# Homebrew Showdown!



## Goodylax (Apr 21, 2013)

Hello there guys and gals :wave:
We are going to look at two very nice Homebrew waxes produced by DW members. Before I begin I would like to once again thank Myself2x for sending some samples (nicely sized :argie to the US. I would also like to thank Sonic for putting up his Proto waxes for giveaways and to testers :thumb:
Thank you both very much gentlemen! 
And now we can begin:

Sonic Proto Wax #38-3


First off, out of control smell! . right up there w some of my favorites! A strong smell of tropical fruit, or cherry Starburst! Looks soft and oily, but it is pretty hard to a finger poke.


Charm


I liked the little extra white cover under the lid to aid in preservation of the wax. Nice touch, never seen that before.:thumb:




When you open this up, a very light, pleasant scent hits you. Vinnie described it well, but I think it's smells like a mix a fruit and a flowery smell (if you can imagine that!). It is definitely a softer consistency as per the finger poke test. (Loved the knife test Vinnie )

I still had two brand new, still sealed AG wax applicators that came with HD wax


And the Guinea pig:


So I power washed the wheels and gave the car a good rinse before washing via 2BM:


After the wash and wipe down, gave the hood, front quarter panels and front end some clay bar love - Dodo BOB Clay and GG Speed Shine


After clay bar


After cloying, I broke out some Lime Prime light and a Hex logic finishing hand pad:


After LPL


Ok, it's go time!. Used the same kind of wax removal cloth for each.


Used blue tape as markers at the top and bottom of the hood
Charm on the left side (when looking at it) and #38 is on the right. 


Charm is up first....

I like the consistency of this wax, it leapt onto the applicator (lightly pre-dampened) and was a tad clumpy or fatty as Vinnie put it. The wax spread nicely and decently far. 


I let it cure for about 5 minutes before going at it.

Came off very nicely! I was kinda surprised, it seems like removal tends to be a killer of Homebrews, but not here.

Sonic Proto Wax #38-3
Forgot to get a shot of it on the applicator, but this wax is stealthy. A hard little brick but after a few quick circular motions, you can make a surprising dent in this wax. I had to get a good angle to see the wax going on when applying. Once on the paint, 38 spread a little farther and wider than the Charm, but wanted to "hang out" longer 



Curing

After about ten minutes, removed with wax cloth. Charm had 38 beat in ease of removal, as the 38 was a bit more "grabby".



In the sun


Charm


38



I also did a plastic baggy test and felt both sides. Charm left less "grit" on the paint than the 38. When I say grit, I mean left over Carnauba. In my experience, that is the downside of the extremely high Carnuaba content/ homebrew waxes-  to remove physically and lacks that ultra slick feeling.

Now time for a laugh! 
A crappy video of me pouring water on the hood after letting it cure for an hour and a half ( and waxing the rest of the car in Bouncers 22 :argie


Took some beading shots (sorry about the crappy quality- need a better camera)
Charm
[/URL
Minus the giant stone chip :devil:
[URL=http://s1328.photobucket.com/user/Goodylax/media/image_zps577633be.jpg.html]

38



I will now try and explain what I saw with the sheeting and beading :newbie:
Both sheeted nicely, but the 38 created kind of a bigger sheet, but the trails would get "chopped up". The Charm seemed a little more hydrophobic, smaller and quicker sheet, cleaner trails. Both beaded nicely as you can see, but the charm seemed tighter on the slopes.

And topped off w AF Finale




In conclusion, 
I thought both were unique and effective waxes. I am not the wax King, but I have roughly seventy different waxes in my cart and these waxes both had qualities that reminded me of some production waxes. (Myself- great presentation and synthetic mix resulting in easier and efficient removal)
(Sonic- love the texture and consistency of the wax, and the smell is better than 95% of the other waxes out there)
Suggestions-
Charm- texture/ consistency perhaps could be tweaked smoother, but not a big deal.
38- Removal resulting in an initially slicker surface
(Again, I'm no wax scientist and I broke things in Chem lab to get out of schoolwork)

Thanks again guys, I hope you have enjoyed the review as much as I have your waxes! (Sonic-i would love to try that 54, keep at it -you are gonna have a real Champ soon!) :thumb:
Goody


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## Wheelzntoys (Jan 28, 2012)

Great review, real helpful for the brewers and looking like they have excellent potential.


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## supervinnie40 (Jul 22, 2012)

Very well written comparison mate. Well done.

I think your test shows how a slightly synthetic wax can have certain enhancements, while a natural wax will have different properties. None have to be a bad thing, it all depends on what the user is looking for.
Both could use a little bit of tweaking, but that's not a big deal. They are both very close.

Just a small hint, do the next test on a car with colored paint, instead of silver or grey. You will have an easier time to show/see the difference in gloss and warmth.


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## sprocketser (Aug 4, 2012)

Thanx for the review Goody ! Great one mate .


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## SON1C (Jun 13, 2013)

Thanks for taking the time! I am still testing my charm and I will say it's quality wax but as you found out our waxes are totally different ex synthetic vs natural not sure on his carnauba content but I'd dare to say mine is ~double , i am not knocking his wax just another difference and really effects behavior and performance across the board 
As you guys know I've been busy on my end refining the wax, and it has improved much over 38
Glad you enjoyed both!


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## Goodylax (Apr 21, 2013)

Thanks guys
Yea, I only had my car to test on, which is silver. 
I agree Sonic, your wax must have a higher Nuba content, and even though it left a little behind, it still shined great :thumb:
Different waxes, both great work.


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## myself2x (Aug 12, 2008)

Thank you for taking the time! I think the texture and consistency depend on the heating/cooling conditions. As you mentioned, my wax need to be improved in the texture and consistency. But, I am very satisfied with your review! :thumb:


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