Ceramic products

R

Ron Ketcham

Active member
Anyone else keeping a tally of the names and numbers of these "companies" who are all over the social media, making performance promises??
 
Some of the claims are just silly.

When I see these - to me wild - claims it`s a major turnoff. For example Mckee`s and DIY.

I doubt I will ever buy another product from either brand with so many options. And Mckee`s bottles are crap.
 
The industry is overrun with hype and has been for as long as I’ve been in the hobby. Even respected brands with their “top up” products. What do I need to top up if your coating works? A cheap spray wax does the same thing as your $30 a 1/2 quart bottle of stuff.

And before someone says they do perform, please show me a side by side picture of a car parked in the elements 24x7. I think David F raised the bar with the original Optimum coating in showing what is did vs bare paint. No one else has really had the balls to do something similar even well over a decade later.
 
I frankly don`t pay any attention to any of it and I don`t let it bother me. Marketing will be marketing.

I look for products of a certain type as I need them and evaluate them based on their performance, not their claimed chemistry. Case in point: I`m testing out a bottle of Griots Ceramic Tire Dressing. I didn`t buy the bottle because it had the word, "ceramic" in the name and honestly don`t care. It was purchased because several people had tried it and found it to to have pretty good durability.

I do use high solids coatings from reputable brands, but again, I use them because they hold up far longer and perform far better than any sealant I`ve used. Whether it contains ceramics, graphene, diamonds, alien bone fragments, etc, doesn`t really matter to me. I`m looking for what the product delivers. I`ll mess with a topper, but ony because this is a hobby for me and I get curious. I use the for entertainment value and don`t have any expectations of providing any substantive gain over the base coating.
 
The best “hype” is in dealerships where buyers are pressed to pay obscene dollars for “the magic”.
 
Greetings all, and howdy Ron!

So I have been using "coatings" for a spell now and hands down the very first original "Optimum X" samples that Dr. G and I experimented with, what 15 years ago now, (maybe longer?) where out of this world durable. It was not touted for extreme gloss but it was damn near indestructible! The application process though in that formula would of been difficult.

So yes there is tons of hype out there, ridiculous ads and such but it boils down to the detail tech to know his or her craft and their medium or products. I always tell my clients that a ceramic IS NOT the silver bullet or the end all be all of products. They will need to keep the car surface clean, do not allow bird crap to sit, ground water to dry and to just keep up on their car paint and interior maintenance. The top coatings will in fact last if cared for properly but the main goal of coatings, I always say, is to aide in the ease of maintenance and care of the car. It will wash easier, dry nicer and stay cleaner looking longer but it will NOT stop bird crap from etching paint, it will not prevent hard water spotting, rock chips etc.

Now in other news, while I am North Americas distributor of Nxtzen Coatings from Australia (come see me at SEMA 2023!) I may be in talks about my own line of waxes with a developer/chemist and kinda stoked about that if it happens. I love applying waxes!
 
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