Prelude: It's an excellent product, but we've always had excellent products from Meguiar's to work with. What makes this one different, and is "different" the same as "better"?
A few things I noticed:
First, if NXT has "slight" cleaners, then M21 has really, really "slight" cleaners. It won't clean water spots without effort. I picked up a little bit of pigment, about what I would get with #26 liquid and nowhere near what I would get with #20, a "non-cleaner" product with some surface prep chemicals.
Second, it is clearly a water based product. When applied by PC with a new polishing pad, I had some water separate out into droplets, like it was "weeping". It is much more a forced emulsion than it is a mixture or a solution or a suspension. It doesn't "want" to hang together.
Third, I did have some streaking issues on my hood. That's not uncommon on my car: I get streaking with Souveran and many other products. I took care of the streaking by using a mf bonnet and PC at 5/6...! NXT is one product that has no streaking issues. New GC and #26 are two more.
Fourth, and probably related to #2: a little goes a long way, moreso than any other Meguiar's product I can think of. I probably could have done the entire Miata with the initial application of product to pad, but I didn't realize that until I was halfway through the first side. By then I was getting tiny specks that I thought were dust; they were actually small specks of product that acted dusty, but were wet. This is an oddly held together product, with very unusual properties. I suspect that this has something to do with why it is only available in larger sizes; more later.
I like the way it looks. The red is dark and wet. It's a Meguiar's Family look, rich and handsome. It looks a little better than the GC it replaced, but I don't think a casual observer would notice that, and I don't think that the difference would show up in pictures. What it looks closest to is the #26 over #20 combination, but #21 is easier to use.
For a hobbyist, like many of us are, a strong argument could be made to stick with NXT or GC, or even A12, based on price/performance and on not needing the product a half a gallon at a time. An edge could be given to #21 if it maintains its appearance without the use of a booster wax; otherwise the other Meguiar's products give up very little in appearance, if anything. For dealerships and detailing businesses, I think this product has the potential to eventually dominate the market, based on availability, appearance, and ease of use. In a high volume environment, with its ability to be applied by rotary and the way it extends itself (ie a little goes a looooong way), it will be a great product.
I personally feel comfortable with the Meguiar's consumer level products as they stand; I could use NXT, ColorX, and (the new formula) Gold Class from here on out and not feel like I was accepting anything less than the best I could get. Or for those who prefer non-Meguiar's products, they may well be a better choice for you as a hobbyist. This isn't saying that #21 isn't any good; it's saying that 1) it is a true professional product, and perhaps not as well suited to the home environment as the consumer products (and maybe not as well suited to the home environment as some of the OTHER professional products) and 2) there's not enough of a difference, FOR ME, to justify searching out and buying a half a gallon of this product. I might change my mind if it became available in 16s, but I don't expect that. I suspect that the nature of the chemical is such that it won't have a very long shelf life, and that once it de-emulsifies it won't go back; so it is marketed in large containers to higher volume businesses, where the quick turn of product will make shelf life a non-issue. Of course I could be 100% wrong on that.
Sorry for the lack of pictures, but my car always looks the same in the pictures. Check the gallery, and pick one, that is what it will look like. The camera won't tell you the things I wrote!
Tom
(edited to change "gallon" to "half a gallon", it actually comes in 64oz size)
A few things I noticed:
First, if NXT has "slight" cleaners, then M21 has really, really "slight" cleaners. It won't clean water spots without effort. I picked up a little bit of pigment, about what I would get with #26 liquid and nowhere near what I would get with #20, a "non-cleaner" product with some surface prep chemicals.
Second, it is clearly a water based product. When applied by PC with a new polishing pad, I had some water separate out into droplets, like it was "weeping". It is much more a forced emulsion than it is a mixture or a solution or a suspension. It doesn't "want" to hang together.
Third, I did have some streaking issues on my hood. That's not uncommon on my car: I get streaking with Souveran and many other products. I took care of the streaking by using a mf bonnet and PC at 5/6...! NXT is one product that has no streaking issues. New GC and #26 are two more.
Fourth, and probably related to #2: a little goes a long way, moreso than any other Meguiar's product I can think of. I probably could have done the entire Miata with the initial application of product to pad, but I didn't realize that until I was halfway through the first side. By then I was getting tiny specks that I thought were dust; they were actually small specks of product that acted dusty, but were wet. This is an oddly held together product, with very unusual properties. I suspect that this has something to do with why it is only available in larger sizes; more later.
I like the way it looks. The red is dark and wet. It's a Meguiar's Family look, rich and handsome. It looks a little better than the GC it replaced, but I don't think a casual observer would notice that, and I don't think that the difference would show up in pictures. What it looks closest to is the #26 over #20 combination, but #21 is easier to use.
For a hobbyist, like many of us are, a strong argument could be made to stick with NXT or GC, or even A12, based on price/performance and on not needing the product a half a gallon at a time. An edge could be given to #21 if it maintains its appearance without the use of a booster wax; otherwise the other Meguiar's products give up very little in appearance, if anything. For dealerships and detailing businesses, I think this product has the potential to eventually dominate the market, based on availability, appearance, and ease of use. In a high volume environment, with its ability to be applied by rotary and the way it extends itself (ie a little goes a looooong way), it will be a great product.
I personally feel comfortable with the Meguiar's consumer level products as they stand; I could use NXT, ColorX, and (the new formula) Gold Class from here on out and not feel like I was accepting anything less than the best I could get. Or for those who prefer non-Meguiar's products, they may well be a better choice for you as a hobbyist. This isn't saying that #21 isn't any good; it's saying that 1) it is a true professional product, and perhaps not as well suited to the home environment as the consumer products (and maybe not as well suited to the home environment as some of the OTHER professional products) and 2) there's not enough of a difference, FOR ME, to justify searching out and buying a half a gallon of this product. I might change my mind if it became available in 16s, but I don't expect that. I suspect that the nature of the chemical is such that it won't have a very long shelf life, and that once it de-emulsifies it won't go back; so it is marketed in large containers to higher volume businesses, where the quick turn of product will make shelf life a non-issue. Of course I could be 100% wrong on that.
Sorry for the lack of pictures, but my car always looks the same in the pictures. Check the gallery, and pick one, that is what it will look like. The camera won't tell you the things I wrote!
Tom
(edited to change "gallon" to "half a gallon", it actually comes in 64oz size)
