Should You Get Branded Tint? (Hint: NO)
While we can agree that good quality products don’t come cheap and branded products are usually more expensive, does branded product mean good quality products? If you’re considering getting a good tint, how large is the impact of brands in the tint industry? What about off the shelf brands or house brands? We will not go into actual brand names here as it would seem biased, so our advice will be to do your due diligence on the details below.
A short answer to that is no. Branded tint does not automatically mean better tint. However, there are many factors to consider. So what should you look at to find a good quality tint?
Firstly, no matter what your brand is, there’s always a range of products available. If you were to compare, you should compare products that are in the same range category for an apple to apple comparison. There are well known brands that offer low range products to cater for that segment of the market. It is just the way business works. So in order to compare, you must ensure the specifications to be similar or of equal range. For example, it is unfair to compare an MPV with Sedan car specifications and expect a fair fight. They both serve different purposes for different customer requirements. Always compare apple to apple.
Second, it is the 21st century, and if you are unable to find any results in google on an off the shelf brand or a house brand, chances are, fewer people have tried using them. With fewer users, you can’t really get sufficient data on feedback or efficiency. It will be better if you can find more data or information online to read up about it. Go check out the online reviews or even the website or their social media to get a feel of how people’s experiences are with them.
Thirdly, do not trust solely on the catalogue specifications. In this industry, there are brands that over-declare their specifications and there is no regulation body at the moment to verify on a standard in Malaysia. Different brands will justify their numbers with different formulas or different testing parameters. While we certainly hope to have a standard for everyone to follow in the future, in the meantime, what you could do is to test the heat levels out in a demo test at the shops. Most of them can proof the heat feeling before and after installing their tint. Ultimately, after installing a tint, you want to get the same comfortable feeling and protection from heat, so it is good to trust your gut.
Lastly, while branded tints may have built a name for themselves, they often come expensive. Most of their marketing activities, promotional efforts and even the royalty fees will be included in your tint price. There are underdogs in the market that could provide you with good quality tint on par or even better than some branded tints available. You just have to survey for them or follow the above steps to gauge.
We are not here to promote or to demote any particular brand or favour any category. All we wish for is for you to get to know how this industry works and get the best value for your money. To understand further on how to choose a tint, do refer here.