Hearing all the great things about 425 drove me to pick up the Finish Kare sampler set, like I'm sure a few of you have done.
118
This shampoo is basically the last step in the FK decontamination process, neutralizing all of the acids used up to this point. As for a stand-alone wash shampoo, it may be up to that task as well.
I normally use NXT as it has strong cleaning capability, rinses well, has a nice scent, generates luscious foam through a foam gun, has decent lubricity and is inexpensive per use. Since I only had a small sample of the 118, I didn’t feel like rinsing out the foam gun and trying this my usual way, so I went back to the two-bucket method. Immediately, the lack of foam was noticeable, and a bit troubling. Most people equate foam with protection, but there are numerous products out there (QEW, PB S&W) that won’t mar and do not need foam. The car wasn’t terribly dirty, so I wasn’t too afraid of marring at this point anyway.
While this shampoo doesn’t exhibit great foaming ability, the lubricity is hard to beat. This is where the protection is, and thus I don’t feel concerned about marring with this shampoo. The wash mitt would simply glide over the car, grabbing what little dirt was there, encapsulating it in the mitt and continuing to slide gracefully. Certain bits of tar remained after the wash which I believe would have been removed by NXT, so the cleaning power is not quite as strong. Some people would think of this as an advantage, since NXT is known to degrade your LSP quicker.
During the final rinse, it seemed that water was not sheeting as cleanly as seen with other shampoos. It is odd that FK tout the clean sheeting ability of this shampoo so loudly. On the other hand, when the car was dried, the shine was quite incredible. It had an extra pop, almost a sealant-type sparkle. Take a look:
The only other downsides I can see to this product are scent and cost. We have all come to expect that our products have a decent scent, even if 99% are artificially introduced (probably ‘nubas are the only products that smell great without fillers). This wash has no appreciable scent and as for cost, the average 2 gallon wash (thus 4 oz of shampoo) would cost you $1.55 if buying by the quart. Though seemingly inexpensive, this can add up quickly. If the product was a bit less expensive, I’d consider using this as my go-to shampoo for when the car wasn’t too dirty and I didn’t have time for a QD afterward.
121
Seems like your regular APC to me. It’s hard to compare cleaners like this without some sort of rigorous measurement so… I’m just not going to care.
330
330, known as Mini Buff. I’m going to recommend that FK rename this to Micro Buff, in honor of the lovely micromarring it produces:
I tried a lot of product, a little bit of product, working it in until it dusted, working it in until just a haze was left, and nothing mattered. I don’t see this much micromarring with Optimum Compound and a cutting pad! The micromarring was abundant, but thankfully just micro. A quick pass of FPII cleaned that area up nicely:
This one does not pass go, does not collect $200 and ends up directly in the trash can.
2180 / Pink Wax
After the 118 wash, I stripped any existing LSP and decided to try out both 2180 and Pink Wax. Layering wouldn’t allow for a decent review, so I decided to go half and half… well, more like quarter/quarter/quarter/quarter. I decided to do the driver front and passenger rear in PW while driver rear and passenger front got 2180. My hatch gets dirty the quickest, so it’s nice to compare how easy it is to remove dirt. It’s also nice to directly compare shine/depth/clarity, which is easiest on the sides of the car.
Application of 2180 is a bit difficult, as others have mentioned. Definitely apply just a bit to a microfiber applicator and work it into the paint gently. This isn’t a product you can load up on the applicator and just keep spreading out. Application is a bit tough, sort of like PB EX-P, but removal after curing is again like EX-P, quite easy.
Pink Wax just glides onto the paint, especially with a damp foam applicator. It doesn’t take long to haze, but don’t let is sit too long. It didn’t make removal difficult, but it did result in an uneven application.
I normally wait a few days to determine slickness and look while it will take at least a month to get an idea of durability. I will comment more when I can make a true assessment. Nonetheless, here are a few pictures after application:
108
"Top Kote" is claimed as a leather, rubber and plastic dressing, for both interior and exterior. This seems definitely more suited to exterior cladding as it is oily, thick and definitely leaves leather greasy. I didn't notice until a day later, but it actually left a residue on some hard plastic of my dashboard. If using this on the interior, buff it clean and expect some shine:
425
Does anyone know what happened to my sample of 425? It seems to be... emptying itself at a rapid rate! :laugh: Mild cleaning power, decent scent, but everything else is a total plus. Easy to use, great shine, etc. I'm not expecting the anti-static part to give me a dust and dirt forcefield, but that didn't stop me from using it on all the TVs and computers in the house. This stuff works great on glass, paint, whatever. I really like the small pump spray bottle, too, so much that I might get a few more for other chemicals that need a precise spray (tire dressing, etc).
Anyway, there were a few winners in this batch so it wasn't a waste of $18.95.
118
This shampoo is basically the last step in the FK decontamination process, neutralizing all of the acids used up to this point. As for a stand-alone wash shampoo, it may be up to that task as well.
I normally use NXT as it has strong cleaning capability, rinses well, has a nice scent, generates luscious foam through a foam gun, has decent lubricity and is inexpensive per use. Since I only had a small sample of the 118, I didn’t feel like rinsing out the foam gun and trying this my usual way, so I went back to the two-bucket method. Immediately, the lack of foam was noticeable, and a bit troubling. Most people equate foam with protection, but there are numerous products out there (QEW, PB S&W) that won’t mar and do not need foam. The car wasn’t terribly dirty, so I wasn’t too afraid of marring at this point anyway.
While this shampoo doesn’t exhibit great foaming ability, the lubricity is hard to beat. This is where the protection is, and thus I don’t feel concerned about marring with this shampoo. The wash mitt would simply glide over the car, grabbing what little dirt was there, encapsulating it in the mitt and continuing to slide gracefully. Certain bits of tar remained after the wash which I believe would have been removed by NXT, so the cleaning power is not quite as strong. Some people would think of this as an advantage, since NXT is known to degrade your LSP quicker.
During the final rinse, it seemed that water was not sheeting as cleanly as seen with other shampoos. It is odd that FK tout the clean sheeting ability of this shampoo so loudly. On the other hand, when the car was dried, the shine was quite incredible. It had an extra pop, almost a sealant-type sparkle. Take a look:
The only other downsides I can see to this product are scent and cost. We have all come to expect that our products have a decent scent, even if 99% are artificially introduced (probably ‘nubas are the only products that smell great without fillers). This wash has no appreciable scent and as for cost, the average 2 gallon wash (thus 4 oz of shampoo) would cost you $1.55 if buying by the quart. Though seemingly inexpensive, this can add up quickly. If the product was a bit less expensive, I’d consider using this as my go-to shampoo for when the car wasn’t too dirty and I didn’t have time for a QD afterward.
121
Seems like your regular APC to me. It’s hard to compare cleaners like this without some sort of rigorous measurement so… I’m just not going to care.
330
330, known as Mini Buff. I’m going to recommend that FK rename this to Micro Buff, in honor of the lovely micromarring it produces:
I tried a lot of product, a little bit of product, working it in until it dusted, working it in until just a haze was left, and nothing mattered. I don’t see this much micromarring with Optimum Compound and a cutting pad! The micromarring was abundant, but thankfully just micro. A quick pass of FPII cleaned that area up nicely:
This one does not pass go, does not collect $200 and ends up directly in the trash can.
2180 / Pink Wax
After the 118 wash, I stripped any existing LSP and decided to try out both 2180 and Pink Wax. Layering wouldn’t allow for a decent review, so I decided to go half and half… well, more like quarter/quarter/quarter/quarter. I decided to do the driver front and passenger rear in PW while driver rear and passenger front got 2180. My hatch gets dirty the quickest, so it’s nice to compare how easy it is to remove dirt. It’s also nice to directly compare shine/depth/clarity, which is easiest on the sides of the car.
Application of 2180 is a bit difficult, as others have mentioned. Definitely apply just a bit to a microfiber applicator and work it into the paint gently. This isn’t a product you can load up on the applicator and just keep spreading out. Application is a bit tough, sort of like PB EX-P, but removal after curing is again like EX-P, quite easy.
Pink Wax just glides onto the paint, especially with a damp foam applicator. It doesn’t take long to haze, but don’t let is sit too long. It didn’t make removal difficult, but it did result in an uneven application.
I normally wait a few days to determine slickness and look while it will take at least a month to get an idea of durability. I will comment more when I can make a true assessment. Nonetheless, here are a few pictures after application:
108
"Top Kote" is claimed as a leather, rubber and plastic dressing, for both interior and exterior. This seems definitely more suited to exterior cladding as it is oily, thick and definitely leaves leather greasy. I didn't notice until a day later, but it actually left a residue on some hard plastic of my dashboard. If using this on the interior, buff it clean and expect some shine:
425
Does anyone know what happened to my sample of 425? It seems to be... emptying itself at a rapid rate! :laugh: Mild cleaning power, decent scent, but everything else is a total plus. Easy to use, great shine, etc. I'm not expecting the anti-static part to give me a dust and dirt forcefield, but that didn't stop me from using it on all the TVs and computers in the house. This stuff works great on glass, paint, whatever. I really like the small pump spray bottle, too, so much that I might get a few more for other chemicals that need a precise spray (tire dressing, etc).
Anyway, there were a few winners in this batch so it wasn't a waste of $18.95.
