How to judge a finished LED mirror: "would you buy what you made?"

The end of Arena do Vidro EP1 was the moment of truth. An hour and a half of break-out, vinyl, sandblasting, edging, LED and touch button, and both Hello Kitty mirrors landed in front of the panel. The judges weren't joking around.

Their scoring works as a checklist for any glass shop that delivers LED mirrors. Because the customer will look at the mirror the same way: comparing it with what they ordered. In this post I lay out what the panel judged and how to use it before you deliver yours.

1. Faithfulness to the model: outline and size

The first critique was the harshest. Rui looked at the mirror and said the only thing that matched the model was the cut, and the machine had made the cut. Even the outline measurement was off. The outer size, the width of the blasted band, everything was compared with the original.

In a glass shop, the model is the design the customer approved. Outer size, shape and the position of every element have to match. What the machine cuts comes out like the drawing; whatever depends on the hand needs checking.

2. The frosted band: width and reach

The sandblasted band was one of the most discussed points. One judge praised how far the band reached on one of the mirrors, but noted that with a little less band and the full drawing, it would look more like the model. A band that's too wide, too narrow or uneven is the first thing the eye catches on an LED mirror, because that's where the light comes through.

3. Details: touch button, bow, finish

• Touch button: on one of the mirrors, the panel agreed the button was too big.
• Drawing details: according to Rui, one contestant's Hello Kitty bow looked painted on.
• Faithfulness to the brief: Pet praised the mirror that had the kitty's bow and whiskers, closer to the model.
• Lighting: one contestant admitted that, short on time, his lighting would come out a bit darker than he'd make it with more time.

4. Process and deadline

It wasn't all criticism. Pet said that, given it was a manual process, one of the mirrors came out quite nice. And he acknowledged that, with all the rush and nerves, both delivered on time. In real life, hitting the deadline is part of quality too. But it doesn't save a badly made mirror.

5. Vinícius's question

Vinícius always starts his evaluation with the same question: "Would you buy what you made?". One contestant answered that, to sell it, he'd improve quite a few things, and that he'd take the criticism as a lesson. The other was even more direct: honestly, he wouldn't buy his own mirror.

That question is the best quality control there is. Before you pack it, look at the mirror as if you were paying for it. If the answer is no, it doesn't leave the shop.

On the scoreboard, the panel gave Rômulo 7.5 and Janael 6. And the episode winner earned the right to smash his rival's mirror.

What did the judges evaluate on the EP1 LED mirror?

Faithfulness to the model (outline and size), the width and reach of the frosted band, the touch button size, drawing details like the bow, and the overall result. Vinícius's final question was whether they'd buy what they made.

Who won the EP1 judging?

Rômulo, with 7.5, against Janael's 6.

How should you check an LED mirror before delivering it?

Compare it with the approved design, check the frosted band, the touch button and the lighting switched on, and ask Vinícius's question: would you buy this mirror?

The full EP1 is on the episode page. If you think your mirror would pass the panel, applications for the next Arena season are open here on the site.

Full episode 1 · The Arena do Vidro judges · How to cut a mirror into shapes

Episode 1