Cheap Tubes vs. ACS Material
If you searched for Cheap Tubes and saw a competitor’s ad on our name promising a “Lowest Price Guarantee,” we invite you to check that claim. Below is a straight, verifiable comparison of the two suppliers for carbon nanotubes, graphene and graphene oxide. Every figure can be confirmed on each company’s own website.
The ad that prompted this page
ACS Material is running paid Google ads against searches for our brand name — including the exact query “cheaptubes.com” — under a “Lowest Price Guarantee” headline. We think buyers deserve to see how the two suppliers actually compare, starting with the very claim that ad makes.
Who is Cheap Tubes?
Cheap Tubes Inc. has supplied research-grade carbon nanomaterials from Vermont, USA since 2005. For 21 years we have done one thing: make and supply high-quality carbon nanotubes, graphene and related nanomaterials to universities, national laboratories, and R&D teams worldwide. We are not a broad-line reseller adding nanomaterials to a catalog — carbon nanomaterials are our entire business, and our customers’ published results are our reputation. Cheap Tubes was founded by Mike Foley, president, who leads the company to this day.
Side by side
| What matters to researchers | Cheap Tubes | ACS Material |
|---|---|---|
| In business since | 2005 — 21 years, carbon nanomaterials only | 2011 |
| Published specifications & characterization data | Published — full specifications plus representative XPS, Raman, FTIR, TGA, AFM & C:O data; TDS + SDS with every order | Specifications on product pages |
| Specification guarantee | Yes — meets the published spec or we replace it or refund you | None stated |
| Graphene oxide pricing* | From $90/g | From $135 |
| MWCNT pricing at volume* | Down to under $1/g | From $120/g |
| Specialty CNTs | Deep range — functionalized, graphitized, helical & short CNTs | Limited range |
| Volume / tonnage capability | Yes — research grams to production tonnage | Primarily research quantities |
| Based in | United States (Vermont) | United States (California) |
If you want the best carbon nanomaterials — fully specified, guaranteed to spec, openly priced, from a team that has done only this for 21 years — that’s us. And on the one thing their ad claims, price, the table above shows who actually wins.
What we make that broad-line suppliers don’t
Because carbon nanomaterials are all we do, our range goes deeper than a general catalog:
Carbon nanotubes
Single- and multi-walled, plus a full functionalized library (COOH, OH, NH₂, N-doped), graphitized MWCNTs, helical CNTs, and short CNTs for dispersion-sensitive work.
Graphene & graphene oxide
Graphene oxide and reduced GO in multiple grades, graphene nanoplatelets, and CVD graphene films — each with published characterization.
Industrial & composite
CNT masterbatches and composite additives, conductive inks, and tonnage-scale supply for production, not just the research bench.
Proprietary lines
Flexiphene surfactant sheets and engineered nanocomposites you will not find in a general materials catalog.
What makes a quality nanomaterials supplier
A “lowest price” headline tells you nothing about whether the material will work in your study. Independent surveys of commercial graphene have repeatedly found wide variation in flake size, layer count and purity between suppliers — which means reproducibility, not the sticker price, is what protects your grant and your publication. Here is what actually matters, and it is exactly where we compete:
1. Published specifications and characterization data
Insist on real data — XPS, Raman, FTIR, TGA, AFM and C:O ratios — not just a one-line generic datasheet. We publish full specifications and representative characterization data, and ship a TDS and SDS with every order.
2. A specification guarantee
If the material does not meet its published spec, you should get a replacement or a refund. We guarantee that. Ask any supplier whether they will put the same in writing.
3. Transparent pricing
Prices should be visible, not hidden behind a slogan. Ours are listed, with an instant quote in the cart and real volume pricing.
4. The ability to scale
Many suppliers stop at research grams. We take you from a few grams of validation material to production tonnage of the same, characterized product.
5. Experience that shows up in your results
Twenty-one years of supplying researchers means our materials appear in a large body of peer-reviewed work. Consistency over two decades is hard to fake and impossible to buy with ad spend.
Independently verified: we lead the category
Across our tracked market keyword set, third-party SEO data ranks Cheap Tubes the #1 most-visible supplier in the category, above 50% visibility — ahead of much larger names — and we hold the #1 organic position for high-intent searches such as “best SWCNT supplier” and “99.5 purity SWCNT.” Researchers find us because, for two decades, our materials have performed in their work.
A note to competitors
We have no problem being compared — we welcome it, because the facts favor our customers. Bidding on the Cheap Tubes name and trademark is a different matter. We monitor brand bidding and trademark use continuously, and we respond with a public comparison like this one, with trademark complaints to Google where our mark appears in ad copy, and by competing harder on the only things that matter to a researcher — quality, data, price, and 21 years of doing right by them. Compete with us on the merits. You will find that the harder game.
Questions buyers ask
- Is Cheap Tubes a good alternative to ACS Material?
- Yes — for carbon nanotubes, graphene and graphene oxide, Cheap Tubes is a direct, lower-cost, fully-characterized alternative, in business since 2005.
- Is Cheap Tubes cheaper than ACS Material?
- At volume, yes. Our graphene oxide starts around $90/g and our MWCNT pricing falls below $1/g at volume; ACS lists graphene oxide from about $135 and MWCNT from about $120/g (publicly listed prices as of June 2026 — confirm current pricing on each site).
- Does Cheap Tubes provide characterization data and a guarantee?
- Yes — full published specifications plus representative XPS, Raman, FTIR, TGA and AFM data, a TDS + SDS with every order, and a guarantee that material meets its published specification or is replaced or refunded.
- What carbon nanomaterials does Cheap Tubes supply?
- SWCNTs and MWCNTs, functionalized/graphitized/helical/short CNTs, graphene oxide and rGO, graphene nanoplatelets, CVD graphene films, fullerenes, MXene, silver nanowires, nano inks, Flexiphene sheets and engineered nanocomposites.
Compare us for yourself
See full specs, published characterization data, and live pricing — or ask us anything.
Browse Cheap Tubes →*Representative pricing shown for illustration; confirm current pricing on each supplier’s website. Comparison reflects publicly available information as of June 2026. Company names and trademarks are the property of their respective owners; this comparison is provided for informational purposes.