# Durability Test: Jescar Powerlock Plus versus Optimum Opti-Seal



## Sheep (Mar 20, 2009)

Greetings everyone!

As some of you know, I like doing tests. My RDX is currently running a 5 month long test between 13 different products, but my other car is due for some new protection. I received a bottle of Optimum Opti-Seal through the Auto Detailing subreddit Secret Santa this year, and was itching to put it on a car and test out what it can do. Through work, I have access to Jescar (formally Menzerna) Powerlock Plus sealant, which is a very popular and straight forward product in use.

The car in question is my 2018 Toyota Prius Prime which sees a lot of mileage as a commuter car, usually 6 days a week. I decided to start this test around 10:30pm last night, so prepping the whole car was out of the question, instead I am only running this test on the hood, divided down the middle. Preparation was carried out in a crude touchless wash using APC, followed by clay and then a hand polish using Optimum Hyper Polish in the spray bottle. Polish was worked in via a white Lake Country CCS hand applicator pad (lovely to use) before being buffed off with a deep pile MF towel. Hyper Polish only requires a damp MF to remove to an LSP ready state, but I decided to use IPA just to keep things safe and consistent with how many people prep cars these days. Once this was completed the tape was laid down and each side saw it's respective sealant, and left to cure over night. Optimum applies very thinly, only 2 sprits into the applicator was required, while a blob was used for Powerlock Plus.

Optimum Hyper Polish applied and worked in.
Optimum Opti-seal vs Jescar Power Lock plus by brianjosephson1, on Flickr

After Hyper Polish removal showing a clean, bare base.
Optimum Opti-seal vs Jescar Power Lock plus by brianjosephson1, on Flickr

Optimum Opti-seal vs Jescar Power Lock plus by brianjosephson1, on Flickr

Polish Applicator after buffing.
Optimum Opti-seal vs Jescar Power Lock plus by brianjosephson1, on Flickr

Jescar Powerlock Plus on the applicator.
Optimum Opti-seal vs Jescar Power Lock plus by brianjosephson1, on Flickr

After buffing one side of the hood.
Optimum Opti-seal vs Jescar Power Lock plus by brianjosephson1, on Flickr

Optimum Opti-Seal after application to the other side of the hood (not much to see here).
Optimum Opti-seal vs Jescar Power Lock plus by brianjosephson1, on Flickr

The Opti-Seal did what it says on the bottle, flashing off on it's own with no noticeable high spots.

Powerlock Plus curing away.
Optimum Opti-seal vs Jescar Power Lock plus by brianjosephson1, on Flickr

Optimum Opti-seal vs Jescar Power Lock plus by brianjosephson1, on Flickr

Optimum after a buff to make sure there were no high spots (none to be found).
Optimum Opti-seal vs Jescar Power Lock plus by brianjosephson1, on Flickr

Both sides after removal, tape still in place.
Optimum Opti-seal vs Jescar Power Lock plus by brianjosephson1, on Flickr

Driver side after removal, sorry focus didn't quite take.
Optimum Opti-seal vs Jescar Power Lock plus by brianjosephson1, on Flickr

Passenger side after removal.
Optimum Opti-seal vs Jescar Power Lock plus by brianjosephson1, on Flickr

This is right where the tape line was (flood light pin-point), after a quick buff to remove any residue between the sides. As you can see, not much of a difference (none actually) between the 2 sides, so I can't really say if either has a darkening effect. From my eye, both showing similar levels of gloss, and to be fair, it looked no different before or after sealant application (after buffing).
Optimum Opti-seal vs Jescar Power Lock plus by brianjosephson1, on Flickr

No beading shots at the moment, as it was getting late and both products needed to cure over night without getting wet. I again have purposely kept the "which is which" portion a secret, and will reveal after the first month update.

Edit!

I have water beading pictures, as well as sheeting videos for both panels now. The water was provided via a pump sprayer on it's mist setting (it makes it easy to make beads with this setting). I also poured out some water over each section to establish how well each side would sheet the panel dry. I also brought out the big camera for the photos, as the Iphone just isn't the same.

DS, melting Beads.
DSC_8472 by brianjosephson1, on Flickr

DS, Beads with more Depth of Field.
DSC_8475 by brianjosephson1, on Flickr

DS, Beads relative to finger size.
DSC_8476 by brianjosephson1, on Flickr

PS, Melting beads.
DSC_8478 by brianjosephson1, on Flickr

PS, Beads with more Depth of Field.
DSC_8480 by brianjosephson1, on Flickr

PS, Beads relative to finger size.
DSC_8483 by brianjosephson1, on Flickr

On to the videos, starting with the driver side.
Untitled by brianjosephson1, on Flickr

And the passenger side.
Untitled by brianjosephson1, on Flickr

Ok, first post complete. I will update in 1 month.

Thanks for looking!


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## Sheep (Mar 20, 2009)

First Month Update!

Ok, Christmas is over, time to get back to the test!

First things first, revealing which side is which. On the driver side is Jescar Powerlock Plus, and on the Passenger side is Optimum Opti-Seal.

Now that the cat is out of the bag, on to the results and photos/videos. I will say right off the bat that both products never seems to be crazy aggressive with their water behavior. They very much like the slow and steady route to water removal. That being said, the beading performance we saw on the initial day is basically gone. Both sections still feel smooth, and move water off the paint, but nothing like Sonax PNS would at this point.

Drive side after misting with a pump sprayer.
Untitled by brianjosephson1, on Flickr

Passenger side after misting with a pump sprayer.
Untitled by brianjosephson1, on Flickr

Videos!

Driver side sheeting dry.
Untitled by brianjosephson1, on Flickr

Passenger side sheeting dry.
Untitled by brianjosephson1, on Flickr

Based on what I've seen, it looks like Power Lock has a slight advantage with sheeting times, but it's pretty damn close.

Thanks for looking!


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## Sheep (Mar 20, 2009)

Reserved for 3 month Update.

Hey everyone!

Sorry for the lateness in the update, the weather really took a turn in February and washing was difficult to do, and I couldn't get accurate results.

I have beading photos and sheeting videos for you today, currently the videos are still uploading so I will post them a bit later.

As of right now, the performance is a good bit worse than the initial day, with the panels basically showing no beading, but they are still sheeting dry (albeit slowly).

Driver side - Powerlock Plus.
Untitled by brianjosephson1, on Flickr

Passenger side - Optimum Opti-Seal
Untitled by brianjosephson1, on Flickr

Think links might not work initially, if so I will correct when I get back to a a PC.
EDIT: Fixed.
EDIT2: Vidoes!

Sorry Forgot to get these posted. I ran into a lot of issues with Flickr over video uploads, a lot of them don't seem to work. Here is the 2 from that day showing sheeting with warm water (cold water is a fair bit slower).

Driver Side (Powerlock).
Untitled by brianjosephson1, on Flickr

Passenger Side (Opimum)
Untitled by brianjosephson1, on Flickr


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## Sheep (Mar 20, 2009)

Reserved for 3 month update.


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## Sheep (Mar 20, 2009)

Initial post updated with water beading photos and sheeting videos.


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## Fairtony (Mar 12, 2018)

in the final beading shots, which side was which? And could you see any differences between the two, as I cant see much difference in the pics.

Oh and is Jescar Power Lock the same product as "Menzerna Power Lock", but by a different name?


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## Sheep (Mar 20, 2009)

Fairtony said:


> in the final beading shots, which side was which? And could you see any differences between the two, as I cant see much difference in the pics.





> I again have purposely kept the "which is which" portion a secret, and will reveal after the first month update.


It's a secret for now. I don't like people putting their biases all over my tests. I didn't see any difference in person (also mentioned above), and the last photo before the beading shots is both sides in 1 shot (the flood light is right where the tape was), so it's pretty clear that after polishing neither product had any effect on visuals.



Fairtony said:


> Oh and is Jescar Power Lock the same product as "Menzerna Power Lock", but by a different name?





> I have access to Jescar (formally Menzerna) Powerlock Plus sealant


Yes, it appears that Menzerna is now owned by Jescar. I'm not sure if any products have changed, but they state that this is the same formula as the Menzerna version.


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## Joel93 (Feb 4, 2018)

Looking forward to seeing how they hold up over time.


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## lowejackson (Feb 23, 2006)

Watching with interest. If I had to guess I would think Jescar would last longer but lets see what happens.


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## Sheep (Mar 20, 2009)

lowejackson said:


> Watching with interest. If I had to guess I would think Jescar would last longer but lets see what happens.


I just gave the car it's first wash, seemed to be pretty even so far, maayybe a little slower to sheet dry on the passenger side, but can't say for sure.


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## iCraig (Aug 9, 2017)

FYI Jescar are just the US distributor for Menzerna polishes.


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## Sheep (Mar 20, 2009)

iCraig said:


> FYI Jescar are just the US distributor for Menzerna polishes.


Males sense, but it's also their name on the bottle, so this is not technically a Menzerna product now.


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## WristyManchego (Sep 9, 2018)

Sheep said:


> Males sense, but it's also their name on the bottle, so this is not technically a Menzerna product now.


Menzerna white label their products dude. You can call them whatever you want with the right dollars.


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## Sheep (Mar 20, 2009)

WristyManchego said:


> Menzerna white label their products dude. You can call them whatever you want with the right dollars.


Yep, and in this case it's Jescar Powerlock Plus.


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## Sheep (Mar 20, 2009)

First month update


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## Sheep (Mar 20, 2009)

Second (Technically 3rd) Month Update! Sorry for delay!


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## Sheep (Mar 20, 2009)

Updated 3rd month with videos, forgot to add them before.


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## Bigpikle (May 21, 2007)

interesting test - I've used Opti Seal for over 10 years and its an amazing product. It goes on every surface except fabric - brilliant glass cleaner and LSP, paint, plastic, ruber, interiors, wheels, works as a great drying aid.... I'd never be without a bottle, and the speed of application makes it an obvious choice for big vehicles or when time is short.

I suspect you've hit the ed of its useful life though, especially in harsh winter weather. I dont use it as a standalone LSP in winter as I need more life when I dont detail the car for 4-5 months usually, so I wouldnt expect much more from it now. Its so easy to apply that it doesnt really matter for me though, as even my huge SUV can be done in under 5 mins and walk away


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## Sheep (Mar 20, 2009)

Bigpikle said:


> interesting test - I've used Opti Seal for over 10 years and its an amazing product. It goes on every surface except fabric - brilliant glass cleaner and LSP, paint, plastic, ruber, interiors, wheels, works as a great drying aid.... I'd never be without a bottle, and the speed of application makes it an obvious choice for big vehicles or when time is short.
> 
> I suspect you've hit the ed of its useful life though, especially in harsh winter weather. I dont use it as a standalone LSP in winter as I need more life when I dont detail the car for 4-5 months usually, so I wouldnt expect much more from it now. Its so easy to apply that it doesnt really matter for me though, as even my huge SUV can be done in under 5 mins and walk away


Totally agree. From what I read the useful life is 2-3 months depending, which is well past that now. I was a bit surprised with Jescar though. I thought it would have stronger performance at this point (mind you the weather has been really bad). I will probably put both on a car soon enough and see how they do on their own on all sections. I was a bit surprised by the price of Opti-Seal, but then I realized that one bottle will outlast me and then it was put back into perspective.


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## lloydrm (May 6, 2019)

Sheep said:


> Totally agree. From what I read the useful life is 2-3 months depending, which is well past that now. I was a bit surprised with Jescar though. *I thought it would have stronger performance at this point* (mind you the weather has been really bad). I will probably put both on a car soon enough and see how they do on their own on all sections. I was a bit surprised by the price of Opti-Seal, but then I realized that one bottle will outlast me and then it was put back into perspective.


I thought PL was doing a better job and holding up better.


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## jcooper5083 (Jun 10, 2018)

Great write up and test - loving those beads.


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