not holding up, then they need to make a better product. Period

 

[bdamico]

If they are that upset about their product not holding up, then they need to make a better product. Period

Fixed my post.

 

[Jeff]

It's confusing to me why you wouldn't mention "the other tile" in your review?

Since you were able to get these tiles for free why didn't you ask other manufacturers for samples as well and subject them to the same tests?

On the other hand, this thread is giving Race Deck some great exposure.

 

[scottydosnntkno]

while the tests do show varying results, as someone who works partially in the injection mold/plastics industry these tests are extremely skewed in their scope.

plastic parts are designed for a particular function. In this case supporting vertical static and dynamic loads. They are not designed to be bent in half (stair stepping), have the tabs bent when disconnected, or hit with a hammer.

When you say the hammer hit was "scooberstrength" i would take that to mean as hard as you can. What are the chances of that actually happening in real life? Is your kid going to hit the floor as hard as they can when they "miss" hitting an object? Can they really hit as hard as you, a full grown adult?

To me, the clipped together picture appears to show brand x as having much tighter gaps between the tiles than racedeck.

While a good comparison, the actual testing methods have almost no basis in the real life application and practical use of the tiles.

lastly, the "broken" grey tab is a short shot in the mold. yes that little piece in the middle cracked but the tab as a whole was a short shot. That tile shouldn't have made it through QC for a sample, but would be perfectly fine in real life in a floor as there are 5+ other tabs on that side.

 

[scoobers]

Maybe I'm confused but I thought the whole point of this thread was that Scoobers was saying that Racedeck is better than Floor Junkies coin top?

I seriously hope you are trolling...

I really didn't want to mention the other brand. This was done to show that you should obtain a sample before making a thousand plus dollar purchase
I was actually going to go with the nameless brand before ordering samples.
My review was amateur at best. I want to disclose I was trying to encourage others to obtain samples. Not go with a particular brand.





-My idea to do a comparative analysis(an amateur one at that) started when I assembled and disassembled nameless product once and it broke.




Once again, I'm not trying to steer anyone any certain way; however, obtain samples!!!!
Like GarageflooringLLC stated... There are MANY brands that are out there, and my review is in NO WAY to be taken as RD vs. ALL OTHERS. It was RD vs. One other sample. If you called distributors, I am sure they can steer you in the right direction and/or give you advice and samples for you to make a decision based on your liking

I did this review to encourage members to get samples.

I made this post above, but I'll say it again:
For the record, I had my choice narrowed down to two choices. I was originally going to go with the other brand; however, decided to obtain another sample to compare it to.
Initially, I assembled the first set of tiles and they snapped upon disconnection... in two places.
I decided to do an amateur comparative analysis with my two samples.

There are tons of different samples I could have chosen. If I were to say RACEDECK is the best ever, I would be statistically incorrect d/t my he-man test methods, small sample size(with only two tiles from each company), small company sample size(I only used two companies).

If I were to do a quality test, I would need several samples, do more methodical testing, etc.


I made this post above, but I'll say it again:
THIS TEST WAS TO DEMONSTRATE SOME THINGS I NOTICED WHILE COMPARING SAMPLES.
MY EMPHASIS IS TO COMPARE TILES BEFORE MAKING A SELECTION. GRAB TEN SAMPLES IF YOU WANT!

I only grabbed two samples. I found what I was looking for.






Please read the thread and replies before asking what tile brand. I'm not here to trash anyone because my testing method was amateur at best. I could have gotten a couple of bad tiles. Who knows. I'm not a quality control guy.

But I was reading other reviews where reputable members on this site were emphasizing obtaining samples. I was wowed by the difference.

Would be biased if I was encouraging a product purchase instead of ascertaining samples. As I've stated.... about 15 times now

 

[scoobers]

It's confusing to me why you wouldn't mention "the other tile" in your review?

Since you were able to get these tiles for free why didn't you ask other manufacturers for samples as well and subject them to the same tests?

On the other hand, this thread is giving Race Deck some great exposure.

I didn't want to bash another company to my "amateur testing" methods.

Obtain Samples.

You, sir, did an excellent review. You obtained several samples, and paid for them. I would almost bet you were an engineering professional because of your methodical testing methods. If anyone wants a good review, check out Jeff's review.

 

[scoobers]

When you say the hammer hit was "scooberstrength" i would take that to mean as hard as you can. What are the chances of that actually happening in real life? Is your kid going to hit the floor as hard as they can when they "miss" hitting an object? Can they really hit as hard as you, a full grown adult?

I took all of my "Fun" posts out because too many jimmies are rustled.

But to answer your question, I do engine swaps and mechanical work on the side. Accidents happen(Rarely), but they do happen.

If I were to drop something heavy on it, I would not want it to dent.

 

[Jeff]

I didn't want to bash another company to my "amateur testing" methods.

Obtain Samples.

You, sir, did an excellent review. You obtained several samples, and paid for them. I would almost bet you were an engineering professional because of your methodical testing methods. If anyone wants a good review, check out Jeff's review.

On the contrary, I am EMT-P, turned ER/Trauma RN, turned Trauma NP. Currently semi-retired, teaching the newbies how to save lives.

 

[got2boostit2]

Really.....OP thanks for taking the time to compile and post the information for me to review. Helps save some time. I'm a visual kind of guy and love to see good images.
Again thanks for taking the time to compile and post.

 

[scoobers]

On the contrary, I am EMT-P, turned ER/Trauma RN, turned Trauma NP. Currently semi-retired, teaching the newbies how to save lives.

Small world Jeff... I am a Cardiac-Thoracic Surgery RN

Really.....OP thanks for taking the time to compile and post the information for me to review. Helps save some time. I'm a visual kind of guy and love to see good images.
Again thanks for taking the time to compile and post.

Hell yea, me too man
Get some samples from a few companies. Most are willing to send you a free sample or two. Play with them and snap/unsnap them to determine which one best suits your needs