Wax v/s sealants
- Thread starter Mr. Picky
- Start date
Accumulator
Well-known member
Generally, the conventional wisdom is that sealants last longer and protect better, but look highly reflective and even "sterile" whereas waxes are less durable but offer a "warmer" look with greater depth and "jetting" (and good luck getting an absolute definition of what any of those terms really mean).
But per usual, the conventional wisdom is just a general guideline and it's not always correct. Some waxes like Collinite last at least as long, or even much longer, than most sealants. And some sealants are surprisingly lousy at protecting against environmental hazards like birdbombs and bugs.
Beauty waxes do seem to offer unique looks that you won't match with sealants. Some people notice/appreciate the diff, others don't.
Sealants generally let every little flaw show whereas waxes do a little concealing and are thus more forgiving of an imperfect finish.
Sealants generally are more picky about what they'll bond to, whereas you can apply waxes over top of most anything.
Some waxes like Collinite are truly viable alternatives to sealants when it comes to protection and durability.
Most sealants can be layered for increased durability and protection, and for a slightly different look. Some waxes can be layered but others merely remove the previous application via solvent-action (unless you apply with a spit-shine technique).
Some sealants like Klasse Sealant Glaze can be layered to provide incredible protection and durability.
Some sealants like FK1000P last a very long time and shed dirt incredibly well.
Some sealants like Four Star UPP and BlackFire can look mighty wax-like whereas others like Zaino and FK1000P have a signature look that some like and others don't.
Some waxes (e.g. Collinite 845 and Pinnacle Souveran) are OK on black plastic trim but others will cause white stains. Ditto for sealants (Klasse is OK). So be careful as some of those white stains are incredibly hard to remove.
Note all the "generally" and "some" qualifiers in the above
Either wax or sealant will work fine on chrome but *IMO* the more durable sealants are a better choice.
But per usual, the conventional wisdom is just a general guideline and it's not always correct. Some waxes like Collinite last at least as long, or even much longer, than most sealants. And some sealants are surprisingly lousy at protecting against environmental hazards like birdbombs and bugs.
Beauty waxes do seem to offer unique looks that you won't match with sealants. Some people notice/appreciate the diff, others don't.
Sealants generally let every little flaw show whereas waxes do a little concealing and are thus more forgiving of an imperfect finish.
Sealants generally are more picky about what they'll bond to, whereas you can apply waxes over top of most anything.
Some waxes like Collinite are truly viable alternatives to sealants when it comes to protection and durability.
Most sealants can be layered for increased durability and protection, and for a slightly different look. Some waxes can be layered but others merely remove the previous application via solvent-action (unless you apply with a spit-shine technique).
Some sealants like Klasse Sealant Glaze can be layered to provide incredible protection and durability.
Some sealants like FK1000P last a very long time and shed dirt incredibly well.
Some sealants like Four Star UPP and BlackFire can look mighty wax-like whereas others like Zaino and FK1000P have a signature look that some like and others don't.
Some waxes (e.g. Collinite 845 and Pinnacle Souveran) are OK on black plastic trim but others will cause white stains. Ditto for sealants (Klasse is OK). So be careful as some of those white stains are incredibly hard to remove.
Note all the "generally" and "some" qualifiers in the above
Either wax or sealant will work fine on chrome but *IMO* the more durable sealants are a better choice.
Accumulator
Well-known member
My pleasure...there are probably some typos in there as I just tossed it off quickly, but I wanted to get it posted before somebody said "oh, go search" or something 
If there's a specific paint/color/vehicle you have in mind, there might be some choices that're better/worse than others.
If there's a specific paint/color/vehicle you have in mind, there might be some choices that're better/worse than others.
Dan
Well-known member
Accumulator said:My pleasure...there are probably some typos in there as I just tossed it off quickly, but I wanted to get it posted before somebody said "oh, go search" or something
I felt my ears burning just a little while ago....
. Accumulator has done a great job of summarizing the differences. There are no absolutes, however in most cases for a daily driver, a sealant is going to be a better choice. Waxes are great for the signature deep/wet look, but after one rain, that is usually gone. The more durable waxes don't have the drippy wet looks.Accumulator
Well-known member
Mr. Picky said:
That gray metallic might be anything from the sorta-silver on my Jag to the sorta-black on my Yukon (or anything in-between!) and what looks best on red is truly a personal preference kind of thing. But yeah, you should be happy with the FK1000P. And if you don't like how it looks you can top it with a wax and see if you like that better (but I wouldn't do that
).Note that the FK1000P takes a while (day or three) to fully cure, and the look can change while that's happening. So don't get too invested in your first impression, give it a little while and *then* pass judgment.
Auto Aesthetica - Exclusive Detail Supply and Premium Car Care Products has full line of FK I just picked up 2 more cans of 1000P from mike there who has a very real view IMO on all his and other lines of products. They just had a major private sale cant beat 11 bucks a can for 1000P. I would send email.
Accumulator, I have customer that say 1000P gives prepped black vehicle of theirs a deep look but everyone say crisp look and glassy. I am open to any look for a product but I see a thick deep look EVEN on black paints. Tell me about the looks you see. Everyone say carnauba wax is only wax for deep looks. 1000P is my go to as a base for every single car I do, its that good
edit- plus 1000P make cleaning dark cars so much easier you avoid more marring, even with soft paint
Accumulator, I have customer that say 1000P gives prepped black vehicle of theirs a deep look but everyone say crisp look and glassy. I am open to any look for a product but I see a thick deep look EVEN on black paints. Tell me about the looks you see. Everyone say carnauba wax is only wax for deep looks. 1000P is my go to as a base for every single car I do, its that good
edit- plus 1000P make cleaning dark cars so much easier you avoid more marring, even with soft paint
Accumulator
Well-known member
ltebow- Wow, that's a great price at $11/can 
The "how it looks" thing is always eye-of-the-beholder stuff IMO and if somebody else sees things differently than I do, well...that's OK as long as we're both happy. I've only used FK1000P on a few vehicles (I'm not a pro and I hardly ever have to redo mine), but a perfect example of this wax/sealant thing is my GMC Yukon XLD. It's a "Carbon Metallic", like a *VERY* metallic black. I had used Collinite on it, and it had a certain look- not all *that* metallic rather more like a normal black paint, pretty "deep" with decent "jetting" that showed off the contours a certain way. I changed to FK1000P and it looks completely different, and I mean like a different paint code- *VERY* metallic, almost "too light" looking in bright sunlight. Extremely shiny and reflective (much more so than with the Collinite) and the diff between how it looks in bright sunlight and how it looks in the shade/at night is simply amazing. There are times when I love it, and times when I think it looks kinda "wrong". Most other people who comment think it looks wondeful but you know how "normal" people are, they never see LSP differences even when you point them out to them.
But the way FK1000P cleans up and lasts makes it a good choice for that vehicle. For cases where looks don't matter as much as protection, I think that heavily layered KSG (at least six layers) topped with FK1000P would be the best. IME, *NOTHING* protects against marring quite like a thick coating of the KSG's acrylic; while FK1000P sheds dirt wonderfully (and this protects agains marring that way), KSG puts such a thick barrier over the paint that my soft-paint MPV stayed marring-free for years even though I washed it rather carelessly....never experienced anything quite like it. Topping that with the dirt-shedding FK1000P would be the best of both features.
The "how it looks" thing is always eye-of-the-beholder stuff IMO and if somebody else sees things differently than I do, well...that's OK as long as we're both happy. I've only used FK1000P on a few vehicles (I'm not a pro and I hardly ever have to redo mine), but a perfect example of this wax/sealant thing is my GMC Yukon XLD. It's a "Carbon Metallic", like a *VERY* metallic black. I had used Collinite on it, and it had a certain look- not all *that* metallic rather more like a normal black paint, pretty "deep" with decent "jetting" that showed off the contours a certain way. I changed to FK1000P and it looks completely different, and I mean like a different paint code- *VERY* metallic, almost "too light" looking in bright sunlight. Extremely shiny and reflective (much more so than with the Collinite) and the diff between how it looks in bright sunlight and how it looks in the shade/at night is simply amazing. There are times when I love it, and times when I think it looks kinda "wrong". Most other people who comment think it looks wondeful but you know how "normal" people are, they never see LSP differences even when you point them out to them.
But the way FK1000P cleans up and lasts makes it a good choice for that vehicle. For cases where looks don't matter as much as protection, I think that heavily layered KSG (at least six layers) topped with FK1000P would be the best. IME, *NOTHING* protects against marring quite like a thick coating of the KSG's acrylic; while FK1000P sheds dirt wonderfully (and this protects agains marring that way), KSG puts such a thick barrier over the paint that my soft-paint MPV stayed marring-free for years even though I washed it rather carelessly....never experienced anything quite like it. Topping that with the dirt-shedding FK1000P would be the best of both features.