Optimum: For those who prefer finer soaps...

tom p.

tom p.

Active member
I got a qt of the "New Formula" Optimum car wash (not the rinseless ONR product) and have found it to be a pleasant surprise. I've sampled a ton of different car washes over the years and keep trying new ones. This is the first new soap I've sampled in about 5 yrs that impresses me.



I've only used it twice. Initial trial was last weekend and it looked good, I could tell it leaves something on the surface. Good foam via Gilmour, good cleaning ability on a truly dirty car covered with salt and sand.



I set my benchmark at Griot's soap and the 1Z Exclusiv Glanz shampoo. Those are the two prominent players....the ones to beat. Kinda like the Patriots :sign



Yesterday was a fine mid-winter day with temps around 40F and a prime opportunity to spend a little more time bondiing with this new product. On my 2nd go-round, I found this product to be quite excellent. I put 3/4oz in the Gilmour and filled about 2/3 full with water. The foam produced might be the best I've seen of the various products I've tried. It's thick, rich and clingy. As I mentioned above, the cleaning power of this product is excellent on a dirty car.



Lubricity appears good, though not quite as good as Griot's or 1Z. I'm not going to label this as a negative at this time, it's just different.



Drying up is 1st class. I noticed an unmatched :wow: smoothness as I pulled my CWB across the glass. It moved with a silky motion I've never witnessed with other products. Very nice! Drying the body with MF towels was quick and easy. The product does impart some sort of coating to the paint. It offers a nice mid-winter touch up which the car needed. While the gloss is not as "bright" as Griot's or the 1Z, the paint has a nice satin quality to. Looks very good. I'm going w/:xyxthumbs :xyxthumbs :xyxthumbs
 
tom p.- Thanks for the review. Yeah, I kept reading after the line about the lubricity not equaling Griot's :D



tom p. said:
..the gloss is not as "bright" as Griot's..
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Maybe I'm just used to the stuff, but I never noticed Griot's imparting anything, but rather just leaving things clean :think:



Anyhooo....glad you found something you're enjoying.
 
Thanks for the review?

How would you compare it to DG901?

I have a bottle of the Optimum, but havent used it yet, since I have a gallow of DG.
 
Accumulator said:
Maybe I'm just used to the stuff, but I never noticed Griot's imparting anything, but rather just leaving things clean :think:
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Don't you find Griot's leaves a very bright shine?
 
tom p. said:
Don't you find Griot's leaves a very bright shine?
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I honestly can't say that I've ever noticed that :nixweiss



But then again it's been ages since I used anything else (except on crappy loaners or new acquisitions that're in "before pic" condition).
 
purplenurple said:
Thanks for the review?

How would you compare it to DG901?

I have a bottle of the Optimum, but havent used it yet, since I have a gallow of DG.
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I've used 901 for years. These two soaps are different animals.



I admit that shampoo results are subjective and I can only share my personal observations. My best recommendation is to split a bottle with somebody and see if it works in your driveway.



This is the only new soap I've tried in quite a while that I'd give an endorsement to, and I've tried a lot of new soaps over the past 24 months that have been complete dogs that I would never buy again. I think this Optimum product is going to turn out to be a keeper and that's how I gage a product.
 
Accumulator said:
I honestly can't say that I've ever noticed that :nixweiss



But then again it's been ages since I used anything else (except on crappy loaners or new acquisitions that're in "before pic" condition).
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Yeah, you're probably so accustomed to seeing the excellent finish that it's become status quo. Nothing wrong with that. :)
 
tom p.- Heh heh...well, *most* of the time perhaps :D OTOH, I washed the new '00 A8 project yesterday so my mechanic wouldn't get dirty working on it, and the Griot's Car Wash didn't seem to impart any gloss to that car (it did strip off some of whatever the selling dealer's [sarcasm] "detailer" [/sarcasm] used on it though).
 
I've used the Optimum Car Wash and agree it is an excellent product. Like 901, one single ounce makes more than enough suds.
 
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