# Turtle Wax Ceramic Spray Coating VS Wowo Crystal Sealant - Long term test



## Sheep (Mar 20, 2009)

Greetings everyone!

Been a busy couple of days for me, playing around with some new spray sealants and working my way up to a massive face off between some of the more popular products in this category. While I'm still getting everything sorted out for that test, I decided to setup another test between 2 of the contestants that on the face of it should be the most durable. The contestants today come from Turtle Wax and Wowo, both being the newest versions of their spray on coatings/sealants designed to take the place of a wax/sealant, be it a liquid or paste form. I get the appeal of these products, and why so many companies are pouring R&D money into them - faster application while still providing great protection and durability compared to your typical LSP. There is some stand out differences between the 2, which I'll touch on below as I break down the application and cure (or lack there of) times, and how each product is to use and live with. Below is photos of the products themselves, as well as the test vehicle and setup of the test. The hood was divided into 3 sections, one for each product, as well as a control section in the middle.

EDIT: little edit here to add that the panel in question was polished up using M205 by hand, before this test was carried out. I know it had a very fresh application of Wowo Crystal sealant before hand, but I can assure you it was sufficiently stipped off with the polish step before this test began. To prove it, here is a video below of the paint after polish and application of panel wipe (aerosol commercial version).

Untitled by brianjosephson1, on Flickr

Untitled by brianjosephson1, on Flickr Untitled by brianjosephson1, on Flickr

Untitled by brianjosephson1, on Flickr

Untitled by brianjosephson1, on Flickr

First up, Turtle Wax Hybrid Solutions Ceramic Spray Coating (they need to work on that name - going forward it will be referred to as TW CSC). This is the replacement for the much loved Turtle Wax Ice Seal N Shine (SNS for short, and Sealant Hydrophobic Wax in the UK/EU). It comes in a familiar 473ml bottle with a nice grip and decent trigger, basically identical to TW SNS/SHW. This came into the spotlight recently thanks to the youtube crowd, mainly because it has an extremely high chemical resistance and therefore spawned a whole new category for these products to compete - one that I feel is a bit misguided. While chemical resistance is definitely a good attribute to have in a protective product, the level of harshness required for a properly maintained car does not need to be the same as a space shuttle - in the real world they're just not going to see that with any regularity. Moreover, given the simple application requirements for nearly all of these products, it's not necessarily a big deal to re-apply them should some massive terrible accident occur, causing your LSP to fail.

Ok, rant over.

TW CSC aims to take this performance to the next level, offering even better durability while improving on other factors like beading and sheeting. I will say that I feel the beading has definitely improved, albeit not taking the crown from BSD, but it is ahead of TW SNS. Another area you will notice an immense improvement in is the smell - this stuff smells fantastic. It's like they contracted out the scent development to Jolly Rancher, it's that good. The product itself is very watery, and spreads out very thin when properly applied. I didn't go through my ham fisted application test with this product so I can't comment on how it will behave when you do it wrong, but I'm sure it will become more difficult and recommend that you follow the instructions on the label. I do recommend using low nap MF towels (1 to spread, 1 to remove) with this as my high nap towel started grabbing quite hard during spreading. The one area where application falls quite flat is the time involvement required to get the best performance from TW CSC. It needs a full 24 hours between it's 2 coats to offer the 1 year durability claimed on the label, something that can be quite difficult for those that do not have garages or covered working areas. The good news is that it is not sensitive to water during this 24 hours, but it cannot be washed between the coats, or the following 24 hour period after the second coat.

Moving on to Wowo Crystal Sealant (WW CS going forward), the experience is much different. This is their 3rd Version of the product, releasing roughly when TW CSC did, and being brand new to Canada as a brand I was rather excited to try it out. It only comes in a 500ml bottle, with a decent trigger, and is a white liquid. Scent wise this product is quite far down the list when compared to it's competition - a strong vinegar smell dominates the air and paints a picture of Fish and Chips getting absolutely drenched in the tangy liquid. Application is also different when compared to TW CSC, it is much more oily and spreadable, with a slicker feel under the cloth. Speaking of cloths, longer nap MFs seemed to work well, but short nap was still better, especially for removal. Overall this feels like a nice product, and although I haven't tested slickness in a repeatable fashion, I feel WW CS has the edge over TW CSC. Both products needed some time to cure before they displayed their best slickness performance as well, so don't worry it it's not super slick immediately after application. Beading and sheeting is extremely similar to TW CSC, so close that I can't seem to spot a difference. Again, it doesn't take the crown in this area but it's still a solid performance overall and nothing to shake a stick at. One area where WW CS has a leg up is the fact that it doesn't not require 2 coats to reach it's peak durability - or at least it doesn't say that anywhere on the label or their website - so this should be easier to use overall, assuming it can hang with TW CSC till the bitter end.

Below is the application video for both products, as well as initial water behavior. This is the second application (after the first 24 hour cure period). The water beading portion of the video was shot 36 hours after the second application, before any washing was conducted. During this test, I will only be washing the car with Gyeon Bathe Essence or ONR, so no gloss enhancers or waxes will be introduced that could cover up the performance of the products. The car is subjected to 60kms/day of Canadian winter driving so it's not an easy test, but being on the hood should give it a slightly less challenging experience versus somewhere like a rocker panel.






Wowo Crystal Sealant water beading.
Untitled by brianjosephson1, on Flickr

Untitled by brianjosephson1, on Flickr

Turtle Wax Ceramic Spray Coating water beading.
Untitled by brianjosephson1, on Flickr

Untitled by brianjosephson1, on Flickr

Ok, that's it for the initial report. I think I'll follow my typical monthly updates, and keep the washing to at most once a week, as I want this to be as close to normal real world usage (I also don't want to use up all my soap). I've added a poll to get reactions/predictions as to who you think will come out on top, so get voting!

Thanks for looking!


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## Sheep (Mar 20, 2009)

Reserved for one month update (more like 1.5 months but who's counting).

Greetings! I know you've been waiting for this update for quite some time, and as I said below a couple things have gotten in the way, but nevertheless here's the deets.

The photos below are the water behavior before being washed for both sides.

WoWo Crystal Sealant.
Untitled by brianjosephson1, on Flickr

Turtle Wax Hybrid Solutions Ceramic Spray Coating.
Untitled by brianjosephson1, on Flickr

After Washing

WoWo Crystal Sealant.
Untitled by brianjosephson1, on Flickr

Turtle Wax HSCSC.
Untitled by brianjosephson1, on Flickr

You'll notice that the beading took a bit of a hit after the wash, but is still performing on a good level. Other things worth noting, Wowo is out performing Turtle Wax at this stage, and has tighter beads. This doesn't mean it's game over though, as Turtle Wax's spray coatings (SNS and this) have never had crazy round beading.

Below is the water behavior after washing. Gyeon Bathe Essences was used as the wash soap, and I think I had it a bit too strong in the bucket (having a hard time portioning it out correctly). The beading and sheeting appear to be rather stunted in the footage, but this has more to do with the rather chilly ambient temperatures at the time and not the products themselves. Either way, it shows that WoWo is still on top, with Turtle wax following close behind. For reference, TW left, WoWo Right.

Untitled by brianjosephson1, on Flickr

Thanks for looking!


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## Sheep (Mar 20, 2009)

Reserved for 2 month update.


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## Sheep (Mar 20, 2009)

Reserved for 3 month update.


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## Sheep (Mar 20, 2009)

Reserved for 4 month update


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## Sheep (Mar 20, 2009)

Reserved for 5 month update.


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## Juke_Fan (Jul 12, 2014)

Nice review, looking forward to the updates :thumb:

Quick question, with TW CSC does it actually say you can't wash the car between coat 1 and coat 2? Even if you apply coat 1, wait 24 hours, wash with a pure shampoo and the apply coat 2?

If so that is quite a negative :doublesho


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## Sheep (Mar 20, 2009)

Juke_Fan said:


> Nice review, looking forward to the updates :thumb:
> 
> Quick question, with TW CSC does it actually say you can't wash the car between coat 1 and coat 2? Even if you apply coat 1, wait 24 hours, wash with a pure shampoo and the apply coat 2?
> 
> If so that is quite a negative :doublesho


You can wash the car after 24 hours as lapsed, but not before that point. I used ONR to wash it down before the second application. It can still get wet and be driven, but it needs that 24 hours to allow the polymers to finish cross-linking. You don't have to wipe the second layer onto dirty paint.


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## Juke_Fan (Jul 12, 2014)

That's not so bad, cheers.


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## camerashy (Feb 9, 2014)

I need to try this but can you apply wax over the top......as I just like waxing


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## Sheep (Mar 20, 2009)

camerashy said:


> I need to try this but can you apply wax over the top......as I just like waxing


Over which product? I believe you can apply waxes over top of WW CS, I've seen contact 121 applied to it and it looked really good (I want Contact 121 but it's $85 here and I just don't need another tin of wax at the moment).

As for TW CSC, I know the rest of their hybrid line plays nice with it, but none of those are "waxes" in the conventional sense. The Polish and Wax also has abrasives so that would remove TW CSC if applied over top. You can however layer TW CSC on top if Polish and Wax, as long as you give it 24 hours to cure before hand (polymers need to cross link, similar to TW CSC).


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## Alan W (May 11, 2006)

Great review Sheep and thanks for posting. :thumb:

I was just about to ask if this was a follow on from your previous Thread because no preparation was mentioned and then I saw your edit! :lol:

Have you noticed any visual differences between the 2 products in gloss, depth, reflection, warmth etc?

Thanks,

Alan W


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## Crackfox (Mar 17, 2019)

Is that 24 hours to cure inside? 

Sent from my SM-G960F using Tapatalk


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## Sheep (Mar 20, 2009)

Alan W said:


> Great review Sheep and thanks for posting. :thumb:
> 
> I was just about to ask if this was a follow on from your previous Thread because no preparation was mentioned and then I saw your edit! :lol:
> 
> ...


Yeah, I was proof reading it for spelling and grammar, and then after posting it I realized that I didn't get any real background on how I prepared the car (remembering that I posted that in a different thread which wasn't obvious for those that didn't see that too).

As for gloss, they both looked pretty damn good. I might try to use a flash light and see if I can spot a distinct difference between the 2 after I wash it (hasn't been washed since the second application). If there is a difference I'll add it later as another edit.



Crackfox said:


> Is that 24 hours to cure inside?
> 
> Sent from my SM-G960F using Tapatalk


No it can get wet and sit outside during this 24 hour period, it just can't be washed. After 24 hours have passed you can re-wash it (*DON'T*use a wax/gloss adding soap), dry it (*DON'T* use a drying aid), and re-apply the second layer. This will also require another 24 hours to cure without washing before it is "done".


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## camerashy (Feb 9, 2014)

Sorry my error, meant wax over TW CSC
Thanks for your reply


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## vsideboy (Sep 1, 2006)

Sheep said:


> No it can get wet and sit outside during this 24 hour period, it just can't be washed. After 24 hours have passed you can re-wash it (*DON'T*use a wax/gloss adding soap), dry it (*DON'T* use a drying aid), and re-apply the second layer. This will also require another 24 hours to cure without washing before it is "done".


Blimey, it's a bit finicky isn't it. Do this, don't do this. Kind of takes the fun out of it all.


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## Alan W (May 11, 2006)

Sheep said:


> No it can get wet and sit outside during this 24 hour period, it just can't be washed. After 24 hours have passed you can re-wash it (*DON'T*use a wax/gloss adding soap), dry it (*DON'T* use a drying aid), and re-apply the second layer. This will also require another 24 hours to cure without washing before it is "done".





vsideboy said:


> Blimey, it's a bit finicky isn't it. Do this, don't do this. Kind of takes the fun out of it all.


That mostly applies when layering any product, ie don't contaminate the first layer (wax/gloss additives or similar from shampoo or drying aid etc) before applying the 2nd layer if it is to bond properly and maximise durability. 

Alan W


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## Sheep (Mar 20, 2009)

vsideboy said:


> Blimey, it's a bit finicky isn't it. Do this, don't do this. Kind of takes the fun out of it all.


I mean, when layering a coating you wouldn't introduce any other waxes silicones or gloss enhancers between layers, so it's not that outlandish. I'd be thankful the stuff can get wet at least, much better than the alternative which is holing up in the garage for 48 hours after getting the car prepped and ready.


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## Downward (Aug 18, 2017)

Bumpy ?


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## BarryAllen (Feb 3, 2017)

Looks like it was Option 4 on the poll then... Car written off !


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## Alan W (May 11, 2006)

BarryAllen said:


> Looks like it was Option 4 on the poll then... Car written off !


Who knows what has happened to Sheep - perhaps some aspect of life has overtaken detailing and his priorities have changed.

We are amidst difficult times and not everybody's focus is on detailing. 

Alan W


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## Lexus-is250 (Feb 4, 2017)

I'm happy to put Wowos down as the winner. Game over. 

Sent from my SM-A505FN using Tapatalk


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## atbalfour (Aug 11, 2019)

Sheep said:


> You can wash the car after 24 hours as lapsed, but not before that point. I used ONR to wash it down before the second application. It can still get wet and be driven, but it needs that 24 hours to allow the polymers to finish cross-linking. You don't have to wipe the second layer onto dirty paint.


Why would you use ONR before the second application? The characteristics of that product means that it leaves behind polymers which are temporary but would surely impact the bond of any product you put on top.

For the same reason ONR shouldn't be the maintenance wash product during a test like this - rather a PH neutral shampoo which has no gloss enhancers, leaves no polymers behind etc.


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## Alan W (May 11, 2006)

atbalfour said:


> Why would you use ONR before the second application? The characteristics of that product means that it leaves behind polymers which are temporary but would surely impact the bond of any product you put on top.
> 
> For the same reason ONR shouldn't be the maintenance wash product during a test like this - rather a PH neutral shampoo which has no gloss enhancers, leaves no polymers behind etc.


My thoughts also when I first read it but I wasn't brave enough to post! :lol:

Unless of course Sheep knows something we don't. 

Alan W


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## Sheep (Mar 20, 2009)

atbalfour said:


> Why would you use ONR before the second application? The characteristics of that product means that it leaves behind polymers which are temporary but would surely impact the bond of any product you put on top.
> 
> For the same reason ONR shouldn't be the maintenance wash product during a test like this - rather a PH neutral shampoo which has no gloss enhancers, leaves no polymers behind etc.


I followed up that up with a second wipe down to remove those left over polymers. I used ONR first because it is better at reducing marring, and leaves less behind than most QDs. Sorry should have clarified, and I also used a very mild dilution to reduce the effects.


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## Sheep (Mar 20, 2009)

Alan W said:


> Who knows what has happened to Sheep - perhaps some aspect of life has overtaken detailing and his priorities have changed.
> 
> We are amidst difficult times and not everybody's focus is on detailing.
> 
> Alan W


Sorry for the absence, but I have been rather pre-occupied the last 3 weeks with this little guy.


__
https://flic.kr/p/2iGH3xb

I haven't washed the car or even driven it, but I'm back at work tomorrow so I'll be washing it and updating this thread. Thanks for the patience, I should have updated earlier.


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## scottk (Apr 1, 2014)

Congratulations on the new arrival. Priorities will definitely shift!


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## Alan W (May 11, 2006)

Sheep said:


> Sorry for the absence, but I have been rather pre-occupied the last 3 weeks with this little guy.
> 
> 
> __
> https://flic.kr/p/2iGH3xb


I knew there would be good reason - congratulations! 

Alan W


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## RT1994 (Jun 25, 2019)

Great start to the review &#55357;&#56397;&#55356;&#57340; Hoping and praying for an update on this haha! I’m stuck between the two products but can’t find much information at all on Wowo’s CS?


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## Sheep (Mar 20, 2009)

RTDW said:


> Great start to the review ���� Hoping and praying for an update on this haha! I'm stuck between the two products but can't find much information at all on Wowo's CS?


Hang on, I have the 1.7 month update (sorry life got in the way) ready, just need to write it up, and I have a bigger update that will sort of change how this test is going to go.


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## Derek Mc (Jun 27, 2006)

RTDW said:


> Great start to the review ���� Hoping and praying for an update on this haha! I'm stuck between the two products but can't find much information at all on Wowo's CS?


It has been on my car since the end of July and is as good as the day I applied it after about 6K miles and a filthy winter, nothing but maintenance washes.

In fact it is so good that I am unable to get enough of a hot glue bond for a PDR on a small arch ding I picked up.


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## Sheep (Mar 20, 2009)

1.7 month update posted!

I do have an update for this test, one that isn't going to bode well for it. As some of you know I recently acquired a new organism, one that takes up a lot of your spare time. This overall isn't an issue for a test like this, as it's easy to get out for a 20 minute wash up. However, due to recent events surrounding pandemics and other world ending calamities, I have been temporarily laid off from my place of employment until the world cleans up a bit and it's safe to go back to work. 

What this means is that I am working off a reduced income, coupled with a new born. In order to not get behind and play it safe, we're pulling the insurance on the Prius (the test car) for duration of my lay-off which means it will be garage bound and not really exposed to any contaminants or LSP wearing conditions (IE, the test will not really be accurate). I'm not sure how to proceed on this front. I could keep updating as time goes by, hoping it's only a temporary situation, but even 1 month like this could drastically alter the results. For the time being I will leave the products on the hood until I have a better idea how the future will play out, but it looks like this test will be prematurely concluding, to be restarted again in the future (with a fresh application of course).

Thanks for your understanding and don't worry, I have other tests I'm planning on performing using WoWo and other new products I've picked up recently. At least with the increased free time I have more opportunities to detail and create some content.


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## streaky (Dec 2, 2006)

Congrats on your addition. The test can wait until better times arrive.


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## RT1994 (Jun 25, 2019)

Derek Mc said:


> It has been on my car since the end of July and is as good as the day I applied it after about 6K miles and a filthy winter, nothing but maintenance washes.
> 
> In fact it is so good that I am unable to get enough of a hot glue bond for a PDR on a small arch ding I picked up.


Thanks for the info! Might have to place an order and give it a go.

What is the gloss and slickness like? Know it's a tough question without gloss readings but does it give a warm hue like you get from carnauba or is it more of a sharp/crisp reflection that you usually see from sealants?


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## BRUN (May 13, 2006)

look after yourself Sheep

something like this is pretty insignificant right now, look after number 1


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## MrPassat (Mar 30, 2018)

Congrats for your good news Sheep, stay safe all of you.
The test is insignificant compared to all that you have going on right now.
Thanks for all your contributions and I'm looking forward to seeing more from you when the time is right.


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