What Is The Best Product? My Thoughts
by Rodney TatumFaster than a speeding bullet! More powerful than a locomotive! It is the perfect product. A fictional character revealed by our own unique biases and specific needs!
Hopefully, this becomes a constructive rant in addition to some awesome product recommendations!
Imagine being at a restaurant, hearing it has the best food from an online poll, to realize you are allergic to most of the popular dishes. Imagine a professional golfer at the apex of his or her game goes to find the best golf clubs money can buy. Everything is fitted and customized to his or her height and golf swing. Another elite golfing professional practices with those same clubs with disastrous results. The problem may seem obvious to many people. But when you ask what is the best wax, polisher, soap, microfiber, or any genre of detailing product you are committing this same critical error.
Some polishing pads are absolutely terrible choices to pair with on a rotary polisher but can be perfectly utilized with a standard dual action polisher. Some pads work better with a force rotation polisher.
The Gyeon line, for multiple reasons, are my preferred polishes. Meguiars 105 Compound and 205 Polish are popular among professionals. But I would not necessarily recommend these polishes to someone who is performing their first paint correction polishing session.
I want you to be mindful of this observation from my experience. The people who are often the least knowledgeable about a topic are often the most likely to offer their opinion about a vague question. People who are often the most knowledgeable are more likely to give someone honest feedback when they put some thought into their inquiry.
Even reading the reviews of a product can be very beneficial. I have become intrigued by and even purchased supplies from Detailed Image based upon reading (the details) a negative review of a product.
Some say having SIO2 in a product makes it the best. Jescar Powerlock+ or Wolfgang Deep Gloss Paint Sealant do not have SI02 in them to my knowledge. Both yield outstanding results. If you had only experienced $50 wash and wax details in your life, an application of a spray-on SI02 product is going to feel superior in your mind to any traditional wax or sealant.
I have used Wolfgang Deep Gloss Paint Sealant 3.0 on a properly prepped (washed and clayed) surface. It lasted noticeably for 6 months on my surface. The properties of the sealant did not deteriorate until the 5th month.
You may not want to deal with the hassle of getting a product perfectly clean including having to use a product that removes polishing oils prior to applying protection. You may want a product that is not as frustrating to remove excess sealant or wax. You prefer a product that is not as affected by humidity in an outdoor environment, unlike a SI02 product. A product where the excess can be easily removed with a little quick detailer and microfiber is more appealing to you. You ultimately want a versatile product that simplifies the detailing process. The good old days before coatings and SI02 products!
You should consider an all in one product like Blackfire One Step.
But you are giving up something with this product, although it is a high quality All In One (AIO). An all in one product comes with the convenience of a product that respectably cuts and refines paint, cleans paint sufficiently for the protection that it also in addition leaves behind. Being a jack of all trades makes it a master of none. An all in one type of product is inherently not likely going to be as good at polishing as compared to a product like Sonax Perfect Finish. It will not protect as long or quite as well as a dedicated product with similar chemistry like Blackfire Paint Sealant. You are also not going to know the true result (cut and or refinement) of your polishing process due to the protection left behind masking signs of paint defects. But the use of any AIO will give you the most efficient turnaround for a car. It is ultimately a matter of what is important for you! That may depend on the current condition of your car, how much you want to improve it, how much work you are willing to put into detailing, what you are most comfortable doing. I could go on and on!
So what is the best product? If you looking for simple answers while providing limited information, you will often be supplied with a plethora of uninspiring opinions to further confuse you.
Obviously I am not saying there are not generally superior or inferior products on the market. In fact the gap in the overall quality of some products may be huge. What I am saying is the the discovery of what is the best product for you, is just that; discovering specifically what is best for your needs and budget. It may be different from what everyone else loves or is using.
IGL Ecocoat Premier. It has been a popular SI02 sealant choice lately. It has some of the characteristics in terms of hydrophobic properties of a coating in a sealant. No I do not consider this a coating! But if you are on the fence about trying coatings, a good recommended start or practice is trying to apply a silica sealant. In doing so you will already have a maintenance product on hand.
“I want a coating and I don’t have a shelter and I am inexperienced detailing.”
Gyeon CanCoat (hybrid), a product I describe as a coating light type product!
You are old school and don’t want to change your wash habits. You will never purchase a polisher. Don’t worry, I am not going to judge you. You do not mind a temporary solution with some protection that fills in the micro marring that adds to the look of your car. Chemical Guys Black Light Hybrid Radiant Finish is the right option for you.
You do not enjoy detailing, you see it as a necessary chore. It’s ok to say it, or at least you need a break from hours of working on your car but you need to have SOMETHING (ideally minimally done). Try a spray sealant like Blackfire Synthetic Spray Wax! Wash and then apply spray sealant.
All too often in our quest for the best, failing to ask more questions while not offering more detailed information makes it harder to find specific solutions to your needs. You are unique, you are not like everybody. What I might suggest with my lense of perception may be 4 times more than you are willing to spend and 4 times the work you are willing to do to maximize what might be the best product on the market. But It could also be exactly what you want.
I am not a fan of the SIO2 products. Every time i try using them all it does is stain the paint. Unless im doing it totally wrong.
Happens to me with many of them as well.
This is a common issue with many (not necessarily all) SI02 type products. It is another reason why I may suggest products like Jescar Powerlock+ as opposed to the flavor of the year.
It is not that one is better than the other: when people talk of ease of use, one person may be referring to speed of application and not necessarily how finicky a product is to apply. This is often the case when people describe SI02 products. But just like different SI02 products can be unique, different brands of traditional sealants are unique as well.
Fantastic *rant*. Rodney delineates the differences between him as a professional and a lot of people that “want the best product”. There’s plenty of posts that argue “why would I spend X dollars when S & S lasts 6 months and costs $5. I really appreciate an article that is this well written and can ask the reader – what do you want from your car? Can you invest the time? Or can you pay a professional with years of experience? Thank you, Rodney!
Thank you! This is relatable to other industries as well. “It’s the best!” That statement in a vacuum is rooted in bias and needs that are uniquely applicable to the individual.
Turtle Wax Seal n Shine is truly a Hardcore product. it can beat any expensive product in its or above category. i keep habbit of using on my personal car 2010 Kia Sportage since last 16 months and it had given always tremendous results. i had experienced 6-7 months of its durability on my car even with on windshield. it always gives my car wet and gloss and many even ask the secret behind it, and i would easily say its Turtle Wax seal n Shine.
Another great write up Rodney!
On Blacklight – is it purely a filler, or does it have any abrasive qualities to it? I have a car that’s ceramic coated, and wondering it I can use it to temporarily hide some light swirls that have shown up, without removing the coating. Thanks!
I do not believe it has any abrasives in it. I would not recommend that products with a ceramic coated car though. It may or may NOT accomplish this task due to being applied to the coating literally versus paint. But it will affect the other positive attributes of a coating; self cleaning, hydrophobic properties.
Are you talking about Chemical guys Blacklight? Is has abrasives. Check out their website, they list the ingredients in all their items.
Really enjoyed Rodney story and will be looking forward to more advice like this.
I am 59 Years old and detailing my car or friends’ cars is my favourite thing to do. I love taking a filthy dirty inside and outside cars/trucks/SUVs with paint that has never been detailed and sat in the sun for years. When I get a car like that from a friend to do and give it back to the owner and they freak out and can’t believe it’s there car, mission accomplished.
I loved it so much I opened a Detail Shop in 1997 for a few years. We were doing really, really well because of our location and our specific targeted clients. Business Leaders with Cash and Bespoke Service to High-End Cars like Benz, BMW, Porsche, Jeep Grand Cherokee Ltd. (the must have SUV) Corvette’s, Range Rover, etc. Our business model was CEO’s, Business Leaders who would stop at the shop early AM which was on the core entrance to Downtown. I would drive them to work and bring their vehicle back to the shop at the end of there day I would have their vehicle in their parking spot for them or out from their office and hand them there keys. One of my employees would pick me up and bring me back to the shop.
This was a very good service for us and many of our High-End Customers paid a weekly or monthly rate for this service. It was usually a once a week service but could also have emergence calls in between if someone got sick (babies milk) dirt and pollen inside a vehicle because window left open. We covered it 24/7 even if the shop was closed. Damn we even had a website when many shops and suppliers only an email address from AOL!
We had no fancy Ceramic Coatings but we did use imported waxs from Germany and amazing customer service. We also did paint correction but the DA’s and products now would have been such a great help.
We lost the amazing Location with 5 Bays and Car Show Parking Lot in very short notice that was the busiest Traffic area of our City. We could not find another location to run the same business model so I had to close. I miss those days and often think where would I be now as my plan was to do a 5 shop Business Model but the Bespoke Location was key to it all.
We had to rope off the parking lot because people would stop in the lot just to take pictures of them selves beside a high-end cars & Jeep Grand Cherokees that we’re freshly detailed. I had 2 Jeep Grand Cherokee Ltd. during this time and every person in the City that had one came to my business just to get there Jeep to look like mine, even the CEO & GM of the local Jeep Dealership. One Time we had 16 Jeeps in our parking lot all detailed up and people stopped to ask if they were for sale.
Now I detail for fun at home for friends and family so I will love to catch up with all the great content you produce here a DetailedImage.com my shop back in the Day was DetailPlus Automotive Detailing!
I will look forward to all your tricks and tips on product and processes.
Ciao for now!
This is a common issue with many (not necessarily all) SI02 type products. It is another reason why I may suggest products like Jescar Powerlock+ as opposed to the flavor of the year.
It is not that one is better than the other: when people talk of ease of use, one person may be referring to speed of application and not necessarily how finicky a product is to apply. This is often the case when people describe SI02 products. But just like different SI02 products can be unique, different brands of traditional sealants are unique as well.
Michael I apologize, this comment was intended for the first question (oops).
I do look forward to contributing with detailing product ideas.
I just thought I would put in my two cents worth. I have very good luck using Sonax polishes and Menserna Powerlock. I use an orbital and I prefer microfiber.
Sonax Perfect Finish and Powerlock are two very popular products for a good reasons.
My car has 5 coats of ceramic on it. What is the best product to use between washes to remove dust or pollen
This piggybacks somewhat on the theme of this article and previous comments, I would like to know more about the ‘ceramic’ product that is?
What I can mention, when in doubt, trust the company’s maintenance product. That would be the first reccomendation. 2nd recommendedation use a car soap that you are CERTAIN that has no gloss enhancers or fillers.
morning Rodney…hope u and your loved ones are safe and WELL…hove u tried jim lafeber’s(dr beasleys) NSP line….NSP150, NSP95, NSP45….the #’s relate to the size of the abrasive(1.5 – .95 – .45 microns respectively….reviews are off the charts and is being regarded as a game changer in preparation/correction/polish….and it lays down a bonding matrix for ALL coatings and si02 products. since the abrasives are all the same size the cut is even and results in the most level surface ever achieved providing the flattest surface giving u the highest level off gloss and reflection possible. a costly process to make uniform abrasives…but the time savings and results speak for themselves. mike phillips(autogeek) when reiviewed was amazed – best he has ever seen. due to bonding matrix – NO PANEL WIPE NEEDED also. ck it out as jim’s site and also click on blog tab
Is Gtechnic’s EXO v4 compatible over 22ple’s HPC ceramic coating? I have both in stock and would like to use them together but I am not 100% sure they would not cause a problem in tandem. I understand the standard safe answer to this question is to stay with the recommended products of the manufacturer. But isn’t siO2 ceramic coating basically the same as are top coats.
Peter – EXO is not as durable as HPC, but will sheet water better. EXO is designed to be used more as a topper to other coatings, but can also be used as a stand-alone option if desired. If you wanted to use the HPC, EXO would be great to put over the top. For coating toppers (i.e. CarPro Reload, 22ple VS1, Gtechniq C2V3, etc.) these are formulated with sio2 just like coatings, just at a much lower concentration for easier spray on, wipe off application.