Ceramic Window Tint

[DanDweller]

Has anybody here tried the Nanoflex?:

 

[highdesertranger]

I have heard all the snake oil stuff but I have no hard evidence. we need a guinea pig. I vote for you, LOL. of course I am kidding but I do wish someone would give it a try and report back. highdesertranger

 

[DanDweller]

Well wish granted, I'll be the guinea pig. There is no shop that carries Nanoflex here in Utah, so I'm buying the pieces I need directly through Ralph, the sales rep in all those youtube videos (who has been very helpful and really seems to know nano ceramics far beyond the typical tinters), having them shipped to me, and then having them installed by someone out here in Salt Lake City who Ralph connected me with. Since the person who will install the film is a regular purchaser of their products, Ralph is willing to give me the warranty that would normally go along with an install at a shop that actually carries the product. He personally called the guy and talked it over with him, offering to send another piece if he makes a mistake. He primarily does residential and commercial tinting, but has done cars and is trying to get more into that line of work. Because of that, I'm getting a hell of a price. $140 for the install. The material itself is going to be around $300. Fingers crossed! Just for comparison, the only shop in town that carries an equivalent competitor (Formula One, Stratos) would want $1,000. Most of the shops around here don't even have the high-end ceramics. I could have settled for the mid-grade ceramics (which are still supposed to work pretty well but don't block out as much heat), such as Suntek or Xpel Prime XR for $500. So, if this works out, it's a really good deal.

For anyone looking into ceramic window tinting (and it seems the obvious thing to do if you are a vandweller looking to stay cool in hot climates, and obsessing over Reflectix and such) these are the other high-end competitors which are recommended by Ralph, by other tinters that I have talked to, and from going down the rabbit hole scouring online tinters' forums:

Huper Optik, Drei
Formula One, Stratos
Xpel, Prime XR Plus
3M Crystalline

 

[DanDweller]

This really has been a fascinating rabbit hole. I've learned quite a lot about the world of window tinting in the last few days. The whole industry is in transition, having been disrupted by nano-ceramics. Traditional tinters' wisdom is "the darker the better" for staying cool in both the social sense and the temperature sense. And what makes traditional tint dark is the dye they put in it, which fades with time and actually doesn't do much for heat, comparatively. But the new ceramic tints block heat without being dark and without dye; and that means that I can get away with tinting my windshield--the main place where heat gets in--and not have any troubles with the law. (But they do also come in various degrees of darkness--so I'll be putting ceramic "limo tint", the really dark stuff that only allows 5% of visible light to pass through, on my very back windows for privacy.)

 

[maki2]

I would be much more inclined to spend the extra money and invest in the products from 3M than to try an off-brand. At least you know for sure that 3M does extensive testing in professional quality laboratory conditions with top notch equipment and trained engineering staff. Also the quality control and equipment in the manufacturing facilities is top notch. Sometimes the extra price is worth it.

 

[DanDweller]

I would be much more inclined to spend the extra money and invest in the products from 3M than to try an off-brand.  At least you know for sure that 3M does extensive testing in professional quality laboratory conditions with top notch equipment and trained engineering staff. Also the quality control and equipment in the manufacturing facilities is top notch. Sometimes the extra price is worth it.

 I can understand that thinking.  On the other hand, after having just had a phone conversation withDan Harris, owner of Carmeltint in Carmel, Indiana, I'm more keen than ever to try the Nanoflex.  He has no reason to puff or lie to me--someone in Salt Lake City who won't be his customer since I'm not in Indiana.  He has had zero warranty claims (except for one claim on an earlier, discontinued version of the Panaflex, another line carried by the same company, which was bubbling).  The issue some have with it (but also with other competitor films) is a small, but insignificant amount of low angle haze.  If I am to believe Dan's and Ralphs' thoughts on that, it is the inevitable price you pay if your film is blocking out that much heat.  In all the tests, Nanoflex performs better than 3M Crystalline.  I don't think they are lying.  Anyway, I'll be the guinea pig and report.

 

[DanDweller]

Well, when Ralph saw the pictures of my windows, he realized there weren't as many windows as he had been thinking when I said I wanted to do an entire van, and so he said he was going to sell me all the material for only $200 instead of $300. $200 is their normal price for material for a full car, minus the windshield. Since I don't have side windows in the back, he's giving me enough material to do everything, windshield included, for $200. Honest guy, in my opinion. I told him if the product works out, I'll make sure vandwellers know about it. So I'll be paying a total of $340 for materials and labor--a steal if the nanoflex lives up to its reputation.

 

[makenmend]

Will be following this

 

[lenny flank]

I'm interested in seeing how this turns out.

It's always nice to have real-world data.

 

[Natgreen]

I'll be getting this done also in the next week or so. The plan is to black out the back windows. The front driver and passenger have to get 70% for legal reasons and then I want to put a clear ceramic film on the front window.

The place I'm going to uses suntek. https://www.suntekfilms.com/automotive/automotive-cir.aspx
Anybody know if this is a good company?

 

[ovrcmr]

Well a month later and I'm on pins and needles. Lol

 

[highdesertranger]

yes can we get a review? highdesertranger

 

[DanDweller]

I know it's crazy, but it took me this long to get it done. The guy I could find to do it in Salt Lake City was kind of a beginner (specializes in commercial and residential, only just now getting into vehicle tinting) and so he messed up a few times. Each time, we contacted Ralph of Flexfilm and he sent us more material at no additional cost. Between shipping times, my schedule, and the tinter's schedule, it took us a while, but now the tint is on there good, looks nice, and does a great job. And all for a total of about $300! I would have spent around $1,000 to have the only other ceramic competitor in town put on my van.
You can order what you need for your van directly from Flexfilm, but then you have to find someone who will put it on your van. Ralph looked up their company's record of who had ordered from them here in Salt Lake City and put me in contact with him. Since he was a company referral, he said he would warranty it, even though the usual way would be to warranty based on a Flexfilm authorized shop. I would recommend just calling and talking to Ralph directly to place your order. I got the number off his youtube videos.

There is most definitely a noticeable difference in the heat build-up in my van, without a doubt. I no longer feel like my arm is getting sunburned as I drive down the road on a sunny day. Since I have no prior experience with window tints, I can't say how this stacks up against competitors. From everything I learned, this should be better than the Suntek that was mentioned. He told me a lot of the history of the different brands (he once collaborated with the Suntek owner) and the state of the technology, etc, and I think he really knows what's what, and I think this really is a superior, more advanced product. But when we had hour long conversations on the phone, that was a few months ago, so I no longer remember the details. If you want, I would call and ask for a rundown. It was all pretty interesting.

Obviously ceramic isn't going to do it all, but it's definitely a worthwhile angle of attack. I'm glad I had it done and see no issues with the so-called low angle haze or anything. Looks and works great for me. Of course only time will tell.

 

[DanDweller]

I should mention that when I said we only just now got it done, I mean finished correctly. It has actually been on for a month--so back when temperatures were still reaching 100. The side windows just needed to be redone because the tinter didn't put the tint on low enough so that it didn't peel off when hitting the rubber whatchamacallit where it slides up and down. So it was on, just not on correctly, during the 100 degree days. But still good enough to tell it was making a great difference.

 

[Karri]

Thanks for this. Going to look into getting this.