Help for a Homeowner !

Cuttingedge · September 28, 2006

This is turning out to be a pi$$ing contest....lol

blade · September 28, 2006

it's my fault...I'll take blame for it. I just wanted him to know there were many options out there. :finger: I'm to blame for the thread hijack.

September 28, 2006

:finger: Who gave it the 1 star rating? Come on we put in pictures and everythig! It's a good thread. :shoot1

smfguy I go through Sac about once a week. I would help ya out even if I'm not the one selling you the film. :bingo

TINT · September 28, 2006

so this pirate walks in this bar :finger:

September 28, 2006

okay buddy whatever you say. all I mainly install is dry...I'm just saying you make more out of it than it is. next we're gonna have customers asking for a certain type of adhesive along with a certain type of film.

I am the OP here. Yes, after reading all these messages I probably am going to request the dry film rather than PS adhesive. And hopefully getting more information here will lead me to request a certain type of film. Isn't that the whole point of my getting information here??

One question which no one has answered for me is: how is the salesman who is going to come to my house going to determine the proper film to use given my sunlight situation? Is he going to have some meter which measures the amount or intensity of the sunlight or UV rays? I keep seeing, in these forums, references to charts which are used. How does he get the data to plug into the chart?

Thanks for all the advice and keep it coming. I want to be an informed purchaser. I've been sold too many things in my life which seemed to benefit the seller more than they did me.

He will use his experience and expertise in the field to determine what fits your needs. he doesn't need to measuer your sun intensity, your uv transmission or anything like that. Most of the time, those meters are used for demonstration/proof of a products performance. Unless you have some new type of glass that no one has seen yet, his expertise should be more than enough to make a recomendation.

Don't worry about what adhesive type you get. They are all good. If ps was so bad, CP Films (Vista and Llumar) wouldn't use it on ALL of their safety films and automotive films. Someone said it before.... Adhesiive is an installer issue, not a customer issue. Most everyfhing we (my company) use is PS, and the windows look great. We have used just about every film out there except Vista, and they all have their up's and downs. I bet the Vista guys didn't mention that V-Kool 70 has been out since 1991, without any major issues. How long has spectra select been out? How long has it been proven? Every manufacturer and brand has their own selling points. In the long run, you need to buy a product that meets your needs (Light transmission - heat - glare - reflectivity - brand recognition - clarity - installing company .... etc....)

Good Luck

September 28, 2006

He will use his experience and expertise in the field to determine what fits your needs. he doesn't need to measuer your sun intensity, your uv transmission or anything like that. Most of the time, those meters are used for demonstration/proof of a products performance. Unless you have some new type of glass that no one has seen yet, his expertise should be more than enough to make a recomendation.
Don't worry about what adhesive type you get. They are all good. If ps was so bad, CP Films (Vista and Llumar) wouldn't use it on ALL of their safety films and automotive films. Someone said it before.... Adhesiive is an installer issue, not a customer issue. Most everyfhing we (my company) use is PS, and the windows look great. We have used just about every film out there except Vista, and they all have their up's and downs. I bet the Vista guys didn't mention that V-Kool 70 has been out since 1991, without any major issues. How long has spectra select been out? How long has it been proven? Every manufacturer and brand has their own selling points. In the long run, you need to buy a product that meets your needs (Light transmission - heat - glare - reflectivity - brand recognition - clarity - installing company .... etc....)

Good Luck

TP, you have to use PS on Security Film, not because it lasts longer or is any better quality than dry adhesive... Imagine trying to lay down an 8-12mil thick piece of film with dry adhesive, it would never stick to the glass! :dunno That is one reason why CP Films uses PS, the other being special appliccations (like curved glass) where PS is the only option because of the "mechanical bond". Thae CDF dry adhesive is a more durable and reliable system than mechanical adhesives, that is why CP and other companies use it.

I'm sorry I neglected to put a date on V-Kool as I neglected to do the same with Prestige and Hilite. Actually you have it sort of wrong, V-Kool was on the market in 1991 but it was not called V-Kool, it was called "Solis". How do I know this, because I used to sell it. :sand It's a good film, the reason I don't sell it anymore is because V-Kool does not stand behind their warranties, and I have some ticked off customers to prove it. I had to pull money out of my own pocket and warranty the product myself to make it all right for them. :sand

Vista Spectra Select came out around 1999 or 2000 if I remember correctly. Works fine, no problems so far. The dry adhesive they use on that film and many of their films has been around for decades with no warranty claim on bubbling ever in the history of the company.

Your are absolutly right TP, every brand has their selling points. Gather all the information you can so that you can make "an informed" decision. :bingo

September 29, 2006

Who gave it the 1 star rating? Come on we put in pictures and everythig! It's a good thread.
smfguy I go through Sac about once a week. I would help ya out even if I'm not the one selling you the film.

Thanks to everyone for their input. I had a local dealer come out today. He sells all the major brands and showed us samples. Given our situation he recommended a non-reflective film and showed us samples of Vista, Madico, and Huber Optik. We looked at samples ranging from 75 to 40 VLT. He said most people with the bright sun we have choose something like a 35 or 40 VLT, but those were way too dark. The Vista Spetra Select 61 looked the best, but my wife thinks we may be wasting money as it may provide almost no protection to our carpeting and furniture. He cautioned us against laminated products which may affect clarity. I asked about the adhesives and he said there may be small, but almost inperceptible differences in clarity and ranked Vista as best in that area, Madico second, and Huber Optik 3rd. I told him about one of our double pane windows (the inside pane) shattering for no apparent reason and he agreed it was probably thermal stress. He will warranty against thermal stress damage for 3 years.

He left some small samples and will come back possibly with a bigger one of the Vista 61 and also Madico 5000 and 6000. I taped the samples on the window and now that the sun is beating on it, all of them look quite shiny from the outside. Maybe it's because they are not adheared to the window. He said if we could narrow it down to one, he would come out and properly adhere a good sized sample to one of the windows.

This is such a difficult decision as we have such a spectacular view and the windows involved are very visible to people looking at our house from a distance. I am very reluctant to put something dark on which will both stand out and change the perception of the scenery, but my wife may be right that a light film is just a waste of money. I guess we need help in striking the right balance, which may be difficult. It's only one set of 4 sliders (about 110 sq feet) involved, but they are very important windows in our living room.

vclimber-- it is very generous of you to offer to stop by and look at our situation. I have sent you a PM (personal messge).

September 29, 2006

vclimber- So much for sending a PM. I got a message saying I can't send them. Maybe I'm too new. Maybe you can contact me. My e-mail is jamesc5982@aol.com

Thanks so much.

September 29, 2006

Who gave it the 1 star rating? Come on we put in pictures and everythig! It's a good thread.

smfguy I go through Sac about once a week. I would help ya out even if I'm not the one selling you the film.

Thanks to everyone for their input. I had a local dealer come out today. He sells all the major brands and showed us samples. Given our situation he recommended a non-reflective film and showed us samples of Vista, Madico, and Huber Optik. We looked at samples ranging from 75 to 40 VLT. He said most people with the bright sun we have choose something like a 35 or 40 VLT, but those were way too dark. The Vista Spetra Select 61 looked the best, but my wife thinks we may be wasting money as it may provide almost no protection to our carpeting and furniture. He cautioned us against laminated products which may affect clarity. I asked about the adhesives and he said there may be small, but almost inperceptible differences in clarity and ranked Vista as best in that area, Madico second, and Huber Optik 3rd. I told him about one of our double pane windows (the inside pane) shattering for no apparent reason and he agreed it was probably thermal stress. He will warranty against thermal stress damage for 3 years.

He left some small samples and will come back possibly with a bigger one of the Vista 61 and also Madico 5000 and 6000. I taped the samples on the window and now that the sun is beating on it, all of them look quite shiny from the outside. Maybe it's because they are not adheared to the window. He said if we could narrow it down to one, he would come out and properly adhere a good sized sample to one of the windows.

This is such a difficult decision as we have such a spectacular view and the windows involved are very visible to people looking at our house from a distance. I am very reluctant to put something dark on which will both stand out and change the perception of the scenery, but my wife may be right that a light film is just a waste of money. I guess we need help in striking the right balance, which may be difficult. It's only one set of 4 sliders (about 110 sq feet) involved, but they are very important windows in our living room.

vclimber-- it is very generous of you to offer to stop by and look at our situation. I have sent you a PM (personal messge).

Hi SMF,

I am a Madico dealer here in AZ, the 5000 & 6000 is the MAC (Advanced Ceramic) they come with a 5 year glass breakage and seal faliure warranty standard, not 3.

Just getting info out there, so you know.

the Huper and Vista I don't know what the warrantys are on those.

Any of the 3 would be a good choice IMO.

Good Luck :drevil

September 29, 2006

I should have also noted that there is a 62% price difference between the Madico Ceramic and the Vista Spectra Select V-61. I still don't understand what additional value I get from the Visa.