Is there a Polish/Wax/Clay ranking and suggestions
- Thread starter Alweeja
- Start date
Accumulator
Well-known member
Alweeja- Welcome to Autopia!
AFAIK, there is no such formalized ranking. IMO, there are just too many variables/personal preferences to say what`s "best" in a categorical manner.
About the best one can do is figure out the specific characteristics of the Polish/Clay/Wax that matter most and then see what people would recommend based on that.
E.g., when it comes to wax, do you most highly value OTC availability, durability/longevity, resistance to etching from bugs/bird-bombs, appearance (and if so, which characteristics?), beading or sheeting behavior, or ease ease of application?
Once you figure out what matters most to you, I bet you`ll get scads of recommendations. Basically, if it exists, somebody here probably has an opinion/experience that you`ll find useful.
AFAIK, there is no such formalized ranking. IMO, there are just too many variables/personal preferences to say what`s "best" in a categorical manner.
About the best one can do is figure out the specific characteristics of the Polish/Clay/Wax that matter most and then see what people would recommend based on that.
E.g., when it comes to wax, do you most highly value OTC availability, durability/longevity, resistance to etching from bugs/bird-bombs, appearance (and if so, which characteristics?), beading or sheeting behavior, or ease ease of application?
Once you figure out what matters most to you, I bet you`ll get scads of recommendations. Basically, if it exists, somebody here probably has an opinion/experience that you`ll find useful.
Accumulator
Well-known member
If the dreaded SEARCH doesn`t bring up what you`re after (my search-fu is weak 
), don`t hesitate to just ask for opinions/experiences, no worries about rehashing stuff we`ve discussed previously, and anyhow...things change.
), don`t hesitate to just ask for opinions/experiences, no worries about rehashing stuff we`ve discussed previously, and anyhow...things change.
Dan
Well-known member
As Accumulator stated, there is no "best". Just like asking what is the best car. Now if you ask what polish has the most cut or what sealant beads water for the longest, those might be easier to answer.
Accumulator
Well-known member
That depends on whether you like beading as opposed to sheeting. I myself like beading, but many here prefer a product that sheets water (i.e., the water runs off the vehicle instead of sitting on it in the form of beads).
Neither/both! Heh heh, sorry, don`t mean to be a smart [aleck] but that really is the answer. "Cut" in a compound/polish is the same as "grit" with sandpaper, just a measure of how aggressive it is. If you want to abrade away a lot of paint you do want plenty of cut to be time-efficient so in that case it`s "good"; if you want to be more gentle and take off less paint, then cut is "bad".
Eh, I guess it`s like a lot of things...first you figure out what you want to do and what you want for results (and, IMO *why*) and then you pick the best choice(es) for that particular job.
My *real* advice is to study up so you know this stuff backwards and forwards. But I understand that not everybody`s gonna do that, so maybe a good get-into-Detailing approach might be to think on this:
-Figure out how to wash/dry properly
-Look into some kind of Decontamination (chemicals/clay/"clay towels/mitts") to get all the [crap] off your paint
-Investigate All in One products, they do a lot with one step (i.e., clean/lightly polish/minimally protect)
-Decide what you want for a Last Step Product ("LSP", i.e., wax/sealant)
I`d leave complicated subjects like polishers, "cut", and compounds/polishes for later consideration. Detailing, at least doing it right, is a surprisingly complicated subject once you start to really look into it, and it can be a lot to figure out all at once.