Are ceramic tints worth it? I know there are some cheaper options from 3M that are between basic bitch tints and ceramic and aren't metallic. Is a higher quality tint just better for letting light in?
Easy answer is: YES. Old tech was dyed vinyl film. That is the type of film that will turn purple over time and doesn't block heat - just adds privacy. Metalized film was the next advancement which added significant heat blocking to tint. It's still around but it is problematic with cellphone and navigation signal reception.
Ceramic technology was the next advancement. Huper Optik patented their film with what is one of the few true
ceramic films; with competitors later offering 'nano' technology which mirrors the performance of
ceramic.
The better
ceramic films do such a great job of blocking heat, even at the lightest end of the spectrum, that you can get more functional benefit from a quality
ceramic 80% film than a dyed 15% old school limo tint. The AB 80 I have on my windshield was developed for markets where visible tint is an issue, which is precisely why you find it being used a lot for windshield applications, which is illegal in most places without a medical waiver. The best films don't have to be
ceramic at all, as is the case with 3M Crystalline film, which I mistakenly thought your were looking at when you clearly said 3M
ceramic. They are two different products and I would highly recommend the Crystalline over their
ceramic, if the brown hue (and price) is to your liking.
Film tinting material does vary in quality and is often not directly related to price. Some of this is a function of shops using good/better/best pricing strategies, wherein the most expensive product may only be marginally better than their mid-range offering. There are also brand barriers for shops. They can't carry everything as a practical matter, but there are also limitations based on film manufacturer contracts. The installer may also favor a film based on ease of installation. A crappy easily scratched film may be sold because its thin and easy to install and they are experienced enough to manage to get it on without scratching it in the process. They may avoid - even bad mouth a superior film - because it is thick, more scratch resistant, but is a comparative PITA to shape and install.
Probably the most overlooked thing is choosing the shop itself. In the quest for finding the best 'deal' people often treat tinting as a commodity product that can yield the same finished result with any Joe Schmo doing the work. I like Llumar films a lot. The film is made by Eastman (once a part of Eastman Kodak) and they also make FormulaOne products and have always been a top tier film and comes a lifetime guaranty. Lots of places sell this film but the better shops will be SelectPro certified. Same thing with 3M, they have Crystalline Certified dealers. These certifications do mean a higher level of skill must be demonstrated to earn it. Do your research and check reviews of any potential shops. If you want to go down the research rabbit hole, check out the
tintdude.com forums. This is where the tint pros hang out and there is a lot of good info to be had there.
