Ive only been 'back' for a few days now, but some of my early impressions of some attitude changes include:
Meguiars seems to have had a resurgence in popularity. Back in '05 and before, it was viewed as kind of only a small step above the commercial turtle-wax type vendors.
3M, by the same token, seems to have taken a popularity plunge. Back then, it was considered one of the best true professional product labels we could use at home. If we could only own one polish, Finesse-IT was THE one to have.
PB2.5 was fairly new at the time and was considered one of The most effective polishes out there. Still seems to be, although its been joined by products like Optimun Polish, etc.
The whole Menzerna thing has taken off like a rocket.. And Im not even sure XMT existed.
I have one car. .True, it occupies a very disproportionate amount of space in my brain, but its still one car. To care for that car, I have 12 bottles of Polish alone covering the mfg range of Meguiars, 3M, Sonus, Poorboys, and P21S. For the LSP category, Ive got Blitz, S100/P21S, Collinite, Griots, Meguiars, 3M, Optimum, Pinnacle, and Poorboys.
Im only mentioning this because, much as Id like to add to my product arsenal to include some of the latest and greatest, the fact is even if I dont add a single product to my mix, it would be impossible for me to use up even what IVe got now, before it turns to oatmeal on the shelf. For a single vehicle, I think my current product assortment is more than adequate to give me the best finish I can attain. Ive got about every cut covered, and while I think Id like to add Optimum Polish to my collection, the fact is IM positive that the level of cut and functionality it provides is or can be duplicated within my current product assortment. It takes supreme restraint to be a good Autopia member, because without it, it would be far too easy to accumulate, in short order, so many products that the only option available would be to open a store to try and help dispense with the results of an unrestrained 'eyes bigger than stomach' phenomenon!!
Still, I enjoy reading about all the new technologies, and marketing schemes, that come along every couple years in the quest of The Best homegrown auto finish.