An industry filled with hard working professionals and dominated by daily attention to details. Window tinting is a world unto its own. With a constant battle between the tinter himself and the daily struggles we go through it is hard to choose which battle to focus on first. The battle with the elements such as weather, dirt, dust, hairs, fibers, and even insects is enough to drive you crazy.
Us tinters also have to battle the infuriating automakers and the inconsistencies and constant changes in the cars themselves. New models every year with new gaskets, new window sweeps, new door panels, new window frames, new dot matrixes, new and larger defroster lines, and new, yet imperfect windows. New advances in technology do not make the life of a tinter any easier. As you know, water and electronics do not go well together.
These battles we fight on a daily basis cause the window tinting industry and the tinters within it to be highly adaptable and creative. With this creativeness comes new inventions, like new tools, new techniques, and new outlooks towards the future of window tinting. With the future of tinting being so constantly changing are there any things that will continue to be consistent in the tinting landscape, or will tinters be replaced by automation just like the rest of the workforce?
In my opinion there is one thing that will be constant in an ever-changing industry and that will be the battle between legal oversight and the tinting industry itself. There has been battle brewing for years and within that is a battle between tinters themselves. As long as there's state to state VLT darkness regulations the battle will rage on and there will always continue to be three sides to the argument.
Argument one. Tinters who follow the tinting laws regardless of public pressure, area and local demands and will not tint illegally even if it means losing business or going out of business. They are in conjunction with the law because they believe the industry could suffer for it in the long term and that in turn would hurt their business. These are generally bigger businesses that can afford to turn away customers and believe government oversight could eventually put tinters out of business.
Argument two. Tinters who say they follow the law but don't really follow the law. They are tinting car to car, day to day and would like to follow the law but need the work to survive just like you and me.
Argument three. Tinters who do not follow the law and work to survive on day-by-day basis. This group of tinters and the second argument tinters believe the responsibility and liability falls completely on the customer and in most cases I agree with that. These two groups believe if the window film manufacturers sell illegal film, then they should be allowed to sell it too.
Essentially the oversight could come from the window film manufacturers but just like the tinters themselves their job is to sell film and they too believe the liability falls on the customer, the tinter, and the tint shops to inform the customer of their decision.
Everyday tinters across the globe ask the question to each other whether we should all be tinting legally or leaving it up to the customers. All judging one another just like their customers judge their tint jobs. There are heated arguments erupting on social media, forums, and websites all day long. These arguments never reach an amicable conclusion. A testament to the loyalty and passion these tinters have for their trade.
With so much uncertainty, questions, and so many problems to solve every single day in the tinting industry there is one thing that will always be consistent in tinting and that is this battle within the industry itself. There will always be the question of what the right thing to do is in regard to tint laws and regulations. This battle will rage on forever as long as there is legal regulation and tinters working in the industry.
But one thing I know for sure is that tinters will adapt and overcome any changes that come their way just like they adapt to a different car every day, new cars every year, new windows every year, new tools very year, new techniques, and new laws every year. They will fight for what they believe in regardless of whatever laws and legal oversight say.
