# Aquartz vs Gtechniq vs Nanolex



## m4rkie23 (May 19, 2009)

3 products that I want to try in the near future.

Was just wondering if anyone has used all 3 of these products for a bit of an un-bias review? 

TIA.


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## NAJ (Mar 10, 2010)

i used just aquartz and gtechnic

for paint, i would recomenned aquartz cuz it's filling light swirls. easy to apply. C1 is a little bit tricky, and it's not filling swirls. i see a less new washing swirls on side where i applied AQuartz.


on glass, i would go with G1. easy to apply, a little work to buff residue off. G1 is having better repellancy because ist's nature. aquartz is hydrophilic, so it reppels water too, but water runs of slower (need a higher speed). but aquartz is easier to apply ...on C1 smearing could occour, if u use glass washing liquid. aquartz is slightly better, but some smering could be still present. you need just clean water and you're fine


on plastic, i would go either with gtechniq or aquartz for my opinon no big difference, both are easy to apply


on rims. 
i would decide on what color rims are. on darker, i would go with aquartz because it's fillinf abilites. on ligher colors, you could try gtechniq. but no big difference in those two. aquartz is maybe a little easier to apply. 


on boats / gel coats. i recommend gtechniq C1 on gel coats, aquartz have a lot of problems to apply (if you apply by hand...by polisher, i didn'r try it yet). but after that, protection is fine. C1 is a lot easier to apply. ...C1 is having slightly wetter look.


i didn't try nanolex, so i cannot say . 
but for paint and rims, aquartz is absolute winner for me


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## burger (Feb 10, 2009)

Why would you advise C1 for gelcoats what benefits would this give? Does it form a bond with the polyester gelcoat?


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## JJ_ (Oct 26, 2005)

Have a look at my thread, not used nanolex but aquartz is totally different to c1 and nano.


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## NAJ (Mar 10, 2010)

i had a lot of troubles with applying nice, even coverage with aquartz. you could see patches where you could not buff off residue. i was doing everything by the book like Avi said. must speak to him about that problems i occoured. 
afterall, Aquatz is bonding with gelcoats, just hard to apply by hand. i would be trying with rotary, but i didn't had pads for that. 
i didn't apply aquartz+ (forgot to take it with me)!!! so maybe with A+ i would not have problems. ??

i applied C1 much easier. i applied it with cotton pads, watching i cover all surface and then buff off (very easy job), working surface approx 40*40cm. 


i had previous version of aquartz too. it was more easy to work with then C1. application is the same then C1 (cotton pad, apply on, buff off). shiny about the same then C1. consuption is about the same then C1


so i used about 20ml of C1, 50ml previous version of aquartz and 30ml of aquartz vithoout aquartz+. boat it aproox 30feet long (small jacht?). my father is owner, so no problems if it didn't came out perfect it's stiill the glossiest int he marina

sorry for no pics...forgot my camera too


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## clearasmud (Feb 11, 2009)

Hi gents,
I've tried both Nanolex and Aquartz and here are some of my findings. I have just received my C1 not too long ago, so no comparison with it just yet. I have read a fair amount of comments/posts on DW in regards with Aquartz application. However, I, personally, have not encountered any issues of smearing or patchiness. This obviously has a million different variables from environmental conditions to operator's application. I will list as much as I can to help eliminate as many uncertainties as possible.

Environmental conditions, relatively similar for both applications
Applied in indoors
Temp: 24-26 deg.C
Hum: 60-70% (not raining outside)
Lighting: 1000W work lights, Flenix TK11 torch

*Nanolex Pro-Sealant v1*
Application:

 Prep (wash/clay/machine polish)
 IPA 50:50 wipe down
 Apply coating with cotton makeup pads
 Buffing off after every section
Findings:
I had to stay on top of every section I applied the coating to. I found that if I left the coating on for more than a minute or 2. It starts curing and buffing it off take a bit more work. But overall, application is definitely less complicated and quicker than Aquartz. Presently the longest lasting coating I have used to date. The maintenance of gloss and surface dirt resistance is extremely good. The coating has already been on the surface for more than 12months and still going strong.

The glass sealant is also an extreme performer, still shifts water very well. I have Gtech G1 on another vehicle and found that the water shifting is slightly better. However, I cannot truly say which is better as the vehicle with G1 see a lot less sun than the Nanolex'ed one.​
*Aquartz & Aquartz+*
Application:

 Prep (wash/clay/meachine polish)
 IPA 50:50 wipe down
 Shake & spray Aquartz on to surface
 Buff with LC blue pad @ 1000-1200rpm till clear, reducing pressure after each pass
 Wipe down with MF
 Heat for 2-3mins, then let cool
 Shake & spray Aquartz on to surface
 Buff with LC blue pad @ 1000-1200rpm till clear, reducing pressure after each pass
 Wipe down with MF
 Heat for 2-3mins, then let cool
 Shake & apply a 2-3mm line bead of Aquartz+ on to surface
 Buff with new LC black pad @ 1000-1200rpm till clear, no pressure
 Final buff off
Findings:
Between each Aquart coating, I thoroughly inspect the area for any smearing or patchiness before apply the next coat. Fortunately, for me at least, I have little or no issues with it. Application did take a significant time longer than that of the Nanolex. The finish looked like a layer of glass fused on to the paint surface, literally. After the application, the vehicle was exposed to a week's worth of rain and dirt. The water beading did deteriorate by the end of the week, after a quick word with Avi and another coat of Aquartz+. The finish is refreshed and beading restored. According to Avi, this does not add to the coat but merely refreshes it. I also understand that Aquartz is not the beading type, but many regard beading of such high importance that I thought I mention this.

Deteriorated beading



















The finish after refreshing it with Aquartz+, unfortunately the aren't any outdoor shot because of the weather






























































​
Finish/Conclusion 
Both products, freshly applied finishes achieved a head turning gloss. Nanolex coated surface isn't as slick as Aquartz, that for certain. However, I believe the level of protect offered against environment containments by each product is nothing less than superb. I have to give Aquartz the additional thumbs up for it ability to resist light scratching, as see in other DW posts and my personally (3-4weeks) experience, this is possible the biggest advantage of this coating. However, This anti-(light)scratching ability does come with it's price as the coating is not the easiest or quickest to apply compared to many leading brand of "Nano-coatings"

*Aquartz washing mitt review:*
Avi has also kindly sent me his new washing mitt to me. I must apologize to his for now puttung this up earlier, but I hope this post does it some justice.

Here are some pictures of the mitt.




























The dirt










I believe the liniting issue is because of it being new, it has reduce after the first wash










Here is the mitt after a couple of passes over the door panel










Dunked










Squeezed










The good:

 Holds a fair amount of wash solution, I gave it a bit of a squeeze but it still has a fair amount of solution in it to clean half a roof and the side windows - not having to go back to the bucket is good.
 Tends to "stick" on to the paint surface, makes cleaning effective and also helps with the cleaning vertical panels so the mitt doesn't fall off.
 Glides over the surface with a slight resistance, I reckon it helps with the effective cleaning.
 Long fibres allow good reach into gaps and crevasses without additional tools like brushes
 Very very soft and it's a really nice size to use, not too big nor too small.
The not so good

 Rinsing the mitt is a bit of an issue, it tend to trap some solid dirt particles that I can't seem to get rid off.
 The netting hand pocket isn't used much, at the start is ok. But after a couple of dipping, and squeezing, it's not as simple to just slide in. 
 Shedding fibres - I reckon it's because its new.

After the first wash I didn't/can't find and swirling or scratches. I do have to note I'm fairly careful of the pressure I am washing. But overall, I do like the mitt, it's by far one of the softest mitts I've used, coverage is also a plus point. The car has a week's worth of raining dirt and grime, I did 2 passes on the lower panels and the 2nd pass came up very clean. So the cleaning ability pretty darn good. The only real concern is the particles embed in the mitt, psychologically I'm not overly comfortable with it, but we'll see if this is an issue with a couple more uses.

Sorry about the pictures, I know they are a tad too big!

Tez


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## WHIZZER (Oct 25, 2005)

Thats a good review of both products . Interesting results and thank you for the update on the wash mitt.


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## Cquartz (Jan 31, 2009)

Hi Terence
Thank you for the quick report,

about the wash mitt, to remove the contaminant and particles after wash, you *must* rinse it well with clear water , good rinsing! thoroughly!! all over into the wool fibres.
then to brush it with hair brush , to get the fluffy hair as in your pics.
never dry it under sunshine!!! when its dry , you can look if there are particles left in.

about the loosing lints, this is because it was freshly new, it will always loose some lints at first wash, due to the long lenght fibres, so the weak fibres will come off.

cheers


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## JJ_ (Oct 26, 2005)

It is the same with any other mitt, this is one of the reasons I don't like a mitt. It is not free rinsing. I have to spend time after every panel rinsing the mitt of any particles especially after doing a lower body panel. 

The aquartz review is bang on. Nice one.


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## Cquartz (Jan 31, 2009)

JJ_ said:


> It is the same with any other mitt, this is one of the reasons I don't like a mitt. It is not free rinsing. I have to spend time after every panel rinsing the mitt of any particles especially after doing a lower body panel.
> 
> The aquartz review is bang on. Nice one.


Jon ,
not after every panel to rinse it, removing particles!, the long wools embed the particles deeper inside so less chance they will swirl above the mitt surface,i dont know how to explain it....
you need to try it!:thumb:


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## christian900se (Nov 10, 2009)

I will be posting as complete a review as I possibly can on Aquartz and Aquartz+ when I apply it to my solid black paint and most plastic trim. Awesome review clearasmud, I can't thank you enough for the indepth insight into Aquartz. I am into beading no matter what people say so I am thinking about topping my Aquartz with any of my waxes because my main interest in Aquartz are the scratch resistance (will be a blessing on my soft black Saab!) and the resistance to etching from bird droppings and hard water spots. 

If you get some slight etching in the Aquartz layer, can you just re-apply it to the local area and restore the coating? Also, when do you know that the Aquartz layer has failed? I will be applying it to a 100% swirl and marring free surface so I won't be able to gauge it from the filling effect fading and it is Hydrophilic so a decrease in beading is not an indicator either.


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## clearasmud (Feb 11, 2009)

Chris,

I'm glad my findings are of use to you. I've only applied Aquartz on to paint surfaces not on plastic though. It would be nice to find out how it bonds on to plastic surfaces. I guess Avi would be able to provide more comprehensive information in regards to bonding to other surfaces and re-coating of etched out spots. I current have C4 on all my plastic surfaces and it's probably the 'big daddy' of plastic coatings.

Personally, I know the paint surface has no protection left when I get the "squeaky finish" as I run my finger/s over the surface, same feeling I get on a freshly polished surface.

I would think (Avi correct me if I'm wrong) Aquartz would offer up a fairly amount of resistance to bird poo etching. I say that on the basis of it holding up against concentrated acids. I too would top my car with wax to enhance the beading. I reckon beading, although its of no measure of the protection left, is probably the most highly regards attribute of any LSP.

What I am far far more interested in, is applying Aquartz/Aquartz+ and then Nanolex Pro/C1 to the top. I know there probably will be some bonding issues, but if it works, it would provide the anti-scratch and beading properties of both Nano-coating. I'll have to speak to Florian, Avi and Rob before I venture in that direction. Plus Rob still owes me the invoice from my last order! :devil: 

Ciaos


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## Oakey22 (Feb 12, 2010)

any update on this? C1 is amazing stuff and has a long durability.


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## gtechrob (Sep 11, 2006)

clearasmud said:


> Chris,
> 
> I'm glad my findings are of use to you. I've only applied Aquartz on to paint surfaces not on plastic though. It would be nice to find out how it bonds on to plastic surfaces. I guess Avi would be able to provide more comprehensive information in regards to bonding to other surfaces and re-coating of etched out spots. I current have C4 on all my plastic surfaces and it's probably the 'big daddy' of plastic coatings.
> 
> ...


oops - pm me the details... 

i have a new guy starting with us the week after next who will be in charge of deliveries etc. so all going to plan we will have much faster deliveries with fewer issues such as this.


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## clearasmud (Feb 11, 2009)

Cheers Rob,

I'm still under restriction for PMs, I'll pop you an email instead.

Tez


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