Do you like the look of anything better than Carnauba?

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felthove

New member
Given carnauba's limited durability, and that synthetic sealants are just as easy (or easier) to use, it seems to me that it's popularity reflects that it must be THE best looking product in the eyes of many detailing enthusiasts (I have heard people talk about the nostalgia of applying carnauba but I'll ignore that factor for now...).



How many of you actually prefer another product over carnauba STRICTLY based on looks (ignore durability and price)? And what product is it?



I was putting on a coat of P21S last night by hand and marveling at is ease of use and how nice it made my paint look. Perhaps there is some romance associated with carnauba...
 
Duragloss is one mfg. that gets overlooked. They make some great products. I recently applied 111 to my Almond colored Dodge Ram. It give the Ram the wettest look of anything I have tried on it. It's definately one of the "best bangs for the buck" out there.

Lloyd
 
I really like Duragloss 105. Looks as good or better than any carnauba I've used in the past, and lasts/protects 10x longer. What's not to love!
 
I have to agree with the other Duragloss guys , I have many products both Nuba and sealants , nothing beats their stuff in for my purposes. Best stuff I've used period !!
 
Carnubas were developed and maintained way back in the day to bring out the "Pop" in single stage paint. Once clearcoats became the norm carnuba really should've went the way of the doo-doo bird. But old gear heads are extreamly hard to change old ways. They knew carnuba worked and worked great on their old cars but what they seemed to fail to realize is while the product is still working great for it's intended use the canvas to which to apply it changed. I personally love the look of eagle ones Nano tech wax. I get rave reveiews everytime I use it.
 
The old paste waxes of the 80's use to be such a PITA. Then came the liquid pastes, made the use of a Nuba all that much more pleasant...Until.....

you had to reapply after every other wash because the slickness just ran away. Now they have incorporated synthetics into liquid Nubas, and paste nubas to help with ease of use and longevity. Also available in a spray version, a.k.a. Optimum Spray Wax, and Duragloss AquaWax to name a couple. And i know theres several more at your local Manny, Moe and Jack....

Now, turn centuries, (even earlier) here cometh Blackfire, Klasse, Four Star UPP, Wizards and several other Polymer protectants. Ive never looked back. The last time I used a Nuba was probably 5 yrs ago, in the name of S100.

I dont necessarily use the Polymers over the Nubas for looks. I use it because it looks very good, lasts twice as long, is slick as snot, and is as easy to use as I can imagine.
 
I've used many high quality paste nubas and after using Werkstatt AJT I have to say that I think the AJT looks better in terms of depth and wetness (at least on lighter colored paint) than a Nuba, is much, much more durable and protective, and applies more easily.



For this reason, since I started using Werkstatt AJT on my daily driver my nubas have been mostly sitting on the shelf gathering dust.



Having said that, I do think there is something sensual about applying a high quality Nuba on a beautiful car that is just missing with a polymer/acrylic sealant. The last detailing session before I'm ready to strip off all my layers of AJT and clay, polish, etc. I might put on a layer of P21S just for the tactile satisfaction of applying and removing a good quality nuba.



I read somebody else who compared applying Nuba to a beautiful car to putting suntan lotion on a beautiful woman - and that's not a bad analogy IMO.
 
Carnaubas are great, but sealants have come a long way. I still top Klasse SG with carnauba in the winter to give it some depth, but most sealants don't even need additional help to achieve awesome results. Three or four layers of any sealant will usually astound you. I did a writeup on the difference between carnauba and waxes that I thought I posted around here someplace. The bottom line is that the performance gains of a sealant in addition to the evergrowing appearance factor that they are producing really gives sealants the edge over old school carnauba waxes. With products like Polycharger out there it brings new reasons to dust off some of my liquid waxes, but they still can't touch my sealants as far as looks go.



sealant-2.jpg
 
For looks that I like.......Deep and Wet Shine P. Souveran or Zymol Vintage (which I now use) are my choices. I wax once a week. ONR everytime the RX8 has completed it's trip. Meg. UDetailer after ONR.
 
Jngrbrdman said:
Carnaubas are great, but sealants have come a long way. I still top Klasse SG with carnauba in the winter to give it some depth, but most sealants don't even need additional help to achieve awesome results. Three or four layers of any sealant will usually astound you. I did a writeup on the difference between carnauba and waxes that I thought I posted around here someplace. The bottom line is that the performance gains of a sealant in addition to the evergrowing appearance factor that they are producing really gives sealants the edge over old school carnauba waxes. With products like Polycharger out there it brings new reasons to dust off some of my liquid waxes, but they still can't touch my sealants as far as looks go.



sealant-2.jpg
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That's a beautiful picture! Nice finish.
 
After spending time here and perfecting my prepping technique, I has been able to duplicate a carnuaba-richess and characteristics by using combo of sealants (my go to combo Z2/Z5/CS ).

Naturally the prepped finish must first possess some of the "carnuaba richness" visual cues before this can be duplicated with non-oil base sealants.

Yes, sealants have come along way over the last 7 years to the point where it is too easy to maintain a flawless finish.

Sure makes thing a lot easier to just wash and go most of the time when you have several vehicles on the road.



Carnuabas will always have a place in detailing. Not something I would want to do all the time but once in a while it can be fun.:cool:
 
I love my carnuaba! I have used several different sealants but I still go back to my nubas!



BTW, I love how people always use carnuaba as BENCHMARK when comparing sealant looks. Funny how the works ;)
 
I recently applied Banana Wax ( a Majestic Solution product) over 2 layers of OptiSeal on my wife's burgandy Toyota van. The look was stunning, where the OS had it bright and glossy, the wax gave it depth and slickness. Maybe we need to look at doing both to get the max effect, not that I'd do all that on a customer's car, unless they cough up some hefty extra cash!
 
Having tried a *scad* of products on Audi silver, I truly prefer the look of 4-Star UPP over the look of anything else I've tried *on that paint*. I utterly *loath* how KSG looks on it though, so it's not just a "sealant vs. carnauba" thing.



On certain paints, I still find carnaubas give the look that *I* want on *that* paint. E.g., the sealants I'm familiar with just don't look right to me on my single stage cars.



And I dunno if carnaubas are truly obsolete...I use Meg's #16 (about as old-school as you can get) on my wife's silver A8 and while I don't like the look quite as well as the look of UPP on my Audi, I don't find it deficient in any way...not in protection, durability, slickness, looks..nothing wrong with it and it doesn't need redone any more frequently than my UPP. And FWIW, my wife has a strong preference for how Souveran looks on that paint; if I were willing to reapply it all the time that's what she'd want me to use... it's all personal preference when it comes to looks.
 
Nice only 1 or 2 Zaino comments. I can't stand that stuff its complete rubbish and leaves a plastic type look. There's nothing that replaces the look of a carnauba - #16, #26, Mother's - these will all give you a great look (as good as any) without having to waste your money on expensive sealants or other waxes.



Since we're all detailers, who really cares about longevity?
 
blackcaraddict said:
Since we're all detailers, who really cares about longevity?
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Uh.. That'd be me :hide:



Honestly, I don't want to do *any* of this stuff any more than necessary. I know, I know, most Autopians think it's fun and I used to feel the same way...but these days, to me it's just another chore. More of my Autopian Heresy, huh :o
 
Yeah - I enjoy detailing my car but with all the competing demands on my time (job, family, yardwork, etc.) I don't always have time to do what I want so durability is a factor.



However, as I stated earlier, I don't think I'm making any kind of trade off with looks/durability by going with Werkstatt AJT on my tan colored car. AJT looks better than carnauba on my car IMO so the added durability just makes it an absolute no-brainer to use it over a nuba.
 
Accumulator said:
Uh.. That'd be me :hide:



Honestly, I don't want to do *any* of this stuff any more than necessary. I know, I know, most Autopians think it's fun and I used to feel the same way...but these days, to me it's just another chore. More of my Autopian Heresy, huh :o
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I actually concur. I used to love spending hours polishing, wiping, gleaming at fresh shiny paint, but at this point in life I just simply don't have that kind of time any longer. So, the longer the protection, the better!





Also, I think a lot of people fail to make the connection that longevity of a particular LSP is correlated to how well it will protect the paint. Many people say the same thing, that well, who really cares about longevity when I wax every weekend or whatever the case. Well, it depends on what you're waxing with IMO. I could use Lemon Pledge every weekend and obtain a shine that may rival a good sealant or wax, but how well is it protecting the paint? Same goes for waxes or sealants that, IMO, lack real durability and protective qualities. You can use them as much as you like, but that doesn't mean your paint is well protected from the elements!
 
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