Quick answer
A fast tint bay keeps every tool used on every window within arm's reach of the glass: cards, a fresh blade, the sprayer, a towel and the heat gun on a hook at hip height, all on a rolling cart that follows the installer around the car. Once-a-car items live on the cart; once-a-day items live on the wall.
The fastest installers are not faster with their hands; they never stop to look for anything. This clip is how the Onyx bay is laid out so every tool is where the hand already is.
Key takeaways
- Fast installers are not faster with their hands. They never stop to look for anything.
- Every-window tools within arm's reach; once-a-car tools on the cart; once-a-day tools on the wall.
- Film stored on end, in its box, out of the sun. A roll on the floor is grit under the next install.
- Restock the whole bay in one order: film, blades, cards, squeegees, sprayers, one UPS shipment.
The rule
Anything used on every window lives within arm's reach of the glass: cards, a fresh blade, the sprayer, a towel, the heat gun on a hook at hip height. Anything used once a car lives on the cart. Anything used once a day lives on the wall.
The cart
A rolling cart that follows the installer around the car with the roll, the pattern, the sprayer refill and the bin. Rolling the cart is faster than walking to a bench forty times. Blades on the cart live in a tray with a sharps container beside it; the rest of the blade routine is in blade safety in automotive tinting.
A cart layout that works
Top shelf: sprayer, hard cards, wrapped cards, a stack of lint-free towels, the blade tray. Side hook: heat gun, cord coiled. Middle shelf: the current roll on end, the cut patterns flat, the plotter sheet if you use one. Bottom: sprayer refill, slip concentrate, scrub pads, the bin. Everything on the top shelf is reachable without looking; everything below it is reachable without walking.
The wall and the bench
The wall holds what is used once a day: the plotter, roll storage, spare blades and cards by the box, gun spares. The bench is for cutting patterns and for nothing else; the moment it becomes storage, tools go missing on it. A clean bench is also where the wrapped-card gasket routine starts, because the towels stay clean there.
The film
Film is stored on end, in the box it shipped in, out of direct sun. Onyx ships every roll in a branded box that doubles as storage; a roll on the floor picks up the grit that ends up under the next install. A week of installs at your booking mix is the right amount to hold: for most shops that is a Carbon 5%, a Carbon 20%, a Ceramic 20% and a Ceramic+ 70% for the front-door and windshield work.
Restock in one order
Onyx carries film, blades, cards, squeegees and sprayers, and ships everything in one box from Lodi or Jarrell at the live UPS rate. Order by 1 PM and it ships the same day; the warehouse side is in inside the Onyx warehouse. Posted wholesale pricing, no account and no minimum, so a single-roll top-up costs the same per roll as a pallet.
Films mentioned in this post
Onyx Carbon 20%
57% IR · 46% TSER · 99%+ UV
The everyday roll on the cart. $265.
From $265 Shop →
Onyx Ceramic 20%
68% IR · 53% TSER · 99%+ UV
The upsell roll beside it. $410.
From $410 Shop →
Onyx Ceramic+ 70%
93% IR · 49% TSER · 99%+ UV
Front doors and windshields. $700.
From $700 Shop →
Questions shops ask
Which tools wear out fastest?
Cards and blades. Buy them by the box, keep them in the bay, and replace before they dig.
Heat gun placement?
A hook at hip height on the cart. On the floor it gets kicked; on the bench it is a walk.
How much film should a bay hold?
A week of installs at your booking mix. Onyx has no minimum, so single-roll top-ups are the same wholesale price.
One cart per bay or per installer?
Per installer. Two installers sharing a cart spend the day walking to it. A second cart pays for itself in a week.
Onyx Distribution supplies wholesale window film to professional tint shops across the United States from warehouses in Lodi, California and Jarrell, Texas. Pickup in Lodi Monday to Friday, 9am to 4pm. Questions: support@onyxautomobilia.com.