# £10.5K (Retail value) Wax test



## Epoch (Jul 30, 2006)

Many months ago I had a little test of a few waxes but was unable to leave them for any significant amount of time. So today was the opportunity to try again on a vehicle they can be left on to test a little durability

I was lucky enough to be joined today by some local bloke as he had a spare few mins between two jobs 










The main reason Iain and I wanted to do this, was to test durability, beading and lastly looks (as obviously this is always a little subjective). So the 6 waxes assembled today were










Dodo Supernatural
Raceglaze 55
Zym0l Vintage
Zym0l Royale
Swissvax Devine
Swissvax Mystery

If you went to purchase this little lot you'd be looking at the thick end of £10,500 or so.

The test vehicle would be the freshly washed Mrs Epoch Wagon










The paint was first prepped using Dodo Juice Lime Prime Light (loving this)applied using a Sonus DAS 3 (BLUE OLD STYLE) pad and the PC.

The bonnet was marked up into six using indicator green tape as a guide.

All waxes were hand applied and buffed off using Costco's finest

First up to be applied to the bottom right hand corner - Swissvax Devine



















A hard wax of the highest degree, i ran my fingers around the surface of the pot to melt a little then masaged into the paint, obviously learning off the SV approved man himself.

Left for a few mins and then buffed off










at this point myself and Iain could clearly see a line down the applied and not applied section, you can only just make it out in the following pic but it was visable.










Next on the top right - Swissvax Mystery



















Slightly softer in composition and a rather nice smell to this

left for a few mins and buffed off

Next on the right middle - Race Glaze 55

A sample of which arrived this morning from Mark at Raceglaze (thanks Mark)










Slightly softer in feel to the first two and it required less heat to spread it around the panel. This was left for around 5 mins before being buffed off

Bottom Left - Zym0l Royale



















A little too much of this was applied as i had forgotten how much with heat it can be spread

this was left for around 10 mins and buffed off

Top left - Zym0l Vintage










left for 5 mins and buffed off










Middle Left - Dodo Juice Supernatural










This again is a softer variant of a hard wax (if that makes sense!) left for around 5 mins and buffed off.










We both stood back and looked intently at the bonnet, it looked great

Some of the comments made

"The differing light falling on either side makes it difficult to compare"
"The Mystery/Raceglaze and Supernatural perhaps look a little wetter"
"Bloody hard to tell much between them isn't it"

A few pics, but nothing really evident in the pics i would have thought





































There's that bloke again










Next up a light shower of water to see any differences



























































































The comments at this stage
"The Zym0l Royale, possibly aided by the angle, sheets the best"
" The beads on Supernatural and 55 don't look quite as tight"

Quick summary from me

They are all top notch waxes and little if no difference could be seen today, the real test for me will be as Iain saw first hand today. The BMW last had a coat of Vintage applied in August and it washed up great today and still beading well. It will be interesting to see if any difference can be seen over time.

The car lives outside, well at least until i get the garage finished, so i will post up some short beading vids, pics and any proper evaluations over the coming months when i wash it. I will leave it as is, one layer of wax each for the next 3 or so months longer if they all still look great.

Massive thanks to Iain for taking the time out to pop in today and to allow me to add a couple of the top Swissvax waxes to the test, I might add tis visit was after he had done a morning maintenance visit and before a full defect removal job AND a scratch removal job in the afternoon (Legend :thumb: )

I spent the afternoon applying Supernatural to the rest of the car the post for which can be found HERE


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## ZrS (May 27, 2007)

Very great test, and see the result in few months


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## Dean_82 (Feb 21, 2007)

cool....will be interesting to see what results you get:thumb:


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## Neil_S (Oct 26, 2005)

Nice, I'd be happy with any of those waxes


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## Trist (Jun 23, 2006)

Great test, you can see the difference in beading between the Z ymol and the others straight away


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## paddy328 (Mar 4, 2007)

Looking forward to the results. Your vintage is going down well mate.


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## still_learning (Jun 1, 2007)

Work quiet today then?

:wall:


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## Maxtor (Feb 23, 2007)

Nice one guys, look forward to the end results of the test :thumb:


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## Alex L (Oct 25, 2005)

Nice one, I got one of those little pink/red pots off Mark this morning so hopefully try it next week.


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## Maxtor (Feb 23, 2007)

still_learning said:


> Work quiet today then?
> 
> :wall:


If you press control+W you can see more pictures :thumb:


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## Bigpikle (May 21, 2007)

looks good for the value competitors from your initial findings :thumb:

hadnt realised how big the Supernatural pot was - looked huge in that photo :doublesho. Looking forward to seeing how these stack up against each other in the coming weeks...


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## dominic84 (Jan 27, 2007)

That's very interesting that where no discernable differences between a product costing £70 and one costing £7000+

I can't think of any other product that was 100 times more expensive than another that would have such marginal improvements.


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## Wash'n'Go (Mar 13, 2007)

Thanks for the write up guys most informative or at least it will be when the results come in......It's more exciting than Eurovision....LOL


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## VIPER (May 30, 2007)

Nice test :thumb: . Be interesting to see how this pans out over the coming weeks and whether the 'mega bucks' waxes are truely worth the extra  

Might have been an idea to throw a real 'budget' contender that punches well above it's weight to see how it fared - something like Vics concours maybe?


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## Dodo Factory (Apr 11, 2007)

Skyliner34 said:


> Great test, you can see the difference in beading between the Z ymol and the others straight away


Better monitor or eyes than me, then 

I'm all for Jon's test (as we have little to lose being more, ahem, cost effective) but the pics look too close to call from here. All the beads look pretty upright. I'd go on Jon's first person opinion and observations more readily.

And what's better? Tight bead patterns or upright beads? I'd go for bead contact angle and slip angles on a level surface, personally. I've got some Royale, so maybe I'll have a play and take some pics


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## jedi-knight83 (Aug 11, 2006)

nice test.. .but as you say the important thing are how they last in my opinion.

slight 1 or 2% differences in looks will not matter if one lasts twice as long as the other for instance.

keep us up to date.


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## Mossman (Jan 10, 2008)

Very interesting, thanks for posting!


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## megaboost (Feb 4, 2007)

Would have been nice to have seen an ultra low end wax thrown in to the mix too for comparison but it'll be interesting to see how they stand up.


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## ianFRST (Sep 19, 2006)

when i saw 10.5k, i thought you had bought PD's new wax in his bling container :lol:

didnt know you have a sample of royale :doublesho 

i did a 50 : 50 of vintage and dodo double on my bonnet on sunday, the was the vintage sheets water is astonishing, the bonnet was pretty much nearly dry :doublesho


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## Dave KG (Feb 23, 2006)

Interesting test this, look forward to the results... I know its your own car, but could you do the squeak test to assess durability (twist an mf towel on the paint, a squeak here I find the best measure of protection - just be careful not to marr the paint) as well as beading and sheeting... The more I play, the less important (if at all) beading seems to be. 

Looks wise, well - your car is so well prepped, i doubt any wax really makes a difference and it seems so from your observations. 

Cool test, looking forward to the results.


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## david g (Dec 14, 2005)

Great idea indeed ,but a few thoughts myself on this would be,

1 By applying the waxes to different parts of the bonnet i dont think its a fair test.Some parts of the bonnet will heat up more due to the heat generated by the engine,this could hamper durability ever so slightly ,it would maybe be a more practical test on the roof

2 Having seen this so often on other threads,applying water after application of the waxes can also hamper durability.From speaking with CG they always suggest that the waxed finish be kept dry for at leats 24 hours if possible to let the wax breath 


Not a criticism by any means just my thoughts


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## L200 Steve (Oct 25, 2005)

Cracking test mate, and I bet it was good to put the two top end Z waxes against the top two S waxes against the top two waxes from the 'new boys'.

It's hard to see any difference from the photo's, but I reckon that the garage will be an ideal place to compare like for like when it is completed.


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## Detail My Ride (Apr 19, 2006)

Nice test, will look forward to the durability updates in the near future. Although, very difficult to see a difference in the finish at this stage.


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## Alex L (Oct 25, 2005)

david g said:


> 2 Having seen this so often on other threads,applying water after application of the waxes can also hamper durability.From speaking with CG they always suggest that the waxed finish be kept dry for at leats 24 hours if possible to let the wax breath
> 
> Not a criticism by any means just my thoughts


iirc Zym*l recommend a spritz with chilled water after application to reduce the holograms


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## surgemaster (Jul 5, 2006)

Alex L said:


> iirc Zym*l recommend a spritz with chilled water after application to reduce the holograms


does that appply to all their waxes or just the top end ones?


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## Epoch (Jul 30, 2006)

surgemaster said:


> does that appply to all their waxes or just the top end ones?


Concour upwards i think

As the carnauba is hydrophobic the theory is the cold water causes the wax to compress forcing the carnauba to flatten to the paint work pushing the evaporants etc outwards

Might be pants but i've always done it to Z waxes


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## Epoch (Jul 30, 2006)

david g said:


> Great idea indeed ,but a few thoughts myself on this would be,
> 
> 1 By applying the waxes to different parts of the bonnet i dont think its a fair test.Some parts of the bonnet will heat up more due to the heat generated by the engine,this could hamper durability ever so slightly ,it would maybe be a more practical test on the roof
> 
> ...


All good David i only know what i know from questions/corrections/shared knowledge like the above.

Valid point on the roof, but as Iain said the front edge of the bonnet and roof take the brunt of the wind and rain at speed, ideally what i'd need is a garden queen but i don't think i'll get away with that :lol:


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## PJS (Aug 18, 2007)

As david has pointed out, the positioning of the waxes being tested hasn't been very methodical.
The logical way to have done it, would have been for 6 full length sections, so each wax a similar contact angle for water to bead and sheet off.


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## Phil H (May 14, 2006)

very nice test 
look forward to seeing durability results


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## Epoch (Jul 30, 2006)

PJS said:


> As david has pointed out, the positioning of the waxes being tested hasn't been very methodical.
> The logical way to have done it, would have been for 6 full length sections, so each wax a similar contact angle for water to bead and sheet off.


Fair point, but the bonnet has ridges down the sides where i'd felt you would see more difference

Iain has plans on a HUGE scale version of this on flat side panels about two foot square coming up with a fair few of these waxes

should make interesting reading


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## Averroes (Dec 30, 2007)

Does no one test the victoria waxs like this 

ive just bought some victoria concours


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## saxoboy07 (Oct 20, 2007)

Great testing on the wax's:thumb: can't wait for the durability results


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## megaboost (Feb 4, 2007)

Averroes said:


> Does no one test the victoria waxs like this
> 
> ive just bought some victoria concours


You'll be happy with it, don't worry too much about tests - we did compare it on my car a while ago though, it did just fine


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## bidderman1969 (Oct 20, 2006)

how do that ACTUALLY justify the huge difference in price? ingredients? or name branding?


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## GlynRS2 (Jan 21, 2006)

A great selection of waxes and should be an interesting test.
I think it is very difficult to get an overall impression of the finish from just doing part of a panel, as I have done this before myself. I am sure they all look great - the durability will be interesting though.
Nice one :thumb:


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## *MAGIC* (Feb 22, 2007)

I would like to see Zaino up against Zym0l like this. Like Z2 PRO/Z5 PRO topped with CS spray Vs Vintage would be a good test.


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## Bigpikle (May 21, 2007)

and I'd be happy to put Ultima PGP against the Zaino offering as well - I think you'll be surprised there as well


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## Alex L (Oct 25, 2005)

Valet Magic said:


> I would like to see Zaino up against Zym0l like this. Like Z2 PRO/Z5 PRO topped with CS spray Vs Vintage would be a good test.


Only if you put equal coats of Vintage on as Zaino, otherwise 3 coats of Zaino would be unfair against 1 of Vintage.


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## ads2k (Jul 12, 2006)

Will be interested to see how the durability goes for each.

Keep us posted.


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## Finerdetails (Apr 30, 2006)

Thansk to Jon for yesterday. It was a flying visit, but we cramped in an aweful lot in the two hours I was there!

It started with 'the tour' of the garage. That place once complete will put many full time units to shame!!!

Then we played with them cheap wax things. Had a chat about them as we went along, and Jon has summarized it perfectly.

Its time and patenice now guys, this test isnt going top be over next month, or the month after 

Just for info, I'm still collecting mine, and am planning to get pretty much EVERY paste wax on one vehicle!!!


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## AndyC (Oct 25, 2005)

Alex L said:


> Only if you put equal coats of Vintage on as Zaino, otherwise 3 coats of Zaino would be unfair against 1 of Vintage.


Not if you're using the Zaino "system" to be fair mate - Zaino is AFAIK designed as a multi stage/layer process whereas Vintage is a relatively standard (albeit costly...) paste wax?

Still not really used my Zaino gear properly TBH. Plan to stick it on the Vectra at some stage but it looks like a shed and I can't be ar5ed


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## Alex L (Oct 25, 2005)

AndyC said:


> Still not really used my Zaino gear properly TBH. Plan to stick it on the Vectra at some stage but it looks like a shed and I can't be ar5ed


4 days off this weekend :thumb: :thumb:

Stuck another coat on mine yesterday and it looks so good (apart from the chips and scratches :lol, just a shame to take it out of the garage.


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## 350gt (Oct 10, 2007)

Is it possible to update with results in the first post as i assume this thread will get mighty long and probably wont have time to go through 20+ pages to find out about updates.


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## RaceGlazer (Jan 10, 2007)

Glad to see our 55 sample being put to use so quickly. This is an excellent test - not perfect but unless someone gets a van panel and puts it outside you'll never be able to iron out variations in angles etc.
I have a (not as precise) test of Vintage, Royale, 42 and 55 on my car at present, Z waxes applied late November, and I have to say the Royale is beading and sheeting better than Vintage. You can tell the difference between those 2. My RG waxes have not been on for as long so can't comment.


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## Epoch (Jul 30, 2006)

Thanks for the sample Mark

I'll be doing a whole car in it soon to see the full effect but though it would be well placed on this test


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## Epoch (Jul 30, 2006)

350gt said:


> Is it possible to update with results in the first post as i assume this thread will get mighty long and probably wont have time to go through 20+ pages to find out about updates.


I may put links from the front page to the later page that i insert as this also works well. As i post a new one it can be acessed for the front page or back page that way


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## Finerdetails (Apr 30, 2006)

RaceGlazer said:


> not perfect but unless someone gets a van panel and puts it outside you'll never be able to iron out variations in angles etc.
> .


we will have very soon


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## Ducky (Mar 19, 2007)

Interesting test..I've always wanted to see the differences the high end waxes are supposed to offer!


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## Tiauguinho (May 1, 2007)

Any beading pictures already Epoch?


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## Epoch (Jul 30, 2006)

hahah i just linked to this from another post

I'll do an update the weekend and also get an indipendant view from another memeber as well


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## Tiauguinho (May 1, 2007)

Awesome! Can't wait for that!


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## mplaczek (Mar 5, 2007)

Great test... Looking forward to the results :thumb:


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## Epoch (Jul 30, 2006)

Haven't washed it yet, but will post up when i do

cheers


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## Epoch (Jul 30, 2006)

*Six week update and the first wash*

Today despite the rain it was time for the first wash since the wax application six of so weeks ago.

The wash today consisted of a new Snow foam to me and then bucket and Megs Shampoo plus (Link to post )

BigSyd was over yesterday workig his majic on my garage electrics and he got to see the bonnet in the flesh, although it was a little dusty, with usual dust circles from a previous rain. He agreed you couldn't tell any difference in looks. With today's rain it was time for some beading and sheeting comparrisons

The bonnet befores




























Nothing in it really

After a foam and pressure rince




























Still not much to report!

After a bucket and sponge wash with shampoo plus and rince




























Ditto - not that longer time period really so i wouldn't expect any of these waxes to have lost anything yet.

A couple of sheeting vids





The RG 55 is noticably slower to sheet clean, but all still looking good :thumb:

More at the next wash


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## Bigpikle (May 21, 2007)

good update Jon 

I found the same with RG55 vs Glasur - slower to sheet from the time it was applied, but when I came to remove it before a full polish, the RG55 kicked the ass of the Glasur and withstood a 50/50 APC mix while the Glasur was gone instantly... I needed a clay to remove the 55 in the end, so while it behaves slightly differently i dont think that in any way affects its durability


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## Trist (Jun 23, 2006)

Nice update, the right had side of the car sheets quicker IMO, where these Z ymol?


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## Robbieben (Feb 19, 2006)

TBH I think I'd be happy with any of the waxes after 6 weeks, be interesting to see how they are beading in another 6-8 weeks

Great report


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## 350gt (Oct 10, 2007)

I think maybe the top sections are too small to see a difference in sheeting. You can definitely see the difference between the middle and bottom though.


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## Epoch (Jul 30, 2006)

Angle may have a slight influence but yes i agree


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## Epoch (Jul 30, 2006)

*Update 29/06/08*

It's been three months now and my big wax test is all over :doublesho

Iain was back today, along with BigSyd and I washed the car down for an evaluation.

All six waxes had gone and i'd say completely























































Quite a surprise from me, but they have had no love, just a wash every couple of weeks (it being since the Monza day the last time i washed it)

So in the real world a car sitting outside all the time with one layer of top end wax and having no QD top ups will last up to 3 months (in my findings).

The Devine also really surprised me as i had this down as the hardest and longest lasting!

I was actually surprised having had much longer from Vintage in the past. It goes to show layering is key to longevity!

Sonus green clay then LPL by 4 inch pad and rotary followed by 2 layers of Supernatural for me this afternoon in the garage (now that this weekends project has gone )


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## Guest (Jun 29, 2008)

Wow, would of thought they would of lasted longer!

I always layer, for instance dodo hard followed by dodo soft, seems to work well!

(musso not been waxed for 2 months, still beading) gets washed every week))


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## Epoch (Jul 30, 2006)

Agreed on the layering principle, really does seem the way to improve looks and durability.


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## Tiauguinho (May 1, 2007)

Nice conclusion! Thanks for taking the time Epoch!


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## Andyuk911 (Sep 10, 2006)

Just to confirm, with the Z top right, did you HD cleanse first before applying ? - Thanks.

But really a great test !

Update, arrh, just read

The paint was first prepped using Dodo Juice Lime Prime Light 

Do you think Z HD would have helped ?


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## Frothey (Apr 30, 2007)

iirc clark at polished bliss reckon that HD Cleanse actually detracted from the durability of Z waxes....


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## Trist (Jun 23, 2006)

Frothey said:


> iirc clark at polished bliss reckon that HD Cleanse actually detracted from the durability of Z waxes....


So applying Z waxes without Cleanse works better in durability terms then?


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## _daveR (Jun 3, 2008)

Not seen this thread before now... 

So in essence, there is naff all difference between a £70 pot of wax and the amazingly expensive Vintage stuff?! That's a bit controversial!


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## Epoch (Jul 30, 2006)

_daveR said:


> Not seen this thread before now...
> 
> So in essence, there is naff all difference between a £70 pot of wax and the amazingly expensive Vintage stuff?! That's a bit controversial!


It's actually £55 and £7118 (Raceglaze to Royale) 

In the scheme of things manufacturers do recommend removal and re application

Dodo - strip and reapply every 3 months

Zym0l layer every month then strip and re-apply every 6

for example


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## Epoch (Jul 30, 2006)

Skyliner34 said:


> So applying Z waxes without Cleanse works better in durability terms then?


Potentially IPA'd clean paint would be a better bond, but the looks and cleaning added by LP/LPL/HD etc does add to the finish etc


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## Bigpikle (May 21, 2007)

thanks for the update Jon :thumb:

not really surprised 1 layer of a wax didnt last more than the last 3 months - its been some pretty varied and extreme weather with a lot of rain and sun. Maybe less severe weather may have helped, but as you say, only 1 layer and not a huge amount of love.

Good test and helpful findings


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## Epoch (Jul 30, 2006)

Bigpikle said:


> thanks for the update Jon :thumb:
> 
> not really surprised 1 layer of a wax didnt last more than the last 3 months - its been some pretty varied and extreme weather with a lot of rain and sun. Maybe less severe weather may have helped, but as you say, only 1 layer and not a huge amount of love.
> 
> Good test and helpful findings


Agreed on the weather of late, heavy rain and the high winds coupled with the sandy rain of a month or so ago.

Gotta love the british weather 

The sooner i can get this car in the garage at night the better for longevity


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