Should I settle on one product family?

J

jackson

New member
I am a newbie to proper detailing. Previously I used to use TurtleWax then Meguiars and I thought I was "there" already.



Then I discovered the world of real proper car detailing. Then I went on a buying spree and educating myself on the capabilites and results that the product might bring. So, I purchased from Optimum and Duragloss and Lake Country.



My question is, I used to be a one product family kind of person. Now, I have all sorts in my stable. Should I decide on either Duragloss or Optimum? I have car washes but not ONR and spray waxes from both companies. Plus DG I have the 105 and 501.
 
Why limit yourself to one product line? There are many good ones, but hard to imagine one where every product is the best of its type. The only reason I can think of to limit yourself would be some supplier relationship you want to cultivate by buying everything from him, like "hey buddy, if I promise to buy all of my detailing products from you, and no one else, will you give me a discount?"
 
setec, i guess you are partially right with that reason.



on second thought, yeah. why limit myself. not EVERYTHING from one vendor is good. but then if i open to the thought of getting stuff from other vendors too, then it'll open the floodgates for a newbie like me who is serious about expanding his knowledge, hopefully skills too, in car detailing.



now starting to have thoughts of trying/getting stuff from Finish Kare, Menzerna, Poor Boys, Chemical Guys.....
 
jackson said:
setec, i guess you are partially right with that reason.



on second thought, yeah. why limit myself. not EVERYTHING from one vendor is good. but then if i open to the thought of getting stuff from other vendors too, then it'll open the floodgates for a newbie like me who is serious about expanding his knowledge, hopefully skills too, in car detailing.



now starting to have thoughts of trying/getting stuff from Finish Kare, Menzerna, Poor Boys, Chemical Guys.....
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The best thing you can do is read up, and try to get sample sizes first. I'm a huge Optimum fan, but I couldn't do the best work without products from Meg's, Duragloss and Black Magic as well.
 
I just realised my post is somewhat similar to http://www.autopia.org/forum/car-detailing/122067-newbie-needs-help-choosing-polish-line.html



Right now in my stable, i already have:

Meg 105 and 205, UQD, QD

Optimum Car Wash, Optimum Car Wax spray

Duragloss 501,105,601,901

LC PFW and White and Blue 5.5 inch pads, LC red applicator pads

MF applicator pads

Vroom orange and grey and white MF towels

Vroom big bath towel like MF for drying my mpv



I suppose what i currently have should be sufficient to satisfy most of my needs? and yet i am itching wanting to get stuff from the likes of Chemical Guys, Menzerna, Finish Kare, Poorboys and others....



this hobby :buffing: is getting to be an obsession....:dig
 
jackson said:
I suppose what i currently have should be sufficient to satisfy most of my needs? and yet i am itching wanting to get stuff from the likes of Chemical Guys, Menzerna, Finish Kare, Poorboys and others....



this hobby :buffing: is getting to be an obsession....:dig
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Noting that I might be the *last* guy who oughta say something like this...you might ask yourself why you want to try more/different stuff.



OK...FK1000P and FK425 really are pretty special products. I had to try them and I'm sure glad I did. But generally I've been happy with what I've been using for ages. M105/M205 were the last "new hotness" products I've tried in a long time and yeah, they're pretty special too, but you already have those.



I can see experimenting with Menzerna FPII, but otherwise I'd think that what you have now should have things covered.



Well, you oughta have some Sonus green Ultra-fine clay.



..[I have a]..Vroom big bath towel like MF for drying my mpv
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I use a *lot* of towels to dry my MPV, even after blowing off most of the waster with my AirWand!



I find that smaller ones work better for drying areas like the jambs of the sliding doors, easier to get them into the tight spots. Ditto for tight areas under the hood, around the hinges in particular.
 
I agree with the others, when they say "why limit yourself?"



It looks like you need a good carnauba wax. Give Nattys Blue a shot. It helps the obsession for a bit...
 
I think there are plenty of products available from one manufacturer. I have my 'go to" products that I use on a consistent basis, from one manufacturer. I personally try to stear people away from making unnecessary purchases with another company, when more then likely, one line is sufficient. I mean if you have cash and want to experiment, thats one thing. But then what, on to another brand? In all honesty, it never would stop, right? Im pretty certain Megs, Duragloss, Optimum, Ultima, Four Star, etc have enough for your average detail!

I probably use 1 brand of polishes, and one brand of sealant in my arsenal. But I do need help in the order of why I carry so many different ones with me when I detail. There has to be a 12 step program for me. I feel secure in knowing I brought them, but I never use them!
 
Don't limit yourself. I distribute InstaFinish here in Hungary, but I still use Scholl polishes from time to time. One brand can't excel in everything.
 
i wouldn't settle for just one company, there are far too many other great products from other companies as well...
 
optimum, meguiars, menzerna are my 3 lines...a little from all, most from megs!



Then there are the single items from other manufactures like clay magic clay bars, wolfgang fuzion wax, chemical guys barebones, etc
 
I am much like many others and say don't limit yourself. For example, if company A's product works great for polishing, but company B's product is better for wheel cleaning than company A, then why use an inferior product just to stick with the same line. Go for what works, and gives you the best results, even if that means utilizing several product lines. If you look at my detailing shelf, you will see products from Menzerna, 3M, PB, DoDo Juice, Gloss-It, Detail King brand stuff, Stoner, P21S, Folex, ZEP, and the list goes on and on...only because some products work better for certain jobs than others.
 
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