The Wax Test - Beading & Sheeting Full Results

[imported_Dave KG]

Okay folks, the looks results really are down to what people who were there on the day and saw the cars in the flesh thought as you cannot really capture any differences (arguably there weren't any!) in a picture... However, beading and sheeting you can so its here I would like people to vote and have their say on what they prefer!!



Now, a note to those who attended the wax test, the beading and sheeting videos which follow are different to the ones you saw on the day, as a dirty microfibre towel used on a couple of the cars was traced to leaving smearing on the bonnet just before the water tests, which will have adversely affected the water test results (but not the looks results, as the cars were wiped down in prep for the water test). So I have redone all of the videos again after giving the bonnets a wipe down with deionised water and a clean microfibre towel, which cured the beading and sheeting nicely For fun, a fourth layer of each LSP was added before this water test as well.



On viewing the videos and pictures below, please can you indicate which you prefer in order... try to avoid bias here please folks, have your say and judge fairly





Zaino Z2

Raceglaze 55

Autoglym High Definition Wax

***** Royale

Swissvax Best Of Show

Collinite 915

 

[steelwind101]

Hi!



Im loving the test, what does the sheeting of tap water over the car show or prove though? I dont mean that in a rude way, i just see it alot.



My thoughts are that its not the as rain, nor the same as rinsing after washing....so while i see it does show surface tension what else does it mean?



Take 2180 from FK, seems to have a low surface tension, beading and sheeting does not happen very well after the first 3 weeks or so. However the squeek test would suggest product is protecting and there is clearly some pushing away of water etc.



While it does look nice, i wasnt sure if there was some method of science behind it? I do agree beading is sweet from viewing point of view!



Thanks

Geoff

 

[Todd@RUPES]

Hi!



Im loving the test, what does the sheeting of tap water over the car show or prove though? I dont mean that in a rude way, i just see it alot.



My thoughts are that its not the as rain, nor the same as rinsing after washing....so while i see it does show surface tension what else does it mean?



Take 2180 from FK, seems to have a low surface tension, beading and sheeting does not happen very well after the first 3 weeks or so. However the squeek test would suggest product is protecting and there is clearly some pushing away of water etc.



While it does look nice, i wasnt sure if there was some method of science behind it? I do agree beading is sweet from viewing point of view!



Thanks

Geoff

My take is this.... All waxes and sealants are emulsions, that is they are like a microscopic puzzle of polymers, oils, waxes, resins, silicones or whatever is in the formula.



If something maintains its inital surface tension for 3 weeks then "converts" what has happened is that something in that emulsion has changed. Now how this relates to durability is the big debate, but in general an emulsion is as strong as the weakest link.



Take a product like Meguiars NXT which looks great for several weeks and beads for several weeks. Then it quickly drops in slickness, waterbeading, and looks. This is probably from the heavy oils that "escape" the emulsion. Does this directly mean that the protective elments have worn away as well? Not necessarliy, but if you remove every third piece of a puzzle you have greatly reduced its structure and left "gaps". Once the erroding process begins (since LSP's do not chemicaly "bond" to paint) it generally accelerates.



Initial water beeding has little do with anything but the surface tension of the product. A product can have terrible inital beading and still look and perform very well. However changes in water beading from inital application do represent (to some abstract degree) how well that inital forumlation remains intact in whole.

 

[imported_DJBAILEY]

As far as sheeting they all looked the same.

 

[jimmie jam]

i agree. they all look about the same. the true test would be in about one month of similar exposure to the elements and dirt. a very tricky control to do. i also question the complete removal of the prior product since the test was not completed "side by side". fun videos to watch. that was alot of work for someone. thanks for sharing.:bigups

 

[phahn]

quick question, is swisswax best of show same as smagard? sorry for the thred-jack...



Pete

 

[calvin]

Beading is good but what about durability? I love my megs 16

 

[NSXTASY]

Great test Dave, you spent alot of time doing these tests.



Looks like SV BoS and 915 did pretty well, its a bit hard to tell.



I would be interested to see what changes in 6-8 weeks of driving.

 

[imported_rydawg1]

First off, great job on putting together a test like this. You put a lot of time and effort into it. I know it is only used as a test for fun, but when you were comparing products from $20 to $8000 it really got my interest.



I find it interesting at the least that they all performed close and all looked the same within a VERY small margin. I find it amazing that most people in the test could not tell the difference and it really goes to show that you really need a trained eye to even notice the smallest difference between them all on a perfectly prepped surface. But the most interesting part is the cost difference is almost $8000. WOW!



I think the most important thing and the main key factor in this test should be the durability. I think this is where the most noticable difference will come into play.

 

[Alfisti]

My take is this.... All waxes and sealants are emulsions, that is they are like a microscopic puzzle of polymers, oils, waxes, resins, silicones or whatever is in the formula.



If something maintains its inital surface tension for 3 weeks then "converts" what has happened is that something in that emulsion has changed. Now how this relates to durability is the big debate, but in general an emulsion is as strong as the weakest link.



Take a product like Meguiars NXT which looks great for several weeks and beads for several weeks. Then it quickly drops in slickness, waterbeading, and looks. This is probably from the heavy oils that "escape" the emulsion. Does this directly mean that the protective elments have worn away as well? Not necessarliy, but if you remove every third piece of a puzzle you have greatly reduced its structure and left "gaps". Once the erroding process begins (since LSP's do not chemicaly "bond" to paint) it generally accelerates.



Initial water beeding has little do with anything but the surface tension of the product. A product can have terrible inital beading and still look and perform very well. However changes in water beading from inital application do represent (to some abstract degree) how well that inital forumlation remains intact in whole.

That's essentially my philosophy on beading...apart from the bold type. Sorry.

 

[nonsensez9]

was there a before photos/videos of the sheeting/beading? i.e. before any wax or sealant applied

 

[Holden_C04]

Well...I was about to say that all wax tests are rubbish and that you won't be able to tell much of a difference at all. That is, until I watched the videos. The first few were reasonably similar. Nothing dramatic, and yet performing well. Zymol Royale blew them out the water and everything *I* have read about it suggested it was rubbish. Then...another surprise. Collinite performed about as well in *my* eyes.

 

[wannafbody]

My take is this.... All waxes and sealants are emulsions, that is they are like a microscopic puzzle of polymers, oils, waxes, resins, silicones or whatever is in the formula.



If something maintains its inital surface tension for 3 weeks then "converts" what has happened is that something in that emulsion has changed. Now how this relates to durability is the big debate, but in general an emulsion is as strong as the weakest link.



Take a product like Meguiars NXT which looks great for several weeks and beads for several weeks. Then it quickly drops in slickness, waterbeading, and looks. This is probably from the heavy oils that "escape" the emulsion. Does this directly mean that the protective elments have worn away as well? Not necessarliy, but if you remove every third piece of a puzzle you have greatly reduced its structure and left "gaps". Once the erroding process begins (since LSP's do not chemicaly "bond" to paint) it generally accelerates.



Initial water beeding has little do with anything but the surface tension of the product. A product can have terrible inital beading and still look and perform very well. However changes in water beading from inital application do represent (to some abstract degree) how well that inital forumlation remains intact in whole.

I've read that products adhere in one of 2 ways-mechanically or chemcially. In the case of Megs products Mike Phillips has stated that they use oils to adhere their products to the surface. When the oils come up to the surface from sitting in the hot sun and then get washed away the bonding element weakens and the product eventually fails. Carnauba also breaks down in the heat leaving gaps in the protective coating. Other products use a stronger chemical reaction to adhere the product to the surface. Now the trick is to get a chemical reaction that holds the product to the surface but doesn't bond permanently(then you have real issues if a repaint is needed).

 

[MikeWinLDS]

Awesome test, Dave, but based on the results, I bet if you did a blind-test using several "cheaper" waxes thrown into the mix of those "high-end" boutique waxes, people would be hard-pressed to tell the difference and might even pick a "cheaper" wax though they may be a fan of the more costlier ones. The next time I go pick up a new wax, I'll just get that Collinite. It looks good, protects well, and it doesn't cost an arm and/or leg.