No matter how much reading I do I learn something new each day. I did not know (even though I recently purchased a bottle and obviously didn't read the front label) that M21 removes light swirls. Quoting from the front label;
"Produces a deep gloss and highly reflective paint finish;
Visually eliminates fine swirls for a show car perfect shine;
Glides on easily with a quick and easy wipe off"
Doesn't say anything about cleaners and seems to me it must fill fine swirls to make the visually eliminated? So I thought.
Anyway, here's a test panel that I've previously wet sanded, buffed, polished and applied M21 and Gold wax. I wiped several times with 50/50 IPA to remove these products.
First application by hand, Collinite 476s on the far left; Meguiar's Gold paste wax in the center and Zaino ZFX+Z5 polish on the far right.
Pictures don't tell much to me. This 5mp camera is not that great under relatively low light conditions. Collinite was a bear to remove by hand, but I might have used a little too much. Up close the Collinite looks like it doesn't have as much gloss or depth. The Gold and Zaino both look pretty good after removal by hand. I did notice that this freshly wet sanded and polished panel already has a big scuff mark and some light swirls from me wiping too hard to clean before this test!
So I did another test after using 50/50 IPA. Applied M21 over the entire area with my DA and a Lake Country 6" black pad on speed 6 with very little product. Let dry for 20 minutes and removed with DA and micro-fiber bonnet on speed 4. Very nice! Scuff mark and swirls gone too.
Then I applied Gold paste wax on the left by hand and removed with DA and bonnet and M21 only on the right.
Then the same Gold paste wax already applied on the left and Collinite on the right applied by hand and removed with a bonnet on DA.
Horizontal piece of tape removed where below was the previous 3 products only. (Collinte left, Gold center, Zaino right.)
What have I learned? That M21 will remove scuffs and fine swirls with a black pad on a DA. That M21 goes on with blue pad and comes off very easy without smears using a bonnet on a DA. That OTC Gold wax looks pretty darn nice and is much cheaper than ZFX+Z5 and other higher price waxes I haven't tried yet. (for whatever that's worth) And Collinite comes off nice with bonnet on DA and to me looks as good as anything else I have at the moment.
Perhaps I've rubbed and polished and waxed this panel so much anything will look like wet paint? I don't know. Maybe someone can tell me why I should invest in an expensive wax when these three look so good? Why should I use a wax at all on top of M21? (I need a beer now!)