BDF S2M Window Film Clear UV Blocking - 48in X 12ft

I thought I'd add my data to the others who have done home science experiments to evaluate this film.After buying the film two years ago, I finally installed it on my living room windows. Things I learned: clean each window thoroughly and scrape each window with a blade to remove any bits of dirt that remain stuck, use tons of water, and don't try to handle big pieces by yourself like I did. The film wants to stick to itself and peeling the backing off of big sheets that are curly from being on a roll was a bear. Also, it takes two hands to carry a big sheet, and I found that if I sprayed the window first and then peeled the backing off a big sheet and miraculously carried it to the window without mishap, then the window had begun to dry, but I didn't have a free hand to respray. Also, don't work into the evening because bubbles are much easier to see with daylight coming in the window. So, any flaws I see I'll take responsibility for as user error. :-)The burning question is, does it block UV? I measured sun coming in adjacent windows with and without the film using an EXTECH UV505 UV-AB Light Meter. All units are in µW/cm². I saw reductions with the film from 547 (with film) to 14 (no film) and another day's comparison from 480 (with film) to 19 (no film). In less sun, 16 (with film) to 1 (no film). These readings would indicate that the film does significantly reduce the amount of UV penetrating the windows. Another reviewer measured only a 50% UV reduction using a $37 non lab grade meter. I see a greater reduction with the $200 EXTECH, approximately 2 years old. But I can't really say which is more accurate.

The media could not be loaded. It's rare to find a scam like this in Amazon. It's the first time that I've found a scam that is also "Amazon's Choice" (Amazon's Choice for "clear uv film").The problem is, you won't find out, unless you happen to own a UV meter to test for yourself, so it's a sneaky scam.I tested direct sunlight with the meter and it measured about 7.5.Then I tested the same direct sunlight through this film and it tested about 3.5. You do the math.To show you that the meter works reasonably well, I tested the same sunlight through clear UV glasses and it measured 0.0, as expected the meter does not detect UV radiation through the glasses.Keep in mind that it's not a lab-grade UV meter (you can buy it here for about $37), and that it shows readings in increments of 0.5, so it's not super precise, but I've been using it for months in a variety of circumstances and I haven't seen any unusual readings (other than this allegedly 99% UV blocking film). (Also in the video you'll see the readings change slightly as I was trying, imperfectly, to direct the meter's sensor straight to the autumn sun using my hand.)Amazon should do their own lab tests with this product and if they confirm similar findings, they should ban the sale of the entire manufacturer's product line to unsuspecting consumers. The manufacturer obviously knows that it's selling snake oil.

The most challenging part was getting us both up the ladder while holding the 90" long piece without having the film adhere to itself. Other than that, installation was a breeze.I highly recommend watching their video tutorials on Youtube. It breaks down the entire installation process in a 5 minute video as well as provides key highlights in individual mini-tutorials.My best piece of advise is to spray A LOT of water. They said it best, "There is no such thing as too much water, but there is such a thing as too little." The water makes it super easy to move around and position the film onto the window so you don't have to be an expert to do it if you use enough water. More importantly, the water helps to prevent the film from sticking onto itself. If it sticks then that piece is done for.To break down the quality of the product - it looks phenomenal. You can not notice that there is a film there. Only way our guest would know is if we told them. My wife and I can notice the difference between a window with a film and a window without. The windows with the film have a bit of a oily water sheen to it but it is only barely noticeable and only when there is something solid behind it like a tree. If looking into the sky, you can't see it.The product comes with everything you need minus the spray bottle and tape measure. It comes with a knife which was surprisingly very sharp and great quality. To put the knife and perhaps the overall quality of the product into perspective, we first threw the included knife aside and opted for one of our Olfa knives. Even if it is a little dull from cutting through foam for cosplay crafting, surely a dull Olfa knife is better than what they threw in with the film, right? Wrong. The Olfa took my wife several passes and all it did score the film. I suggested using the one provided with the film and it cut through the film like butter on the first pass. Maybe I am putting too much meaning behind their quality of the knife they provided or maybe it's the quality in the details that matter most and the manufacture of this film understood that.I didn't do a temperature test but maybe I'll update this review to reflect on if we noticed the room being cooler. Temperature isn't so important to us since our A/C unit blows absolutely freezing air directly at us.The reason we installed the UV film is because of all our artwork we have hanging on our walls. We have quite a few very expensive and meaningful pieces and we would like to see it preserved as long as possible. This would be just additional step we could take to preserving our original art pieces while improving our household. All for less than $100. Great value! Perfect for those who are now working remotely from home due to COVID-19 and noticed that there's a lot of sunlight hitting the artwork!