My new '03 Lexus... VOTE: Klasse vs. Zaino

Zaino or Klasse

  • Klasse Twins

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Zaino Brothers

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    0

HybridKOOP

New member
Subject: 2003 Lexus IS300 (Intensa Blue Pearl)



booyah.jpg




I have had this car a month now and am preparing to do a full detail. I am new to Autopia and all of the products out there. Up until now, all I ever did was wash and wax my vehicles.



I plan to Dawn, clay, car wash, surface prep, polish, seal, wax.



I am very torn between ordering a Zaino setup or the Klasse "Twin" setup. What do you guys think for my color? I am very into a deeeeep wet glossy shine... and I don't mind staying on top of it - I truly enjoy cleaning my cars. The car right now only has a couple spider webs on the hood thanks to dealer prep :angry



I'd like to get rid of those webs, and really put a significant amount of protection/shine on the car. Take a vote... Klasse or Zaino???
 
Can you guys set me straight here... I'm a bit confused...



I know Zaino is a synthetic... "polymer"... Is Klasse the same thing? Does Klasse suggest that we use a carnuba on top of it? I planned on using S100 on top of either one... Zaino or Klasse...



Neither Zaino or Klasse claims anywhere to be a "wax" per se... So I would think both of them would look better/last longer with a top coat of carnuba. Am I way off here?
 
you can top it if you desire, but they both will generally last at least 4 months with weekly washings. Imo, i would do klasse aio, sg, and s100 for durability and a wet look. You could do aio and s100, but i like having that extra layer of acrylic with sg in case you have acid rain which will eat through s100, and slowly through the twins. Obviously nothing can eliminate acid rain, but sealants protect it from etching into the clearcoat.
 
My understanding is Klasse is an acrylic base and Zaino is polymer based. Which one's better, don't know... but I'm a Klasse believer. Go with Klasse....



...and I put S100 ontop of AIO and SG and saw no difference. Kind of dissapointed in that. But, maybe I didn't do it right.
 
I have used Klasse for about a year and a half now and just get more and more dissapointed everytime i use it. Zaino is much easier to use, better water beading, better gloss, slicker finish. Just my opinion but I strongly believe zaino is much better. Click the link in my sig to see a pic of my IS300 with zaino. BTW, what tires came with your car, potenza RE92? Do you like them?
 
If you want a "deeeeep wet glossy shine" you're most likely not going to get that with a synthetic (klasse or z) alone, you'll need a topper. I've used eiszett glanz and now have the kalsse twins on and while they are deifinitely shiney and reflective, they don't provide the depth and wet look of a glaze/carnuba.



I've never used Z, but can definitely recommend Klasse. It's fairly easy to use, great look, easy to find/order and hopefully has the durability everyone raves about (I've only had it on about a month). If beading is your thing, then klasse alone isn't the best out there. I've yet to try a topper on mine either, but many recommend that.



With any synthetic, it's important to follow the manufacturers recommendations about application and layering. Most won't bond to any wax or glazes that might be on the surface. If you plan to top with a carnuba, it might be better to get all the synthetic layers you want on the car before you apply the topper to avoid any bonding issues.



Michael
 
I can't say anything about SG but I've used Klasse AIO followed by EX. AIO is easy to apply and buffs off easily. I've used Z1 followed by Z2 and I gotta say I'm impressed too. Z beads up really nice even after 4 months. Z is really easy to use. I don't think you can go wrong with either product, it's more in your technique than Z or Klasse.
 
Never used Zaino, but the new formula (and the reports of Z5 actually hiding swirls) has my interest piqued. My wife's car has a few small areas where the clearcoat is failing slightly, and it has a lot of swirls (it's always been like that since she's had it, but hasn't gotten any worse in the last 5 years thanks to some care). Needless to say I'm hesitant to use anything strong on the swirls due to the small failure points. Anyway, the Z5 seems appealing as SG really doesn't hide much (though they are pretty substantial swirls and some DACP with a cutting pad on some small areas didn't make a dent).



Anyway, having never used Zaino, but gotten an impression of how it looks, I'd say it might be the better choice given your car is metallic blue. Blue isn't usually a deep color, but a high shine on that metallic would probably look pretty sweet. But it seems like Klasse is a bit easier, especially the prep part (AIO is pretty foolproof). SG might not be super easy, but Zaino requires some care and some attention to quantity as well as SG. So if ease is a requirement, then that's something to consider. Also, SG has a sort of cool polished look that in the right light is really neat. Might give you a sort of different look on blue pearl.



Not to make your decision harder, but have you thought about Blackfire? It's also a polymer, is about as figity to use, and looks pretty cool on metallics. I also like that it never seems to leave residue in cracks and such, and that it beads like crazy and is absurdly slick. Just a thought.



In spite of having never used it, I voted "zaino" in the poll. Seems like the look on that color paint might be more desirable than the polished Klasse look.... :nixweiss
 
HybridKOOP said:
I am very into a deeeeep wet glossy shine... and I don't mind staying on top of it - I truly enjoy cleaning my cars. The car right now only has a couple spider webs on the hood



If I had to choose between Klasse and Zaino I would go with zaino. BTW I use Zaino on my cars currently:D. However, if you truly enjoy detailing the cars and don't mind spending the time, then why not a carnuba? A good carnuba is going to give the "deep wet gloss" look better than either Klasse or Zaino IMO. However the durability is much less and it will require more frequent applications.



The frequency of applications of carnuba may be a moot point considering that many of the zaino users seem to apply additional applications on a weekly basis.
 
My vote is for Zaino. A new car does not need the abrasives and solvents in AIO. If your car is showing a little micromarring, use something like 3M SMR prior.



The glaze/carnauba idea is fine for a richer look but realize that look is coming from the oils in those products. Once those oils are gone, the look is gone and it needs reapplication. And a carnauba won't hold up all that well to a CT winter while a polymer sealant will.
 
Here's another vote for Zaino, especially since they just released the new improved Z2 and Z5. If I were you, I would go whole hog with the Zaino (Z2, Z5, clay, QD, wash, whatever else you want). I've used Kalsse AIO/SG, Zaino, Blackfire, Platinum, and some others, but I think that Zaino looks best on a new car because of the shine. You can't go wrong with Klasse either, so it's really a win/win situation whichever product you choose.

:xyxthumbs
 
Both Z2 and Z5 new formulations were released last month. As far as anything else in the Zaino line, I don't know.



Now my question is, if Z2 and Z5 are reformulated, is the Z6 (QD) reformulated as well?
 
If you really want to go liquidy and deep, than I agree with the poster who said you need a topper. If you've got the time, inclination, and garage, I would go witht AIO/SG, and then top it with Souveran. Souveran will not last you much more than a month, though. However, carnuba is what you need top really give it that deep and liquid look....
 
Another Zaino vote. Haven't tried the Klasse twins....yet. My blue is similar to yours. The autopia pics were from the old Zaino.
 
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