ArmorSuit MilitaryShield Screen Protector For Amazon Kindle Fire Tablet - [Max Coverage] Anti-Bubble HD Clear Film

Part I: At this point I haven't yet attached the protective film to my kindle fire. Which is actually the point: I've decided (at least for now) to give the product two stars precisely because of my trepidation in using product, now that I've finally received it.Not only was the product undelivered late, it is missing the lint-free cloth, which is supposed to be provided to wipe down the device screen in order to ensure a clean film after attachment. Also, the application process is surprisingly messy and lengthy, requiring: A) Wetting of the fingers of both hands with a provided solution; B) Wetting of the nonadhesive side of the film with the solution before peeling off the paper backing; C) Wetting of the adhesive side of the film with the solution after it has been peeled off; D) With fingers wet, positioning and attaching the screen; E) Using a small provided squeegee, squeezing out bubbles; F) Letting the screen dry for 12-to-24 hours; G) Waiting 2-3 days before all residual bubbles should have vanished.Being take aback, I looked more closely at the Amazon reviews. Since the several of the negative issues stated in the reviews are consistent with my experience to this point, I'm now hesitant to attach the film because I don't want to possibly waste my time and experience the other negatives that have been mentioned. (Namely, persistent bubbles and lack of transparent clarity.)Another comment: The last protective screen I purchased from Amazon (a Grantwood Technology Premium Anti-Glare Screen Protector I applied to the keyboard Kindle 3) came quickly in the mail; had the lint-free cloth; did not require a wetting solution; was attached quickly; and my Kindle was immediately usable (did not require drying). The whole process took about 5 minutes. Plus was about half the price (though it doesn't come with lifetime replacements).Part II: I found an lint-free wipe in an old glasses case and decided to take the plunge and apply the film. It's a slightly messy task and you'll want to watch the video, make sure your hands are clean, and work on a clean, well-lighted surface. After the protective film was applied, I immediately viewed some of my e-documents on the Kindle and saw the same grainy, prismatic distortion mentioned by some other reviewers. However, this only a temporary effect, evidently due to the "micro-bubbles" mentioned in the instructions causing refractive distortion. It went away as the micro-bubbles slowly vanished. However, the micro-bubbles were then replace by "macro-bubbles", which are much more persistent. They seem to be very slowly vanishing, so maybe by the end of the 2-3 day waiting period mentioned in the instruction I will have a clear screen. However, I did have a set-back: because I had to use an old wipe (since they forgot or neglected to supply one) some lint was under the film which became noticeable after a few hours. Thus (silly me), I decided to remove the film to attempt to remove the lint. I essentially failed because the underside is sticky, so I should have left well enough alone. Just now I've reapplied the film so I'm back to step one with the micro-bubble prismatic distortion. We'll see how things look after the 12-24 hours initial setting time (you're told NOT to use your Kindle during this period!) + 2-3 days bubble dissipation time that ArmorSuit says is required for the film to properly set. (You need patience with this product!) BTW, I see from the reviews that I'm not the only customer that did not receive the lint-free wipe and who had a late product delivery. These are definitely signs of a sloppy corporate culture that the company should address.Part III: It's now 12 hours after my reapplication of the protective film. It looks like I might have removed the lint mentioned above after all (there is a very small imperfection that could either be encircled lint, dirt, or a bubble--I should know by the end of the 2-3 day process). At this state, the film is, for the most part, clear (no graininess). I should have mentioned above that because I had had a problem with"macro-bubbles" 12 hours after the first application, I was MUCH more aggressive with the squeegee this time and as a consequence I do NOT have the macro-bubbles I saw the first time. But, the aggressive use of the squeegee does seem to have produced some scratching of the surface of the film. However, since the film is supposed to be "self-healing", this will be an opportunity to see if that is indeed the case.Part IV: It's now been a couple of weeks since I applied the film. Because (as I mentioned above) I was not provided with a lint-free wipe and had to use an old one I found in an old glasses case, I have very tiny pieces of lint under the film which show up when the screen is backlit. Also, the scratches that occurred when I squeegeed the film vigorously to insure that no "macro-bubbles" remained have NOT vanished, and are quite pronounced when the Kindle is turned off. I.e., after about two weeks, I see no sign that the material is "self-healing" as advertised, at least on the time-frame of a few weeks.In fairness, I think that knowing what I know now, if I were to start all over again (assuming that this time I'm given the missing lint-free wipe), I would do a much better job of applying the film. Except that I don't know if I could do so without causing scratches (which likely wouldn't disappear, given my experience). I will say that the film is transparent and doesn't cause any distortion.One last point is that, like others who've commented here, I've also been contacted by ArmorSuit with a request for me to remove my negative review! And they even provided me with step-by-step instructions on how to do so!!

I have read the other reviews here and feel a need to express my experience.I found the shield went on easily though I did use care to wet my fingers and handle only the extreme edges -- outside the Fire viewing area. I carefully squeegeed out all the bubbles and immediately noticed three things: (1) numerous tiny (micro) bubbles in one area in particular, (2) what looked like scratches from the smoothing (squeegee) tool, and (3) a reduction in the screen glare from reflected light. I had some hesitations at this point and would have posted a negative review had I evaluated the protector at this point. (End of day 0.)As directed, I let it sit over-night and, some 14 hours later (day 1), looked at the results again. Most of the micro bubbles had disappeared, most of the scratches were gone and the reflections were still improved from the bare Fire. My mood improved and I delayed writing any review for a couple days!The NEXT morning (day 2) all the micro bubbles were gone and ALL the scratches were gone. At the end of the day I noticed a couple new small scratches in the shield! (Yes, a couple groans and cusses may have been uttered, but I had faith now!) I left it over night.In the morning (day 3) all was fine again! That night I scratched the screen protector intentionally - off the viewing area and a bit more pronounced than what was there before. In the morning (day 4) it was barely visible and today (day 5) it is completely gone. There is definite improvement in screen reflections with only a very small loss in sensitivity to touch. VERY small. (Coincidentally I have started to use a stylus and found that is even better than fingers in most cases!)I am a VERY satisfied customer at this point and fully intend to use this brand as a protector for some other items as well. I ABSOLUTELY RECOMMEND THIS TO ALL!!!Do I have ANY negatives? Maybe two: (a) it would be nice if the instructions were "Fire-specific"and specifically showed where to positioning the notch and (b) the packaging was very much over-kill, far larger than necessary for this protector. (It could easily be shipped in a tube less than half the size to be a bit more environmentally conservative! I suspect that will come as their volumes increase!) Neither of these comments has a thing to do with ease of use or performance!I am perfectly happy and can only conclude that the folks having problems have either not waited 48 hours to assess the final results or applied the protector backwards.