imported_Dave KG
New member
Its been an interesting few months of late for me, trialling different LSP systems and bringing in more and more sealents into my armoury... This I have to say is in a complete turnaround to my previous opinions on sealents, where the claimed plasticky and cold looks always put me off, along with many assertions that sealents were difficult to use and fussy to bond.
However, of late, sealents have started to arrive in my arsenal and are getting more and more use as they find their way to the front of my LSP cupboard... Sealents have been around for a while and I confess I have shyed away from them for a variety of reasons and the ones I have seen up until now didn't really impress me with the exceptions of EGP and TW Gloss Guard whose durability kick most, if not all waxes, firmly into the weeds.
But now - two particular sealent systems have arrived with me, and both have served to thoroughly impress me on many fronts. Indeed more so than any wax has done previously. These of course being Zaino, and Duragloss. Now both of these have been around for a while, but they are new to me, however with each application and test I find myself impressed with the slightly glassy nuance they offer and there does seem to be something small that they offer over waxes. Couple this to durability of these products, where Zaino is beginning to impress me and reports suggest that both of these ranges are hugely capable and ready to kick most waxes for six.
Sitting looking at all the waxes in my collection now, I do wonder how many of them will be used again... Having been suitably impressed with each of application of sealents and their offering over a well prepped finish and in one case, the durbaility, I find myself wondering why I didn't go down that route sooner! :doublesho Thinking about it, I wonder if carnauba waxes are now more and more becoming limited by the fact they work with the same raw ingredient (albeit in various quantities, but let us not start that discussion!!)... its always carnauba wax that is left on the surface which presents some sort of glass ceiling at least to the durability but also to any look (if at all) that can be offered. Sealents, being man made, are open to advancements beyond what the "wax-tree" has to offer and this seems to be showing in typical performances of the products - they can offer more and are continually being developped to be better.
Now, I'm quite sure its not so cut and shut as that... I mean there are huge variances in wax durability (and some claim in looks, I'd venture to say highly subtle nuances are the only difference), so there's obviously more to it than simply carnuaba... the blend is important. But is the carnauba ultimately going to represent a limit that the man-made polymers are capable of exceeding by virtue of the ability to enhance them with chemistry research. Comapre durability of Concours and Souveran, both using carnuaba, and you can see huge differences, but I wonder how much of this is actually down to solvents carrying the wax and they way they prepare the underlying paint to take the wax? Or are there other ingredients around that can affect the durability significantly, and are these man made?
Its food for thought for me, definitely, and a lot of questions will be answered by the big LSP test in July, whether or not looks wise any LSP offers any differences to the real-world human eye that I, and the rest of us happen to have. But in terms of performance, it does seem to me that after trying so many different waxes of varying prices, there is a glass ceiling which they are struggling to break through. In my opinion, and that is dominating my LSP thoughts right now - if a product relies on a natural ingredient, then surely it must be limited by this, regardless of how much you wish to pay for it. Can man-made products as raw ingredients be tuned, developed to go beyond the natural products and then exceed still further... citing Bilt Hamber Autobalm as an example here, and its ability to withstand the salt test and protect unprotected metal. Not exactly a real-world test, but it is evidence of just what serious chemistry R&D can develop.
I'm in two worlds right now as far as LSPs go - but its certainly fun, and an entertaining thought to see just how these two LSP styles develop and whether wax can one day blast through its apparent glass ceiling that I myself feel I have stumbled on.
However, of late, sealents have started to arrive in my arsenal and are getting more and more use as they find their way to the front of my LSP cupboard... Sealents have been around for a while and I confess I have shyed away from them for a variety of reasons and the ones I have seen up until now didn't really impress me with the exceptions of EGP and TW Gloss Guard whose durability kick most, if not all waxes, firmly into the weeds.
But now - two particular sealent systems have arrived with me, and both have served to thoroughly impress me on many fronts. Indeed more so than any wax has done previously. These of course being Zaino, and Duragloss. Now both of these have been around for a while, but they are new to me, however with each application and test I find myself impressed with the slightly glassy nuance they offer and there does seem to be something small that they offer over waxes. Couple this to durability of these products, where Zaino is beginning to impress me and reports suggest that both of these ranges are hugely capable and ready to kick most waxes for six.
Sitting looking at all the waxes in my collection now, I do wonder how many of them will be used again... Having been suitably impressed with each of application of sealents and their offering over a well prepped finish and in one case, the durbaility, I find myself wondering why I didn't go down that route sooner! :doublesho Thinking about it, I wonder if carnauba waxes are now more and more becoming limited by the fact they work with the same raw ingredient (albeit in various quantities, but let us not start that discussion!!)... its always carnauba wax that is left on the surface which presents some sort of glass ceiling at least to the durability but also to any look (if at all) that can be offered. Sealents, being man made, are open to advancements beyond what the "wax-tree" has to offer and this seems to be showing in typical performances of the products - they can offer more and are continually being developped to be better.
Now, I'm quite sure its not so cut and shut as that... I mean there are huge variances in wax durability (and some claim in looks, I'd venture to say highly subtle nuances are the only difference), so there's obviously more to it than simply carnuaba... the blend is important. But is the carnauba ultimately going to represent a limit that the man-made polymers are capable of exceeding by virtue of the ability to enhance them with chemistry research. Comapre durability of Concours and Souveran, both using carnuaba, and you can see huge differences, but I wonder how much of this is actually down to solvents carrying the wax and they way they prepare the underlying paint to take the wax? Or are there other ingredients around that can affect the durability significantly, and are these man made?
Its food for thought for me, definitely, and a lot of questions will be answered by the big LSP test in July, whether or not looks wise any LSP offers any differences to the real-world human eye that I, and the rest of us happen to have. But in terms of performance, it does seem to me that after trying so many different waxes of varying prices, there is a glass ceiling which they are struggling to break through. In my opinion, and that is dominating my LSP thoughts right now - if a product relies on a natural ingredient, then surely it must be limited by this, regardless of how much you wish to pay for it. Can man-made products as raw ingredients be tuned, developed to go beyond the natural products and then exceed still further... citing Bilt Hamber Autobalm as an example here, and its ability to withstand the salt test and protect unprotected metal. Not exactly a real-world test, but it is evidence of just what serious chemistry R&D can develop.
I'm in two worlds right now as far as LSPs go - but its certainly fun, and an entertaining thought to see just how these two LSP styles develop and whether wax can one day blast through its apparent glass ceiling that I myself feel I have stumbled on.
I tend to use what I think will look best on a customers car (and suit their needs), sometimes that's a sealant and sometimes it's not. Lately I've just been preferring waxes, but that could change.
But consider that my other vehicles LSPed with #16, UPP, and other products make for a good comparison (well, IMO) and IME the only thing that'll beat the Collinite is KSG, and then only with 4-6 layers.