Most Durable/Easiest Cleaning AR for Tint Jobs?

[ak47]

Just throwing this out there to get your thoughts...since most of the best brand name ARs are not available with custom tinting, what do you find to be the most durable and/or easiest to clear AR that can be used with a tint of your choice?

Personally, I have had pretty good luck with the Toledo Optical Acclaro Elite...albeit I only have about a one year track record on this one. The cleanability of Pech's Sentinel Plus is better but is no longer available with tints due to the new inclusion of the TD2 hardcoat.

Please don't say they all work the same...I can't get a Zeiss AR to be streak-free in less than 5 attempts at cleaning...but a Crizal or Seiko or Hoya can look really perfect in the first cleaning.

So, what labs have great AR without tinting limitations?

[Pogu]

Milroy will tint for us w/ AR, but its a hassle so we try not to do it. If you want anything that you can predict you have to send them a sample, talk about lag time.

[igirl]

ak47- I pm'd you.

[sharpstick777]

Seiko's new Super Surpass is the most durable hyper-hydrophobic AR made, it starts a 114 contact angle but maintains better than a 107 even after 20,000 cleaning wipes. Its tintable.

[Chris Ryser]

Seiko's new Super Surpass is the most durable hyper-hydrophobic AR made, it starts a 114 contact angle but maintains better than a 107 even after 20,000 cleaning wipes. Its tintable.

I do need some education................... either I am out of it or have to re-learn.

I was always under the impression that you need heat to tint a lens, whatever product of dyes you choose to work with. I also learned never to heat an AR coated lens to near 100C as the AR coating will crack and craze. Could anybody clarify above statement that a Seiko AR coated lens is tint able on its slick coat.
Also who measured 20,000 cleaning wipes and the hydrophobic is still slippery ?

[SharonB]

Hi Chris!
Usually the tint is applied before the ARC. Until a few years ago, most of us tinted the lenses a few shades darker, as the subsequent AR process would lighten the tint. Now, however, most of the better AR coating suppliers will not do tints.

[Craig]

Just throwing this out there to get your thoughts...since most of the best brand name ARs are not available with custom tinting, what do you find to be the most durable and/or easiest to clear AR that can be used with a tint of your choice?

Personally, I have had pretty good luck with the Toledo Optical Acclaro Elite...albeit I only have about a one year track record on this one. The cleanability of Pech's Sentinel Plus is better but is no longer available with tints due to the new inclusion of the TD2 hardcoat.

Please don't say they all work the same...I can't get a Zeiss AR to be streak-free in less than 5 attempts at cleaning...but a Crizal or Seiko or Hoya can look really perfect in the first cleaning.

So, what labs have great AR without tinting limitations?

We use the Pech EZC ar all day for tinted and non-tinted jobs; no problems at all and it is the least expensive they offer. We find no reason to spend 3x for the same E coating.
We do 99% ar with this product and have never had any issue with the coating.

[Chris Ryser]

Hi Chris!
Usually the tint is applied before the ARC. Until a few years ago, most of us tinted the lenses a few shades darker, as the subsequent AR process would lighten the tint. Now, however, most of the better AR coating suppliers will not do tints.

Thanks Sharon. I knew all that, I just did not agree with the statement that Seiko was making making tintable AR coatings. I have manufactured dyes for the last 30 years and even have a few patents on it.

[mdeimler]

I think sharpstick meant you can tint the lens, THEN apply the A/R.

[sharpstick777]

I was always under the impression that you need heat to tint a lens, whatever product of dyes you choose to work with. I also learned never to heat an AR coated lens to near 100C as the AR coating will crack and craze.

Most AR'd lenses are already degassed, so they are baked with heat prior to coating to remove water. Heat is factor with the choice in hard coat, not the AR. If the Hard coat is heat resistant, it will survive the tint. Then the lens recieves a primer coat to improve adhesion. The surface tint is washed away, so the tint lightens a bit, but impregnated tint remains.

Also who measured 20,000 cleaning wipes and the hydrophobic is still slippery ?

Colt's Lab

[sharpstick777]

I think sharpstick meant you can tint the lens, THEN apply the A/R.

Yes. The problem with tinting under ARs is the amount of wash out, tints lighten from 8 - 15% during AR which means frequent remakes. A manufacturers willingness to endure remakes and the type hard coats approved they use will deterimine their willingness to tint, not the AR itself.

Its not that they can't do it, they won't do it, because some people don't want to go through process of testing and approving a new hard coat set just for tinting, only to have more redo's because the lens is lighter than people expect. That is why you see it on more generic AR because they don't need as much "approval" to remain compliant.

[ak47]

Yes. The problem with tinting under ARs is the amount of wash out, tints lighten from 8 - 15% during AR which means frequent remakes. A manufacturers willingness to endure remakes and the type hard coats approved they use will deterimine their willingness to tint, not the AR itself.

Its not that they can't do it, they won't do it, because some people don't want to go through process of testing and approving a new hard coat set just for tinting, only to have more redo's because the lens is lighter than people expect. That is why you see it on more generic AR because they don't need as much "approval" to remain compliant.

Understandably, there are reasons why the "brands" have tinting restrictions...the question is what labs do the best jobs with their generic ARs (without tinting restrictions) that result in easy to clean, difficult to scratch or craze lenses?

[edKENdance]

So weird. Never had an issue with any labs up here.

[Chris Ryser]

So weird. Never had an issue with any labs up here.

There are fewer labs in Canada and the majority of the bigger ones are Essilor property. I learned that Essilor in Canada is not part
of Essilor USA but directly under French rules.