Film handler

[Devil with bad attitude]

Guys,

I'd really like to have as much feedback on the use and purchase of this flat glass tinting accessory you can muster.

I'm looking at buying a 72" unit but I'd hate to go to all this trouble of buying it and not find it is perhaps as good and useful as some of you say. It's a long way to Florida to make an erred decision based over the net and from what I've seen in a brochure.

Specifically, does it wear in any areas?

Is it too much of a chore to set up on site or is it better to have it at the factory on a bench?

Is it's accuracy 100%...... especially slitting in a perfect straight line down and cutting it off horizontally at 90 degrees?

Is it cumbersome off a ladder and what height should that ladder be?

Can it be used off a customer's floor?

What savings does it provide?

Anything else go for it.

Devil

[TintDude]

Specifically, does it wear in any areas?

From what ive seen, nope.

Is it too much of a chore to set up on site or is it better to have it at the factory on a bench?

It depends on the size of the job. If you have a few hundred lites to fit, you'll be glad you have it. It takes a little while to set it up...we mount it on an aluminum 2 foot ladder.

If you are doing a house with various sized windows...leave it at the shop.

Is it's accuracy 100%...... especially slitting in a perfect straight line down and cutting it off horizontally at 90 degrees?

Slitting is pretty good, but you need to make sure the blades aren't moving. As for the 90 degree cut The one we use has nothing for sideways cuts, we just chop it off with the olfa.

Is it cumbersome off a ladder and what height should that ladder be?

Yes

2 feet

Can it be used off a customer's floor?

No

What savings does it provide?

You can save alot of time on big jobs that have all the windows the same size.

[RICHat22]

What TD said. He's exactly right all the way. I like them for auto cutting front strips. For lots of same sized flat glasses in flat's, It's f'ing awesome. And once you are used to using it, The vertical slits are really good and the 90 degree ones can be laid against the edge with an olfa like he said, There is a striaght edge to guide you by. Good luck and enjoy your new found toy. If you have the $650 or whatever it costs, git-r-done

[Guest Blade]

I've got a 72" film handler and I could never see taking it out on site with me. I've got it mounted to my cutting table. It's a dream for me. I do all the estimates and know all the sizes are correct, and when a job is sold I use it to precut everything. It makes installation time so much quicker. I used to always cut the film on-site. No more.....unless windows are added, which happens alot.

It also saves on film in the long run. Cutting film on site can be a waste due to inaccuracy of pulls. You always want to pull alittle extra to make sure it isn't short. My filmhandler on my table eliminates that problem. If the window is 57" tall.....I cut it 57.5" or 58" tall. No more....pull a couple inches extra bullshiat. I would recommend getting one....I couldn't imagine work without mine.

[Devil with bad attitude]

Ta for all the good tips.

A couple of concerns since reading the replies.

From TD..........Most of my windows are nearly all varied when it comes to domestic. This is the norm. At a guess even commercial vary that much and I'm never going to get a job that has the same pane of glass 20 times over.

I don't get many large flat glass jobs that involves hundreds of sq.ft.

From TD again....I thought that once the film was pulled out, it was a feature of the machine to be able to cut the film off at a perfect right angle thereby eliminating the need for 2 cuts. This I take it is not so. That would have been particularly helpfull when doing security film.

Cumbersome? I don't like that idea.

From Blade........A couple of inches here and there is personally no big deal for me in film cost as I always get absolute top dollar that even my compatriots can't believe I get.

Mainly what I wanted it for was to prepare film with 2 cuts perfectly and 1/2" oversize going down the pane. Makes it far easier than having a huge overlay that gets in the way which is going to be junked to the floor anyway.

Maybe a few more opinions will come along when the sun comes up. At the moment, I'm a bit pointed the way of the old without the tool.

Cheeers and thanks heaps for the advice.

Good on ya.

devil

[Guest metint]

Dev,

Td pretty much covered it all, but I can add this...

From TD..........Most of my windows are nearly all varied when it comes to domestic. This is the norm. At a guess even commercial vary that much and I'm never going to get a job that has the same pane of glass 20 times over.

I don't get many large flat glass jobs that involves hundreds of sq.ft.

This kind of work I found it best to cut tabletop prior to arrival. Or out of the box... I currently have an out the box cutting tool in the hands of a maker... they are still questioning whether it'll work and sell... I won't see any movement until the end of this year, if at all. So sloppy cuts from the box it will be until...

From TD again....I thought that once the film was pulled out, it was a feature of the machine to be able to cut the film off at a perfect right angle thereby eliminating the need for 2 cuts. This I take it is not so. That would have been particularly helpfull when doing security film.

They offer 1/8 inch and 1/4 inch stabilizing shims to remedy any shifting of the film as it's pulled downward. They are designed to barely slip onto the film core and rest up against the wound film edge... does it cut perfect 90 degrees I haven't even looked at that. I help Filmhandler with this shim concept 2-3 years back while trying to solve it here at CPF. Called Brent and found they had the same thought, but was missing the stable feature. That is the part I gave to them. It works very well to keep the side cut straight. If you are looking for 90 degree, you always attach a "L" strip of thin aluminum to the handler cutting rule to ensure line up before cutting.

Cumbersome?? I don't like that idea.

I have used it on 6 foot (2m) ladder... not safe as recommended by them using a single bolt and a single ladder, especially the 72 inch. Best mounted on two ladders, this makes set even more cumbersome at the job site. I have a 60 and a 72 wall-mount at the CPF training center.

Mainly what I wanted it for was to prepare film with 2 cuts perfectly and 1/2" oversize going down the pane. Makes it far easier than having a huge overlay that gets in the way which is going to be junked to the floor anyway.

If you buy it, try the "L" shape, attached strip previouly mentioned.

Finally... the only thing I have witnessed in wear is the measure markings on the ruler wears off over many years of use. I switched out a new 72 inch for a used 60 inch a couple years ago with a nearby dealer and his 60 inch ruler's markings are hard to read.

I have also seen this handler item mounted to a table...

[Tinitman]

I have had mine for six years now. I am thinking of getting another, The guys take it every place they go. They do not set it up at every site.

They do cut right angles, eliminating a few cuts here and there. I have found that we do not use as much film using the Filmhandler.

Commercial jobs it is a must, it does speed up time cutting. Most of the windows are the same size.

Residential, is a little different. Most times, the guys will cut everything at the site prior to installing. This way, they can adjust the blade for the different sizes.

I do not see how it would be combersome. You have a 6' step, and mount it to the top. Once that is done, you are off installing

[Guest pmuzik]

we use it fairly often but not on anything under a 100 or so sq.ft as far as 90 degree cuts it's pretty close. we made our own shims out of drywall bucket lids, we put it on top of a 6' ladder and use an adjustable paint roller extention handle under one end to stabilize it a bit when we are cutting heavier rolls of safety film and such it takes the wobble out of it and fits right in the box we built for it. A worthwhile and necessary investment IMO for flat glass

[Devil with bad attitude]

I really appreciate the comments from those of you in the field.

The other alternative I've been considering is getting a straight edge made up that would protrude out of the box whilst on the floor so that when I pull out the film, it can be cut on a metal edge instead of against the fairly ordinary box edge.

Make a size for each box. ie. 3,4,5 foot wide and say a 7" deep bit of aluminium.

The only problem with that concept is the knife cannot be put anywhere along the edge to splice. Also core ends tend to come out of the box as you pull the film out especially as it gets close to the end of the film left on the roll. I haven't come up with a fix for that except to use masking tape on the cores to the box ends. Not good.

Devil

[Guest metint]

I really appreciate the comments from those of you in the field.

The other alternative I've been considering is getting a straight edge made up that would protrude out of the box whilst on the floor so that when I pull out the film, it can be cut on a metal edge instead of against the fairly ordinary box edge.

Make a size for each box. ie. 3,4,5 foot wide and say a 7" deep bit of aluminium.

The only problem with that concept is the knife cannot be put anywhere along the edge to splice. Also core ends tend to come out of the box as you pull the film out especially as it gets close to the end of the film left on the roll. I haven't come up with a fix for that except to use masking tape on the cores to the box ends. Not good.

Devil

I use to take something, stuff it between core and box and that would stabilize and wedge the roll so as not to lift out whilst cutting.

Also, I never have used the box edge for slitting... I place the bottom of the film box into an upside down top of the film box and poke the knife blad into the box side for placement. A piece of tape above the blade and one to mask down the knife's butt and VOILA... I'm off to slit.

With a strip of 'U' shape aluminum strip with 90 degree edges placed on one box edge, preferably the side the knife blade pierces the box to aid in it staying put, I can now have straight cuts from the box.

You only need a 72 inch strip. To fit a 36 inch box simply slit the corner of the box far enough down to slip on the aluminum strip. Sure there will be excess sticking out the ends, but it still cuts. You just need not trip over it.