Rhino Liner Vs Line X – Which One is the Best?

Trucks are heavy-duty machines that are aesthetic and purposeful at the same time. We buy trucks to be able to haul cargo, travel long distances, and go through unfriendly terrains. This means that the truck bed goes through a lot. Forget just scratches and dents here. We have seen truck beds absolutely ruined due to harsh weather conditions, fading, and corrosion.
This is why we recommend a bed liner.
Now, with so many options out there, you are bound to get confused. But don’t worry! We shall speak about the most common types of bed liners today and compare the two most popular ones.
Rhino Liner Vs Line X
Spray-on bed liners and drop-in bed liners are the two common liners but the prior rule the roost. They are more reliable and protective while being easy to apply. But this is not where it ends. When you look for spray-on bed liners, you will find Line X and Rhino Liner. These are the two most sought after products, and it is easy to get confused because they are both good. How do you choose then? You compare!
Rhino liner
Rhino liner has been in the market for over 30 years now. Once you spray the lining, you will notice that it is thick and rubbery. Many users absolutely love this feeling. Why? Because it will be easier to move cargo, and you won’t pressure your knee while you jump up and down the truck bed.
The thickness has another, our favorite, advantage as well. It minimizes noise greatly. So during the hauling process, you will barely hear anything. It also has the ability to keep things stable. Together, your hauling and movement experiences are elevated.
Now, if you come to the aesthetics, rhino liner can disappoint you. It makes for a dull appearance, to be honest. Moreover, the softness and rubbery nature of the lining affects its resistance to tearing. So, you can’t really expect it to work for you for years together. It will start showing the effects of wear and tear sooner than you would like. Also, it is not really water-resistant.
Line X
Line X is also a premium brand, and its biggest selling point is the opposite of Rhino Liner! Line X is known for being thin. The spray-on liner is applied through a high-pressure system in high temperatures. The resultant is a thin layer that measures around ¼ inches. It is also uniform and evenly spread.
Since it is thin, it can easily conform to the contours of the truck. That is why the final appearance is just like its factory appearance – shiny and nice!
Another important point here is the finish of the lining. Line X is usually rough and hard. So, it is not going to feel great on your knees. You may also hurt yourself. The rough surface can also cause damages to your cargo if the road is uneven and bumpy. So, if you usually transport wooden items, we strictly advise you to do away with Line X.
But, it will offer superior resistance to tearing, and that’s an important quality as well.
Rhino Liner vs Line X – Direct comparison
Now that we know the basics of each of these spray-on liners, let’s go deeper and discuss the finer points through a direct comparison:
- Performance: Both Rhino Liner and Line X use the same chemicals. But, there are certain differences in their performance. While Rhino Liner is soft, Line X is rough. The prior is easy on the cargo, but the latter offers more protection. Both have the capacity to minimize noise, but Line X also has the capacity to protect from water and tear for a longer period of time. Don’t forget, though, that the roughness of Line X can be damaging to your cargo.
- Installation: Installation usually costs the same, but the price may go up or down depending on what you need. Color matching, surface spraying, etc. can add to your costs.
- Warranty: Rhino Liner comes with a limited lifetime warranty while Line X comes with an unlimited warranty. Here, you should note that even if you buy them from third-party vendors, you will still enjoy the warranty because most sellers are offering it. Needless to say, you should stay away from sellers who don’t offer any.
Rhino Liner vs Line X – Which one is the best?
Now is the time to address the main question. Which one must you go for? Which one is the best DIY liner? Well, whether you like it or not, the ball’s actually back in your court!
This is because it all comes down to personal preference. What type of cargo do you ferry usually? If the answer is wood, then you must choose the Rhino Liner. If you carry other types of cargo that are safe during travel and you don’t have to worry about the surface much, you can choose Line X. If water-resistance and tear-resistance are more important, please go with Line X. If you think a softer and rubbery feel trumps everything, then Rhino Liner is your answer.
The bottom line is that both these liners have their ups and downs. Neither of them wins. Compare and choose based on your preferences.
We hope this article helped you mitigate all the confusion about spray-on liners and enabled you to make the right choice. If you still have questions, please feel free to ask us through comments.
This is a great review on both products. I work for a Line-X franchise and I can say that this review is pretty accurate. Two major things that I would add onto is the lifetime warranty and the quality of the bed liner installer.
1. Lifetime warranty- Line-X is a franchise owned stores. Meaning that we are visited regularly by corp personal. But the biggest part that would tie in with the warranty is that if we have a truck that was sprayed at a different location and it needed a repair (warranty), we file a claim on behalf of the customer, do the repair work, and we get paid by Line-X corp for doing the repair. So we really don’t mind doing the repair as usually it is very quick and Line-X pays us well for doing it. Rhino locations are individually owned and are not associated with any type of franchise so if there is a repair that needs to be done, you are at the mercy of that shop that is willing to take their own time and material to do the repair. Hopefully you run into a shop that is willing to do the work without charging you for their time in doing the repair.
2. The quality of the bed liner installer. This is really TRUE!!! I have seen some Line-X sprays and I would be embarrassed if that came out of our shop. The good news for our shop is that every Line-X bedliner should have a warranty tag that also states the shop that the bed liner was sprayed at. But it still hurts Line-X as some customers may think that the bedliner is suppose to look like that and may steer them away from us and go to our competitor. I would HIGHLY recommend that you call the location that you want to get your truck sprayed and set a time to visit them and their work. Typically if you go towards the afternoon, they should have a truck that they just sprayed so that you can view how the installer sprays and how their texture is. You can also request to go heavier or lighter on the texture but more importantly, just look at the bedliner and see if you like the looks and feel. Look for overspray (we call it blow out in our shop since Line-X gets all over the place and typically there might be a tear in the sheeting that would cause the Line-X to blow into the tear and onto the truck’s paint). Look for their lines, are they straight and clean. If you don’t like the way it comes out but still want Line-X (why should you want something else?), than visit another location and repeat. At first, I was also advising potential customers to see how clean the shop is as this would say something about the crew but lately we have been swamped and cleaning up the shop has been a challenge without either staying after hours (now paying for overtime) or delaying customers from getting their truck back quickly. But also the shop should not be completely filthy either.
I am not completely convinced that Line-X and Rhino lining is the same chemical composition as this article states because in this same article, the author states that Line-X is stronger. If they are the same product, than they both would have the same “strength”. Line-X has been doing bedliners for over 25 years and they continue to improve. They do have labs with chemist that continue to develop better products and applications.
Thank you for your interest and sharing your thoughts here. We value such inputs from the professionals like you. As per your guidance and after making a little bit more research on the products, we have changed that part. Thanks for the contribution!
Well I must have gotten a bad shop then but it was set up by the dealership it chipped in 2 different places and they said it wasn’t covered under the warranty I have that says it was not until after I called someone at line-x direct that they finally fixed it at no charge but both patches look like crap. Looks like a bad silicone job.
It’s all about the person that applies it. I had Line-X put on locally and it was paper thin. I drove 50 miles to another shop for another vehicle and it was 1/8″ thick. They have a meter that can tell how thick it was applied, check after the job to make sure it was put on thick enough.
Absolutely right, Bon. Thank you for sharing your experience.
It was really nice how you emphasized that the process of installation of rhino liners vary depending on the type of installer used in the vehicle. I don’t really know much about these sorts of things, however, I’m researching because my younger brother asked me to. It seems as though he’s in search of a good dealer to provide quality rhino linings to protect the vehicle he’s using for his business. Thanks a lot! I’ll be sure to let him know about this.
No sources, this is just a plug for line-x
Persephone, this is from the warranty on the rhino liner website. This warranty
is applicable only to pickup trucks equipped with original
equipment truck beds and original equipment paint, which are
sold to individuals and are used solely for personal, noncommercial
use. This warranty is made only to the original Rhino
Linings® purchaser and is NOT TRANSFERABLE.
I was directed to this site when I called about my liner tearing on my 5 month old truck. Basically told me that if I was loading wood into my truck I should use additional protection.
My Rhino liner is nearly 18 years old and holding up well. Its dirty, but in good shape.
Had Line-X installed by Line-X of Fayetteville Georgia. Sam and Kevin did an excellent job. Lining was installed uniformly with no over spray.
I found myself reading the article with the voice of Apu from “The Simpsons”!!!