The Differences Between 3M’s Best Window Tinting Products – 2024 Guide

You have some choices when deciding upon the type of window tinting to apply to your car, truck or SUV windows. But you should consider 3M’s window tint products for their durability, quality and reliability when it comes to aftermarket tinting applications.

Variations between Window Film Types

3M offers multiple types of window film, including the Obsidian Series, Color Stable Series and Crystalline Series. Let’s look at each class and their individual benefits, to help you decide on the best tinting for your vehicle.

3M Obsidian Series

3M Obsidian Series uses state-of-the-art technology, yet as an entry-level product. Applying this film to your vehicle windows provides up to 48 percent heat protection. All eight shades also offer 99 percent protection from the sun’s UV rays.

From Obsidian, you can expect a great look with excellent heat reduction. All of this comes with a low price tag in comparison to other tinting. The Obsidian Series tinting is a value-priced product that still carries the quality and benefits of the 3M brand.

Obsidian Series window film comes in eight tinting levels. You can choose from entirely dark tinting providing total privacy and blocking 91 percent of solar glare to a subtle film that blocks only 12 percent of the sun’s glare.

Regardless of the level of darkness you choose, Obsidian films help you keep your vehicle’s interior cooler and protected from colour fading caused by the sun. With this film, you will enjoy better cabin comfort and rely less on air conditioning. Having a film on your windows saves you money by reducing your fuel consumption for AC. At the same time, Obsidian tinting provides an extra layer of security, protecting your personal effects left in your vehicle.

Some other brands of window tint contain metal. This feature interferes with your signal for standard devices like the radio, GPS, Bluetooth devices, phone or other technologies. 3M Obsidian window films are dye-based, not containing any metal. Despite being dye-based, Obsidian does not fade like inferior window tints. To back up this claim, 3M Obsidian film comes with a lifetime warranty against cracking, discolouring, fading or bubbling.

3M Color Stable Series

The Color Stable Series is a mid-quality film among 3M’s product line. But it performs better than competitors’ highest quality window films. With this line, you can expect up to 71 percent solar ray rejection with blocking of 99 percent of UV rays, providing a sun protection factor (SPF) of 1000 for your skin.

Colour Stable products are carbon-ceramic nanotechnology. On your windows, this film provides excellent performance, great appearance and reasonable pricing. Made of nano-carbon polyester, the Color Stable Series enables maximum heat rejection without the use of metal. Like with Obsidian, this means you suffer no interference for your gadgets, such as radios, phones, GPS and other satellite-driven devices. The film never turns purple due to its extreme colour stability.

3M Crystalline Series

The 3M Crystalline Series is the highest quality product on the 3M automotive window film line. In fact, among all films in the world, this one is the most state-of-the-art and superior quality available today. This film provides 97 percent IR rejection with 99.9 percent UV protection. Using this film, you can expect blockage of almost 100 percent of all window-penetrating heat. This protection saves you a lot of money through greater fuel efficiency, not wasting these resources on air conditioning strain.

This 3M film is also the world’s only optically clear tinting for windows. This feature results in zero imperfections or visible distortions, providing the safest and clearest view of the world around you. Because of this quality, it works great even when applied to windshields.

The Crystalline film appears several shades lighter than other brands, looking almost transparent. But they still outperform other very dark films regarding energy reflection, heat blocking and UV protection. These films provide from 40 to 90 percent of visible light to penetrate into the car, truck or SUV, while also rejecting 34 to 60 percent of solar energy. According to 3M, the Crystalline line rejects 99.9 percent UV radiation and up to 97 percent infrared radiation. As a result, the Skin Cancer Foundation recommends Crystalline window tinting for vehicle windows to defend against UV radiation, the leading cause of skin cancer.

Why tint your vehicle windows?

Window tinting reduces the heat allowed into your vehicle’s interior. Applying film to your car windows prevents unbearable hot seats in summer and keeps you from burning your hands on other components, such as a heated gear shift.

Because tinting keeps your vehicle’s interior from getting so hot, you do not need to rely as heavily or frequently on your air conditioning system. This reduced AC use results in better fuel efficiency and lower operating costs for your car, truck or SUV. It also reduces the strain on your engine that the AC requires. When you do a lot of driving for work or personal reasons, you can feel more comfortable in your vehicle, even when it has been sitting in direct sunlight for many hours during the peak of summer’s heat.

Benefits of window tint in your vehicle include:

• Preventing fading of car upholstery
• Blocking harmful UV rays that cause skin cancer and premature ageing of the skin
• Blocking up to 65 percent of the sun’s heat, enabling greater cabin comfort
• Shattered glass protection in the event of an accident or vandalism
• Enhanced privacy and security for your vehicle, passengers and belongings left inside

Window tint is best professionally applied to ensure the highest quality and lasting beauty. Options for installation include auto dealership application before driving your vehicle off of the new car lot or through professional aftermarket technicians who offer 3M products. Talk to your nearest window tint technician today, to learn more about 3M tinting products. You will certainly benefit from this wonderful addition to your driving experience. To learn more, check out https://www.prowindowtinting.ca/.