OhioTint216

7 minutes ago, Tintem said:

Thanks for the info and those pictures. I think that if privacy was my primary concern, I would be willing to accept a higher degree of internal reflectance. But lowering internal reflectance is the main concern.

For example, it is possible to get anti-reflective (AR) glass. It's used in art galleries, glasses, some phones, etc. I think I may have had a misconception that window films could get similar performance. Whereas it seems that the least reflective window films only get close to, or match, the internal reflectance of untreated glass.

I spoke incorrectly - there are anti reflective films but not so much as for interior use. They are mainly used to stop reflection on the outside where the reflected light melts plastic siding. See link and photo.

https://www.decorativefilm.com/sx-1975-reflect-protect?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQiA-62tBhDSARIsAO7twbYNz_5dbxnSiLwe3JgvNv8Eu3dKZ1xMo4EgGoISZosk_YSvyU_hUlMaAjVZEALw_wcB

https://ibb.co/RQJ2XGw 

The film is kinda funky looking, but that's just my opinion. Most people I have showed it to don't tend to like it very much.

1 minute ago, Tintem said:

Thanks for the info and those pictures. I think that if privacy was my primary concern, I would be willing to accept a higher degree of internal reflectance. But lowering internal reflectance is the main concern.

For example, it is possible to get anti-reflective (AR) glass. It's used in art galleries, glasses, some phones, etc. I think I may have had a misconception that window films could get similar performance. Whereas it seems that the least reflective window films only get close to, or match, the internal reflectance of untreated glass.

The anti reflective properties are most likely to be achieved by the glass manufacturer. This is not something I have seen yet in the film industry, I did a quick search too and had a hard time finding anything.

It's probably safe to say most films are going to have some sort of reflectivity due to the materials it is made from - lowest you will probably get is close to or matching internal reflectance of the glass. 

20 minutes ago, Tintem said:

Thanks to everyone for your helpful replies.

I see that on Llumar's spec sheets, they list "clear glass" as having an internal visible reflectance % of 8%, and only their most extreme tints match that number. Does that mean that nearly all of their films are more internally reflective than untreated glass? I find that hard to believe.

They only have two films from the Harmony series which manage a lower internal VR number of 7, and they are non-reflective on the outside too.

Spec sheets:
https://llumar.com/content/dam/eastman/performance-films/llumar/nar/documents/english/arch/vista-arch-solar-safety-window-film-specs.pdf

https://llumar.com/content/dam/eastman/performance-films/llumar/tools-data/downloads-library/performance-data/arch-solar-control-window-film-specs-na.pdf

The whole exercise would be a bit pointless if the best I could do was match the the untreated glass' performance on the main feature I'm aiming for haha.

It's not really going to matter as much as to which brand you choose to go with - it's all going to be in the specs and how the film works. With LLumar, you will see less internal reflectivity on the more optically clear films - like the VS70 which can be a bit pricey, but its not going to solve your need of privacy. 

In general, if you are looking to enhance your privacy - you will have to accept the fact that the film will have some reflectivity on the interior. Privacy and film is all about lighting and how the light is reflected from the film altering your perception.

I'd be careful going too dark in Harmony series, with higher absorption and low exterior reflectance - could be worried about thermal stress and glass breakage. 

I have the V28 Film currently on my apartment windows, it works great for day time privacy with an exterior reflectance of 33%, but does have interior reflectivity (more noticeable at night than anything) as it is Dual Reflective. I've included some pictures.

https://ibb.co/bs6GxPw - Exterior
https://ibb.co/JqT8Kqt - Interior

On 12/28/2023 at 10:17 AM, Tintguy1980 said:

LLumar DR series, if still available, is practically a dead ringer in look and performance to Night Vision for less.

 

Global DR Ceramic is another that leans to the smoke look rather than LLumar and 3M's Night vision. 35% VLT would suffice.

Llumar's DR series is still available, it's one of the main lines we carry at my company for commercial and residential work. Although some people don't like the warm grey tone of the DR and tend to move more towards the Vista Dual Reflective Series like the V28.