# Show wax test



## HarveyTT (Jan 4, 2014)

'Show Wax' panel test

Now who doesn't like a show wax? I know I do!

As my wax collection grows and that it has over the past 12months with an additional 13…..jeez (when you put it like that….) a number of which are classed as Show Waxes . I've become interested in seeing a difference (or if there actually is) between them. The car in question was my Nissan Qashqai in Magnetic Red, what with the recent flurries of snow the car was firstly cleaned using the usual 2bm etc etc. I then machine corrected the bonnet using Sonax 04-06 and Chemical Guys V38 to refine followed by Carbon Collective Prep to remove any polish oils or residue.

Next up was to divide the bonnet into 7 sections by tape. So what waxes were tested….



Soft 99 Authentic Premium
Auto Finesse Illusion
Bouncers Vanilla Ice (high gloss properties)
Auto Vision Waxipan
Blend pot
Waxaddict CandyGloss
Auto Perfection Intensify



Each wax was applied via a finger wax pad to ensure all test parameters were the same with one even layer, and allowed to cure as per the manufactures description.

First up was Soft 99 Authentic Premium costing around £30; this scent free wax was effortless to apply not only to the applicator but also to the paintwork. "Authentic Premium is made of the materials which passed the strict quality check. We check every single preparation after manufacturing, and then we sell only products, which passed the test. Therefore, this is truly a wax work of art! Formulated pure carnauba creates an incredibly transparent gloss on your car body. It spreads evenly and smoothly across a surface, like water, which helps you to apply it efficiently while producing an amazing result without unevenness. The soft rubber ring on the bottom of the container prevents the surface from being damaged by scars or scuffs when you put it on your car while applying. The included sponge is the same as the one used for cosmetics, so that it can be incredibly fine and soft. Furthermore, it includes the trim brush to remove the wax applied into the emblems and malls. This product can be used for any cars. Abrasive compounds are NOT included. Enjoy our "Premium" quality."





Auto Finesse Illusion costing around £75, as soon as you open the lid you immediately get a strong scent of Strawberries, which is incredibly pleasant while applying the wax. When loading the applicator this wax felt slightly 'gritty' but smooth during application. "Detailing paintwork is the art of creating optical illusions, and in this art, Auto Finesse Illusion is a true master. Made from a highly innovative blending of natural and man-made ingredients, Illusion's sole purpose is to push the concept of a 'Show Car Wax' as far as it will go. Red glows like a molten pool of lava, metallic flake sparkles like a diamond in the sun, white assumes a gloss that has never before been seen, and black becomes a portal to another universe…. Is it magic, or just an Illusion?"





Bouncers Vanilla Ice costing around £50, now this might be slightly controversial as its not actually a show wax however after reading their description which included "fluid" and "wet look" I saw no harm in adding it to the test. I was previously told that less is more with this product in terms of applying to the applicator. Much like Authentic this was a dream to apply, dare I say it easier than Ilussion. "Using Vanilla extract oils from the Fruits of the Planifolia Vine combined with Organic Coconut and selective Citrus oils, transfused with highest grade T1 Carnauba Wax ensures a high gloss, highly durable and refined finish. Handmade & Handpoured in Buckinghamshire U.K
Designed to enhance your vehicles paintwork as a Last Stage Protection product in your cleaning regime. It will offer a 'fluid', 'wet-look' on the lines and angles of your bodywork, bring out the metallic 'fleck' in your paintwork plus provide nice tight beading and good water sheeting behaviour."





Now Auto Vision Waxipan is a wax I had custom made costing around £30. I asked for a marzipan scent with pink and yellow marble effect to replicate a Battenberg, and boy does it smell nice and make you hungry. Smooth loading of the applicator and application to the paintwork.





The Blend pot was a mix of Waxipan, Illusion and Obession Wax Phaenna (previous samples) and again was intrigued how these could work together when blended together. The answer: even easier to apply and spreads just like butter.





I bought Waxaddict CandyGloss a week ago and have been dying to try it out but dubious on how much one would actually use per panel….not much it turns out. A quick dab of the applicator onto or into the whipped wax was more than enough for the section and I reckon it could have been enough for the entire bonnet. The smell? Just like freshly baked cake….just like your mum used to make. "Quick, easy, glossy and addictive! Now whipped whilst cooling to create an incredibly soft and smooth texture plus the added benefit of more hard wax. The blend gives the same pop to your paintwork as standard candygloss although it will last slightly longer and give rounder taller waterbeads. The increased hard waxes bond well to give good durability in summer show season. Once cured you can wipe away in one go wthout the usual need to "break & buff"." Just like say, CandyGloss was incredibly easy to remove!





Last and no means least with Auto Perfection Intensify, this wax is available in two scents….Mint and Cherry, Cherry (subtle but nice) being the one I applied. Like Illusion the wax felt slightly 'gritty' when loading the applicator but smooth while applying. "Intensify has been created to be the ultimate wet look show wax with endless depth and unreal gloss. Made from the finest natural engredients and hand blended to perfection in the UK.
With jaw dropping depth, outstanding dripping wet gloss and crazy metallic paint pop Intensify is the perfect choice for that stunning show finish.
Developed and tested for over 7 months. Intensify has been sculpted to cater for all types of paint finishes including dark and lighter solid colours and also a range of dark and light metallic and pearl paint finishes.Deep crystal depth, amazing gloss and a glistening warm glow on darker colours. On lighter coloured cars such as white and silver paint, Intensify wax gives eye catching sharp reflections and pure liquid gloss. 
easy to apply and a little goes a long way so is very economical and is a breeze to buff off.Can be layered after 3 hours of first coat.
Intensify will give 2-3 months durability and has great beading and water sheeting properties."




Once each wax was buffed I removed the sectioning tape and was astonished what I found…..not a lot. To the naked eye I could not tell the difference between one or another, each wax increased the flake pop, gloss levels some form of warmth. Comparing the bonnet to the wings (rest of car) which has one layer of Waxaddict Vitreo looked very much the same. Was I over thinking it? Was I dramatically expecting to see a difference? Yes, I probably was so I could justify buying these over 'standard' waxes. Starting to think that 'show waxes' are possibly a placebo or that Vitreo is a fantastic all rounder.



Using a hose I lightly sprayed the bonnet with water in the hope I could notice a difference here. Some sheeted more than others, beads were all pretty unified. Authentic felt the nicest to apply but came up short with the sheeting, the best at this was the Blend with Waxipan coming a close second.



What was the best product to use? Personally for me I would go for either CandyGloss or Intensify, these were the easiest to apply, smelt great, effortless to buff off so waxing the entire car would be a joy.

Durability? Now this could be the deciding factor. Going forward during maintenance washes I will only be using pure shampoo (no wax or gloss enhancers) or any QD for drying aids. I will be reporting back weekly with any update or sign of deterioration.


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## Ads_ClioV6 (Apr 27, 2014)

Great thread mate.Who are Auto perfection they look like a auto finesse copycat brand?


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## A&J (Mar 4, 2015)

Great test. Looking forward for some updates


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## Ads_ClioV6 (Apr 27, 2014)

Never found Illusion gritty etc gotta be the easiest wax too put on and remove.What do you think give the best look or was it hard to tell.
Was going to buy the candygloss a while back but the texture put me off.What is it like too apply
Thanks AL


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## HarveyTT (Jan 4, 2014)

ADSCLIOCUP said:


> Great thread mate.Who are Auto perfection they look like a auto finesse copycat brand?


They're based down near London somewhere, I would link you to their site however they've exceeded their bandwidth. This is their FB though https://www.facebook.com/AutoPerfectionCarCare/?fref=ts

Their products are far more cost effective than AF both their waxes Intensify and Evolve which is a hybrid are both fantastic especially for £50.Unlike other companies they fill the pots right to the top, little things like that win massive brownie points


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## HarveyTT (Jan 4, 2014)

ADSCLIOCUP said:


> Never found Illusion gritty etc gotta be the easiest wax too put on and remove.What do you think give the best look or was it hard to tell.
> Was going to buy the candygloss a while back but the texture put me off.What is it like too apply
> Thanks AL


Going from Authentic which was smoother than margarine to Illusion it definitely had a slightly gritty feel when loading the pad.

It was hard to say which gave the best look as to the naked eye they all appeared the same, I will next time its clean move the Qashqai into the garage and take a look under artificial light.

Candygloss was the easiest to apply, more like a liquid wax so after a long detail this could be my go to 'show wax' depending on durability.


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## Ads_ClioV6 (Apr 27, 2014)

Excellent reply thanks must say the Intesify looks pretty impressive on their facebook page.Might give it a whirl


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## HarveyTT (Jan 4, 2014)

You can buy a sample from cleanyourride


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## Ads_ClioV6 (Apr 27, 2014)

HarveyTT said:


> You can buy a sample from cleanyourride
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


 Just looked might message the brand and ask if they can do me a cherry sample pot does look good thanks again


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## Hufty (Apr 27, 2015)

Top work fella and thanks for posting. So to get the blend pot did you just heat up the three samples you had left.

Love the colour of the motor.


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## HarveyTT (Jan 4, 2014)

Yeah, that's exactly what i did. Scooped out the waxes, placed in a plastic jug then heated them gently in the microwave. Strawberry marzipan scent now. 

Colour is the best part of the car, the rest is rubbish. 


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## 66Rob (Sep 25, 2007)

Great report thank you for taking the time.


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## dave-g (Nov 14, 2009)

Fantastic test there mate :thumb:

Was interested in the waxaddict pot after you last posted, seem I may give it a try 

Will keep an eye on this see how they fair.


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## samuir1974 (May 3, 2011)

Great thread and write-up..... very interested in how this pans out Richard.

I'm a big Auto Perfection fan as you know.... Intensify for the win!!!


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## LewisChadwick7 (Aug 22, 2014)

i got intensify in the christmas sale and still not got round to using it but heard nothing but good things about it! like you say the pots are filled to the brim too which is a brucie bonus, will be following this to see how you get on :thumb:


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## great gonzo (Nov 4, 2010)

I'm not knocking this type of thread but I can never see much if any difference in the finish!
I had a little play myself once with waxes I own and my family couldn't notice any differences other than the fact they all looked really shiny. 

Gonz


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## great gonzo (Nov 4, 2010)

Still like a wax test tho so don't stop sharing. 

Gonz.


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## HarveyTT (Jan 4, 2014)

great gonzo said:


> I'm not knocking this type of thread but I can never see much if any difference in the finish!
> I had a little play myself once with waxes I own and my family couldn't notice any differences other than the fact they all looked really shiny.
> 
> Gonz


That's what I've currently found. To the naked eye I can't see a difference between them other than beading/sheeting.

Still an interesting idea and photos are nice to look at haha

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## Blueberry (Aug 10, 2007)

You should be able to feel a difference though if you ran your hand over one to the other. They do have a discernible difference in texture when on the car.


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## HarveyTT (Jan 4, 2014)

I'll try that when I next wash it.










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## great gonzo (Nov 4, 2010)

Blueberry said:


> You should be able to feel a difference though if you ran your hand over one to the other. They do have a discernible difference in texture when on the car.


Maybe, but what does that achieve?

Gonz.


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## Hufty (Apr 27, 2015)

I think you know though when you find a product that gives you something extra. Might be hard to tell in a line up or in small sections. I've had products that make me think yeah baby but I still buy more. Chasing the Nuba


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## DJBAILEY (May 7, 2011)

These kind of tests are really only good to show the differences in beading and sheeting action other than difference in looks when the masking tape is removed in between the sections.

A small section will not give much indication about how the entire car will look with all the contours, concave and convex panels, curves and angles as a whole.

Every wax/sealant will have a different density and its own index of refraction and angle of total reflection. Regardless of how thin these layers of wax/sealant it still happens. As light passes through the wax layer then through the clear coat layer, hit the color layer then bounce back through the clear coat then wax again to the air the result of passing through different mediums will have a unique affect on the light.

This is why trying combos of sealant topped with wax can create some magic sometimes.

These tests are always done on the flat hood or trunk, which is probably the surface that will show the least bit of difference. Especially when you are looking straight at it at a perpendicular angle.

I don't think it is a placebo effect at all.


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## Brian1612 (Apr 5, 2015)

This sums it up very nicely for me^ 

I remember when I first used Lucas Oil Slick Mist and I knew even from first application on the front wheel arch it was something special. 
When the whole car was done the level of gloss was insane. More often than not you can only gauge how a product looks from a full car application.


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## HarveyTT (Jan 4, 2014)

I suppose one good thing that'll come out of this apart from trying new products is the durability of them. 

Appreciate your write up DjBailey, makes a lot of sense 


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## HarveyTT (Jan 4, 2014)

Update 1 week on.

The car has done 1000 miles since applying, experienced snow, ice, rain and sun so quite a tough start to the test.

As stated earlier no gloss enhancing shampoo or drying aid has been used.

All 7 show signs of deterioration only Waxipan and 'blend' sheet water. Candygloss and Intensify have the most uniformed beads while Authentic appears to be bringing up the rear.

Authentic left. Illusion right








Bouncers left. Waxipan right 








Waxipan left. Blend right








Candygloss left. Intensify right









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