what is this tint witchery?

civicrice · January 25

I've been having customers call for tint then asking if i do the tint that you cant see in but can see out ? they describe it as a tint that can be dark as a limo but easy to see out similar to OEM tinted glass. Anyone heard of this? something about a carbon/ceramic , ceramic. I do keep having a "gabes detailing shop" guy come up on my instagram feed. He shows off this magical tint and when I commented about it he just says its a 100% ceramic with 99% IR rejection. doesn't mention what brand or anything like that. can't find any reputable carbon film suppliers that are worth stocking aside from maybe flex film (newer stuff held up for 7 years on baby mammas whip). judging from his other videos seems like he uses lexen's carbon and ceramic lines. Thats an iffy brand IMO but i heard about it over a decade ago and its still going so has to be decent. another thing that led to lexen is he did a windshield in 25%. 25% is a unicorn percentage and lexen does make it. Any tips that point to where i can find this magical tint will be greatly appreciated. thanks.

DynamicATL · January 25

There is no such thing. Window film naturally looks clearer/lighter when looking out versus outside looking inside. However, the darker the film, the less visibility you will have looking out. Looking at one of his videos, the side window looks pretty clear because it is a sunny day, which allows it to look lighter since there is more light outside of the vehicle. The same way you can do 15% on your home but at night with interior lights, it looks like there is virtually no tint. Also, when looking at his video, you can easily see the side windows are much darker than the windshield when he pans around the interior. So no magic, no new technology, just a sales gimmick for an Amazon-quality film with some idiots believing you can install a 5% film but have 90% clarity looking out. Regarding Carbon Ceramic, I do not know of a quality brand that makes it. Many cheaper films add Carbon to their Ceramic films to make them color-stable. Adding Carbon is much cheaper for small manufacturers to make a color-stable film versus the standard dyed process. Only the big boys (Eastman/Garware/3M) have the money and technology to use the dyed method to make a truly color-stable film. If these small manufacturers tried this, their films would turn purple and fade quickly.

DynamicATL · January 25

On a side note, this reminded me of when Photosync came out with transitional automotive film around 2012. Everyone was talking about it on forums like it was some magical film. Of course, they ditched that technology sometime before 2020 because it was all hype with a limited transition lifespan. CoolVu came out with their transitional film around that time with much wider transitions. This post made me look them up, and within a few years, it seems they are no longer offering it for automotive applications, only flat glass. Plus, opening franchises instead of pushing for more dealers.

Tintguy1980 · January 25

Simply put: Where the greater light source is, is where one can see to better.

civicrice · January 25

10 hours ago, DynamicATL said:

There is no such thing. Window film naturally looks clearer/lighter when looking out versus outside looking inside. However, the darker the film, the less visibility you will have looking out. Looking at one of his videos, the side window looks pretty clear because it is a sunny day, which allows it to look lighter since there is more light outside of the vehicle. The same way you can do 15% on your home but at night with interior lights, it looks like there is virtually no tint. Also, when looking at his video, you can easily see the side windows are much darker than the windshield when he pans around the interior. So no magic, no new technology, just a sales gimmick for an Amazon-quality film with some idiots believing you can install a 5% film but have 90% clarity looking out. Regarding Carbon Ceramic, I do not know of a quality brand that makes it. Many cheaper films add Carbon to their Ceramic films to make them color-stable. Adding Carbon is much cheaper for small manufacturers to make a color-stable film versus the standard dyed process. Only the big boys (Eastman/Garware/3M) have the money and technology to use the dyed method to make a truly color-stable film. If these small manufacturers tried this, their films would turn purple and fade quickly.

he did a few vids of a 15% windshield at night during the rain. i will admit it was pretty convincing. back in the day i tried the flex film carbon line and did notice a difference in clarity compared to other films. when i put their carbon 5% next to globals qdp. it was easier to see out of the flex film. i appreciate the response. its going to be a PITA explaining all this to those customers though lol

DynamicATL · January 26

I shot this video in a customer vehicle while dropping it off to them down the street. I can easily say there is no tint on the windshield, and no one would question it. What is actually on there? Llumar CTX 30%.

Now watch this video with Llumar AIR 80 on the windshield and CTX 35 on the side windows. Hella difference simply because it is a gloomy day.

Tintguy1980 · January 27

Fair warning: Using anything that can interfere with nighttime (or daytime) visibility out the the front windshield can become a deciding factor, if discovered or reported, in any accident.

Insurance can refuse to participate in payouts based on the road worthiness aka legality and visibility factor.