# AIO Shootout Part 1 - DodoJuice, Autoglym, BiltHamber & TurtleWax



## Dave KG (Feb 23, 2006)

Many will remember the test I did a couple of years back comparing various products for the removal of swirls by hand... well, this is a follow on from that test but based more around the capabilities of all in one products which a those which offer to enhance the finish, help with swirls and protect the paint all in one easy step. This test aims to review four such products, on the following categories:

> Swirl Reduction and Finish
> Ease and speed of use
> Water beading (purely cosmetic)
> Water sheeting

Part 1 of this test is conducted by hand only. Please note that the results here represent only what I was capable of achieving with the products and the review here simply represents my personal opinion... 

The products chosen. Well, first of all, the king of AIOs in my book: Autoglym Super Resin Polish. Here to defend its crown from me from last time and show that its just as capable up against some new blood. Speaking of new blood, we have Dodo Juice Need For Speed, a nice smelling cleaner wax designed for ease and speed of use... can it steal the AG crown? If it can't, then surely BiltHamber Autobalm can. A product I've been impressed with of late for curing light swirls and its durability on my test car is leaving pure waxes in the shade easily. And finally, a wild card entry: Turtle Wax Original, one of the old school cleaner waxes here to see if it can still compete in the modern market.

So: on with the show. Severe to moderate swirls were inflicted to really test these products out to their limits by hand, so full correction would be very unlikely but it gives an indication to just what each product was capable of with me using them.

*Turtle Wax Original*










This is the old school member of the test. A product that has been around for many years and kept many the average punter in Halfords happy... but just how good is this product?

First of all, the test panel complete with swirls:




























The product is a fairly runny consistency with a pleasent clean smell. It was applied using a foam applicator pad, and worked in straight lines with medium to firm pressure until the residue became sticky - about a minute or so until the applicator was dragging and the residue was sticky and dry. The residue removed with relative ease (but was the hardest of the four on test), and the results:



















Little difference made to the majority of the swirling present here, with only the lightest of marring dealt with successfully. An enhancement to the gloss was observed however as the cleansers in the product worked well to cleanse the paint and bring out the colour nicely.

After a further two applications, we get the following results:




























Still, little real effect made on the swirls inflicted and the gloss enhancement was limited to the first application. Looks wise, an enhancement was made to the finish, however the swirls were not very well dealt with.

Water beading was impressive from this product with tight small beads after spraying with a fine mist:



















Water sheeting was quite fast and complete with a stream of water:



All in all, a decent performance all told from this old school product which will serve to enhance the finish reasonably and bead and sheet water well, indeed the only disappointment from it was its lack of swirl hiding ability.

*Autoglym Super Resin Polish*










The title holder! Well, from my test at least! This product is well known for its abilities to deal with swirls effectively by hand.

The panel before:




























The product was worked with a foam applicator pad, in straight lines with firm pressure for a good two to three minutes before the residue dried and went tacky to the point where you could work no further. The residue was then buffed off with a microfibre towel, with ease (only Dodo Juice was easier to use).

Results after one hit:




























Most of the deeper defects remained, but a good amount of the lighter marks have been knocked out by this stage. After two more hits:




























Now, a great many of the defects have been removed by SRP - the most impressive of the whole test in fact, with only the deeper marks not remaining. Looks wise, a subtle wettness was added to the finish in the flesh, not quite the gloss of Turtle Wax but a wetter look and far better swirl correction which made for a superior overall finish.

Water beading:



















Here we see decent beading, but a wider and flatter bead forming... typical of the sealent that SRP is compared to the waxes on test.

Water sheeting was complete, slightly slow compared to all of the competition, but still quite complete and effective:



All in all, we see the excellent swirl masking performance we come to expect from SRP after its first test, and this is combined to general very good paintwork preparation. Slightly flat water beads may disappoint some, and the water sheeting slower than the competition but still effective and the overall finish very impressive.

*Bilthamber Autobalm*










A very well regarded product this one and one I know for a fact from my own experiences with it has durability that lines up and indeed beats most other LSPs on the market - which for an AIO is hugely impressive indeed... Alas, this is not tested in this review, so we'll see what results it can deliver.

Panel before:




























While its recommended to apply AB by cloth, I actually prefer a dampened foam applicator pad as I find it is easier to spread this way and I get slightly better filling as if I am working the product a little better. Working time was quite short, between a minute and two minutes of working with medium pressure in straight lines. The residue was removed by microfibre towel and it removed very easily indeed - equivalent ease of use to SRP, but a wetter product in use which felt nicer to use.

Results after one hit:




























Here, the light marring has been easily knocked back but as expected and as for all the products, the deeper marks remain.

After three hits:




























The lighter swirls and marks have all been knocked back but the deeper marks remained more notably than with SRP, however the product knocked the marks back better than both the Turtle Wax and the Dodo Juice.

Water beading from this product was very much like SRP - larger, flatter beads as typified by a sealent:



















Water sheeting was very quick and complete from this product and the beads also didn't stay on the paint long:



All in all, this product impressed most with the glossy edge that it left on the paintwork - looks wise, forgetting the correction factor, this was the best product of the four for prepping the paint and delivering a notable enhancement to the finish. Correction was effective on light swirls, but the deeper marks gave the AB more trouble than it gave the SRP so it looses out to SRP on this front - I wonder if this is down to the abrasives in SRP giving it a little extra edge of a product that is more predominantly fillers. Still, effective correction of light marks and very good water performance see this as a highly rated AIO.

*Dodo Juice Need For Speed*










Last but not least, the new boy. A very pleasent smelling product from the Dodo out to show that it too can produce a good AIO to compete with the rest on the market for those wanting to correct and protect in a hurry.

The panel before:




























This was the longest workin and most pleasant of all the products to use, partly because of the pleasant scent and partly because of the oily nature that never went sticky in a good three or four minutes of being worked with medium to firm pressure. Residue was the easiest of the four products to remove also.

Results after one hit:



















Lighter marks quite well removed, but all of the deeper marks remain. After three hits:




























A lot of the lighter marks removed but again all of the deeper marks remain, correction level slightly better than the Turtle Wax Original but behind the SRP and the Autobalm. A slight wettness added to the finish, good preparation and effective cleansing but in this company, outclassed in terms of swirl removal.

Water beading was a little tighter than the sealents, but not as tight as the Turtle Wax:



















Water sheeting was very quick, likely the quickest of all the products here and very complete too:



All told, as you would expect, a good product from the Dodo that seems to put ease of use very much at the forefront of its purpose... correction levels achieved not quite up to the best of the competition but it still delivers some, along with a nice finish and very good water performance. A good product.

*Summary*

_Correction_
1. Autoglym
2. BiltHamber
3. Dodo Juice
4. Turtle Wax

AG retains its crown for me here with its ability to correct not just the lighter marks but deal with the deeper marks well too, something none of the other three could really do... perhaps this is down to the abrasives in SRP combined with the fillers but it does seem to have an edge in this department that I'm yet to find a product that can beat it.

_Look_
1. BiltHamber
2. Autoglym
3. Dodo Juice
4. Turtle Wax

A very subjective result this, but for me the gloss added by the BiltHamber takes the edge here, similar nuance from the Turtle Wax but far less of an effect sees it brining up the rear here.

_Water Beading_
1. Turtle Wax
2. Dodo Juice
3. Autoglym
4. BiltHamber

An aesthetic feature, and a top result for TW with tight beads not matched by the other products here.

_Water Sheeting_
1. Dodo Juice
2. BiltHamber
3. Turtle wax
4. Autoglym

The Dodo Juice product here giving the fastest and most complete sheeting though it is very closely followed by BiltHamber, AG bringing up the rear in this instance.

_Ease of Use_
1. Dodo Juice
2. Autoglym
3. Bilt Hamber
4. Turtle Wax

Dodo Juice winning here, lovely to apply, smells nice and dead easy to remove residue... Slightly tricky to remove residue sees TW bringing up the rear here...

_Overall_
1. BiltHamber
2. Autoglym
3. Dodo Juice
4. Turtle Wax

If this was a test of correction only, Autoglym would win hands down. However, when all is said and done here, the greater durability of Autobalm and superior water repellancy see it edge the top spot in this test. Performance wise, both are very similar bar durability, where the SRP needs EGP to match it. An ideal combo may be to use SRP followed by AB, as although AB will cleanse some of the fillers, it will still allow the abrasives of SRP to do some work and deliver the best of both worlds.

Dodo Juice is many plus points here, and on the above results, would win if all the areas above were weighted equally... but focussing this on performance the only place where DJ excels is water performance. Very easy and pleasant to use for sure, but correction level really stops it from getting a higher result from me here compared to the SRP and AB. Still, its a very nice product, cleanses effectively and does a little correction by hand... perhaps though, this needs a machine polisher to really get the best out of it.

Brining up the rear - Turtle wax Original. Dont be fooled here, its not a bad product. Works well, and water beading wise it is the best product there is here... but correction was low and ease of use the worst here which sees it running behind its competition.


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## -ROM- (Feb 23, 2007)

Bloody hell dave you're like a mad scientist with all your testing and theories lately! Very detailed write up!

P.S. did you get anywhere with kit for the UV test?


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## Dave KG (Feb 23, 2006)

rmorgan84 said:


> Bloody hell dave you're like a mad scientist with all your testing and theories lately! Very detailed write up!
> 
> P.S. did you get anywhere with kit for the UV test?


Yup, we have a UV source (two wavelenghts) but I cant get at it until the Astronomy conference is over...


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## -ROM- (Feb 23, 2007)

ah good good, i'll be interested in the results:thumb:


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## S-X-I (Sep 6, 2006)

Great test again Dave!


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## 111r (Apr 28, 2008)

Surprised to not see z-aio in the group Dave!

Thanks for once again helping to take the guesswork out of product buying.


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## Bigpikle (May 21, 2007)

nice one Dave - another good review.

I'm glad you tried a range of products, but I guess its worth also noting that the non-abrasive nature of Auto Balm makes it a safer longer term product where paint conservation is important. I wouldnt for example go near the Rolls with an abrasive over much of the paint as its been polished too much already, so every micron is important now  I also found that the 2nd/3rd coats fill MUCH better with the lightest of wiping over and NO working the product in, perhaps avoiding removal of anything underneath?

I also think its important to see that AB is a durable LSP so provides filling/hiding that will last a long time, and can be used over something, as you pointed out, for additional filling and protection :thumb:


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## maesal (Nov 24, 2005)

Great review and write up Dave, thanks !!


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## The Autowerks (Mar 31, 2006)

excellent review, and very timely aswell, i was going to PM you with a question that your test has answered perfectly.

expect for this question, is there any reason why any of the above products couldn't be work in with the use of a porter cable? i expect not, but seeing as some of the products dried fairly quickly i assume the introduction of a machine will only aid the drying of the product to occur quicker


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## Dave KG (Feb 23, 2006)

The Autowerks said:


> excellent review, and very timely aswell, i was going to PM you with a question that your test has answered perfectly.
> 
> expect for this question, is there any reason why any of the above products couldn't be work in with the use of a porter cable? i expect not, but seeing as some of the products dried fairly quickly i assume the introduction of a machine will only aid the drying of the product to occur quicker


Part 2 of this test (rained off last night annoyingly) will involve the Porter Cable :thumb:


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## MidlandsCarCare (Feb 18, 2006)

I'm surprised there is no Zaino ZAIO or CarLack 68 NSC/Klasse AIO as they seem quite popular... but I guess the list could be potentially endless.

I look forward to the PC results - I have seen great things from both SRP and NFS via PC.


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## Dave KG (Feb 23, 2006)

RussZS said:


> I'm surprised there is no Zaino ZAIO or CarLack 68 NSC/Klasse AIO as they seem quite popular... but I guess the list could be potentially endless.
> 
> I look forward to the PC results - I have seen great things from both SRP and NFS via PC.


Indeed, the list could be pretty much endless so I have to pick and choose products when carrying out tests like this... alas my stock of panels is not endless. Zaino and Duragloss are being reserved for their very own shootout test on my test car to assess the product enhancement to looks, durability and ease of living with.


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## ads2k (Jul 12, 2006)

Great write up there Dave as usual, very informative 

Can't wait for part 2.


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## Dodo Factory (Apr 11, 2007)

A very fair and thorough review - although I must admit to seeing Autoblam as an LSP rather than an AIO. Anyway, well done Dave, very informative


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## Dave KG (Feb 23, 2006)

Dodo Factory said:


> A very fair and thorough review - although I must admit to seeing Autoblam as an LSP rather than an AIO. Anyway, well done Dave, very informative


Cheers Dom :thumb:


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## ahaydock (Jan 4, 2007)

Top review as ever Dave :thumb:

Just my thoughts, and whilst I agree SRP is the King for polishes by hand I never really see it as an AIO (I know it is) because I find the sealant durability poor so it needs to be topped with EGP/Sealant or Wax. Don't get me wrong I love SRP, and use it all the time by machine and by hand, but I would never just leave it there - I would always use an LSP over the top, hence why I dont really see it as an AIO as it requires 2 stages IMO.

Having used Dodo NfS I rated it as like you say it is very easy to use and offers a good level of correction for an AIO plus layed down an LSP. My only comment here is I have yet to see the durabilty of NfS (how's your Dads car looking?). But if it leaves a decent durable LSP then this would be a good choice when a quick job is needed, i.e. just one stage application. I noticed a considerable improvement in correction when changing from hand to my G220.

Haven't used the Autobalm so cannot comment and its been a long time since using TW.

Thanks for sharing and look forward to Part 2


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## cj romeo (Jul 12, 2007)

This is all well and good, but for Joe Public, SRP is actually quite good at swirling and marring in the first place!

I could hardly see the difference in the swirl reductions by the way:-0


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## PJS (Aug 18, 2007)

Nicely done Dave, but above, I'd have opted for Klasse AIO instead of TW, if only to even up the abrasive vs non-abrasive aspect.
No surprise seeing SRP provide the most correction by hand, and as Bigpikle pointed out, AB does more good on the 2nd layer with a deft touch.

Also, point of order on AB application - the product is supplied with a terry pad and stockinette, and it is the former used for applying and the latter to go straight in the bin. Or to buff if you're an auld skool classic kinda guy. 
The "cloth" is not recommended for applying, and the current pad needs to be wet more than damp to prevent it grabbing on squeaky clean paintwork.

Interesting to note the lesser beading with Dodo's - having carnauba, you'd have thought best beading would've been guaranteed.

If you have any Klasse AIO, maybe you can supplement this write-up with it at a later date, if only to see how it stacks up with being an LSP like AB, and TW I suppose.


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## PJS (Aug 18, 2007)

The Autowerks said:


> expect for this question, is there any reason why any of the above products couldn't be work in with the use of a porter cable? i expect not, but seeing as some of the products dried fairly quickly i assume the introduction of a machine will only aid the drying of the product to occur quicker


SRP would offer more removal using the PC with an appropriate pad - easily 4K grit, as I demo'd to a local member last weekend with the Cyclo.
Pity we'd no NfS - Dom? 

As for AB - I wouldn't see any advantage to using the PC with it, other than a terry mf bonnet over a pad to buff it with, and a suede bonnet to enhance the shine further.

TW might benefit from using the PC, but it'd depend if the stickiness phase was indicative of whether it'd done all it was ever going to, or whether it was still capable of doing more, but just a pain by hand fighting with the stickiness. Drop of water to overcome this perhaps?


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## CPU (Sep 11, 2007)

Dave, brilliant test and write up. I was going to throw away my AG SRP, but with the light swirls on the wifes car bonnet i will keep it and give it a go at weekend.

Cheers :wave:


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## cj romeo (Jul 12, 2007)

Oh and well done Dave - in case my previous post seemed derogatory!


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## Original Poster (Apr 28, 2008)

top review!


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## Phil H (May 14, 2006)

PJS said:


> Nicely done Dave, but above, I'd have opted for Klasse AIO instead of TW, if only to even up the abrasive vs non-abrasive aspect.
> No surprise seeing SRP provide the most correction by hand, and as Bigpikle pointed out, AB does more good on the 2nd layer with a deft touch.
> 
> Also, point of order on AB application - the product is supplied with a terry pad and stockinette, and it is the former used for applying and the latter to go straight in the bin. Or to buff if you're an auld skool classic kinda guy.
> ...


agree with the Klasse AIO,

excellent write up Dave!


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## mouthyman (May 1, 2006)

Great review dave, but what about Klasse AIO im suprised thats not there


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## Slewey (Feb 13, 2008)

Great review again Dave! :thumb:


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## _daveR (Jun 3, 2008)

Dave, could you give a description on how you apply these (SRP in particular) products by hand? 

Im assuming approx 18"-24" sq areas, but how many passes, multiple directions, circular or straight lines etc?

Ta


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