3M Privacy Filter PF15.4W PRIVACY FILTER FRAMELESS Reviews

• What price do you put on your privacy?

  
  By A25DM4I7U139XB on 2005-12-29
  The 3M Privacy Filter for 15.4" screens is pricey, but does give you a measure of protection on information that could be revealed to wandering eyes (innocent or otherwise). If you are involved in high-security detail, or work for tech firms and need to keep the IP where it belongs, this screen might be just the thing you need.
  
  Installation is simple: you either use the double-sided tape or holding tabs (both types are included) to keep the filter attached to your monitor. The screen itself is very thin (yet rigid), and seamlessly layers over your screen. The filter itself has two sides: a glossy side to face your screen (and keep the screen in good shape) and a matte side to keep other peoples' eyes off your screen.
  
  Two things I should note: 3M has taken the liberty of adding a permanent mark to their filter (with their logo and model number, with text at about 1mm high), and it sits on the upper-right side (mostly away from on-screen items). This is a bit annoying but you get used to ignoring it. Secondly, there is a small notch cut-out on the top of the filter, to allow you to pull the filter out if necessary. This is annoying as it disturbs the look of the filter, but you may also tend to ignore this after time.
  
  So how does it function? Not bad at all. Any angle past 90 degrees and you will start to see the screen fade to black. Sitting right next to the screen or even about 30 degrees off the center, and you still won't see anything (this is just about the angle you might find that many snooping watchers at, such as on an airplane and just one or two rows behind you, opposite your aisle.)
  
  I use an HP Pavilion dv4170us notebook at the moment, and it fits like a glove. This notebook has an exceptionally bright screen though, and the brighter your screen is, the more that will show through the filter. If this is a concern for you, I suggest learning how to turn down the brightness of your monitor.
  
  Like I said though, this product is high-priced. But given the alternative of having thousands of dollars worth of stolen information whisked away because you failed to take precautions and shell out about $100, isn't something you probably want on your conscience.
  
  

• Good product - better than the competition

  
  By A3UXGV70ORNTAW on 2007-05-13
  I'm a consultant who travels weekly. Lots of time on flights makes a privacy filter important to me. Being something of a perfectionist and the fact that I look through it for hours each week, I ordered both the ViewGuard and the 3M filters to compare them. I kept the 3M and returned the ViewGuard. Why?
  
  The image clarity of the 3M filter was significantly better (note that I work with small fonts, spreadsheets, etc. and wear glasses) Yes, ViewGuard, I removed the protective film before making the comparison! Two things bugged me about the ViewGuard: (1) its polarization cuts run diagonally (the 3M run vertically), which is distracting, and (2) the image through the ViewGuard is a tiny bit blurry/hazy compared to the 3M. 3M seems to have a more clear film that they use. A colleague of mine did the same side-by-side and agreed with me.
  
  Both products do what they claim, and both fit my notebook well, although I also prefer the optional vertical mounting strips that come with the 3M product (both come with mounting 'dots', but 3M supplies an alternate mounting mechanism as well).
  
  Let's face it: $50 for a piece of plastic seems expensive, but there's no alternative if you want to work on client (or your own financial) information on a plane. Thanks, 3M, for making a quality product. (And no, I don't work for 3M!)
  
  

• Not really anti-glare.

  
  By A2D6KPS638EP5R on 2006-12-11
  I purchased this because I was looking for an anti-glare screen for my laptop so that I could work outside in the daylight. I thought the privacy feature seemed useful as well. Unfortunately the anti-glare benefit is pretty much nonexistent. The glare when I am outdoors is just as bad using the filter as it was without the filter--and given that the filter also considerably darkens the screen and makes it slightly blurry, even with my laptop set to the brightest setting, I find it useless and actually less comfortable to look at then my regular screen. If you are looking for an anti-glare filter, look for something else. If you need the privacy benefit, maybe this would work for you, but be warned that it will also darken your screen.
  
  

• Works GREAT

  
  By A34C3AGL9OPI0Y on 2006-06-20
  First off, I want to say that Amazon had the best price I could find, and this shipped right away and arrived 3 days after ordering, even with 3-5 day shipping.
  
  Second, I agree with some comments I have read on this. Sure does feel like you spent a lot of money when a thin piece of plastic arrives that cost you over $50. Unfortunately there is no alternative. To me though, the privacy is worth the price.
  
  I bought this so I could have stock charts up on my laptop at work without people being able to see what I was doing (so I wouldn't get in trouble for trading) when they would walk by down the aisle. This works perfect in that sense. I tilt my laptop so it faces me, and when people walk by, the laptop looks to them as though it is off. The screen is black for them except in the little thumb notch spot 3M made so that you can easily remove the screen.
  
  I used the plastic tabs that came with to hold it in place, they work well enough... however, I found that I cannot close my laptop with the privacy filter held in, as it flexes in the middle and thus falls out. I can't really imagine a better way for 3M to improve this, except perhaps to make it much more rigid.
  
  Some other notes that potential buyers may be wondering...
  
  1) It only filters and looks black from side to side, not up and down. If someone is standing over your shoulder, they will have no problem seeing it. It is only when they go to an angle to the side that it will block. So horizontal blocking, but not vertical.
  
  2) This thing smudges easily! Expect lots of dust, fingerprints, etc. It wipes off just as easily though with a dry Kleenex.
  
  3) 15.4W fits perfectly with my 15 inch widescreen. Perfect fit.
  
  4) The tabs that hold it in are small and transparent. They have very sticky material on part of them, and look like a half circle attached to a rectangle.
  
  5) This filter does not reduce glare in my opinion.
  
  Overall, this was well worth the cost of privacy for me. No one can tell my PC is on even though my screen is open.
  
  

• I'm satisfied

  
  By AV8Q53YPA0MX4 on 2007-11-15
  I read the reviews for the 3M brand privacy screen and I should've taken their advice because the 3M brand is a much better quality than the Targus 15.4 privacy screen. See my review for the Targus 15.4 privacy screen. I ended up buying the 3M brand, size 15.4 from another company because at the time Amazon didn't have it in stock. I wasn't too impressed with the 3M brand either but, I can tell the quality is much better. 3M uses a unique microlouver privacy technology which darkens the screen on a 45 degree angle away from the center too. They use the film material from the company named Vikuiti which they claim is the best in the business. You can see a lot less on the screen with the 3M filter at the 45 degree angle compared to the Targus 15.4 privacy screen. The 3M privacy filter makes the laptop screen much darker which will make it difficult for people to discern what's on the screen. Beyond 45 degrees all you see is a black screen. You can work on your laptop in a public place with confidence or watch a movie without other people snooping on you. The screen is very expensive in my opinion so shop around. The good thing about the screen is that I can close my laptop and the filter doesn't interfere with the keyboard therefore; I keep the film on all the time. The adhesive tabs that came with the 3M filter are long so they keep the screen filter in place, not like the Targus tabs that were round and small and you had to use 6 of them in order to hold the filter screen in place. I only had to use 2 long tabs for the 3M brand. Both filter screens have a thumb shape gap at the top so you'll know how it should be positioned on the laptop screen. However, on the instructions for the 3M filter screen it states "slide filter beneath the tabs. Matte or shiny side may face monitor." I'm guessing that for the 3M screen it doesn't matter what side you use. It's better to have something to protect your privacy versus having nothing at all. I hope this review helps other buyers so; they don't end up buying and returning the Targus 15.4 screen filter like I did. I'm satisfied with the 3M brand.
  
  
• love it
  By A1LO64UJK0CAWJ on 2007-01-31
  1. privacy
  2. antiglare
  3. protects lcd screen on notebook
  4. a snap to install (easy)
  
  rocks!!!
  
  someone in a restaurant thought I was crazy... typing away with a blank (black) screen!!! LOL
  
  Price could be lower... 3m woul sell more of these
  
  
• Love this product!
  By A3IAFKMF5ARYCJ on 2007-11-01
  I love this product! It is much better than you might think based on some of the reviews I have read here.
  
  I first became aware of it because practically everyone at my new job has one. People use it mostly so that the casual observer walking by their cube can't see what's on their screen as easily. Granted, it won't provide perfect privacy on an airplane or in a public place. After all, it only provides privacy from the people that are off to your side - someone sitting directly behind you in an airplane could still see what's on your screen. If you really have info on your screen that you don't want anyone to see under any circumstances, don't access that info in a public place at all! That's just common sense.
  
  I wasn't looking for anti-glare capability, so I can't speak to that, but it does a GREAT job at providing an increased level of privacy from the casual observer.
  
  One thing I will say - do measure your computer screen diagonally before deciding which size screen to buy online. When I ordered mine, I knew that my laptop was a 15" widescreen, so I ordered a 15" privacy screen without measuring anything, and when I received it, it was the wrong size. My screen was a little under 15.5" diagonally, so I returned the 15" one and ordered a 15.4" one and it fits perfectly!
  
  I understand that people might think $50 is expensive for a sheet of plastic, but I really do think it's worth it. There are durable adhesive tabs (not two-sided tape or anything) that hold it in place and I just leave the screen on my laptop all the time - I never need to take it off. At work, the only time I see people removing theirs is when somebody comes to talk to them about some work thing and they need to show the person (standing or sitting off to one side) what's on their screen.
  
  It does darken the screen slightly, but that doesn't bother me at all. There is a very small size/model indicator in the upper corner, but that is really small and colorless and unobtrusive, as is the tiny cut-out that facilitates removing the screen (giving you something to grab onto).
  
  When I got mine in the mail, it was in a large box filled with packing paper. At first, I thought "why'd they pack it this way??" but then I realized that it was one way you could mail it and be absolutely sure that no automated postal equipment would dent or otherwise mangle the stiff sleeve it comes packaged in. If you just slapped some postage on that sleeve, it probably wouldn't get to the destination in perfect shape, so they erred on the side of caution and I appreciate that. For the sake of being more "green", they could probably figure out a shallower box to put it in (but still thick enough to not run it through automated equipment) and add packing paper to that.
  
  A really great product, if your expectations are in line with how I am using mine.
  
  
• It's OK ...I'd give it a 7 out of 10
  By A3SP0HU571VWFK on 2006-06-04
  I ordered this filter primarily for privacy reasons (on airplanes etc) and so I could work outdoors with my laptop sometimes.
  
  It is very good as a privacy filter (almost too good - if you are working on a document with someone, the other person better be well positioned). As an anti-glare filter it is so-so, though I am not sure this product is supposed to excel at this feature.
  
  The worst aspect of this product is how it affixes to the laptop screen. Tape?! They give you pretty flimsy, cheap 'clear' doublestick tape ... which no matter how clean your hands are, the tape never ends up totally clear .. so forever now I can see the tape in between my filter and screen. It really is a sloppy look. And then there is a permanent little printed ID number on the filter. Sure you get used to it but this does not make it OK.
  
  Unfortunately - for the wider 15 inch screens, this seems to be the only choice. But it is not a lot of bang for the buck. Knowing what I know now I would pay no more than $19.
  
  
  
  
• Famous Brand with ZERO QUALITY
  By A34YLCTZNXQQG2 on 2007-12-09
  I bought the product for about almost $50. Before I bought it, I've read the reviews. All of the reviews said it was a great product. Some said that the owner of the laptop had seemed like typing into the black monitor.
  IT'S ALL NOT TRUE.
  I use it and it seems like NO DIFFERENT THAN NOT USING IT AT ALL.
  Recommendation: DON'T BUY THIS PRODUCT. HIGHLY NOT RECOMMENDED.
  I'm STRONGLY DISAPPOINTED.
  
  
• A very dissapointing product from a great company: 3M
  By A2ENOS5IVTX5ZD on 2007-04-04
  First of all the product does not totally inhibit the ability of someone sitting next to you on an airplane seeing your screen, it just creates a more dark shadow of what's on your screen. Second, if your screen did not have a glare before it will now with this product. Third, there is a distracting notch at the top of the filter so you have this annoying thumb sized area and the filter does not cover. Do not waste you money on this 3M so-called privacy filter.
  
  
• Save the trees
  By A5FQ4GOPPYSWA on 2007-09-20
  The product works great, but the only problem I have with this purchace was the company I bought it through. They charged me $6 or so for shipping. The envelope that the screen comes in was sufficient to slap on some postage and put it in the mail. But, the company was so wasteful it had to put in about 10 yards of filler paper & place it in a 3 x 2 foot box! They not only killed a few trees, but also wasted my money on shipping.
  
  
• Just ok
  By A3OAVWCQTCRXRL on 2007-11-27
  There are several things I like about the filter, but absolute privacy from the next coach class seat, is not obtainable (50%), also the row behind you can see the screen pretty clearly. It is however a great improvement, in privacy, over the regular screen. I use it daily.
  
  
• Happy
  By A249GFBIXUTW5I on 2008-05-02
  It works well. Can't see anything on the screen unless you are in front of it. Easy to put on.
  
  
• Privacy with no privacy
  By A28N2QWDAXGY56 on 2008-06-03
  I am not happy with my privacy screen. My screen can be seen from more angles than the company publish.
  
  
• Awesome Product
  By A11JJTF724SMVV on 2008-01-03
  I highly suggest this privacy filter. It almost completely blocks out your neighbors view of your screen. The plastic tabs that come with the screen to hold the filter in place don't adequately hold the filter in place when you open your laptop- it sometimes slips out. Overall though, the filter works very well, removes easily, and is well worth the price if you are having privacy issues.
  
  
• not very helpful for anti-glare, makes screen too dark
  By A2PJJ61GPYW3U2 on 2008-02-15
  I bought this product primarily for the anti-glare feature, and it hasn't proved very helpful in that department. I only used it for a few days and then tossed it aside, as I can't get used to the dark screen. It seemed to me the privacy feature worked pretty well, but the dark, and somewhat blurry, screen makes it unfit for use as far as I'm concerned.
  
  
• Awesome!
  By A31SOB7QL2GG6U on 2008-03-08
  I bought this screen for my new DELL XPS 1530, and I just simply love it! I work in an area that is somewhat of a "fishbowl", prying eyes everywhere. This screen makes it almost impossible for anyone not sitting directly in front of my screen to see what I have displayed. It was fairly simple and easy to install and the fit was right on. The price I paid for it on Amazon was fantastic. I asked for the express shipping (5-9 Business Days), but I received the item within 3 days! WOW! The products and service that I have received on Amazon have been second to none!
  
  
• Privacy Filter
  By A3DVY2JYI52GNJ on 2008-03-21
  The Privacy Filter is exactly what I wanted. I have some very nosey people in my office and they are always interested in what others are doing on their laptops. They can no longer see what I am doing and my excuse for having it is because it helps reduce the glare of the screen, which by the way it indirectly does! Great product!
  
  
• A necessity for frequent travellers
  By A1080IRL5SS3MH on 2008-04-16
  I travel very frequently and spend a lot of time in the airports and planes working. I was always uncomfortable working on confidential or personal stuff as people close by would always look at my screen.
  
  This privacy filter works great. It requires the viewers to be in a very narrow range to view the screen clearly. I strongly recommend this product. The price point is very nice and is an absolute value for money.
  
  
• Privacy Screen
  By A2YGPB480TFVAJ on 2008-06-23
  Best purchase I've made in a while. I get so frustrated with people reading over my shoulder in general. This privacy filter makes your screen look black to other people looking from an angle (on the train, plane, in the office, etc) but clear to you. It is a tiny bit dark for the user but well worth it for me.
  
  

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