# Auto-Finesse Tough Coat vs. Zaino Z-2/Z-5 Pro...



## Steampunk (Aug 11, 2011)

I grow more impressed with Auto-Finesse Tough Coat after each use, but Zaino's latest formulations are getting a lot of good press on Detailing World, and I wanted to know how you thought they compare? I will probably always have Tough Coat in my kit bag due to its extreme ease of use, but if I decided to add Zaino Z-2 Pro or Z-5 Pro to my collection, would I get anything extra for the additional effort?

Reports of Zaino in the United States have grown increasingly negative; the opinion generally being that it is now a very dated formula, and that more recent options are better. Poor resistance to water/avian fallout etching is a common complaint, as is the necessity for layering to get the best appearance/durability, and the difficulty in application/removal during humid atmospheric conditions. These local reviews have always dissuaded me from partaking of the Zaino system in the past, but the recent successes of well respected detailers in the UK (Like Russ from Midlands Car Care to name but one off hand.) are making me question whether or not it may be a worthy addition to my kit. 

I will be interested in hearing the opinions of those who have tried both; I thank you all very much for your time, and assistance. 

Sincerely,
Steampunk


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## alan_mcc (Oct 28, 2008)

I've used both and Tough Coat certainly has the edge on ease of use.
However I've never used a sealant that looks as good as Z-2!

I'll also add I've never found Z-2 hard to apply or remove.


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## Blumenmaus (Feb 1, 2012)

I've got both AF Tough Coat along with Z2, Z6 and Z8. Due to the weather, I haven't used either yet, so so it'll be good to see how I get on.

One advantage of the Z over AF is the smell - AF smells like Brasso however the Z smells nice enough to drink!


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## M3simon (Jan 23, 2012)

I've just applied 2 coats of Z2 on top of Poorboys white diamond glaze to my silver M3. Probably apply a 3rd coat in a few weeks
The finish is good, it's a really deep shine.
I've not used it before, it was very easy to apply and remove even when the temp was only 1 oC. I couldn't get my head around not applying a lot of product.


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## Steampunk (Aug 11, 2011)

Blumenmaus said:


> I've got both AF Tough Coat along with Z2, Z6 and Z8. Due to the weather, I haven't used either yet, so so it'll be good to see how I get on.
> 
> One advantage of the Z over AF is the smell - AF smells like Brasso however the Z smells nice enough to drink!


Tough Coat does pong a bit at first, but the smell is surprisingly starting to grow on me! My first wiff immediately made me feel a bit green around the gills, but having used it a few times now I do not mind the strong petrol smell, though this is most likely because it is now associated with other very pleasant impressions of the product.

What do the Zaino products smell of?

Steampunk


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## billyp (Jul 24, 2010)

After years of trying various products of which most produced good results, Zaino has been my product of choice for about 2 years and i have never had problems applying it etc and the finish is amazing, z2 or imo z5 if its black paint topped with z8(fantastic product)


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## Blumenmaus (Feb 1, 2012)

Steampunk said:


> Tough Coat does pong a bit at first, but the smell is surprisingly starting to grow on me! My first wiff immediately made me feel a bit green around the gills, but having used it a few times now I do not mind the strong petrol smell, though this is most likely because it is now associated with other very pleasant impressions of the product.
> 
> What do the Zaino products smell of?
> 
> Steampunk


Z2 and Z6 like marzipan, Z8 like Apricots............


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## Ultra (Feb 25, 2006)

alan_mcc said:


> I've used both and Tough Coat certainly has the edge on ease of use.
> However I've never used a sealant that looks as good as Z-2!
> 
> I'll also add I've never found Z-2 hard to apply or remove.


You have'nt used blackfire AFPP then


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## Steampunk (Aug 11, 2011)

Blumenmaus said:


> Z2 and Z6 like marzipan, Z8 like Apricots............


Ooooh... Lovely :argie:.

Steampunk


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## alan_mcc (Oct 28, 2008)

dennis said:


> You have'nt used blackfire AFPP then


I have - it does look amazing I'll give you that but what lets it down is it's beading properties.


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## Steampunk (Aug 11, 2011)

dennis said:


> You have'nt used blackfire AFPP then


This is the kind of statement that I have been hearing from many detailers in the States, and why I decided to create this thread. From my reading Tough Coat seems to compare favorably with Blackfire, and negatively with Zaino, but at the same time Zaino has been compared negatively to Blackfire . You see the reason for some of my confusion, here.

Hopefully we can hear the viewpoints of more of those who have used both (Or maybe even all three!), and possibly cut through some of the confliction. :thumb:

Steampunk


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## M3simon (Jan 23, 2012)

Somebody told me sealants don't bead water like waxes do. 
Is this right???
The Z2 ive apply recently doesn't bead as well as AG HD wax I has apply previously.


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## JimG (Sep 16, 2011)

M3simon said:


> Somebody told me sealants don't bead water like waxes do.
> Is this right???
> The Z2 ive apply recently doesn't bead as well as AG HD wax I has apply previously.


I've heard this too. Sealants sheet, waxes bead is what I was told.


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## alxg (May 3, 2009)

Whoever said Zaino has poor water repellancy hasn't used it!

I put just one layer on my 1 Coupe last year and after some overnight rain, I was not only greeted by some excellent beading, but after driving around half a mile down the road my car was dry!

I will keep Zaino in my kit as it really gives outstanding results, but it also shows up flaws in less than great paint so make sure you do your prep and it will add a fantastic finish :thumb:


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## sm81 (May 14, 2011)

Steampunk: How well Reload work top of AF TC? If I would use TC every 4 months and between that Reload once a month.


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## Steampunk (Aug 11, 2011)

sm81 said:


> Steampunk: How well Reload work top of AF TC? If I would use TC every 4 months and between that Reload once a month.


Hmmmm... Not 100% sure on this one, as I haven't tried ReLoad myself. However, from my understanding of the science behind the product it won't bond to the Tough Coat as well as it would bond to bare paint, or a pre-existing CQuartz coating. On the other hand, a lot of people have been using ReLoad on top of other products, and reported favorable results .

As a whole, I don't think it is a practice that I would use myself. I would use one, or the other properly; using both is just kind of overkill, and compromises the full potential of both products. If you're already using Tough Coat, just use Tough Coat! It's SO easy to apply that you can actually treat it like a QD to some extent, and since it can be applied in low temperatures, it makes a very good product to have on your car during the winter due to the ease it can be topped up. Covering it in ReLoad only compromises the layerability of the Tough Coat, and impacts the durability and performance of the ReLoad. Tough Coat is really quite durable on its own, and has very good water performance, so it really doesn't need nursed along with frequent top-ups to keep it going.

ReLoad on the other hand is a different kettle of fish. From my reading it's kind of like a 'nano' version of Dodo-Juice Red Mist; originally designed as a fast top-up for a pre-existing coating system, but proven to have surprising durability and performance when used on its own. It _potentially_ has superior protection and dirt repelling capabilities than a 'normal' sealant, though reports have varied so much that I've not been able to come to a ********** answer about what it actually can do. One individual on this forum has claimed 6-month durability (CarPro quotes 'Up to 3-months .) with enhanced chemical resistance and cleaning behavior over normal LSP's, whilst another detailer in the United States saw no more than 1-month of durability and didn't think its behavior was anything special. I think that you need to do your own research, and pick an option that best suits your maintenance habits, and the environment in which your vehicle operates.

Hopefully this helps...

Steampunk


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## AaronGTi (Nov 2, 2010)

Bit of a thread re-opener here.

I used AF Tough Coat for 6 months Sep-March.
2 layers gave me 6 months+ of excellent beading, sheeting & general protection.

I thought I'd try something new a couple weeks ago so went for Zaino.
The car was fully corrected so went straight to Z2 via DA & Z8 to finish.

Few weeks later and 2nd wash since Z was applied.

I washed on the Saturday and after I had rinsed it started raining, without a word of a lie the car looked like it had zero protection on it and the rain left mingin water spots all over the roof, bonnet and A pillars.

Fast forward to tonight..

Well I came out of work to find it had pissed it down with rain and the beading on it was awesome. WTF?? Did I kill the beading when I washed it the other day only for it to return now? When I got caught in the rain on saturday the beading was pants, looked like my upstair neighbours Astra which has no protection on it at all :/ so does the beading return after a few days? Do I need to change the shampoo? Another thing, by the time I got home the beads had dried and left horrendous water spots. I've never seen this with other LSP's, usually the beads sheet away when the car is driven and leaves little to no spotting. Or, is it possibly a lot easier to see the spotting now that the cars fully corrected? Maybe the swirling & oxidisation were taking away the appearance of the water spotting. Who knows, I certainly dont!!

What I do know is I'm not impressed with the Zaino.
Dont get me wrong it does loog good but LSP's only add that 2% the finish really does come from the correction work.

I'm seriously thinking of selling it and re-apying Tough Coat as I didnt any issues with it what so ever.

Anyone else had similiar issues with Zaino?


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## -Raven- (Aug 26, 2010)

What did you wash your car with Aaron? I'm sure you know many shampoo's contain 'stuff' that alter LSP characteristics (looks/beading/sheeting etc). I didn't mind the Duragloss 901 shampoo for sealants, not just Zaino. The Zaino shampoo is 'similar' as you'd expect.

Although I am not a Zed Head, I'd like to try their new sealant (or sealants?) that will be released any time soon...


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## The Cueball (Feb 8, 2007)

surprised about the negative comments about zaino tbh.... I understand that it's a bit 'annoying' to use, 3 x z2/3, zfx, 3x z6 then z8...

I have never had any issues with it being hard to use, I use very, very little, and water literally falls off my car all the time (I don't use it that much though) and it lasts for a good 6 months...

and when it can get silver to look this good, without any polishing (yet ) I think it's worth it...



















:thumb:


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## bigslippy (Sep 19, 2010)

That looks epic cuey:thumb: any news on the S8? or have I missed it:lol:


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## The Cueball (Feb 8, 2007)

bigslippy said:


> That looks epic cuey:thumb: any news on the S8? or have I missed it:lol:


Cheer mate, maybe get a machine on her this year! :lol:

S8 is back up and running, all fixed and faster than before :doublesho

:driver::driver::driver:


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## n_d_fox (Apr 18, 2007)

AaronGTi said:


> Bit of a thread re-opener here.
> I thought I'd try something new a couple weeks ago so went for Zaino.
> The car was fully corrected so went straight to Z2 via DA & Z8 to finish.
> 
> ...


As a side note to the OP as i havent answered his original question... I havent used Tough Coat but have seen the results others have got from it. As you might have guessed i am a Zaino user though and have been using solely Zaino products on my own car for a few years now. I guess that speaks volumes on my opinion of it.

This is after 6 layers of Z2 with ZFX using Z6 between layers. No Z8 at this point.


DSCF1064 by n_d_fox, on Flickr

This was the beading after the first 3 layers (the 2nd 3 added 3 days later).


DSCF1060 by n_d_fox, on Flickr

Just a note on the beading... A wax will always imo give better beading than a sealant so if thats your thing, stick to wax. In the above pic though the beading i was seeing from Z2 was pretty impressive and as mentioned after 1/2 mile driving down the road the car would be dry. What i have noticed is that the beading is much flatter after using Z8 and the water behaviour altered (in my opinion negatively) but this is off set by the pop Z8 brings out in the metallic fleck.

Thanks, Nige


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## AaronGTi (Nov 2, 2010)

type[r]+ said:


> What did you wash your car with Aaron? I'm sure you know many shampoo's contain 'stuff' that alter LSP characteristics (looks/beading/sheeting etc). I didn't mind the Duragloss 901 shampoo for sealants, not just Zaino. The Zaino shampoo is 'similar' as you'd expect.
> 
> Although I am not a Zed Head, I'd like to try their new sealant (or sealants?) that will be released any time soon...


Shampoo was Auto Finesse Lather.

Nigel I take on board everything you've said, I'll reply to what you've written later tonight when I'm a bit quieter as I'm at work just now.


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## Steampunk (Aug 11, 2011)

In my research Zaino is a very hit or miss product; people either swear by it, or swear at it. Horrendous water spotting (Leading people to question how much protection it actually provides.), poor water handling, and temperamental use are all quite common complaints. Its fans vehemently argue against these negative claims, and vaunt it as the mother of all LSP's. This massive variance in results, and the zealotry of Zaino's fans on US forums has always made me very concerned about trying it in the past, but the awesome results people like Russ from Midlands Car Care have been getting intrigue me. I like to have both waxes and sealants on hand (I think that they both have their place, and neither is superior to the other.), and whilst I have found a few truly superb waxes recently, my sealant selection is looking a bit sparse as only A-F Tough Coat has truly impressed me recently. For this reason I intend to try a couple of sealants soon, and Z-2 will probably be one of them...

Steampunk


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## alteclio (May 10, 2011)

I've used Z2 for the first time a few weeks ago and I love how my car looks with it. I think it has never looked so good, but I was not impressed by the beading. Here a couple of pics while it was raining last week.


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## sm81 (May 14, 2011)

...Z2 one of them. What are the others?


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## rob750 (Apr 17, 2006)

I have been using Zaino on about 7 cars and over 5 maybe as much as 7 yrs long before Johnny sold it. My view beading WTF is this, I want the water off the car not on it drying in the sun .Zaino I have used on many cars and in many conditions . I have never had a problem with it hot / cold . I do not have a garage . I tested before using it on One panel and used Dodo Supernatural and Swissvax BOS on two others . It was the Zaino that beaded the best 6 months later after being left out in the winter . And yes Zaino is getting on a bit so I have tried others Blackfire impressed me , very easy to use but longevity isnt a patch on Zaino. Aaron dont give up on Zaino


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## rob750 (Apr 17, 2006)

Oh yes one last thing Zaino does NOT have the uniformity of beading that a good wax has but then again neither does other similar products


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## AaronGTi (Nov 2, 2010)

rob750 said:


> I have been using Zaino on about 7 cars and over 5 maybe as much as 7 yrs long before Johnny sold it. My view beading WTF is this, I want the water off the car not on it drying in the sun .Zaino I have used on many cars and in many conditions . I have never had a problem with it hot / cold . I do not have a garage . I tested before using it on One panel and used Dodo Supernatural and Swissvax BOS on two others . It was the Zaino that beaded the best 6 months later after being left out in the winter . And yes Zaino is getting on a bit so I have tried others Blackfire impressed me , very easy to use but longevity isnt a patch on Zaino. *Aaron dont give up on Zaino*


I'm not gonna just yet..

the only thing that's bothering me about it is the water spots.

I Googled "Zaino water spots" and it appears a fair few people have had the same issue I have.

I've used a few different LSP's Auto Finesse, Dodo Juice etc n I've never seen water spotting like that with any of them..

Usually the beads sheet away when the car is driven but it's like the beads are being held tight by the sealant and when drying causing horrendous spotting


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## alteclio (May 10, 2011)

I haven't noticed any water spots with Z2, but the guy who gave me his bottle had the same complaint about this product. If anybody has an answer to this mistery...


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## Steampunk (Aug 11, 2011)

sm81 said:


> ...Z2 one of them. What are the others?


Haven't decided yet... I love Tough Coat, but want to have two 'normal' sealants (One liquid and one spray.) for backup, or when I'm in the mood for a change, so I was probably going to check out Z-2, Menzerna Power Lock, Werkstat AJ-T, and Optimum Opti-Seal and just hang on to the two I liked best. OOS and Z-2 are the ones that draw me the most, so I'm probably going to try them first. I also want to start dabbling in nano-Si02 / ceramic-resin coatings soon...

Steampunk


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## sm81 (May 14, 2011)

Steampunk said:


> I also want to start dabbling in nano-Si02 / ceramic-resin coatings soon...
> 
> Steampunk


What products?


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## Steampunk (Aug 11, 2011)

sm81 said:


> What products?


GTechniq and Nanolex for the nano-silicas, with Optimum and Concours Car Care for the ceramic-resin. Bit off topic, though ...


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## sm81 (May 14, 2011)

and Cquartz


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