Posted: 6/4/2010 12:07:30 PM EDT
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Anyone have any experience with this?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vYdVK3BqPfk Window security film –– you apply it to any glass surface and it allegedly makes it much harder to break into. Not proof against robbers but a lot better than a big sheet of glass that goes to a million pieces after one brick. Any ideas on: Cost? Rough guesstimate to do this to a regular sized patio sliding glass door? Installation? Do-it-yourself or requires someone with training? (I've seen how 90% of those do-it-yourself window tinting kits turn out...) Maintenance? If any? Had an empty townhouse two doors down get broken into this past weekend. The robbers smashed the sliding glass door, so they aren't bashful about trying to be sneaky. They're probably just breaking into unoccupied houses but knowing that they aren't trying to be sneaky makes me want to shore up my defenses. I just installed new sliding glass doors recently (due to age+energy efficiency) so this "window film" might be a good move if it's reasonable and works like they say. |
| I've read that you have to have this applied to the glass before assembly of the window frame, and the frame itself has to be a special heavy duty model in order for it to have much value. Otherwise the window will shatter where the film ends at the frame and can be busted out fairly easily. |
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Quoted:
I've read that you have to have this applied to the glass before assembly of the window frame, and the frame itself has to be a special heavy duty model in order for it to have much value. Otherwise the window will shatter where the film ends at the frame and can be busted out fairly easily. They attack the film to the frame with small pieces of angle iron. They glue the film to the angle iron, and then bolt the angle iron to the frame. But yes, if your frame suck then your SOL. I have never once ever seen 3M security film for sale anywhere. It seems to only be sold to distributors. If I could order a few rolls, I would have done this years ago. Mike |
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I would think that even applying the plastic to the glass with no frame connection would be an improvement.
As it is, you hit the window with a brick and the whole thing falls to bits. If it was all held together by plastic, you'd hit it with a brick and the glass would stay in place. You could still, I bet, kick the whole pane out but it would at least be a lot more than "one loud noise". (I now subscribe to the belief that if you can break into a place making just ONE loud noise, you can get away with it. The sliding glass door breaking on the neighbor's place woke me up and I basically said, "Did I just hear what I think I heard?", and sat up and listened. If they hadn't made any more noise after that, I probably would have gone back to sleep, figuring it was nothing.) |
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Had my house done in a competitor's product. It's also tinted so I got some Obama money for doing it to my house. This Summer will be the real tell, because last year was so chilly.
I tell you what, you can stand 6" away from a big window and not feel much if any heat off that stuff. |
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Quoted:
(I now subscribe to the belief that if you can break into a place making just ONE loud noise, you can get away with it. The sliding glass door breaking on the neighbor's place woke me up and I basically said, "Did I just hear what I think I heard?", and sat up and listened. If they hadn't made any more noise after that, I probably would have gone back to sleep, figuring it was nothing.) This is correct- studies have been made that a loud noise such as breaking glass will cause people in earshot to typically stop and determine where the sound came from. If no other loud sound or other cue occurs (i.e. smoke, flame, screaming) many people just go back to their own business and ignore it. |