[Cloud9...68]

I thought you guys (and gals) might find this interesting. I stumbed across an article in the July 2006 issue of Consumer Reports (my wife keeps all the old issues) comparing 28 popular car waxes. Granted, some of the waxes that many members here have previously listed as their favorites, such as Zaino and Rejex, along, for some reason, with all of Mothers products, were not tested, but they did test several other high dollar waxes, such as Griots Garage Best of Show, Zymol Cleaner Wax Z503, and P21S Concours-Look Carnauba Wax (at a chest-clutching $32 for a 6.2 oz can), and these all turned in very mediocre preformances.



Consumer Reports describes their testing procedure, and it seems to be as rigorous as their typical testing. I've use Griots Best of Show for the past 12 years or so, but I've had such a bad experience with it the last two times I've used it (VERY hard to remove, even after they sent me a new bottle, thinking my old one's shelf life had expired), that I'm never using it again, so I will try the Black Magic next. This subject is so, well, subjective, that it't nice to see an objective test cut through some of the mystique. I wish they would do some testing on some of the other automotive products out there, like car wash, tire treatments, vinyl/rubber interior treatments, products for hard plastics, etc. I'm curious what you all think.

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[ds968]

Turtle Wax in the no. 2 spot <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/ohmy.gif" class="smilie" alt="" /> ? This is the nearly the equivalent of listing Quaker State and Penzoil

in the number 1 and 2 positions, with Mobil One and Royal Purple coming in near the bottom of an oil performance test chart <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/tongue.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />



But who knows, may be these dirt cheap alternatives give results as good as the expensive stuff many of us use. I never used Tutle Wax, nor Black Magic so I can't possibly compare and comment on what Consumers Reports claim , but I'll give them a try on my other cars and see if I detect any difference.

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[Darryl]

I think there are a few factors to consider when using Consumer Reports.



First and foremost, it's geared towards consumers and what the average person will purchase, use, recommend, etc. I don't dislike Consumer Reports, but I always take what I read and use it as just another set of opinions. I do the same thing when they review audio and video gear which is my full time business and always get customer questions about why items rate how they do. I will give them credit - they are always fair and unbiased with the testing procedures, which makes alot of people think that they automatically achieve the best and/or most accurate results. That isn't necessarily true.



Second, car wax is a very subjective thing, as most products are going to contain similar ingredients. I remember reading a post on here sometime ago where someone mixed about 10 different things together and the car beaded water like crazy for quite a long time. Did they test that? <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/tongue.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />



Last, to get the best finish and shine on your paint, it isn't necessarily about the wax, but rather the cleaners and polishers that you use BEFORE you wax. The wax is simply the outermost covering and is designed not only to protect, but to provide depth and gloss to the paint. In the case of a lot of products now a days, they are a "cleaner/wax" all-in-one product and therefore unfair to compare them to wax only products.



OK, now that I've got that out my system, I'm a regular user of #8 the Zymol cleaner/wax. I think it's ratings are fairly accurate, so that would lead me to try some of the items that scored higher. After all, they are less expensive. I've used Turtle wax products all my life so it doesn't surprise me to see them have mutliple entries in the top 20. Interesting though that of all the Turtle wax entries, the Carnauba product is the one that scored highest. Carnauba is the hardest wax and is usually the most durable and there are a lot of variations.



My beef with this chart, although it is a year old, is all the items missing as mentioned in a previous post. What about Menzerna, Klasse, Poorboy's, Mother's, Zaino?



With regard to P21S, I find it nothing short of fantastic. You do not need much at all, and although the price/per oz. is higher, you can wax many more cars with 6 oz. of this stuff than any thing listed on the page. It's only to be used as a final coat, hence the "Poor" rating for cleaning. But only "Good" for Gloss? You can also layer P21S while most other products will strip previous applications, thereby not adding more protection. For all my "higher end" paying gigs, I use the full line of Menzerna products with excellent results and consistency. I always get compliments on my paint and cleaning. Just the other day, I got a compliment on the 944 while pumping gas and it doens't even have "wax" on it...just cleaned, polished, and sealed.



Sorry for the long post, but it hit a nerve... <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/smile.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />



- Darryl

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[VGM911]

I tried the Black Magic after reading the Consumer Reports test. I was very disappointed with how much harder it was to remove than my favorite product - Zymol Cleaner Wax.



I won't be using the Black Magic again.

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[Cloud9...68]

[quote name='VGM911' post='36036' date='May 26 2007, 08:22 PM']I tried the Black Magic after reading the Consumer Reports test. I was very disappointed with how much harder it was to remove than my favorite product - Zymol Cleaner Wax.



I won't be using the Black Magic again.[/quote]



Did you apply it with an orbital polisher, or by hand? And did you remove it with a cotton towel, or with micro fiber? I've found the micro fiber wax removal cloths work much better than cotton towels, though getting the Griots Best of Show off was still a huge pain. However, Griot's Paint Sealant comes off very easily, when applied and removed with the same method.

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[Larry Currie]

In the past I've been happy with some CU's rating and disappointed with others. I don't fully trust their ratings, but think they are worth considering with other factors when you make a purchase. I won't change from Zaino Brothers because it's the best I've tried and I don't want to start looking again.

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[Cloud9...68]

Yes, of course, CU isn't the last word on this subject. But this is the first objective test I've ever seen on car wax, and again, their testing methods seem sound. I wish they had tested more brands, but the fact that some of the more popular, high dollar waxes did so relatively poorly tells me that plunking down a lot of money won't necessarily get you a better wax job.

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[ds968]

Larry, somehow a photo of Jessica on a thread about WAXING makes this topic so much more interesting <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/rolleyes.gif" class="smilie" alt="" /> <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/wink.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />

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[Mark]

While I am not a huge fan of Griot's BoS wax, if applied thinly to a cool surface it comes off just fine and gives a good shine. I am a big fan of Griot's wheel cleaner and speed shine so I am not just knocking his stuff. I've also just tried his car wash and it does a good job. I use Klasse AIO, sometimes the SG and usually some carnauba topper for a little pop when I can actually be bothered to wash/wax one of the vehicles. <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/smile.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />



The Eagle One Wax as You Dry gets a lot of thumbs up from people normally drawn to one of the boutique waxes.

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[chris]

Um....how are the spray waxes doing so well in these tests??

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[VGM911]

[quote name='Cloud9...68' post='36039' date='May 26 2007, 07:31 PM']Did you apply it with an orbital polisher, or by hand? And did you remove it with a cotton towel, or with micro fiber? I've found the micro fiber wax removal cloths work much better than cotton towels, though getting the Griots Best of Show off was still a huge pain. However, Griot's Paint Sealant comes off very easily, when applied and removed with the same method.[/quote]



I always hand wax, which is how I applied the Black Magic. As to what I removed it with, I can't remember if it was one of my older cloths (I'll never get rid of them!) or a microfiber.

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[Mark]

The spray waxes did very poorly in durability but hey are good for in between full details as a quick detailer.

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[968workaholic]

[quote name='VGM911' post='36127' date='May 29 2007, 05:15 PM']I always hand wax, which is how I applied the Black Magic. As to what I removed it with, I can't remember if it was one of my older cloths (I'll never get rid of them!) or a microfiber.[/quote]

I have used the Black Magic Wax before and also found it to be difficult to remove, but only when the cars surface was more than warm. I guess the wax is very sensitive to surface temp. more than others. If you wait to wax you car until the later hours, it works wonderfully.

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[Cloud9...68]

Hmmm... Interesting comments about the impact of temperature on the difficulty in removing the wax. I don't think it was particularly warm when I used the Griots Best of Show, and as I said, I've been using that stuff for a dozen years all throughout the year, including in the summer months, and didn't have the difficulty removing it as I had the last couple of times I used it. I'll wait for it to cool off before using hte Black Magic, which is the next wax I want to try, based on CU's recommendation.

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[Mark]

Microfibre towels can load up with gunk when doing removal so keep it on a clean section of towel.

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[opus]

I have used Black Magic after reading consumer reports. I have tried it using a number of combinations. While the instructions says to let it dry to a haze, I find it best to wipe it before it dries completely. Once completely dry, it's a pain in the ass to wipe it off. I divide the car into four sections (five including the room) and work each section one at a time. For example, I apply the wax on the hood, then wipe it off before moving to another section.



My favorite thought is the "Eagle One Wax-as-you-dry". Very easy to use.

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[flash]

i've tried most of the products there and not found one "does it all" wax - some don't like cold - some don't like hot - some don't like going over other waxes - some don't like going over themselves (either of these 2 means a clay bar step that annoys me no end) - some shine well but don't hold up - others streak or go on unevenly and need to warm up - i've even found some waxes that don't like clear coats, and some that favor certain colors



i think you have to try them on your car under your conditions and see what works best for you



currently, i use mequier's with a buffer as a base coat - then i use glyph as a top coat - this fills in scratches and anomolies left by the mequier's - i follow up as necessary between jobs with the glyph - works very nicely

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[Cloud9...68]

[quote name='opua' post='36237' date='Jun 1 2007, 08:18 AM']My favorite though is the "Eagle One Wax-as-you-dry". Very easy to use.[/quote]



Yes, I've also bought some Eagle One Wax-As-You-Dry, and used it on my wife's BMW. Does a very nice job, leaving a deep luster. I'll use it after every wash to extend the time between full waxings. I think I'll go ahead and give the Black Magic a try when it comes time to wax one of the cars next.



And Flash, what's your objection to the clay? I've been using it before waxing for years, and it seems to do a great job of providing a very smooth surface to apply the wax. Not hard to use, either.

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[flash]

lol - just a pain having to go that far - it's the step itself that bugs me, not the product - the product works great - i'm just lazy and hate detailing and waxing

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[968Z]

NuFinish! Cheap and easy, just the way I like it. It also works great on sailboat hulls and surfboards. You can feel the difference in the water.

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