Last weekend here in "Happy Valley" was the first in a while with decent weather, which coincided with my first weekend off in two months, and also, the arrival of my plunge into the Optimum line--OP, Poli-Seal, and OS.
The candidates were my dark gray metallic Focus, cared for in Autopian style, with very minamal marring. It was wearing its winter coat of 845, still beading some.
Also, a 2006 Mercury Mariner, a recent purchase by my girlfriend. It's dark brown metallic, in excellent shape, with some marring over the vehicle (you never know how much until you go there).
I have a PC and Sonus DAS pads.
Of course, I washed, and clayed, with my Griot's shampoo lube-brew. Haven't had any issues with it using Clay-Magic, and Sonus green.
My car was a walk in the park. Poli-Seal is made for a car like mine. It is easy to use, and will take care of minor marring. It is made to order for those who take Autopian care of a vehicle.
The Opti-Seal went next. I was careful to not use too much, once I got the pad primed with the product. It seems to have a neat way of levelling itself out, which is nice, because hand application of an LSP is an imperfect science.
The result? It glows! It is wet, and very slick to the touch. I'll wash it again later this week, and do another application.
PS and OS are a fantastic combo on a well-maintained vehicle, and for me, it was definitely a time-saver. I have to wonder if the mindset at Optimum is leaning toward making quality detailing less time-consuming.
For the professionals out there, that is a good thing.
On to the Mariner.
The swirls were deeper than I had imagined. PS didn't help. On to OP, which I worked hard. Some help, but not enough.
I had some SSR2.5 in my stash, so I tried it with a coarser pad I acquired locally. Had to put up with the dusting, but it helped. Not perfect, but a good improvement. You would have to look hard to see the remaining minute marring, and I wouldn't want to be taking the clearcoat down to nothing.
After the 2.5, PS finished it down nicely, and the OS made my girlfriend just stare at the result.
So, I will say that I love Poli-Seal for a fininshing polish, or taking care of a car with minimal marring. It is a great product.
I also like the Opti-Seal. It is one interesting product. I am looking forward to hitting my car again, and to see how it stands up to washing, and the usual hazards.
But again, it seems to me that Optimum is striving to make quality detailing less time-consuming.
This is a boon to the pros out there. I can see why guys like Scott and Anthony would go with it.
It is also a plus for the "average guy" who takes care of his/her car. If you can keep the marring down, then the PS-OS combo is a quick road to a super finish.
Just my humble couple of pennies.
The candidates were my dark gray metallic Focus, cared for in Autopian style, with very minamal marring. It was wearing its winter coat of 845, still beading some.
Also, a 2006 Mercury Mariner, a recent purchase by my girlfriend. It's dark brown metallic, in excellent shape, with some marring over the vehicle (you never know how much until you go there).
I have a PC and Sonus DAS pads.
Of course, I washed, and clayed, with my Griot's shampoo lube-brew. Haven't had any issues with it using Clay-Magic, and Sonus green.
My car was a walk in the park. Poli-Seal is made for a car like mine. It is easy to use, and will take care of minor marring. It is made to order for those who take Autopian care of a vehicle.
The Opti-Seal went next. I was careful to not use too much, once I got the pad primed with the product. It seems to have a neat way of levelling itself out, which is nice, because hand application of an LSP is an imperfect science.
The result? It glows! It is wet, and very slick to the touch. I'll wash it again later this week, and do another application.
PS and OS are a fantastic combo on a well-maintained vehicle, and for me, it was definitely a time-saver. I have to wonder if the mindset at Optimum is leaning toward making quality detailing less time-consuming.
For the professionals out there, that is a good thing.
On to the Mariner.
The swirls were deeper than I had imagined. PS didn't help. On to OP, which I worked hard. Some help, but not enough.
I had some SSR2.5 in my stash, so I tried it with a coarser pad I acquired locally. Had to put up with the dusting, but it helped. Not perfect, but a good improvement. You would have to look hard to see the remaining minute marring, and I wouldn't want to be taking the clearcoat down to nothing.
After the 2.5, PS finished it down nicely, and the OS made my girlfriend just stare at the result.
So, I will say that I love Poli-Seal for a fininshing polish, or taking care of a car with minimal marring. It is a great product.
I also like the Opti-Seal. It is one interesting product. I am looking forward to hitting my car again, and to see how it stands up to washing, and the usual hazards.
But again, it seems to me that Optimum is striving to make quality detailing less time-consuming.
This is a boon to the pros out there. I can see why guys like Scott and Anthony would go with it.
It is also a plus for the "average guy" who takes care of his/her car. If you can keep the marring down, then the PS-OS combo is a quick road to a super finish.
Just my humble couple of pennies.
