# Cheap LSP Durability Comparison Test



## BolgOfTheNorth (Dec 19, 2011)

Thought I'd share with you guys a small test I did of some LSP's.

The test was carried out on half of the roof (off side) of a Mini Cooper. The half of the roof I did the test on had no underlying protection however I used Exta Gloss Protection just on the other half of the roof (near side) 2 months prior to the start this test which is why you may see signs of protection on that half. Here is a photo taken one month prior to doing the following test just to show EGP was only on the near side and no underlying protection was on the half I did the test on (off side):










Anyway here is the test I did…

Prior to application the car was washed with Wolf's White Satin (wax free shampoo), no polishes, pre-wax cleansers, glazes or anything were used.










*Autoglym Extra Gloss Protection (EGP) - Rear 3rd

3M Performance Finish - Middle 3rd

Wolf's Chemicals New Moon - Front 3rd*

The products in the test were not chosen for any specific reason they were just what I happened to have at the time, Performance Finish & EGP are roughly the same price whereas New Moon is a bit more expensive.

Here is EGP curing which was applied as Autoglym advises in long overlapping strokes:









This is where Performance Finish was applied, I don't have any pictures of it curing as 3M advises to buff of immediately. It was applied the same way as I applied New Moon:









Here is New Moon curing, I applied it in my usual way of applying waxes with short, overlapping up and down strokes with a foam applicator pad.









New Moon and Extra Gloss Protection were left to cure for 45 minutes before buffing off.

The next day it started raining (they had at least 24 hours without getting wet).

Just started raining -

EGP:









Performance Finish:









New Moon:










After a bit more rain -

EGP:









Performance Finish:









New Moon:









From a different angle -

EGP:









Performance Finish:









New Moon:









There isn't much in it between New Moon and EGP but I think New Moon is looking the best with the tightest and most consistant beads whereas Performance Finish doesn't look quite as tight as the other two.

*5 Weeks after application* 
Here is what they looked like 5 weeks later after being washed (with White Satin) for the first time since the application and rinsed off with a pressure washer -

EGP:









Performance Finish:









New Moon:


















Here they are after being lightly misted with the pressure washer -

EGP:









Performance Finish:









New Moon:



























Here they are after being misted a bit more, I took these photos from the other side of the car this time -

EGP:









Performance Finish:









New Moon:









Here they are after being flooded with an open ended hose:

EGP:









Performance Finish:









New Moon:









At this point it seems like Performance Finish is holding up the best with better beading and sheeting. I was expecting New Moon to put up a really good fight here, Wolf's claim it will give 4-6 months of protection but from what I've seen (not just this test) it seems to struggle with 4-6 weeks, it looks like it's not doing much better than the 3 month old EGP on the other side of the roof.

*9 weeks after application*
Here are a couple of interesting shots of the roof when the car had not been washed for a few weeks so there was a light layer of traffic film interfering here, nevertheless Performance Finish is looking very good:



















*10 weeks after application*
10 weeks after the application and 5 weeks since the car was last washed the car was washed again. Here is what they looked like after being washed with White Satin and rinsed off -

EGP:









Performance Finish:









New Moon:



























After being lightly misted -

EGP:









Performance Finish:









New Moon:



























After being misted a bit more -

EGP:









Performance Finish:









New Moon:



























After being flooded with an open ended hose -

EGP:









Performance Finish:









New Moon:









I think it's safe to say Performance Finish is the winner of this durability test with signs of protection clearly still present in every circumstance. EGP is the runner up with some signs of protection after 10 weeks however it is starting to look a bit weak and a little inconsistent. New Moon is surprisingly a big disappointment, after 10 weeks it looks completely dead, I'm a big fan of Wolf's products, everything else in the range I've tried exceeded expectations but New Moon seems to fail miserably in terms of durability.

Performance Finish will go through to the next test so keep an eye out for that one in a few months' time to see how it fairs against a couple of other LSP's. In the meantime I will try to update this thread when Performance Finish shows signs of dying.

Thanks for looking.

-Dan


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## lowejackson (Feb 23, 2006)

Interesting test, thanks for taking the time to conduct it 

I do wonder if all the products would have lasted longer if the paint had been polished or paint cleaner used before hand. Nevertheless, interesting


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## umi000 (Jan 14, 2011)

Nice test, and easy to see which wins it. Particularly relevant for me, since Performance Finish is one of the few reasonably-priced LSPs available locally - good to validate that it's reasonably durable, so I can at least recommend something locally that won't break the bank


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## cobra (Feb 18, 2012)

Great test, thanks for taking the time to do it, be intresting to add the ArmorAll Shield to see how that does - thread here: http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=273889


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## GMToyota (Mar 14, 2010)

Interesting test! Thanks a lot, good write-up.


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## pumatwin (Jul 20, 2012)

Thanks for that. Interesting results


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## BolgOfTheNorth (Dec 19, 2011)

lowejackson said:


> Interesting test, thanks for taking the time to conduct it
> 
> I do wonder if all the products would have lasted longer if the paint had been polished or paint cleaner used before hand. Nevertheless, interesting





umi000 said:


> Nice test, and easy to see which wins it. Particularly relevant for me, since Performance Finish is one of the few reasonably-priced LSPs available locally - good to validate that it's reasonably durable, so I can at least recommend something locally that won't break the bank





GMToyota said:


> Interesting test! Thanks a lot, good write-up.





pumatwin said:


> Thanks for that. Interesting results


Thanks guys, glad you liked it.



cobra said:


> Great test, thanks for taking the time to do it, be intresting to add the ArmorAll Shield to see how that does - thread here: http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=273889


Thanks mate, that Armor All looks pretty good will have to put that on the never ending 'got to try' list.


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## sm81 (May 14, 2011)

Did you get any explanation to Jesse regarding New moons poor durability issue?


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## BolgOfTheNorth (Dec 19, 2011)

sm81 said:


> Did you get any explanation to Jesse regarding New moons poor durability issue?


No mate, no response unfortunately. I notice Detailed Clean have got in a new formula of Blue Moon which seems to be very similar to New Moon except it's a creme consistency instead of being watery so it would be very interesting to see how that performs. I might try and get some and throw that into the next test.


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## CliveP (Feb 1, 2009)

Great test! Thanks for doing that, interesting results.

Whereabouts in Staffs are you?

Regards,
Clive.


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## BolgOfTheNorth (Dec 19, 2011)

Ben Gum said:


> A really nice comparison!
> 
> The Wolf's result is surprising but this is the second comprehensive test in the last couple of weeks which put Wolf's at the bottom of the pile.... obviously they are very popular but you do have to wonder if corners are being cut to try and always have the newest products. Interesting.


Thanks mate, yeah 1 month durability is just pathetic which is a huge contrast to Body Wrap, it would be interesting to see if Blue Moon (their other liquid carnauba wax) performs equally as bad as New Moon.



CliveP said:


> Great test! Thanks for doing that, interesting results.
> 
> Whereabouts in Staffs are you?
> 
> ...


Thanks Clive, I'm near Uttoxeter, used to work in Burton :thumb:.


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## BolgOfTheNorth (Dec 19, 2011)

It's now been 13 weeks since the application so I thought I'd give an update on how they are looking (Performance Finish in particular). As usual these are shots straight after being washed with White Satin.

EGP:









Performance Finish:









New Moon:


















Performance Finish is certainly still hanging in there but it could really do with a new application now. When I flooded the roof with an open ended hose Performance Finish did not sheet the water off any better than the other two, the water just sat consistently over the whole roof. However for a wax that costs less than £10, is so easy to apply and still shows signs of protection beyond 3 months Performance Finish is a very impressive product.

The next test was started a couple of weeks ago but obviously it will be a few weeks yet until there are any discernible differences worth mentioning. Here is a sneaky peak what Performance Finish is up against:


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## Summit Detailing (Oct 9, 2006)

A good little test, thanks for taking the time to share.

I think applying as you have without any paint cleansers etc beforehand is very relevant as 99% away from this forum would use the products in exactly this way.

Digressing slightly but I trialled a side by side test of bodywrap on a bonnet of a demo at work and was also disappointed by it's durability, also the PIA application/removal come to think of it.


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## rs_si (Apr 20, 2010)

Thanks for sharing I thought the egp was going to win before I saw the results. I think the initial beading of EGP did look the best though.


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## BolgOfTheNorth (Dec 19, 2011)

Ben Gum said:


> This makes me think... what is the merit behind having two so similar products? Is it possible that some manufacturers end up firing out products for the sake of products and then we end up with performance not as it should be?


Yeah it's like Simoniz have 3 liquid waxes there's Diamond Hard Wax, Original Wax and Protection Car Wax they're all just synthetic waxes with no significant differences, it's a bit daft really.



Chris_Z4 said:


> A good little test, thanks for taking the time to share.
> 
> I think applying as you have without any paint cleansers etc beforehand is very relevant as 99% away from this forum would use the products in exactly this way.
> 
> Digressing slightly but I trialled a side by side test of bodywrap on a bonnet of a demo at work and was also disappointed by it's durability, also the PIA application/removal come to think of it.


Thanks mate. Yeah I agree, most people that aren't into detailing generally don't bother with any extra prep (particularly with LSP's in this price range) so I think as long as there is no underlying protection just applying them with no prep is fair and a good representation of how they will generally hold up.



rs_si said:


> Thanks for sharing I thought the egp was going to win before I saw the results. I think the initial beading of EGP did look the best though.


Yeah initial beading of EGP is very good, in the next test I'm currently doing I did the test of the 3 different products on the bonnet but I applied EGP on all the other panels and without doubt the initial beading of EGP is much stronger than Performance Finish, Epic, and Extreme Elements.


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## Yellow Dave (Apr 5, 2011)

I agree that most outside this forum won't do any pre prep, but a lot of sealants require a good base to bond to, and are designed to be used in that way therefore the performance here isn't a true reflection on there full potential of what they can achieve. I'm pretty sure you wouldn't see Lu h better performance from one of the long lasting ceramic or nano sealants with inadequate prep. 

Products like EGP, Toughcoat and would appear performance finish are seemingly unfussy products that do a decent job of bonding whatever the base. But may not offer the full durability as a product that will require prep to give a suitable base for bonding.

Just something to take into consideration when rating products on such performance ans method of testing


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## sprocketser (Aug 4, 2012)

Thanx for the comparison .


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## Aucky (Oct 3, 2008)

Great write up, really comprehensive!


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## BolgOfTheNorth (Dec 19, 2011)

Yellow Dave said:


> I agree that most outside this forum won't do any pre prep, but a lot of sealants require a good base to bond to, and are designed to be used in that way therefore the performance here isn't a true reflection on there full potential of what they can achieve. I'm pretty sure you wouldn't see Lu h better performance from one of the long lasting ceramic or nano sealants with inadequate prep.
> 
> Products like EGP, Toughcoat and would appear performance finish are seemingly unfussy products that do a decent job of bonding whatever the base. But may not offer the full durability as a product that will require prep to give a suitable base for bonding.
> 
> Just something to take into consideration when rating products on such performance ans method of testing


Yes I am aware of this and I did take it into consideration but felt it was not appropriate for these particular products.



sprocketser said:


> Thanx for the comparison .


:thumb:



Aucky said:


> Great write up, really comprehensive!


Thanks, glad you liked it.


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## johnnyc (Nov 18, 2008)

very good test. 
Now you just made it even harder for me to replace my fk1000p Was going to to be colli 845 but now i'm leaning towards the 3m performance just because i am impressed with the durability. I'm bored of hard paste so want to try liquid.


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## BolgOfTheNorth (Dec 19, 2011)

johnnyc said:


> very good test.
> Now you just made it even harder for me to replace my fk1000p Was going to to be colli 845 but now i'm leaning towards the 3m performance just because i am impressed with the durability. I'm bored of hard paste so want to try liquid.


Thanks mate, funnily enough I'm kind of doing the opposite, I was running low on Performance Finish so I've just bought some 1000P, used it for the first time yesterday and so far I loving the stuff. Having said that though I think I will always have a supply of Performance Finish because as I found out the other day when I got caught out in light rain shower it can be very useful to have a wax that does not need to be left to dry before buffing off.


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