Anyone tried the do it yourself pre-cut window tint?

Thinking of giving it a whirl on my son's car and hopefully he will help.  Seen those laser cut kits that looks decent.

The precut stuff is nice...but (theres always a but)

I can take my truck to my buddy, he does an absolutely perfect tint job from quality tint, I get to hang out in his shop for 2 hrs and pet the doggos, he cuts the windshield line as low as I want it (LOW!) and I get a chicken sandwich and fries out of the deal.  When its done I hand him 200 bucks cash and go on my merry way.  100% worth it.  

Same boat, friend of mine will tint my winders for a few cases of keystone light and some white castles.... while I might have to drive to Florida for it, it's well worth it.

I wouldn't think cutting the tint is the hard part (use a really sharp blade).  Seems like a perfectly sized piece would make it harder because now you have to get the tint positioned absolutely perfect.

Haven't tried it myself, so others who have should know more.

I haven't tried the pre-cut kit yet.  My son and I tinted the windows on his Fit last weekend using the stuff you can buy at the box stores.  I like the idea of the pre-cut, but being able to run down to the store to grab more tint if I mess one up is handy.  We tested it first on my truck to learn how to use the heat gun and how much heat to apply to get it to conform to the curves without melting.  He's planning on tinting the windows on his girlfriends car and is thinking about the pre-cut.  Some things we learned (YMMV).  We haven't touched the rear window yet, just the side windows.  Not sure how to get around the defroster lines yet, but will probably tackle it in the coming weeks.

1. Check with your local laws for tint.  Texas is 25% on the front and anything on the back windows.  The stuff you can buy in store only comes in 35, 20, 5 and 2.5, so we did 35 on the fronts. 
2. He spent the extra for the ceramic.  We both thought it was worth it.  The previous tint was darker and the lighter tint ceramic still cut less heat.
3. If you don't have a car to test on, maybe buy a roll of the cheap stuff to play with and learn.  Even before buying the pre-cut
4. Don't buy the "tint solution".  A sprayer with water and dish soap works just fine.  Plus, you can use a LOT extra when installing and just refill it.
5. Don't be afraid to spray, spray, spray.  The more soapy water, the better chance you have of adjusting as needed while you learn. 
6. Don't remove the backing until it's cut and formed and ready to install.  When removing the backing, use two pieces of tape to peel them apart.
7. Having someone to help keep the tint from creasing.  Creasing sucks and you'll probably never get it out.
8. Lay the tint on the outside of the window (noting where the backing is and thereby, where the sticky side is) to cut to shape and do some forming.  Spray the tint and window liberally with soapy water to make it easier.
9. We used a combination of plastic scrapers and rubber ones.  Plastic for the edges and to help follow the edges when cutting, and rubber for the main part of the window.
10. If you can, removing the door panel makes it a bit easier at the bottom.  That way, you can ensure the tint extends below the door panel scraper line and avoid it peeling the tint up later.

-Rob

I did the pre-cut kit on my wife's Jetta Sportwagen. My take-aways:

Sometimes they are not always cut 100% accurately

It is still window tint, a product that most people don't have the talent to install without wrinkles and bubbles no matter how good they may be at applying vinyl decals to their race car

Next time, I'd write a professional a check.

I've tinted one vehicle. It was a 90s-era truck with flat glass which should have been super easy. It didn't turn out badly and I was happy with the results. I didn't use precut tint.

That said, I will never tint another vehicle. It's worth the $200-$300 the pros get to do it.

Yes. 

Don't. 

Pay the man.

Guess pay the man it is.  You guys make it sound so fun to install

We did my son's because I ain't paying $500 for tint on a rebuilt title Honda Fit. It really want that bad to do. 
On a new car/nice car, I've paid to have it done and will again on our next new car purchase. 
 

-Rob