Ardex Stereo Glaze & COB

Have you used Ardex Stereo Glaze and/or COB

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ronmart

ronmart

New member
I recently took my well detailed, 6 year old, black Mercedes in for service only to have it returned with tree sap all over it after it spent a spring night under a very sappy tree.

My service rep offered a free detail which I reluctantly accepted since both of my other vehicles needed attention. I was planning to buff it out anyway, so I figured there wasn't much harm in letting them work on it.

To my shock they actually did a fantastic job. I asked my sales rep what they used and he said Ardex Stereo Glaze (no number mentioned) and Ardex COB (have no idea what that stands for). Apparently COB is for black cars.

Thoughts, opinions?

Currently I'm using products from Griots (polish), Klasse (sealant), and P21s (wax) that I'm happy with, but I am curious about this COB stuff.
 
You might recognize this reply:

There are 3 Stereo Glaze products. Ardex describes Stereo #3 as a good quality one step product for details where time is limited. Auctions, "spot" deliveries (which, where I work means the customer is waiting, has 4 kids with them, has to go to work/soccer practice/court/etc--not to be confused with Ardex's "Spot Delivery" brand spray wax ) etc. It is the most "aggressive" of the three stereo products I use, but it has no real cutting power. It is a glaze, so it has filler. If using it alone, (which I almost never do) I would use a polishing pad.

Stereo 2 is described as a "machine brightener" It is minty green in color, and is used as a polish/glaze. Ardex touts this as one of their best products. I would use it after the cutting stage, since it has a glazy finish to it. They recommend using it with a polishing pad on dark colored cars. They claim it lasts a long time, but in my experience, it does wash away if not sealed in with a wax or sealant. And for black cars, I prefer their Seal B product, (NOT "COB") which is grey in color and is used to cover up defects, and make black look, uh, blacker. Seal B comes after polish, and needs wax and sealant to keep it on the car. Rumor has it, this is the product closest to the fabled "Ebony", a product all the old-timers rave about for black cars.

Stereo 1 is bright and light(er) yellow, similar to Stereo 3, but less aggressive. It is a final polish step, or a wax, or both. meaning it can be applied with a pad, and polished off if you need to get the car out quick.

I have over 30 different polishes, and I believe the Ardex Stereo Glaze line is pretty good for light work. I have used these products in all different kinds of combinations over the years. For example, when I first got the product, (and wanted to see what these products were made of) I tried a 3-2-1-B-sealant combination on moderately messed up dark colored cars, and they turned out nice.
 
BTW, if you are interested in the Seal B, Car Brite makes a version called "Sleek", and 3M makes a version called "Perfect-It II Swirl Mark Remover For Dark Colored Cars" The Car Brite is a little darker, but less "greasy". The 3M is more subdued than the other 2.
 
Funny Capt. Paintball. You might recognize this one as well :)

Awesome - thanks!

Currently I'm using Griots Machine Polishes for polishing, Klasse products for sealant, and P21s for wax. However, none of these are glazes that can help with the inevitable swirls that the polish can't remove without going too deep. The idea of a glaze with a color pigment is a new concept for me but one that seemed to work well on my car.

Of the ones inyour 10:05 PM post, which do you like the most? My tendency would be to go for the 3M since it is a product brand I'm familiar with and trust more.
 
These products do not get rid of the inevitable "spider webbing" that is revealed in direct sunlight or at night on the reflection from overhead flourescent lights, they just cover them up (50-75%) for the time being. What you put over it to protect the application will determine the length of time the product stays on the car.

They also will not get rid of heavy swirl marks from heavy compounding. They will merely cover them up, and less successfully than spider webbing. I have seen some people make the mistake of "cutting" the car with a gritty compound, then slapping the Seal B, etc. on as a last step. There needs to be 1 or more polishing steps in between, and a final, "seal-up the process" step after.

They will do nothing for holograms, which on a black car look wavy, like the Northern Lights.

They can be applied with a rotary, DA, or by hand--I prefer the machine. wipe/blend the excess with a MF towel. Do not wash the car at least until you put on the wax/sealant. I prefer to do my steps, CAREFULLY, apply the SealB/etc, apply wax/sealant, wipe off the excess from vehicle, apply vinyl/tire dressing, do the windows... done. No "afterwash"
 
Of the ones inyour 10:05 PM post, which do you like the most? My tendency would be to go for the 3M since it is a product brand I'm familiar with and trust more.

They are all good. In fact, although I am a HUGE 3M fan, I haven't used it too much to determine whether it is superior to the Ardex or Car Brite products. As I stated earlier, each has their strong points, but are quite similar.

The old school guys used something called "Ebony." Supposedly Ardex bought the company, although that may be hearsay.

I don't know if it was as good as they recall, but I will be on the look out for this magical stuff. They also used shoe polish, and lemon Pledge on black cars, too, so who knows?!?!?
 
Yeah Liquid Ebony was great for black cars. It would make a black cars paint look a mile deep. But alot of the new products are just as good and easier to use. I have not seen it sold in paint supply stores in a long time.
 
vwgtivw said:
Yeah Liquid Ebony was great for black cars. It would make a black cars paint look a mile deep. But alot of the new products are just as good and easier to use. I have not seen it sold in paint supply stores in a long time.
Click to expand...

What do you use that gives you comparable results?
 
Capt. Paintball said:
These products do not get rid of the inevitable "spider webbing" that is revealed in direct sunlight or at night on the reflection from overhead flourescent lights, they just cover them up (50-75%) for the time being. What you put over it to protect the application will determine the length of time the product stays on the car.

They also will not get rid of heavy swirl marks from heavy compounding. They will merely cover them up, and less successfully than spider webbing. I have seen some people make the mistake of "cutting" the car with a gritty compound, then slapping the Seal B, etc. on as a last step. There needs to be 1 or more polishing steps in between, and a final, "seal-up the process" step after.

They will do nothing for holograms, which on a black car look wavy, like the Northern Lights.
Click to expand...

Cool thanks for the info!

Capt. Paintball said:
They can be applied with a rotary, DA, or by hand--I prefer the machine. wipe/blend the excess with a MF towel. Do not wash the car at least until you put on the wax/sealant. I prefer to do my steps, CAREFULLY, apply the SealB/etc, apply wax/sealant, wipe off the excess from vehicle, apply vinyl/tire dressing, do the windows... done. No "afterwash"
Click to expand...

I'm from the same school of thought as you on this. I polish, seal, wax, then do wheels and lastly windows. I don't see the need for an afterwash with modern day products since they don't have the white chalky residue that was so common when I was doing this stuff in the 80's.

I do typically do a Griots Speed Shine on the hood and select spots when I am done, which is sort of a afterwash, but I look at it as more of a finishing touch.
 
i use stereo glaze 1, seal b, hard at it and alpha grit from ardex. i find the to be very good products myself. i also started using seal b as a final swirl remover after ssr 2, i don't have ssr1 yet.
 
maximv1 said:
i use stereo glaze 1, seal b, hard at it and alpha grit from ardex. i find the to be very good products myself. i also started using seal b as a final swirl remover after ssr 2, i don't have ssr1 yet.
Click to expand...

What are some other products that you have used?

How would you compare these to polishes and sealants by Griots, Klasse, 3M, P21s, or Meguairs?
 
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