cpaulson

19 hours ago, blackoutauto said:

Best? 

3M crystalline 

Huper optik ceramic line (not sure what u call that one)

FormulaOne Stratos

 

 

 

18 hours ago, DynamicATL said:

Honestly there is no best...all depends on what the individual is wanting.  They have different performance, appearance, and price points...so it depends on what you are looking for in window tint.  Each shop is going to push their film as the best.  Some truly believe what they are offering is the best, some are just trying to sell.  Personally trying several Ceramic films including Huper Optik Ceramic (have not used F1 Stratos) I personally am stuck on 3M Crystalline for raw performance with an unique appearance.  It is what I felt cooled my vehicle the best in the real world.

 

Huper Optik Ceramic is the only patented Ceramic window film and is dye-free.  So looking at it from a technology perspective, people will say it is the best.  Drawbacks would be a more reflective appearance since it is dye-free which some people like, some people don't.  Also it is a much harder film to install especially at the darker privacy shades...so depending on your vehicle that can be a no-go.  They do have a new Black Ceramic film under their Autobahn dealers, honestly not sure how the performance stacks up but maybe worth looking into.

 

F1 Stratos is a new comer to the higher performance films.  Not super advanced from a technology standpoint, but it has double Ceramic in it so it blocks tons of heat and is on par with the other films mentioned.  Plus since it is not some crazy technology, the color is a very normal window tint color which IMO is good.  This film can be installed by any of their dealers and the components of these films have been on the market a long time.

 

3M Crystalline is not a Ceramic film, but is a Multilayer Optical Technology film.  IMO it edges out both of the above films performance-wise based on my personal tests, but that is debatable...I am sure others will argue otherwise.  It also has a brownish hue to it in the 20-50 shades which is not as noticeable in the 60 and non-existent in the 70-90.  Same as Huper Optik Ceramic, this film is harder to install so you need to find a dealer that can install it properly.

 

Huper Optik Drei is rarely mentioned, but I believe is technically the highest performing film on the market...this is a precious metal window tint.  Downside with this one is it only comes in one shade, small chance it will interfere with electronics, and is more reflective since it is dye-free.  This is another one that is harder to install, so only doable on easier vehicles.

Thanks to both of you for your opinions. I know I was asking a loaded question before with what is “best” so thanks for rolling with it. You both went in the direction I was planning on heading. I am trying to decide on what tints to do. I will be tinting two cars, an SUV and my girlfriend’s Audi TT MKIII coupe. Where I stand is this: 1) go with higher end basic carbon tint (which I think I have pretty much ruled out), 2) ceramics (which had me confused, hence the question), 3) crystalline (which the general consensus seems to be that performance wise this is the way to go), and finally 4) Photosync (which so far I have heard good things about, it seems to be in the same realm as the crystalline). Based on your answer @DynamicATL is it even possible to do the Audi TT in Ceramic? Crystalline? Photosync?

I wanted to get a good grasp on ceramic tints before I moved onto the rest. Bottomline seems to be Huper Optik Ceramic is good, but I shouldn’t discount other high-end ceramics from Llumar, Autobahn, etc. I assume the performance will probably be a negligible difference between those.

My concern with crystalline is as follows: from what I see it comes in 20% and then jumps to 40%. I know performance wise the 40% would still do better for me but it lacks on the privacy side for my taste. The cars are registered in Florida and to my knowledge it’s 28% in the front 15% in the back, and no tint below the AS1 line on the windshield unless you have a medical exemption. On my last car which I bought used there were illegal tints that I loved, but my girlfriend didn’t share the same opinion and found it super hard to drive at night in that car. If I had to take a guess they were 15%. For her she would be good around that 30% level which they don't seem to make. I am not saying I will try for illegal tints this time, but 40% is quite light for our tastes. Also, the brownish hue is not preferable for us, and we would prefer to see greenish, grey, blue hues.

From what I see the darkest shade with Photosync is 35% again for my taste it isn’t ideal but would probably suit me better. How does this film stack up? Is it going to give me the same performance? Any thoughts on the quality, etc?

I know that a bunch of people claim that Huper Optik Ceramic is the best ceramic tint out there, the only Ceramic tint with a patent. Is it really the best ceramic out there? Are there others that are better? If not, any other brands that should be at least considered? Thanks!