# The PTFE war: SV Shield Vs. Raceglaze 4x4 Review



## frankiman (Nov 12, 2011)

The point of this detail was to review 2 wax of mine ; Swissvax Shield Vs. Raceglaze 4x4.

So I start by decontaminant the car with Iron-X:














































I also clayed the car:









I then did a 1-step polish with Menzerna and followed by Swissvax Cleaner fluid by hand:









So we're now up to the review!!

Both wax are made of PTFE to enhance the durability of the wax. I'm sure we could find more brand having PTFE inside their wax but I think the goal for Raceglaze was to beat the most-know swissvax shield or let say they are equal, Raceglaze would still be twice cheaper than Shield! So, let see if I think Raceglaze have what it takes.

Packaging:










Theses are the old jar-style and they are VERY WEAK. Probably the worst jar I've ever used and when you consider it's from Swissvax and the price they ask for it, you would prefer something better quality. One of my jar have a broken cap (that SV don't want to replace) and this one is craked at the jar but since it's a ''double jar'' it doesn't really matter.

On the Raceglaze end, the sample pot is quite cool and it might look very tiny but it was still quite easy to dip the yellow applicator inside the jar. However, I still think the 30ml with a wider jar wouldn't be a bad idea. I mean, I still managed to wax the car without having to get the wax with my hand and transfer it to the pad but I think 30ml is a great sample size  If I compare with the big 8oz jar RG55 I have, I can tell you the quality is there and I can't see myself stripping the tread like always happen on Swissvax jar. ( never tried the new-style jar tho!)

+1 Raceglaze ( comparing with the old-style jar)

Smell:

The old version of Shield smell pretty neutral, maybe a bit chemical. Now I think they added fragrance to it ? For raceglaze, it smell like pineapple, very much like Victoria Collector, in fact.

+2 Raceglaze ( comparing to the chemical old version)

First impression when touching the wax:

Swissvax: it's quite hard! Pretty much like Crystal Rock-level so it might be easier to use less. (= more application)
Raceglaze: A lot more soft, quite oily. I thought PTFE would make the wax harder but here it feel really soft, it melt to the touch almost instantly. So I'm thinking easier to spread but maybe I will use too much. It also look pretty similar to RG55 or Victoria wax.

+1 Swissvax ( I don't hate soft wax but I prefer the feeling of harder wax)

Application:

Swissvax: Like I thought, it need a bit more work to spread easily on the paint but it's management without too much troubles. It buff out like a breeze. I think that's a Swissvax signature, any wax I tried buff out easily ( maybe beside Mystery).

Raceglaze: Again like I thought, it spread sooooo easilyyy it's a breeze to apply! Leave it 10 minutes and buff; didn't felt any harder to remove, I heard some people saying raceglaze needs a bit more work but I think they let the wax cure for too long. I admit, if you leave the wax for 20 minutes or dry out in the sun, you will have a hard time buffing the wax but that,s also true with 50% of the 'nuba on the market.


















Neutral or a slight edge for Raceglaze if you don't let the wax dry on the paint.

Here's how much I used to do half of the car:




























Water behaviour:

Both being PTFE wax, I think it would be ''weird'' if they acted completely different right? So far, after 3 hours, they look EXACTLY the same. The only difference is that one is twice cheaper 

Shield on the left, 4x4 on the right



























Neutral. Same on both. They seems to sheet and bead quite well. We will see in a week or two if they repel dirt as well as they claim to.

Look department:

IMO, More of a glassy look for Shield where 4x4 has maybe a little more of a carnauba glow to it but to be honest, this is a gold/beige car, maybe it would show a bit better on darker color.













































































































So as a first impression, I think that Raceglaze is not only cheaper, smell better and spread easier but it's also twice cheaper. I also have RG55 and later on, I should try to review RG55 vs. 4x4. So far, I really like it, but I only have enough to do 2 car or 3 other half car !


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## -Raven- (Aug 26, 2010)

Looks great frankiman! It will be interesting to see how long these two last on the paint, and weather PTFE is just a red herring! 

I know my SV autobahn feels really slick, how are these two?


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## ronwash (Mar 26, 2011)

Thanx very much for the test.
i think ill order a couple of 4x4 samples,
we have to thank mark for doing those samples.
i like the fact that although raceglazes 4x4 is a PTFE for extended durability,
they still want it to look warm and wet!.


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## frankiman (Nov 12, 2011)

type[r]+ said:


> Looks great frankiman! It will be interesting to see how long these two last on the paint, and weather PTFE is just a red herring!
> 
> I know my SV autobahn feels really slick, how are these two?


You bet, I will ! Update should be done every month or so. I don't think anyone else have done this test before.

They feel more slick than the majority of the carnauba. ( Closer to the slickness of a sealant, guess it's the PTFE)



ronwash said:


> Thanx very much for the test.
> i think ill order a couple of 4x4 samples,
> we have to thank mark for doing those samples.
> i like the fact that although raceglazes 4x4 is a PTFE for extended durability,
> they still want it to look warm and wet!.


Your very welcome!
Exactly, the fact it's soft, I think that's all the oil in the wax.


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## s.bailey (Mar 2, 2012)

ronwash said:


> Thanx very much for the test.
> i think ill order a couple of 4x4 samples,
> we have to thank mark for doing those samples.
> i like the fact that although raceglazes 4x4 is a PTFE for extended durability,
> they still want it to look warm and wet!.


I thought PTFE was purely for the 'non-stick' aspect, how does it aid durability??


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## ronwash (Mar 26, 2011)

s.bailey said:


> I thought PTFE was purely for the 'non-stick' aspect, how does it aid durability??


I hope you dont treat your car as a frying pan..
in the kitchen it really used for its non- stick Features,
in the waxes Business it used for better durability and protection.


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## CraigQQ (Jan 20, 2011)

I haven't tried RG4x4 but was interested in it being a big shield/SV fan.

will try to keep an eye on your updates for this.

the newer shield smells of passionfruit/guava fruity smell same as best of show.

as for PTFE, you will find that the frying pans are coated at very high temperature.
to cure the PTFE you would need to heat the panel to over 300c, I'm fairly certain that the paint would burn off before then.

the PTFE in waxes is somewhat of a gimmick, but should aid in hydrophobicity due to the slick hydrophobic nature of PTFE while the wax remains on the car, but shouldn't extend the life of the wax by any.


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## frankiman (Nov 12, 2011)

CraigQQ said:


> I haven't tried RG4x4 but was interested in it being a big shield/SV fan.
> 
> will try to keep an eye on your updates for this.
> 
> ...


that's what I thought. hence why I said it was kind of a neutral position in the smell department.


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## frankiman (Nov 12, 2011)

UUUPPPPDAAATTTEEE! 2 WEEKS LATER:

The wax on the hood is almost done !! I should've put a coat of Collonite or sealant to see if this section would still be good after 2 weeks.

However, I have an excuse, when spring comes, I get lots of tree sap and leaf on the car so when it *rains for days*, you can imagine the stuff from the *leaf transferring to the paint* mixing it with my regular dust, road grime that I couldn't wash because it's already raining. So the test is under quite extreme condition..

I've read many reviews about shield, there's no way it should last 2 weeks nor 4x4. So, I really blame my trees problem in my driveway. I will have to redo the test in 2-3 weeks when that stuff stop going down! grrr

As you will see in the picture, it's mostly the hood tho, the rest of the car still bead/sheet quite well.

Also, let's note, to the defense of Raceglaze, I used SW cleaner fluid not racegalxe pre-wax cleaner and what I tried picturing here is that my garage is closer to the SV shield side, so what I often do is push the stuff off the car, but my hose is not long enought to do the whole car at this distance so I mostly push everything to the 4x4 side and let the shield side intact. I guess I will redo the test in 2-3 weeks like I said.

( I now wished I had put a coat of sealant or collonite to see if these would still be top shape)


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## ribvanrey (May 5, 2012)

Thanks for the comparison. It was a question that I pondered over. True it would be nice to know how Colli would have worked.
A nice follow-up would just Raceglaze with Colli.
Great stuff mate.


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## frankiman (Nov 12, 2011)

2months later, water still sheet well but doesn't bead as much ( to be expected, usually if it sheet, it doesn't bead much). Remember I told you the car had a tough time with the rain and tree fallout? It showed quite good when I saw my mirror were trying to turn grey (meaning there was oxidation and means that the wax isn't protecting anymore)

I think everyone will agree that Shield should last more than 2 months. Same goes for 4x4. So maybe my environnement was just too tough for any wax. So I decide to redo the test shield Vs. 4x4 and I expect this time to last more than 2 months!

In front of the car it was visible but for some reason, I couldn't capture it very well..

Shield side:









4x4:


















See does debris stuck on the paint ? It took me 30 minutes to remove! Remember when I say the car went trough tough times lol!









Even IronX couldn't do anything on them!


















Tool used:









Can I say that Raceglaze pre-wax is easier to remove than cleaner fluid? Applied the same but way easier to remove, less grappy.

And here some water behaviour pictures:






















































And here's the final picture after letting the wax cure 4 hours in the sun:









































































I actually applied shield on the rims, just for fun.


















That it for the upgraded reviews!


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## Yellow Dave (Apr 5, 2011)

Interesting to hear about he premature failure due to the tree sap, I experienced something similar with my zymol wax test. They were still present and resisting tar and iron when I stripped it all back this morning, the before the surface was very rough and spotty with sap that wouldn't wash off. Water behaviour was past its best after 4 weeks


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## frankiman (Nov 12, 2011)

Yellow Dave said:


> Interesting to hear about he premature failure due to the tree sap, I experienced something similar with my zymol wax test. They were still present and resisting tar and iron when I stripped it all back this morning, the before the surface was very rough and spotty with sap that wouldn't wash off. Water behaviour was past its best after 4 weeks


well after 2 month water behaviour wasnt like day 1 but still very good compared to most other wax out there. However, like I said, I noticed some slight oxydation starting on my mirroir. Since we have barely anymore tree sap, if the mirroir still oxyde within 2 months, then I will simply admit that my benchmark wasn't a good one.

I havent tried titanium but from what I read, shield/4x4 should last longer than tita.


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## frankiman (Nov 12, 2011)

Almost a month later, like 29 days apart.

its holding like day 1:




























This is my aquapel holding after 14 months. very good durability right there.


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