Professional Window Tinting

All window tinting film is tested for its performance. This is appropriate, so as a consumer, you will know what you are purchasing and if that product will perform as expected. There will be many different specifications for a given film. You will notice terms like VLT, IR, UV, TSER. These specifications will describe the performance of the film. We have seen a tendency in our industry to concentrate on IR alone. There is no doubt that the IR is a determining factor in the performance of the product; however, that figure alone does not give the entire story. If one value were used to gauge the performance of the film accurately, we would suggest using the TSER (Total Solar Energy Rejected) figure. This figure will give you the combined performance value for that product.

Additionally, let’s consider how these newer ceramic products function. There is no question as to the effectiveness of the ceramic film. We even use it on our mobile service vehicles. How these films block heat is to absorb the heat, and by convection of air moving past the glass, the absorbed heat is then carried away. In a sense, that window just became a heat register. Generally, this is not an issue in an automotive application because air conditioning systems are efficient enough to carry the heat away; however, in residential or commercial use, this could quickly work against you.

Metalized tint functions a little differently. Because of the metal layers in the tinting this film reflects more of the heat than absorbing it. The drawback is metalized tint can interfere with antennas integrated in rear windows and it does not block as much of the heat as a ceramic film would.