I've tried Zaino and Klasse, but IMO Blackfire beats the other two hands down. All three are durable and fairly easy to use, but the shine obtained with Blackfire really sets it apart...very deep, glowing, and carnauba like. Aside from being a dust magnet, Blackfire has only one possible downside, and that is the fact that its formulation is based on ... you guessed it ... element #14, Silicon.
But I'm not really sure this is a downside. Now I've read all the opinions on Silicone, which basically fall into one of three categories: (1) Stay away from the stuff at all costs...it's impossible to remove and will cause fisheyes if the car needs to be repainted; (2) Silicone can be difficult to remove, but not necessarily. There are "good" silicones and "bad" silicones, so just make sure the product you use has the "good" ones; and (3) Silicone is not a problem, period. Without silicone, you have no protection.
Kind of like getting opinions from three different economists. So I figured I'd call up 5 different reputable body shops and see what they say, since they deal with repainting cars every day.
Here's what I found out. The first shop I called was an adamant supporter of opinion (1)...silicone is nearly impossible to remove and causes fisheyes. Body shops 2 and 3 weren't as adamant about not using it as the first, but stated it sometimes can be difficult to remove (neither one said anything about "good" silicones or "bad" silicones). Body shop 2 suggested using carnauba only, and body shop 3 said there used to be an effective product for removing polymers called "Polycrack", but that it was banned for environmental reasons. Also, I might note, body shop 2 told me that sanding will remove the silicone polymer, while body shop 3 told me you must remove the stuff prior to sanding, otherwise you will further embed it into the paint when you do sand it. Hmmm...these two guys should get together and start talking.
And finally, body shops 4 and 5 told me that using silicone-based products is not a problem, period. So there you have it. 5 different economists, 3 different opinions. I'm not really sure what to make of it, since I don't profess to be a chemist, a painter, or an economist for that matter. I might add that the Meguiar reps I've spoken with told me nearly all their products contain silicone, because without it, you have essentially no real protection. So based on the amount of volume Meguiars does, I would think that if silicone was a problem they'd hear about it (unless it's the "good" silicone, "bad" silicone thing).
I've rambled on long enough now, but thought some people might be interested in hearing these opinions from body shops. I would be very interested to hear what others think, and if anyone has had problems repainting a car that had BF on it.
But I'm not really sure this is a downside. Now I've read all the opinions on Silicone, which basically fall into one of three categories: (1) Stay away from the stuff at all costs...it's impossible to remove and will cause fisheyes if the car needs to be repainted; (2) Silicone can be difficult to remove, but not necessarily. There are "good" silicones and "bad" silicones, so just make sure the product you use has the "good" ones; and (3) Silicone is not a problem, period. Without silicone, you have no protection.
Kind of like getting opinions from three different economists. So I figured I'd call up 5 different reputable body shops and see what they say, since they deal with repainting cars every day.
Here's what I found out. The first shop I called was an adamant supporter of opinion (1)...silicone is nearly impossible to remove and causes fisheyes. Body shops 2 and 3 weren't as adamant about not using it as the first, but stated it sometimes can be difficult to remove (neither one said anything about "good" silicones or "bad" silicones). Body shop 2 suggested using carnauba only, and body shop 3 said there used to be an effective product for removing polymers called "Polycrack", but that it was banned for environmental reasons. Also, I might note, body shop 2 told me that sanding will remove the silicone polymer, while body shop 3 told me you must remove the stuff prior to sanding, otherwise you will further embed it into the paint when you do sand it. Hmmm...these two guys should get together and start talking.
And finally, body shops 4 and 5 told me that using silicone-based products is not a problem, period. So there you have it. 5 different economists, 3 different opinions. I'm not really sure what to make of it, since I don't profess to be a chemist, a painter, or an economist for that matter. I might add that the Meguiar reps I've spoken with told me nearly all their products contain silicone, because without it, you have essentially no real protection. So based on the amount of volume Meguiars does, I would think that if silicone was a problem they'd hear about it (unless it's the "good" silicone, "bad" silicone thing).
I've rambled on long enough now, but thought some people might be interested in hearing these opinions from body shops. I would be very interested to hear what others think, and if anyone has had problems repainting a car that had BF on it.
If anything it should be in either AU or Detailing....