We often forget people who review products, do not necessarily share the same needs, desires, or skill level as us.  We also are in a great (perhaps to a fault) renaissance of detailing that with all of the great options, some products just may work better or differently, which can be a problem.  This issue exists in many industries with regards to customer confusion and often dissatisfaction.

I had a conversation with a product representative of one of the most recognized and respected brands in the auto detailing industry.  He told me “most products are (nowadays) good stuff.”  Paraphrasing ‘they may work a little differently, there are some that are a little bit better in some areas (strengths and weaknesses) or for may be a little better overall.’  To an extent, that is a good thing, that you will tend to have a safety net.  What is the best for MY NEEDS may be incredibly disappointing to you.

I previously wrote an article on a similar topic to address some of the talking points that I am bringing up here.  For those that find this article informative, I highly recommend reading, What Is The Best Product.  I believe this article goes to the heart of customer dissatisfaction and confusion, our dependence on reviewers who tell us what we may think is valuable but might leave out what we need to hear.

How many people on YouTubers describe a wax, sealant or coating the following way?  It cost {insert price} much money, and after this period of time this is what the water beading looks like without context or further content.  Conclusion this product is the greatest or this product is terrible.  Meanwhile the question of ease of application is never brought up.  Do we even ask if the product was applied properly in the right environmental conditions?

A friend, a fellow detailing business owner, and someone who has mentored me had reached out on a public forum in the interest of purchasing a camera.  He wanted to improve the quality of his social media content.  I private messaged him a compact list of suggestions based upon the kind of content I have seen him produce, knowing that he was graduating from a camera phone without extensive knowledge about videography.  I also factored in his budget limits.  He thanked me for the effort I put into my suggestions, commenting everyone else just told him “get this, it’s the best.”  That statement reminds me of the many reviews and attitudes of people who look for approval from strangers before buying hundreds to thousands of dollars in gear.

“Sometimes people just want to pull a camera out of the box and have it look pretty damn good.  Honestly at this point I think if you are shooting everything auto (not using any of the manual camera settings) you are probably going to get better results from your phone.  But if you are willing to spend the time and effort (shutter speed, ISO, color grading, aperture) you can get some professional results.” – Gene Nagata

Two years ago, I invested in camera gear for the same reason many of us invest in gear or products, to solve a problem and have a better experience overall.  Until somewhat recently many of my videos shot with my dedicated cameras looked noticeably worse than from my camera phone.  I can say the same about my photos even more recently.  As I continued to learn about cinematography, it was not until very recently I begin to have a greater appreciation and understanding of the value in some of these $2000, $3000, and $4000 professional and dedicated cinema cameras.  This understanding was mostly unrelated to image quality.  It came from learning how to better utilize my camera features and more importantly, creatively work around the limitations of my $1000 cameras.  Ironically, this has led me to better utilize my camera phone that I was trying to transition away from.  I hope this gives you a new perspective when I say the gap between the best product for the money is in the eye of beholder.  That includes the reviewer and viewer who is watching detailing product comparison videos.

Can you imagine someone saying look at these smartphone pictures and videos that look so much better than this $4000 cinema camera for confirmation bias views on YouTube.  Actually, we all can.  This also exist in the detailing realm.

I remember many conversations about why I use somewhat more expensive products.  I did not answer by saying they are significantly better.  My tolerance for quality control issues and shortcomings in ease of application are very low.  Spending 3 days mentally and physically expending myself (working on a car) in unique environments, leads me to not caring about saving $10, $20, or $30 on a detail.  The peace of mind knowing that I can communicate easily with product representatives of certain brands is important to me.  My lifestyle may be different from yours.

Steps To Get More Out Of Reviews:

• First put the time in to watch multiple credible and thoughtful reviewers (yes this includes me).  Realistically it is impossible to recreate enough scenarios (experimental controls) to paint an accurate picture or always provide a thoughtful analysis of the benefits of one product.
• I like more descriptive reviews over those that seem to focus just on critiques and praise.  From my perception, that is where bias is minimized.
• Learn more about detailing.  I would not necessarily call detailing rocket science.  Having at least a basic understanding of the detailing process will affect your perception of a product.  You will also more easily find better sources for quality feedback on detailing products.