BLACKFIRE Crystal Seal (New Formula) - Review

Angus

Angus

AspiringProductSpecialist
New and improved BLACKFIRE Crystal Seal review time!



From PBMG copy for BF Crystal Seal:

New formula lasts longer while producing an even slicker finish!

Create WHIPLASH on paint, plastics, and metal with crystal clear polymers!
BLACKFIRE Crystal Seal is a paint sealant coating that offers incredible protection and longevity for all paint finishes, plastics, glass, and metals. Just drops of this clear liquid produces a tough barrier over auto surfaces that resists contamination, moisture, and UV rays. Hyper-concentrated BLACKFIRE Crystal Seal packs the power of cross-linking Wet Diamond polymers in every drop
​

Directions:




  1. Apply out of direct sunlight - Check
  2. Use very sparingly - Ooops… keep reading.
  3. Polish and clay your vehicle as needed before applying Wet Diamond Paint Sealant Spray - Check
  4. Vehicle should be clean and dry - Check
  5. Mist the panel lightly and use a clean microfiber applicator to spread it over one section at a time in a very thin layer - Check
Instead of using a microfiber applicator I decided to use a Lake Country Coating Applicator because a) they’re easy to hold, b) don’t soak up product, and c) allow you to apply a nice even layer.

Here’s a shot of my hood in the process of flashing over:



I also applied BF CS to my headlights and windows:






6. There is no need to buff - Yeah… so about that...
​

Ok, as it turned out there was a few high spots I needed to buff. I’m blaming this on user error since I’m known to have a heavy hand and over-applied BF CS in a few areas:

Example #1 High spot before:


Buffing:


After:


Example #2 side-view mirror before:



After:


As you can see, BF CS buffs off very easily and didn’t give me any lasting headaches.

After all high-spots removed:







Conclusion

Blackfire Crystal Seal has to be one of the easiest LSP I’ve ever used. Had I not over applied it, BF CS would also win for the fastest LSP I’ve ever used as well. Best of all, BF CS is highly cost effective @ $20 for a 4oz bottle that will last a long time w/ careful application. This is one product I can easily recommend and will be sure to provide durability updates in the weeks/months to come.

Additional Observations:

A few mornings after I applied BF CS, I noticed some of the coolest frost formations I’ve ever seen:









Check out the frost icicles growing out of the hood and front fender:







How wild is that?!?! :)

As always, I hope this review was helpful. Please feel free to ask any questions.
 
that's awesome right there

if I ever run out of optiseal I will give this a try. that bottle seems to last forever
 
I just bought a bottle over NYE weekend. I think it was 20% off on top of already 20% and I had $5 credit so a 8 oz bottle came out to like $14 lol
 
Good timing for the review, I have a bottle coming from the year end sale too.

So you did paint and windows of the entire car (I assume).

How many OZ do you believe you used for your mid sized car?
Can you see into the bottle to see how much you used / or have remaining?
How long has the new and improved version been available and what was improved?

I will be very curious as to your follow up to this thread for durability observations. I'd also love to see a beading picture if you get one soon.

Thanks in advance if you are able to follow up to my questions.
 
I really like this product. I suspect that perhaps a maximum of 6 spritz's should have easily done and entire hood and 4 would have probably been plenty. I'd suggest you rethink the applicator next time and try the microfiber ones that came with the product. There's quite a different consistancy between this and it's brother coating. The microfiber made these easy to apply and kind of removed what might have been excess in the process. Car looks nice. I'm glad you liked it.
 
glfnaz said:
Good timing for the review, I have a bottle coming from the year end sale too.
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Nice! I'll do my best to answer your questions :)

glfnaz said:
So you did paint and windows of the entire car (I assume).
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Sure did!

glfnaz said:
How many OZ do you believe you used for your mid sized car?
Click to expand...

Not sure - maybe 1/4 oz? Like I said, I over applied BF CS. Believe me - a little goes a very long way.

glfnaz said:
Can you see into the bottle to see how much you used / or have remaining?
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Not easily. You'd have to unscrew the spray top and guess at the level.

glfnaz said:
How long has the new and improved version been available and what was improved?
Click to expand...

Since late November I believe? Durability is supposed to be longer.

glfnaz said:
I will be very curious as to your follow up to this thread for durability observations. I'd also love to see a beading picture if you get one soon.
Click to expand...

Here's one I have from the other night:



It's not the best photo but I hope it helps.

glfnaz said:
Thanks in advance if you are able to follow up to my questions.
Click to expand...

:)
 
GearHead_1 said:
I really like this product. I suspect that perhaps a maximum of 6 spritz's should have easily done and entire hood and 4 would have probably been plenty. I'd suggest you rethink the applicator next time and try the microfiber ones that came with the product. There's quite a different consistancy between this and it's brother coating. The microfiber made these easy to apply and kind of removed what might have been excess in the process. Car looks nice. I'm glad you liked it.
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Thanks, GearHead. I'll take you're advice and try a mf applicator next time. :)
 
Cool review !

New formula <perk>

Old one was great, hope this is even better. Loved the frost pics.
 
Great review Angus. Did you ever use the old formula of Blackfire CS? I was curious what the improvements were. I have some of the old formula and I agree it is one of the fastest and easiest LSP'S to apply.
 
512detail said:
that's awesome right there

if I ever run out of optiseal I will give this a try. that bottle seems to last forever
Click to expand...

Hmm I think I may have overdone my recent sealant acquisitions. I bought a 8oz BF CS, and receiving via trades 4 oz Opti-Seal and 8 oz of Wolfgang Liquid Seal. :blink:
 
pheerix said:
Hmm I think I may have overdone my recent sealant acquisitions. I bought a 8oz BF CS, and receiving via trades 4 oz Opti-Seal and 8 oz of Wolfgang Liquid Seal. :blink:
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Absolutely not. You can never have too much. Just make sure thy stay sealed well.

Just start sealing things inside your house. I use optiseal on all my metal/tin car signs purchased from hobby lobby etc and my hotwheels mopars too.
Kitchen sink, you name it buddy!
 
Pats300zx said:
Great review Angus. Did you ever use the old formula of Blackfire CS? I was curious what the improvements were. I have some of the old formula and I agree it is one of the fastest and easiest LSP'S to apply.
Click to expand...

Thanks, Pat! This was my first time using BF CS. Sorry I can't answer your old vs new version question!
 
pheerix said:
Hmm I think I may have overdone my recent sealant acquisitions. I bought a 8oz BF CS, and receiving via trades 4 oz Opti-Seal and 8 oz of Wolfgang Liquid Seal. :blink:
Click to expand...

Nah, like 512detail said - you can never have toooo many LSP's to play with ;)
 
Thanks for reviewing, those frost shots are incredible! I also caved in and picked this up during the sale as well as Wolfgang DGLS, I'm looking forward to putting them to the test.
 
*1 Month Update*

Well it's been a month, and I have to say things aren't looking good for Crystal Seal - on the paint.

Take a look at the photos I took this morning after yesterday's rain:

(Roof)


(Hood)


Beads have turned into amobias on the paint however if you look carefully at my sunroof, beading is still going strong on the glass surfaces I applied CS too:



Here's another angle showing how the two surfaces vary: paint on the left, glass on the right:



Why the dramatic difference between the 2 surfaces? Well the only thing I can think of is, BF CS and HD SPEED don't play well together and failed to bond.

Prior to applying CS, I used HD SPEED for some light paint correction before the cold weather set in. I was hoping CS would add a nice top layer for extra durability but knew full well my plan could backfire. And it did! However it's pretty cool to see the difference in beading between the paint and glass surfaces. And it only go to show how important prep work is and using products that work with each other.

So lesson learned: Do not use BLACKFIRE Crystal Seal on top of HD SPEED. I'll continue to keep any eye on the CS coated glass surfaces and update this thread on longevity.

For now, hopefully I'll have time this weekend to apply a new LSP on the paint. HD Poxy anyone???? :)
 
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