# Biggest Wax Test Ever



## Finerdetails

Its taken some time in the making, and waiting for time allowance and the right day of weather hasn't helped things either.

What I would like to start by doing, is to start by thanking those persons who have helped me in this mission.

Jon - Epoch
Alex - Serious Performance
Ben - Rubbish Boys
Dom - Dodo
Mike - mickeystman
Rob - Gleam machine
Brian - Drive n Shine
Dom - Meguiars

What these guys help me to do was put together the following for this test:

Swissvax Divine
Swissvax Mystery
Swissvax Best of Show
Swissvax Concourso
Swissvax Saphir
Swissvax Onyx
***** Royale
***** Vintage
***** Glasur
***** Carbon
Collinite 845IW
Collinite 915
Collinite 476s
Nattys Blue
Nattys White
Rubbish Boys Orginal
Rubbish Boys Dodo Juice
Dodo Super Natural
Dodo Blue Velvet
Dodo Purple Haze
Dodo Rainforest Rub
Vic Concours (red)
Autoglym High Definition Wax
Finish Klare Pink Wax
Espuma Revive
Autosmart Cherry Glaze
Meguiars NXT





































First job was to get the horsbox washed with Activo:





































Next job was to clean and prep the paint, using Duraseal and an MF pad. ALL done by hand!










Once the prep was done it was time to start marking out some test beds:














































Each wax applied with a clean foam pad. Each wax left for 30mins to cure. Each wax removed with a clean MF cloth.

Tape removed and glue lines left:



















I have deliberately left the tape gaps and lines to help differentiate the areas for each wax. I aim to be checking the durability at the start of each month. I may even take a DW NW member on each occasion as witness.

And final full scale shots:



















Not a bad afternoon's graft!

Best subscribe to this thread so you dont misss the updates! 

*Update 26.7.08*

Well I finally got round to getting back and checking up on progress. Not the best day with the heat, but at least it wasn't doing the massive big fat rain we have had sooo much of since I applied all the waxes.

The waxes have now been in place for one month. Pics of dusty Horsebox:




























I firstly gave the area a rinse with the P/W before spraying a layer of Ph Neutral Snowfoam over for washing:










Then rinsed off and checked the various sections as I did:



















A reminder of what is where:










So any has happened?

Both Autosmart Cherry Glaze and the Espuma Revive have all but failed. There is some evidence of some remianing protection, but not enough that I could tell a csutomer their car had wax on it. We have our first two drop outs. This, if I am being honest, is exactly what I expected to see and thus confirms the rpogress to date and planned approach of comparing on the same panel area.

The rest of the waxes are all much of a muchness, and will need more time to see how they perform. This is with the exception of three waxes awhich displayed a lessing level and I feel will be shown up at the next update end of August time.

*Updated Start of Sept 08*
Through July we have had some mega weather, huge downpours, then bright sunshine, great fot he pushing of the LSps and the waxes to test their determination against the elements.

Some before pics:




























Then washed and rinsed off. We now have a huge noticable area where a group of waxes have all failed:




























So, lets confirm the state of play after two months.

Month one saw Revive and Cherry Glaze drop out - as expected and so no shocks.
This month we have said goodbye to:
Finish Kare Pink Wax
NXT Liquid
Dodo Blue Velvet
Dodo Rainforest Rub, and
Dodo Supernatural.

I have to say, I am completely shocked and would not have put any of these four to fail at the two month stage. Lets see what the next month brings!

Iain

slightly later than I would have hoped, but FD commitments must come first!

So, 8.10.08 - end ish of month three.

Drop outs? None to speak of.
On the being watched very carefully list as things aint looking too healthy:

1- Nattys White
2- Nattys Blue
3 - AG HD wax
4- Swissvax Onyx
and.....

5- Collinite 476s!! I'm gob smacked to say the least!

Lets see what end of Oct brings, I will try to be on track next time 

review number 4!

Test start date 30.6.08. Reviews taken at 26.7.08, 1.9.08, 8.10.08 and today 1.11.08.

Over the months I've watched these waxes moving and doing their work, and I was kinda hoping we'd be slowing down with numbers by now, the weather has become harder, so I'm finding time and effort more difficult. But, on with the show!

Drop outs? no, we are still seeing protection from those remianing, although I have seen an increase in the number of waxes which must be watched very carefully at the next review. These include:

NXT Paste wax
Victoria Concours
Nattys white
Nattys Blue
Z Royale
Z Glasur
Z Carbon
Swissvax Onyx
Swissvax Saphir.

All wxes now stand at four months durability.

I have watched the Nattys and Onyx from last month when they entered my watch list and they have deteriorated slightly, but are still protected for now.

*12.1.09*

OK guys, time has pasted, we have seen one of the coldest and longest periods of weather since 1986, apparently.....

Review, 12th January 2009:

The last review was start of Nov, and today was a huge task just to wash the horsebox, I used over 175 litres!

Test orignally started 30th June 2008. Reviews took place at 26th July, 1st Spet, 8th Oct and 1st Nov 2008.

After 6 and 1/2 months, the following waxes are still protecting the paintwork:

Autoglym Hi Def
Collinite 915 Marque D'Elegance
Nattys White & Blue
RaceGlaze 55
Swissvax Divine, Mystery, BoS and Concourso
Victoria Concours
***** Vintage and Glasur

So there you have it, my final list of what lasted over six months in very extreme conditions too.

I am sorry to say I shall not be conducting any further reviews, the time is no longer available. Due to the amopunt of failures and the appearance of the horsebox there is also now a need to get it all stripped back and restored to its previous glory.

Thank you to everyone who has followed this, and I hope it has proved as useful to you, as it has to me.


----------



## Gleammachine

Thanks for taking time to do this test Iain and look forward to the results.

ps, you missed V/Concours of the list.


----------



## Phil H

subscribed mate! great test.


----------



## Silva1

:thumb:

looking foward for the results


----------



## mouthyman

excellent work, i look forward to the future updates


----------



## 1996a6v6

Nice idea, I look forward to seeing the results :thumb:


----------



## RaceGlazer

No 55 on there either !!


----------



## ahaydock

Look forward to the results.


----------



## Dave KG

Interesting test there, be good to see the results


----------



## Epoch

Nice one Iain, glad you got this off the ground

You wern't kidding about having a nice flat panel area for the test!

I shall watch with interest


----------



## Bigpikle

nice one Iain - that is a monster to have to detail monthly :doublesho

I cant wait for people to start jumping in explaining why 1 square is a less valid test than some of the others :lol:


----------



## Guest

Will be watching.

How long are you giving them before next wash?

Will it just get a foam/shampoo?


----------



## n12 jlk

looking forward to seeing how Z y m o l carbon comes out as thats what I use on my Mini.


----------



## Auto Finesse

WoooooW not bad mate, we often see 4 maybe 6 waxes tested but you got the lot on there, i guess its every one coming around to the fact that once you get to the decent waxes the case is "wax is wax" would have been nice to throw a sealant or 2 i the mix just to see if they do live longer?


----------



## Finerdetails

matt1263 said:


> Will be watching.
> 
> How long are you giving them before next wash?
> 
> Will it just get a foam/shampoo?


next wash will be one month away. onthly washes with evaluation at that stage.


----------



## Grim Reaper

Cant wait for the outcome of this.


----------



## Envy Car Care

Very ambitious Mr Brown and to be commended Look forward to reading updates...


----------



## Slewey

Great test! :thumb:
Looking forward for updates!


----------



## glyn waxmaster

Well done Iain, looking forward to the results


----------



## *MAGIC*

This looks like fun.

Robbie


----------



## alanjo99

Serious bit of waxing going on there Iain !
Will be interesting to see the results.


----------



## Summit Detailing

Awesome!, look forward to the updates on this one matey

...just don't lose the bit of paper showing where each wax is!


----------



## Wash'n'Go

Never mind the waxing can I ask you where you got the wash mitt type brush from or is it homemade? Thanks


----------



## S-X-I

Great idea for the wax test, it will be good to see how each one performs down the line.


----------



## visor

looking forward to the result, nice1 :thumb:


----------



## Finerdetails

Wash'n'Go said:


> Never mind the waxing can I ask you where you got the wash mitt type brush from or is it homemade? Thanks


its a kent long handle wash brush with some Costco noodle wash mitt add ons


----------



## SiGainey

Great test and respect for wanting to do it  :thumb:


----------



## Alan W

Wow, just found this! That's me subscribed then! :lol:

Great test Ian and I, like everyone else, look forward to seeing the results. 

It'll be interesting to see how some of the old skool waxes compare with the more recent ones.

Alan W


----------



## Finerdetails

we might have a late entry add on too


----------



## vindaloo

Great test Iain & like everyone else really looking forward to seeing the results. Thanks for spending your time on this.


----------



## Finerdetails

cheers fella


----------



## Dan_V6

excellent test, will be good to see the results. Thats me subscribed


----------



## Wash'n'Go

Finerdetails said:


> its a kent long handle wash brush with some Costco noodle wash mitt add ons


Thanks Iain


----------



## admg1

Excellent idea this :thumb:
Looking forward to seeing the results and i'll bet there will be a few surprises in store.


----------



## Planet Man

Nice work. Subscribed:thumb:


----------



## Finerdetails

I'm as interested at the next person, some real surprises I'm sure!


----------



## scotland21

look forward to the results :thumb:


----------



## Sonic

Absolute quality!

Subscribed and looking forward to the first instalment :thumb:


----------



## Finerdetails

I've spent a few mins early this morning looking at the panels. There is a visual difference already in two side by side waxes!!!


----------



## Fursecul

That's real hardcore dedication 

Top job fella :thumb:


----------



## Curtiz

Superb! Subscribed to this thread, cant wait to see the results 

Nice work mate, kudos to you!


----------



## RB320~067

thats one top job

interested in seeing results


----------



## TwinSport

I'm looking forward to your results. 
What will I buy next?  

Thanks for testing and sharing!!


Sebastian


----------



## jamest

Same. Be interesting to see if any have durability that stands up above the rest.


----------



## rushy

Great idea, a sure fire way for us less experienced waxologists to gain some useful info for when we buy our next wax.


----------



## Robbieben

Nice work Iain and a great testbed, looking forward to the results of the test.

You do realise that you now need to use the otherside as a testbed for sealants:thumb:


----------



## iam5p4m

Robbieben said:


> Nice work Iain and a great testbed, looking forward to the results of the test.
> 
> You do realise that you now need to use the otherside as a testbed for sealants:thumb:


Great idea


----------



## Finerdetails

Robbieben said:


> Nice work Iain and a great testbed, looking forward to the results of the test.
> 
> You do realise that you now need to use the otherside as a testbed for sealants:thumb:


wouldnt be too difficult to do at this point....... mmmmm shall I???


----------



## Robbieben

Finerdetails said:


> wouldnt be too difficult to do at this point....... mmmmm shall I???


Oooops what have I started:lol:


----------



## baseballlover1

MAybe we should set up 2 other threads with people voting to who they think wil win with durability and also looks. Like a poll. Who knows, since it is a horse trailer. Maybe we can take some bets... ok bad idea haha


----------



## baasb

That's an interesting test you are performing there, i'm looking forward to the durability of them!

Thanx:buffer:


----------



## silverback

subscribed


----------



## Chris_4536

Cool test FD :thumb:

Subs'd


----------



## Team

subscribed


----------



## Planet Man

I am, like others looking forward to the test results on this topic. However I have a question...

What type of paint are we looking at on this vehicle? Is it coach paint, as in the sort of stuff painted on said vehicles and also has it got a clearcoat layer?

If it is the latter I would imagine the results would give the majority a good indication as to a top wax that they may add to their collections.:thumb:


----------



## R31Heaven

I was looking for a shine comparison as durability is left to my sealant and the wax is the bling, is there one in this test?


----------



## Finerdetails

QUIXXMAN said:


> I am, like others looking forward to the test results on this topic. However I have a question...
> 
> What type of paint are we looking at on this vehicle? Is it coach paint, as in the sort of stuff painted on said vehicles and also has it got a clearcoat layer?
> 
> If it is the latter I would imagine the results would give the majority a good indication as to a top wax that they may add to their collections.:thumb:


lacquered paint, just like you find on cars.


----------



## Finerdetails

R31Heaven said:


> I was looking for a shine comparison as durability is left to my sealant and the wax is the bling, is there one in this test?


we'll have to see if there are any differences over time. The sections are so close I should be able to tell, as I can on two side by side waxes already!!!!


----------



## Chris_4536

Just out of intertest, what shampoo will be used during each wash?


----------



## Finerdetails

prob one of my Ph neutral ones, yet to decide which


----------



## wayne840

Great experiment, subscribed


----------



## Planet Man

Finerdetails said:


> lacquered paint, just like you find on cars.


Nice one:thumb:

We are having some great weather to check out durability


----------



## Finerdetails

thanks

yeah, the weather is certainly proving testing thats for sure!


----------



## Xorro

What a great idea this is!

Subscribed


----------



## toni

This might be of interest to whom hasn't yet seen it: http://www.autopia.org/forum/detail...sealant-durability-shootout-muliple-pics.html


----------



## Finerdetails

thanks, I've just pasted this post across onto Autopia for them to read


----------



## Chris_4536

Just don't sell the horsebox after 2 weeks like the guy with the Jeep on Autopia did! :lol::lol:

...numpty!


----------



## welsh-andy

Chris_4536 said:


> Just don't sell the horsebox after 2 weeks like the guy with the Jeep on Autopia did! :lol::lol:
> 
> ...numpty!


:lol::lol:
great test, cant wait for results:thumb:


----------



## Finerdetails

might be in for an update this morning.....


----------



## Chris_4536

...or maybe not!! :lol:


----------



## Finerdetails

weather is proving a nightmare at the mo...

spending enough time managing the diary without the extra none paying stuff taking over!


----------



## mouthyman

Finerdetails said:


> weather is proving a nightmare at the mo...
> 
> spending enough time managing the diary without the extra none paying stuff taking over!


at the the waxes will have a good test :lol:


----------



## Chris_4536

We understand mate :thumb:


...but we are also waiting for our pic-whorering update session  :lol:


----------



## Finerdetails

still not got near the H/B at all, and wont get near it until maybe a week on Monday (28th)


----------



## Chris_4536

Oooooh, you tease :lol::lol:

No worries man :thumb:


----------



## andyboygsi

thats an in depth test that is


----------



## Finerdetails

update added to main thread and here to help record date of review:

*Update 26.7.08*

Well I finally got round to getting back and checking up on progress. Not the best day with the heat, but at least it wasn't doing the massive big fat rain we have had sooo much of since I applied all the waxes.

The waxes have now been in place for one month. Pics of dusty Horsebox:




























I firstly gave the area a rinse with the P/W before spraying a layer of Ph Neutral Snowfoam over for washing:










Then rinsed off and checked the various sections as I did:



















A reminder of what is where:










So any has happened?

Both Autosmart Cherry Glaze and the Espuma Revive have all but failed. There is some evidence of some remianing protection, but not enough that I could tell a customer their car had wax on it. We have our first two drop outs. This, if I am being honest, is exactly what I expected to see and thus confirms the progress to date and planned approach of comparing on the same panel area.

The rest of the waxes are all much of a muchness, and will need more time to see how they perform. This is with the exception of three waxes which displayed a lessening level and I feel will be shown up at the next update end of August time.


----------



## vindaloo

Great work Iain, very interesting, keep the updates coming:thumb:


----------



## Neil_M

Yes indeed, keep the updates comming. Thanks again for spending the time to do this.

Go 915 is all I can say! Fingers crossed for it.


----------



## RefinedDetails

this is the definition of dedication to the detailing nation! subscribed.


----------



## Finerdetails

thanks guys, I think the next couple of months will be the times where it gets interesting....


----------



## glyn waxmaster

Great work Iain, keeping us topped up on the info. I would agree that the next couple of months will be interesting.


----------



## Zetec-SS

looking forward to see how the dodo, swiss and collinite get on.

it would be much appreciated if you could update on your original post to save us from finding the pages etc.

thanks


----------



## Finerdetails

Zetec-SS said:


> looking forward to see how the dodo, swiss and collinite get on.
> 
> it would be much appreciated if you could update on your original post to save us from finding the pages etc.
> 
> thanks


I will do, I also post the update into its norrmal reply to show the date it was done.


----------



## dubbers

Great test of the waxes - looking forward to see how they perform over the weeks/months.


----------



## Zetec-SS

Finerdetails said:


> I will do, I also post the update into its norrmal reply to show the date it was done.


nice one mate


----------



## Guest

*Subscribed*



Zetec-SS said:


> nice one mate


:wave:
Thank you for bumping this thread. I heard about the test, but don't do a search for 'wax test'. It takes too long to try to find this thread!!!

You have 2 other sides to that Horse Trailer. Perhaps on the back end you could do a sealant test and on the other side, a test of wax's that other people in this thread suggest.

One question: How is the trailer left in the elements? Test side exposed daily to the sun? Outdoors 24/7?


----------



## PJS

Cyclo said:


> :wave:
> Thank you for bumping this thread. I heard about the test, but don't do a search for 'wax test'. It takes too long to try to find this thread!!!
> 
> You have 2 other sides to that Horse Trailer. Perhaps on the back end you could do a sealant test and on the other side, a test of wax's that other people in this thread suggest.
> 
> One question: How is the trailer left in the elements? Test side exposed daily to the sun? Outdoors 24/7?


Sealants are/will be going on the other side - there's a thread about that as well.


----------



## Finerdetails

Cyclo said:


> :wave:
> Thank you for bumping this thread. I heard about the test, but don't do a search for 'wax test'. It takes too long to try to find this thread!!!
> 
> You have 2 other sides to that Horse Trailer. Perhaps on the back end you could do a sealant test and on the other side, a test of wax's that other people in this thread suggest.
> 
> One question: How is the trailer left in the elements? Test side exposed daily to the sun? Outdoors 24/7?


as mentioned, sealants are planned and awaiting to be put on the other side - weather is the problem stopping it. When I do get a dry day I have jobs waiting to be completed so the H/B isnt the top priority.

The H/B is outside 24/7 and gets sun equally on all sides due to its location.


----------



## trykkertor

Can you write up a bit about how the waxes are to work with?

My self I don't have much wax experience. It's down to a few Turtles, an Auto Glym, and last week I tries Meguiars NXT for the first time (bottled one).
The Meguiars NXT is the most pleasent wax I have ever applied, but for me it was a bit of pain to get buffed up. (I use no machines. Hands only as I am totally new to Car Detailing and have not invested on machinerey yet.)


----------



## Jen

liking this test, good on you for doing it. Looking forward to seeing the results


----------



## trykkertor

Any updates soon?


----------



## Finerdetails

its due tomorrow/Monday  end of each month.


----------



## Alan W

Finerdetails said:


> its due tomorrow/Monday  end of each month.


And this update (2 months) should start to tell us a thing or two! 

A wonder if a few myths will be broken and a few surprises found?

Looking forward to the update Ian! :thumb:

Alan W


----------



## Neil_M

Im hoping some of the cheaper stuff shows the bigger names how things are done .


----------



## Chris_4536

Looking forward to this :thumb:


----------



## trykkertor

I'm just hoping Meguiar's NXT prove to be as ****ty as my experience with it is.
Barley holding on my car for 2 weeks.
What did I do wrong...... What did I do wrong?


----------



## Finerdetails

*Updated Start of Sept 08*
Through July we have had some mega weather, huge downpours, then bright sunshine, great fot he pushing of the LSps and the waxes to test their determination against the elements.

Some before pics:




























Then washed and rinsed off. We now have a huge noticable area where a group of waxes have all failed:




























So, lets confirm the state of play after two months.

Month one saw Revive and Cherry Glaze drop out - as expected and so no shocks.
This month we have said goodbye to:
Finish Kare Pink Wax
NXT Liquid
Dodo Blue Velvet
Dodo Rainforest Rub, and
Dodo Supernatural.

I have to say, I am completely shocked and would not have put any of these four to fail at the two month stage. Lets see what the next month brings!

Iain


----------



## SimonW

Dodo Juice out is very interesting!! especially SN out at the same time is the lesser waxes


----------



## jamest

Is it possible that they are still protecting but not beading anymore?


----------



## Finerdetails

jamest said:


> Is it possible that they are still protecting but not beading anymore?


they are like for like with the control areas, where there is no protection.


----------



## jedi-knight83

on what basis are you judging them as out?


----------



## rfmatt

Very very interesting that the Dodo's are out except for the Rubbish Boys etc, can't wait to see which comes out of top! Great effort


----------



## Finerdetails

jedi-knight83 said:


> on what basis are you judging them as out?


on the basis that they are no longer protecting the paintwork. Look at the pics, you can see for yourself.


----------



## Guest

That shows they have lost beading ability, not protection.

Just going by what has been stated by B-H and Dodo before now.

:thumb:


----------



## jamest

matt1263 said:


> That shows they have lost beading ability, not protection.
> 
> Just going by what has been stated by B-H and Dodo before now.
> 
> :thumb:


Exactly I remember someone at B-H commenting that beading doesn't equal protection in the case of AB, although I don't know how else you would test it.


----------



## SimonW

matt1263 said:


> That shows they have lost beading ability, not protection


So how do you judge protection?


----------



## Dodo Factory

Just FYI, Dodo Supernatural is currently a newer recipe, and the current range is being revised (hard waxes are already a next generation). So to be fair, these may be older recipes being tested.

It is also a matter of fact that we have had up to 5 months of durability (subjectively)reported from Supernatural v1, so 2 months is a little below expectation. Two months is about right for the standard range, but the newer versions will have increased durability as these will be based on the outgoing Supernatural recipe.


----------



## jedi-knight83

exactly. the picture of the paint with no beading on a vertical panel..... in my eyes the less water on the panel the better. Infact the fact the panel is more hydrophobic would suggest more protection surely?

After 4 months of vintage on my S3 the beading droped away but wash after wash it looked amazing and the water still sheeted off fine.


----------



## Bigpikle

is that NXT v1 or v2?

interesting results so far, but how we determine whether protection is present or not is always a difficult question....

My thoughts are that IF there was beading for a while and then it disappears, then SOMETHING must have changed/disappeared on the surface of the paintwork to trigger the change in beading behaviour. Whether that means protection has been lost or not I have no idea - but SOMETHING HAS CHANGED...


----------



## jedi-knight83

just want to point out that im not panning this test... infact its a very good idea and good you have kept it up.. i have started a few similar but never kept up with the results.

Personally if the water is beading or sheeting from the panel then this is sign of some kind of protection. if the water is just sitting on the panel and not going anywhere then in my eyes that is when the protection has all gone.


----------



## Guest

As above.

Think its fantastic of Iain doing this and keeping on top of it.

But how do you test wax properly?


----------



## nicp2007

i'm guessing there was water left in these area's that are now classed as out or some sign of water not being repelled properly,

ian knows his stuff and knows what he's talking about so i doubt he has come to these conclusions on a whim.

even though i am gutted now having just bought Blue velvet and Diamond white last month,


----------



## Dodo Factory

I wouldn't be gutted, they are still extremely good waxes. As much as Iain's test is interesting it is just one report of many that come to our attention. You will have different formulas to the ones tested in any case.


----------



## nicp2007

Dodo Factory said:


> I wouldn't be gutted, they are still extremely good waxes. As much as Iain's test is interesting it is just one report of many that come to our attention. You will have different formulas to the ones tested in any case.


i did't mean i'm gutted i bought them, i am more gutted about the result as i was expecting them to last far longer,

i'm more than happy with them as i use them more for looks than protection anyways so it defonatly would't put me off :thumb:


----------



## Dodo Factory

See how long they last for you  To be honest, 6-8 weeks is about right for the recipes Iain was testing apart from Supernatural v1, which should last at least 8-12 weeks. We have had reports of 15 weeks and longer.

But we're always disappointed if our waxes seem to undeperform in any test, objective, subjective, old recipes or not. It's why we keep improving them


----------



## trykkertor

Then it's confirmed for me.
NXT was no good.
It's the first "new" wax I've tried after comming out from my "Turtle World", and with NXT I was not at all satisfied.

Thanks for the confirmation.
I've got a brand new box og AG HD on my shelf, ready for application.


----------



## Bigpikle

trykkertor said:


> Then it's confirmed for me.
> *NXT was no good*.
> It's the first "new" wax I've tried after comming out from my "Turtle World", and with NXT I was not at all satisfied.
> 
> Thanks for the confirmation.
> I've got a brand new box og AG HD on my shelf, ready for application.


I think that you're being a little extreme with your comment there TBH... NXT (v1 or 2?) showed beading for between 4-8 weeks in this test. I think thats pretty impressive for a £15 bottle/tub of wax, that is easy to apply and looks superb. That still means you only need to apply it 2-3 times to last easily from spring through summer.

I wouldnt be choosing it as my winter wax, but NXT 2.0 looks easily as good on my dark red met. Audi as BoS, RG55 or Zym Glasur, and they cost 5-7x as much and still need topping up almost as frequently


----------



## nicp2007

Dodo Factory said:


> See how long they last for you  To be honest, 6-8 weeks is about right for the recipes Iain was testing apart from Supernatural v1, which should last at least 8-12 weeks. We have had reports of 15 weeks and longer.
> 
> But we're always disappointed if our waxes seem to undeperform in any test, objective, subjective, old recipes or not. It's why *we keep improving them *


as long as u don't change the smells, :lol:


----------



## Auto Finesse

There are some relly good Lines left from the tape from when you put the waxes on, good on you for keeping this going mate, bit miffed at SN as i usualy get 8-12 out of it, but always 2 coats so maybe thats why ???

The SV waxes seem to bead lovely in those pics


----------



## tdm

:thumb:well done Iain on doing this test, very interesting results.


----------



## Trip tdi

Excellent work


----------



## PJS

Finerdetails said:


> on the basis that they are no longer protecting the paintwork. Look at the pics, you can see for yourself.


As per the link below, it would seem you're basing your summation upon visual characteristics alone.
Do you have a decent sized piece of high density foam to drag across the separate wet test sections, to see if any of them squeak?



exotic detail said:


> So how do you judge protection?


http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=35394&highlight=squeak+test&page=2
And page 3 (depending on your settings in User CP)



Bigpikle said:


> My thoughts are that IF there was beading for a while and then it disappears, then SOMETHING must have changed/disappeared on the surface of the paintwork to trigger the change in beading behaviour. Whether that means protection has been lost or not I have no idea - but SOMETHING HAS CHANGED...


Surface tension has changed - whether by lack of wax, or change in wax properties.
Maybe any wax remaining has started to breakdown/age, hence change in properties.
And that's before you start taking into consideration bonded/embedded contaminants.



jedi-knight83 said:


> Personally if the water is beading or sheeting from the panel then this is sign of some kind of protection. if the water is just sitting on the panel and not going anywhere then in my eyes that is when the protection has all gone.


Hard to have water just sit on a vertical panel in any meaningful way unlike an angled one.
Remember water beads just fine on bare paintwork, when suitably cleansed.


----------



## Brisa

Fair enough there may be some protection left but in general people would just call it dead when the visual signs of protection are gone! I know for one this is when I would be looking to top up!

Good work Ian, will keep checking back.


----------



## ELBOW GREASE

top notch work. that is a real labor of love.


----------



## Finerdetails

Some interesting debates going on, I've left this overnight to see what new commenst came in. I was expecting some of the commensta dn questions which have been raised so no shakes.

Dom - greatly appreciate your time and objective input into the posts. thank you.

From my point of view, if I was detailing a customer's car (paid to do so) and I saw the results we are seeing, I would be re-appyling wax once the visual signs of water beading have gone. Why?

Customers see that when the car is freshly waxed the water runs off and beads away. Over time they see this lessen, and thus we see the car stay dirtier, become harder to clean and generally deteriorate from the original waxed look/appearance.

The test its self is aimed to be as objective as possible. I knew some of these waxes were going to fail at 2mths as they showed signs of reduction at month one! Take from this, that when completing month two review I have an idea what we are likely to see at month three 

There have been many comments regarding I should do this, or do that. The test and mehtods stay as they are - I am not changing anything mid test. More to the point, its time consuming enough AND I'm still trying to find time and the weather to get the 45+ sealants on the other side!!!

Thank you to the acknowledgements of the time and effort, we shall see how much longer we go as each month passes, going off a recent comparison I got the waxes are are holding up better on the H/B than one did on a car. More info on that one when that particular wax joins the list....

Iain


----------



## ads2k

Keep up the good work on this test Iain  your doing a grand job.

I look forward to the next one.


----------



## Dodo Factory

I wish the pics were a little clearer... I would have loved some more detailed panel by panel shots of the beading (as Iain is using this to judge the 'change' to the surface characteristics).

For example, this shot here showing where 'a group of waxes has failed' at 8 weeks is actually showing the Revive panel in close detail (which failed in month one), assuming I read the panel chart correctly? Onyx is beading to the left of the failed Revive panel, but it looks like Blue Velvet is also beading beneath it?










Not criticising or questioning, just a little confused and frustrated as more shots would be helpful  I'd also forgotten that Dodo RB Juiced Edition is still in the running.


----------



## Jesse74

Finerdetails said:


> This month we have said goodbye to:
> Finish Kare Pink Wax
> NXT Liquid
> Dodo Blue Velvet
> Dodo Rainforest Rub, and
> Dodo Supernatural.
> 
> I have to say, I am completely shocked and would not have put any of these four to fail at the two month stage. Lets see what the next month brings!
> 
> Iain


Thank you for the in-depth testing and write up; it's very useful! I have to say that I'm a bit shocked as well about the DoDo's becoming extinct so quickly. I had higher hopes for them .


----------



## Dodo Factory

Some older Dodo recipes have appeared to become extinct... they aren't the current recipes of Supernatural, Blue Velvet or Rainforest Rub and the Juiced Edition is still 'going' on the test.

It would also be nice to have a few more shot of beading (or lack of it) on the affected panels when Iain next does a report, as the one above seems to show Revive.

So let's keep things in perspective.


----------



## Dave KG

This is a very interesting test, many thanks to Iain for carrying it out.

Re: the beading however, I stand by what I have long said - you simply cannot use this as a sole means by which to judge the protection level (or lack thereof). It shows the water repellancy of the panel, nothing more, nothing less... It can be used to _infer some_ information but I would be very hesitant to read it as a full story as it can and often is very misleading indeed.

Yes, a wax increases the beading level and then once this bneading changes it is a reasonable assumption to suggest the wax is gone... But is it really? All one can really take from this is that the surface properties have changed, and this may well be the surface properties of the wax rather than it fading, the pick up of contamination etc... It can also be a _degrading_ of the surface of the wax (UV damage for example), but the wax may very well still be there - reduce the "smoothness" of a surface, waxed or not, and the beading will reduce with it. By the same virtue, a change in sheeting can also be used to _infer_ *some* information but must be used in conjunction with other means of testing IMHO as it may well be the wax layer itself changine its properties.

Personally, I find using the squeak test in conjunction with water behavious a much more fail safe method of assessing... are you doing this too, Iain? Any corellations between panels squeaking and the ones you are saying have failed?? This in my eyes would certainly strengthen the cases you are putting forward here.

Furthermore, if one was to take completely clean paint free of any protection but very smooth - it would bead water. Perfectly clean, unprotected paint beads and sheets rather well... So prescenece of beds alone is no indication at all, and changing in water behavious to me only indicates a change in surface properties but does not on its own indicate "loss" of the wax on the surface.

My thoughts for what they are worth. Not knocking the test, its very good that you take the time Iain, simply outlining my thoughts on the assessment of the results.


----------



## Dave KG

Finerdetails said:


> Some interesting debates going on, I've left this overnight to see what new commenst came in. I was expecting some of the commensta dn questions which have been raised so no shakes.
> 
> Dom - greatly appreciate your time and objective input into the posts. thank you.
> 
> *From my point of view, if I was detailing a customer's car (paid to do so) and I saw the results we are seeing, I would be re-appyling wax once the visual signs of water beading have gone. Why?
> 
> Customers see that when the car is freshly waxed the water runs off and beads away. Over time they see this lessen, and thus we see the car stay dirtier, become harder to clean and generally deteriorate from the original waxed look/appearance.*
> 
> The test its self is aimed to be as objective as possible. I knew some of these waxes were going to fail at 2mths as they showed signs of reduction at month one! Take from this, that when completing month two review I have an idea what we are likely to see at month three
> 
> There have been many comments regarding I should do this, or do that. The test and mehtods stay as they are - I am not changing anything mid test. More to the point, its time consuming enough AND I'm still trying to find time and the weather to get the 45+ sealants on the other side!!!
> 
> Thank you to the acknowledgements of the time and effort, we shall see how much longer we go as each month passes, going off a recent comparison I got the waxes are are holding up better on the H/B than one did on a car. More info on that one when that particular wax joins the list....
> 
> Iain


Indeed this is correct, but the change in water behaviour points only to a change in surface properties - perhaps a reduction in smoothness of wax layer due to "pitting" style damage from UV, but where the actual protection is still there and strong.

From a customers point of view, I understand your reasoning, but personally am loathe to extend the results beyond this to actual true levels of protection.


----------



## Lappy

Also interested in the gloss/reflection factor.
Didn't see any gloss-tests, at ProTech (which is a 'detailing' company that's all over the world) they're always happy to pull at a gloss-meter which measures the reflection rate of the paint (something like 85%).

















I used the dodo on a car last week on a event (was as crew on a suppercar event, will post some pics later on when I have time), and used it on a Maybach week before that. was impressed by the gloss results. Not any long term results from me yet, but just curious if you've used a gloss-o-meter or not.


----------



## Finerdetails

right hold tight, cos this has taken a fecking age to compile, and I WILL NOT BE DOING THIS AGAIN. Caps are deliberate so dont even go there!

I went back today, another wash and here are the section by section pics, running from top left to bottom right:

Rubbish Boys Original Edition:









Rubbisj Boys Dodo Juiced:









Nattys Blue:









Nattys white:









Autoglym High Def:









Victoria Concours:









NXT Liquid 2.0:









NXT Paste 2.0:









RaceGlaze 55:









Swissvax Divine:









Swissvax Mystery:









Swissvax Best of Show:









Swissvax Concourso:









Swissvax Saphir:









Swissvax Onyx:









Espuma Revive:









Autosmart Cherry Glaze:









Collonite 915:









Collonite 476s:









Z Royale:









Z Vintage:









Z Glasur:









Z Carbon:









Dodo Supernatural:









Dodo Blue Velvet:









Dodo Rain Forest Rub:









Finish Kare Pink Wax:









Collonite 845IW:









enjoy, I wont be doing this lot again!


----------



## jamest

Beyond the call of duty.


----------



## rfmatt

Amazingly dedicated work mate, don't lose interest and give up now as to a lot of people outright protection isn't what matters it's how the water beads and makes your car look and it's about to get interesting the further the test goes on! Matt


----------



## Dodo Factory

Thanks for doing that Iain. It is a lot more revealing than you might think. I'd certainly suggest that Supernatural v1 was still present on the panel, for example. The sheeting characteristics are interesting as well.


----------



## Sonic

Ive been using SN for a little while now, having used Carbon before. It certainly APPEARS to last for less time, i.e. it beads in the rain for less time than the Carbon.

What i have noticed is that if you shampoo over it then it starts beading again and so is clearly still protecting the car despite not beading! In this respect, it seems more durable than Carbon.

Another point to bear in mind is the absolutely insane weather we have had over this last month. I wouldn't be surprised if the last month is equivalent to 3 of the month before.

Any how, the results are what the results are! Many thanks for the time you've been putting into this Ian :thumb:


----------



## Dodo Factory

Yup, it is difficult to judge any kind of durability, so Iain's efforts are helpful - whether the results are superficial or absolutely accurate, you have to start somewhere and say, ok, let's base it on beading. Beading can be the hypothesis that's proved or disproved later. What makes it difficult is the amount of conflicting reports we get. For example, for every report about SNv1 seeming to underperform, we often get some report of it overperforming... one pro detailer today reported 7 months of durability (judged by good beading, ironically) on a car with 3x layers of SNv1 on it. I presumed it would be a total garage queen, but it does get driven regularly apparently. The trick is always to look at the averages rather than extremes. What is interesting for me is that I know what physically goes into the products. Two months for the first version Rainforest Rub and Blue Velvet would be expected. Supernatural should last about 2.5 to 3, but then again there is a bit of beading still present. But Supernatural is technically superior to our Juiced Edition, that's still going strong... so I'd be looking at what factor could have caused that discrepancy... under lab conditions SNv1 should beat RBJE. Maybe the position of the panel, the colour or metal content of the paint it is on, the application method, the thickness of the layer, the curing time, whatever. It just makes you look for the variables.

I have a panel that has had all the SN recipes on for over 5 weeks now (started at the launch of Snv2) and check the beading everyday thanks to the crud weather, and all variants are doing well, but it's almost worth getting a webcam or 'panelcam' set up to measure progress. I suppose the biggest problem is making the beading assumption in the first place as it doesn't represent layer thickness, just layer surface tension, so ultimate protection may never be determined. But lines need to be drawn somewhere and Iain's test is a good place to start


----------



## addsvrs

Great Job and real dedication Iain Thanks


----------



## Saqib200

Keep up the good work mate, very interested in the results. Please don't change your test method.


----------



## atomicfan

I cannot see the pictures at the last page.

Could you please check if there is something wrong?


----------



## Neil_M

Excellent work sir, thanks very much for putting the info up.

IMO it sure makes for a good reference.

Thanks again!


----------



## RaceGlazer

Well done Iain for 
a)doing the test - which in my view is a fair comparison between products in respect of one aspect of their performance, and I agree, one that customers judge wax effectiveness by
b)taking time to comment on the thread
c)posting up panel by panel pics

As I expected, RG55 is still up there and may well be one of the longest stayers imho- exceptional durability and shine is what we are constantly told, with little variability. It was one of the key aspects we wanted when it was formulated. I've had it on my car up against Z Vintage and Royale.


----------



## SuperchargedLlama

I'm really impressed to see the Colly 476 giving it as good as the big boys, I think this will be my choice for the winter upon seeing this. It's bloody good value for money.


----------



## SiGainey

My advice on the 476 would be to put multiple layers on, the beading gets crazy and durability is superb :thumb:


----------



## Chris_4536

Which could also apply to many of the waxes :thumb:

Absolutley top respect to you Iain for this test, and the individual pics :thumb::thumb:


Chris


----------



## Glider

Keep up the good work. It is only one test YOUR test that you have chosen to share the results with us, thanks for that.
Along the lines of the 7 Corsa job, everyone has an opinion, but you are testing to find out what your customers need and expect.


----------



## Neil_M

Mother-Goose said:


> I'm really impressed to see the Colly 476 giving it as good as the big boys, I think this will be my choice for the winter upon seeing this. It's bloody good value for money.


Likewise for me, and my own usage of Collinite 915 has shown it to be very durable. The 476 definately beads longer according to this test.


----------



## Finerdetails

thansk everyone, that last lot of pics took some serious time to collate, re-name and upload, not a haolf hour job I can tell you.

The method and reviews will stay as per last two, and will continue until we have a final result!


----------



## SuperchargedLlama

Iain that's great to hear, especially with autum setting in, it will be interesting 

@Neil_M - impressive isn't it, how'd you apply your 915 out of interest?


----------



## Finerdetails

thanks Guys


----------



## Lappy

This along with the sealant should get sticky


----------



## matt_mph

Lappy said:


> This along with the sealant should get sticky


I second that  very very useful topic and now is marked in favourites :buffer::thumb:


----------



## Destroyers

Nobody else has ever done something like this before - you are satisfying a lot of people's curiosity Iain!


----------



## Finerdetails

thanks


----------



## volvokid

good test


----------



## Robbieben

Keep up the good work Iain.

A point I'd like to make here:::: 
Iain is doing the test on our behalf and has given his own time and effort, could everyone just accept Iain's views as to what has and hasn't failed, I'm sure we all accept that he has much valued experience when it comes to assesing what is still working and what is not, remember a photo does not tell the full story, you need to be there to see the panel to judge adequately.


----------



## Xorro

What an amazing amount of work!

I've clicked on the Thanks button for Finerdetails but I feel I should be able to do more to show my appreciation of what Iain has done.


----------



## mike137

very very suprised to see the dodos failing so soon  ah well suppose the results speak for themselves, and will be very intrested to see the last wax standing as it were.

top work.


----------



## Dodo Factory

mike137 said:


> very very suprised to see the dodos failing so soon  ah well suppose the results speak for themselves, and will be very intrested to see the last wax standing as it were.
> 
> top work.


I don't want to sound like a stuck record but:

1) None of the Dodo waxes that 'failed' are current production recipes. Rainforest Rub, Blue Velvet and Supernatural are all on v2 recipes. Iain tested original formulas given to him ages ago.

2) Dodo Juice Rubbishboy's Juiced Edition hasn't 'failed'. From a technical perspective this is extremely confusing as it is basically Supernatural (v1) made to a slightly lower performing specification. I would be looking at what factors have caused this to overperform or Supernatural v1 to underperform. It is, in scientific terms, an 'anomalous result'.

3) Even though up to 8 weeks of durability is all that we'd expect from the original Rainforest Rub and Blue Velvet recipes, Supernatural v1 should have lasted longer and better beading did seem apparent on the 'failed' panel than others. This is the surprise and disappointment for us, as although many have got better durability from it (5 months is the highest claim we have heard) it confirms that some were not getting as much from the wax as they had liked. Which is why we developed and launched Supernatural v2, even before this piece of feedback on v1 from Iain's test. Again, maybe the v1 'failure' was a freak result as Rubbishboy's Juiced Edition is still going. See point 2.

Nevertheless, it is great to see some of the other waxes still going and we'll watch the final results with interest; we won't stop developing products until ours our the only ones left.


----------



## Guest

Here is a question for thought: How thin is thin?

When you swipe a 'glob' of wax on and let it haze / sit, then remove, what thickness are you actually left with?

Said another way: can it be applied too thin? Can you end up with this? ^^^^^ or does the friction of removal flatten the tops to this ------.

I broach this question to see if failures could happen from not enough product being applied to begin with.


----------



## Dodo Factory

It is difficult to measure the thickness of a 'buffed and cured' layer of wax, but it will only be around a micron or so (1000th of a millimetre).

Some waxes apply 'thicker', some apply 'thinner'. Supernatural v2 is slightly oilier than Z Royale, for example. An oilier, thinner wax can be easier to spread.

My belief is it is better to layer multiple thin coats of wax than one thick one, and we have always recommended a couple of coats for maximum performance. Indeed the '5 month' durability reported with SNv1 came from three layers.

The problem Iain has is that do you maximise the performance of each product carefully, or just apply a basic single layer in the same way to all? And do you do some by hand, by foam applicator, or by whatever method of application if recommended by a manufacturer. You increase the variables but the test is going to suit some products more than others.

I did some early gloss meter tests against the thicker spreading Z Royale with SNv1. With one layer, Royale had the edge. With two layers, SNv1 beat it. So if that could be replicated independently, a consumer would have a choice of applying 2x coats of SNv1 (95 GBP at that time) to create a glossier result than a 7000 GBP wax.

The problem would be, we could thicken waxes so that they are difficult to use but perform well in 'single layer' tests. People would generally apply two coats taking 15 mins each than struggle for an hour with a difficult single coat application.


----------



## mike137

Dodo Factory said:


> I don't want to sound like a stuck record but:
> 
> 1) None of the Dodo waxes that 'failed' are current production recipes. Rainforest Rub, Blue Velvet and Supernatural are all on v2 recipes. Iain tested original formulas given to him ages ago.
> 
> 3) Even though up to 8 weeks of durability is all that we'd expect from the original Rainforest Rub and Blue Velvet recipes, Supernatural v1 should have lasted longer and better beading did seem apparent on the 'failed' panel than others. This is the surprise and disappointment for us, as although many have got better durability from it (5 months is the highest claim we have heard) it confirms that some were not getting as much from the wax as they had liked. Which is why we developed and launched Supernatural v2, even before this piece of feedback on v1 from Iain's test. Again, maybe the v1 'failure' was a freak result as Rubbishboy's Juiced Edition is still going. See point 2.
> 
> Nevertheless, it is great to see some of the other waxes still going and we'll watch the final results with interest; we won't stop developing products until ours our the only ones left.


thanks for taking the time to reply to me,

i wasn't knocking the fact that your products had 'failed' for want of a better word, i will continue to use my dodo juice rainforest rub and blue velvet (the last of the v1 to leave your H/Q i belive it said in the e-mail you sent me) i was just a little supprised at them only lasting 8 weeks as mine seem to last longer (not knocking the way this test is being done, big respect for taking the time to perform an unbiased test of so many waxes).

the last line of your reply says it all for me, and that is one of the reasons i will continue to buy your products (the others being the customer service and the fact that you are a uk based company).

cheers...Mike


----------



## atomicfan

> did some early gloss meter tests against the thicker spreading Z Royale with SNv1. With one layer, Royale had the edge. With two layers, SNv1 beat it. So if that could be replicated independently, a consumer would have a choice of applying 2x coats of SNv1 (95 GBP at that time) to create a glossier result than a 7000 GBP wax.


I dont have a gloss meter, but after testing vintage royale and supernatural there are even with more layers great differences between them.

I have black cars and treated them with different products and i can see a difference between them. The durability is a big point where the supernatural was not good, looks also. The beading and the amount of water left after a wash is best at vintage.

I dont think that the dodo waxes or collinite are equal to high end ones like Vintage, Royale, Mystery, Crystal Rock or Divine.

Althoug in the last weeks the cheap waxes were pushed on dw, especially collinite and dodo. ***** is kind of bannished and Swissvax now seems as they have lost their bonus?


----------



## Dodo Factory

Well everyone is entitled to an opinion, that is what forums are for  I would disagree (politely!) with your comments about Supernatural if you are talking about the latest v2 formula.

If you can see a 'great difference', then these ultra-expensive waxes may offer good value to you. No-one is going to stop you spending your money, so enjoy them. But from a technical perspective (in terms of glossmeter results etc) there won't be large, or even perceptible, differences between products once they get to a certain level. And in consumer preference sessions, we have had independent users choose Banana Armour over Divine for looks, so make of that what you will.

When it comes to durability, all carnauba waxes will struggle against sealants from a technical point of view. So some waxes now contain sealant ingredients (Autoglym's HD wax wears its polymers on its sleeve) to a greater or lesser degree. It is whether you like the look, whether the product works for you, and whether you like the price. Each to their own.


----------



## Finerdetails

Dodo Factory said:


> It is whether you like the look, whether the product works for you, and whether you like the price. Each to their own.


and thats the beginning and end right there for me!


----------



## Dodo Factory

Bang on, Iain... I mean we all like shiny cars at the end of the day... why worry or argue about it


----------



## Typhoon 180

wow, what a read.. just want to say Nice one ian for doing this, at least this way we will be able to see the true results!! not the talk talk that the suppliers give you when you are buying it off them, and wouldnt it be funny if the cheapest wax on there outlasted the most expensive one lol

just one question..

so ian in your eyes which one is still beading the best 3 months on, as with most things photos dont show the true result?

cheers 

steve

have any suprised you at this stage of the test?


----------



## Gerbrand

atomicfan said:


> I dont have a gloss meter, but after testing vintage royale and supernatural there are even with more layers great differences between them.
> 
> I have black cars and treated them with different products and i can see a difference between them. The durability is a big point where the supernatural was not good, looks also. The beading and the amount of water left after a wash is best at vintage.
> 
> I dont think that the dodo waxes or collinite are equal to high end ones like Vintage, Royale, Mystery, Crystal Rock or Divine.
> 
> Althoug in the last weeks the cheap waxes were pushed on dw, especially collinite and dodo. ***** is kind of bannished and Swissvax now seems as they have lost their bonus?


I agree on that:thumb:

In the most countries is ***** bannished and it's such a good product. Do may say they are better, bur when you do the test it seems to me that ***** and Swissvax the best which you can get.


----------



## SuperchargedLlama

If we're going for all round bang for buck, the collinite's seem to be a very good choice, which is great news for those of us who just like the car to look shiney and clean and protect the paintwork


----------



## Gerbrand

I don't say they are bad. But some people say that are the cheap waxes are much better and I do disagree that.

Ian do you have more results at the moment? Keep up the good work:thumb:


----------



## robrobc

Mother-Goose said:


> If we're going for all round bang for buck, the collinite's seem to be a very good choice, which is great news for those of us who just like the car to look shiney and clean and protect the paintwork


I agree but the other issue that is overlooked is that of personal choice, if say someone (not me I hasten to add) has spent many, many thousands of £'s on their car then maybe they want to have the very best there is. It may not perform much better but if it makes them feel good then that's great. 
look at it this way.......Hands up all those with cars running on unleaded who have treated them to a bit of super unleaded now and again. .....I have


----------



## SuperchargedLlama

robrobc said:


> I agree but the other issue that is overlooked is that of personal choice, if say someone (not me I hasten to add) has spent many, many thousands of £'s on their car then maybe they want to have the very best there is. It may not perform much better but if it makes them feel good then that's great.
> look at it this way.......Hands up all those with cars running on unleaded who have treated them to a bit of super unleaded now and again. .....I have


I agree, if it was jsut bang for buck the colli' would win hands down I think, but it certainly is not, for the reason stated above!

Seeing as Diesel is coming down in price I think I might fill up with some V-Power next time


----------



## R31Heaven

If I can get a shine like this from Colli 915 I am happy to stick with it and I am sure you would find it hard to get any better from the Marque waxes and the $$$ stay in my pocket. And yep as said before, its in the prep work.


----------



## moh

awesome test mate will be checking the results on this mate

thanks


----------



## trykkertor

Ok. October has started, we're at the 3 months mark. The excitement rises as to see which products has "fallen off the wagon" this time.

When can we expect the monthly update?


----------



## tmclssns

@Dodo: talking about a gloss metering. How are these performed? And can you (theoretically) get a gloss metering with a photocell? For instance "shine" or "gloss" can be defined as reflected light. The more light that is reflected from a surface, the more glossy it is. For example glass reflects well and we perceive it as glossy. So if I make some sort of a construction with an overhead light and a light meter (targeted at the same spot, where the light hits a surface) can this be used to measure gloss, reflection?


----------



## Dodo Factory

There are specific glossmeters that you buy, these work on the reflected light principle. Mine's made by a company called Sheen (a portable 'Minigloss' model).


----------



## rushy

Dodo Factory said:


> There are specific glossmeters that you buy, these work on the reflected light principle. Mine's made by a company called Sheen (a portable 'Minigloss' model).


Yep, my old man works in Industrial paints and usually has one kicking around the boot of his car. Doesn't look cheep, I certainly wouldn't like it rolling around my boot.


----------



## Finerdetails

trykkertor said:


> Ok. October has started, we're at the 3 months mark. The excitement rises as to see which products has "fallen off the wagon" this time.
> 
> When can we expect the monthly update?


monday afternoon :thumb:


----------



## Finerdetails

slightly later than I would have hoped, but FD commitments must come first!

So, 8.10.08 - end ish of month three.

Drop outs? None to speak of.
On the being watched very carefully list as things aint looking too healthy:

1- Nattys White
2- Nattys Blue
3 - AG HD wax
4- Swissvax Onyx
and.....

5- Collinite 476s!! I'm gob smacked to say the least!

Lets see what end of Oct brings, I will try to be on track next time


----------



## nicp2007

Cool been looking out for this update :thumb:

i'm goin to stop buying wax though, as last month i bought some DoDo juice and it was failing this month i've bought collies 476s there seems to be a pattern :lol:


----------



## Refined Detail

nicp2007 said:


> Cool been looking out for this update :thumb:
> 
> i'm goin to stop buying wax though, as last month i bought some DoDo juice and it was failing this month i've bought collies 476s there seems to be a pattern :lol:


You better stop buying wax for the moment :lol:

Very suprised by the Swissvax and Collinite


----------



## Finerdetails

I'm at the point where none will dissapoint me personally. If any one wax layer will survive the weather we have had this year for 3 months, I am more than happy. Brae in mind how many applications you can get if you apply once every 3 months, a pot will last you 6-7 years on a single car, now that has to be dam good value for money in soo many cases. And waxing once every 3 months, I can cope with that


----------



## nicp2007

i agree 3 months is a good time for a wax to last that means you will only have to wax your car 4 times a year and i'm pretty sure most of us will wax them a lot more than that.


----------



## nicp2007

Rich H said:


> You better stop buying wax for the moment :lol:
> 
> Very suprised by the Swissvax and Collinite


royale this month then :lol:

don't forget onyx is the first swissvax to drop out and is the cheapest wax they do so it was to be expected really.

if the mystery had gone before this then that would be shocking :doublesho


----------



## GeeJay

WHAT a brilliant thread! Well done there!  Subscribed to see progress! VERY interesting with the Dodo SN!


----------



## Bigpikle

again - good stuff Iain :thumb:

thanks for the update


----------



## trykkertor

Finerdetails.
Is this car/truck in any road use, or is it simply sitting outside in the weather?


----------



## Finerdetails

ist used 2/3 times a week and outside 24/7


----------



## [email protected]

Wow just read this thread and i would to thank Iain for taking the time in doing this for the benefit of providing all the info to members on this forum! You have taken the time and effort in providing an excellent detailed description of all the waxes you tested! A very interesting read on the performance of those particular products. 

Well done mate and thanks!

Mark:thumb:


----------



## Dodo Factory

GeeJay said:


> WHAT a brilliant thread! Well done there!  Subscribed to see progress! VERY interesting with the Dodo SN!


What's more interesting is that Rubbishboy's Juiced Edition is still in? Or did it drop out? This is an inferior recipe to SNv1 (the wax in question) so it is a surprising result that RBJE has outlasted it.

As for SNv1, we have had reports of up to 5 months durability from an independent report (multi-layered 2-3 times from memory) so the argument comes down to whether a test of a single layer is relevant if users are layering it.

Finally and most relevantly, SNv2 was out before this particular test result of SNv1 became known, so it is an academic result at best. SNv2 is a completely new wax in formulation terms.

It is of no more use for current wax buyers than test driving a car that is out of production if you wanted to buy a new car. However, it is still a result I am personally intrigued by - the old v1 recipes of the core waxes (Rainforest Rub, Blue Velvet) performed acceptably well considering they aren't the sealant hybrids that tend to pass as waxes these days, but the RBJE and SNv1 result is still mysterious from a technical perspective. And even the Rainforest and Blue Velvet formulas being produced today are technically superior to the ones that Iain tested.


----------



## reefer110

Great thread, really interesting...and now subscribed


----------



## ianFRST

Finerdetails said:


> I'm at the point where none will dissapoint me personally. If any one wax layer will survive the weather we have had this year for 3 months, I am more than happy. Brae in mind how many applications you can get if you apply once every 3 months, a pot will last you 6-7 years on a single car, now that has to be dam good value for money in soo many cases. And waxing once every 3 months, I can cope with that


me too :thumb::thumb:


----------



## GeeJay

Dodo Factory said:


> What's more interesting is that Rubbishboy's Juiced Edition is still in? Or did it drop out? This is an inferior recipe to SNv1 (the wax in question) so it is a surprising result that RBJE has outlasted it.
> 
> As for SNv1, we have had reports of up to 5 months durability from an independent report (multi-layered 2-3 times from memory) so the argument comes down to whether a test of a single layer is relevant if users are layering it.
> 
> Finally and most relevantly, SNv2 was out before this particular test result of SNv1 became known, so it is an academic result at best. SNv2 is a completely new wax in formulation terms.
> 
> It is of no more use for current wax buyers than test driving a car that is out of production if you wanted to buy a new car. However, it is still a result I am personally intrigued by - the old v1 recipes of the core waxes (Rainforest Rub, Blue Velvet) performed acceptably well considering they aren't the sealant hybrids that tend to pass as waxes these days, but the RBJE and SNv1 result is still mysterious from a technical perspective. And even the Rainforest and Blue Velvet formulas being produced today are technically superior to the ones that Iain tested.


Oh, don't get me wrong, it has in no way affected my opinion of any given 'brand', especially not Dodo. I have seen the results first hand of SN finished cars and they are second to none. Also with Blue Velvet, I have achieved phenomenal results on my dark blue MR2, and will continue to do so.

When washing/waxing my car, I am happy to add a new layer every few weeks so the durability, personally isn't an issue. I'm personally using this test as a 'what winter wax' type thread, where I don't have the opportunity to wash/wax the car as often, and durability is key. (Although i have previously used 476s and probably will again this year)

My note of my surprise with regard to SN was that i have read reports of it lasting much longer on other vehicles, that's all. Not a dig at the product, I didn't mean to offend, as I love Dodo!


----------



## Dodo Factory

Sorry if it seemed I was being overly touchy  It is just that the particular application of Supernatural v1 in this test has underperformed compared to a product we know to be slightly inferior (Rubbishboys Juiced Edition, which we also make) and this is a really anomalous result. We aren't querying the RR and BV results as we only ever claimed 6-8 weeks on these anyway and a new recipe has been brought out since then for both products. I am really trying to discover why SNv1 didn't perform as well as it should in the test and why the anomaly has occured. It is just a bit odd.


----------



## chrisfr

Finerdetails said:


> ist used 2/3 times a week and outside 24/7


And how often is it washed?


----------



## big_amir

im quite surprised the AG HD wax lasted this long as i applied one layer to my car on the 30th of august and i noticed this week that the beading has already more or less stopped. so i only got about 5 maybe 6 weeks from it.

Any way this weekend im puting some DODO SN on but i have no idea what version it is as i won it in the raffle at the nottingham detailing meet. 

i'd be very interested to see what come ups trumps. :thumb:

By the way thanks to finer details for such a great thread. :thumb: (sorry dont know your name  )


----------



## Malcolm44

Just read this thread. A huge thanks and well done to Ian for all the effort. 
Just goes to show that everyone has an opinion on things especially when the results are not as expected (ah but this and if it was that, or thats because the wind was not from the south east when you opened the jar followed by a swell from the north etc etc). I am of the same opinion as Ian, the best one is what we feel is the best in our own eyes/mind. 
I for one have just put a first coat of Collinite 476 on my black car in prep for winter and I dare say will also be putting it on the other three as well regardless of the outcome of this test.

well done again Ian:thumb:


----------



## RaceGlazer

I'm still happy anyway....55's reputation for longevity holds good


----------



## CleanYourCar

It's nice to see Victoria Concours doing so well also. Looks and durability 

How many miles does the horse box do? Do you think that could effect the durability of those at the bottom compared to the top?

Regardless, it's a cracking test that i've only just had time to sit down and read through. Well done for the effort of setting it up and following it through.


----------



## copperman05

So how is the test coming on?


----------



## Finerdetails

updates are completed at each month end, so last one was start of Oct, next one due next weekend


----------



## jacoda434

Finerdetails said:


> I'm at the point where none will dissapoint me personally. If any one wax layer will survive the weather we have had this year for 3 months, I am more than happy. Brae in mind how many applications you can get if you apply once every 3 months, a pot will last you 6-7 years on a single car, now that has to be dam good value for money in soo many cases. And waxing once every 3 months, I can cope with that


*****And waxing once every 3 months, I can cope with that*****

and sore arms if your vehicle was the size of the test vehicle


----------



## SuperchargedLlama

jacoda434 said:


> *****And waxing once every 3 months, I can cope with that*****
> 
> and sore arms if your vehicle was the size of the test vehicle


Iian doesn't mind, he probably polished the "guns" whilst he was at it. (hopefully he didn't wax them...crikey, eye watering)


----------



## jimex01

:thumb: Woaw what a fantastic test well done that man :wave: 

You should get the Nobel prize for services to detailing mate :buffer:

Its good to see Vics concourse still doing well and giving the big boys a run for their money :wave:


----------



## nickf1

Great test. Thanks for this, it'll be an invaluable help for when I next purchase some wax.


----------



## Finerdetails

review number 4!

Test start date 30.6.08. Reviews taken at 26.7.08, 1.9.08, 8.10.08 and today 1.11.08.

So today it was washed with Activo:




























thanks to the number of sealants, I have had to go and invest in a long handled mop










Over the months I've watched these waxes moving and doing their work, and I was kinda hoping we'd be slowing down with numbers by now, the weather has become harder, so I'm finding time and effort more difficult. But, on with the show!

Drop outs? no, we are still seeing protection from those remianing, although I have seen an increase in the number of waxes which must be watched very carefully at the next review. These include:

NXT Paste wax
Victoria Concours
Nattys white
Nattys Blue
Z Royale
Z Glasur
Z Carbon
Swissvax Onyx
Swissvax Saphir.

All wxes now stand at four months durability.

some beading pics:



















I have watched the Nattys and Onyx from last month when they entered my watch list and they have deteriorated slightly, but are still protected for now.


----------



## tdm

thanks again for doing this test and the sealant one :thumb:, i think its appreciated by many


----------



## Mirror Finish Details

I think the tests have been brill. :thumb:

Plus as I posted in the salants test I am a Poorboy's fan.

So, I feel quite chuffed that I use the EX-P sealant and Natties White/Blue on my and customers cars. I wax my motors every month so it lasting 4 months is a bonus. Plus some of my maintenance customers are on a 3 monthly clean so I now know the Poorboy's stuff is doing what it says on the bottle. 

I am suprised at some of the more expensive wax drop outs, even ones customers have insisited me to use. I feel quite smug now.

IMHO it's noy just about money, some of the big names I just don't think there stuff is durable for real life, a concourse car yes. But for real life motoring they are not durable enough.

:detailer:


----------



## R31Heaven

I honestly thought Natty's would have gone by know it giving some of the Z's a run I am pleasantly suprised


----------



## blake_jl

Great test. But hardly an independent test from the looks of your signature/website! I will be watching the end result with great interest!


----------



## Finerdetails

blake_jl said:


> But hardly an independent test from the looks of your signature/website!


I'm going to pretend you didn't type that and I didn't read it!


----------



## Typhoon 180

blake_jl said:


> Great test. But hardly an independent test from the looks of your signature/website! I will be watching the end result with great interest!


:tumbleweed::tumbleweed: im sorry but if anything Iain is one "good guys" so i can see this being very independant to each wax that is on the vehicle, he wouldn't lie just cause he is swissvax approved, anyway, still chuffed to see that one of the waxes i use is still up and going :thumb:


----------



## blake_jl

Hey my comment isn't meant in an offensive way. It's just a fact that you have a conflict of interest. I never said you would lie either. All I said is what some people would be thinking.

Still a great test. I wish you posted more frequent updates.


----------



## nicp2007

i don't belive this 

the pattern continues :lol:

i buy dodo- it drops out

i buy collies - it drops out

i said last month joking "i'll buy Z royal next month"

and oh look it hits the watch list :lol:

thanks ian these tests are awsome,

same as above i too wish there was more freaquant updates but i know that would be pointless as there would be a lot less changes in between reviews


----------



## Refined Detail

nicp2007 said:


> i don't belive this
> 
> the pattern continues :lol:
> 
> i buy dodo- it drops out
> 
> i buy collies - it drops out
> 
> i said last month joking "i'll buy Z royal next month"
> 
> and oh look it hits the watch list :lol:
> 
> thanks ian these tests are awsome,
> 
> same as above i too wish there was more freaquant updates but i know that would be pointless as there would be a lot less changes in between reviews


See I told you!! Stop buying Wax goddamit!!


----------



## nicp2007

don't worry i aint lookin for any wax this month,

it's essentials month this month (wheel cleaner TFR etc etc)


----------



## Finerdetails

all the clloies are still inmate, just the 476s looked slightly off last month for some reason. I'm still keeping an eye in it tho


----------



## zpaulg

Really enjoying this thread, all your hard work is greatly appreciated!


----------



## Finerdetails

blake_jl said:


> Hey my comment isn't meant in an offensive way. It's just a fact that you have a conflict of interest. I never said you would lie either. All I said is what some people would be thinking.
> 
> Still a great test. I wish you posted more frequent updates.


thats cool mate, and water under the bridge.

From my point of view, I know what the Swissvax waxes can, and mostly importantly cannot do! Its my business, so I have to know these things. I've tested them already, pushed them beyond what I or any or my customers will ever do to them.

On a side note, I dont think the FD van was worn any SV waxes for about 6 months. It's constantly being used as a test bed. I must change and use waxes/sealants more than most I think, but I get to see how they perform during application, how they perform during removal, then the watch and see results of durability, and the other aim aspect for me is 'drop off'.

Most products look mint as the minute we apply them. We've had the ole debate of you can't tell the difference and there is no way I'm opening that can of worms again. BUT, what I do refer to is the drop of shear shine and glossiness that each product goes through. For some, its 2 weeks, for others, considerably longer.

I think this is prob the most insight I have given in this thread so far, must be having a 'deep' day today


----------



## zpaulg

Any updates?


----------



## RaceGlazer

You'll have to wait until 1 December........


----------



## zpaulg

RaceGlazer said:


> You'll have to wait until 1 December........


Thanks RaceGlazer, I guess that info alone is an update


----------



## Finerdetails

review is due today, however, due to the temps at present I am unable to do any reviews.

The volume of water used would create an ice ring and I cannot risk this as the horses have to be able to walk through the area.


----------



## blake_jl

booooooooooo!


----------



## Waxamomo

You really need to get your priorities sorted, sod the horses were waiting for an update :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:


----------



## Steve Baker

A fascinating test to help us make choices. Well done. :thumb:


----------



## MrDUB

Looking foward to the update. 476 has my money!


----------



## Nickos

MrDUB said:


> Looking foward to the update. 476 has my money!


i want to see how RubbishBoys OE performs, thinking about it as my next wax purchase


----------



## Kev F

Tuned in specially for the latest update......


Good to see they are still performing after this amount of time.

Top work Iain to continue doing this test in these awful conditions and keep going with 'normal' life......We thank you...

Its one thing to HAVE to go out and clean cars in this temperature but to do it for nothing takes determination and dedication....:thumb:

Look forward to the latest write up and hope the horses can skate..


Kev


----------



## Nickos

bump, anything?


----------



## trykkertor

Alty17 said:


> You really need to get your priorities sorted, sod the horses were waiting for an update :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:


No, he can't risk it.
Because when the test is all complete, and all the products are gone, he can state:

"No animals were hurt or injured during testing".

That is very important!


----------



## karl_liverpool

Nickos said:


> i want to see how RubbishBoys OE performs, thinking about it as my next wax purchase


on looks alone i highly recomend it best one in my collection so far


----------



## ROBS3

trykkertor said:


> No, he can't risk it.
> Because when the test is all complete, and all the products are gone, he can state:
> 
> "No animals were hurt or injured during testing".
> 
> That is very important!


:lol:


----------



## hy-standard

Great that you have done this.

Well done for putting the effort in.


----------



## Finerdetails

the dec review will not take place, as we are too far into the month and I will not have any free time until Xmas week, therefore we will progress straight to jan review.

My apologies.

Iain


----------



## nicp2007

this could be interesting having a 2 month break as i'm sure there will be some signifcant changes over the period :thumb: especially with the weather as it is.


----------



## natjag

This is an interesting thread. Despite some critique by some other members, I still think this is very worthwhile. Lets face it, science has only evolved by other scientists picking faults in other experiments, rightly or wrongly.

I have registered with this forum, just so I can subscribe to this thread. Well done finderdetails, I look forward to the next part of this test. I may or may not use this as a basis for my first decent wax purchase.


----------



## xristos

Very interesting,

Thank you for putting in all this effort and sharing with the rest of us.


----------



## BMW Shortie

great reading, very informative, thanks for the effort


----------



## karl_liverpool

looking forward to the update on this myself. is the subject going to be checked this month or next?


----------



## Finerdetails

there in lies a tale....

The box, as you can imgine is frozen solid at the mo, and temps are not high enough to A thaw it out, and B for me to able to to put any water anywhhere near it.

If i leave water there, and it freezes, then the horses are trapped un able to be walked from their stables. I am already looking at this, and trying to plan some time to take the box out, to another place so the review can be done, problem is this would have to be middle of the day, and the paying jobs take priority so its unlikely to happen until this cold snap passes.

Sorry people but thats the way it is, if things change, you'll be first to know.


----------



## karl_liverpool

no need to make it difficult for yourself mate.
weather is the worst enemy of all of us. 
i was just interested in how the rboe is doing

if you do another toward summer let me know and i will send you some of the wax's i have to try out


----------



## Piratez

Thanks for the experiment...now i have more knowledge about wax durability, 
:thumb:


----------



## Lump

wow what a thread, just sat and read it through :thumb:


----------



## Nissan SE-R's

This is awesome, the next test could be with combo treatments.... such as Klasse SG + collinite + 3M performance finish VS. Wolfgang 3.0 + Dodo + Souveran... or something like that. 

Regards from México


----------



## Nickos

any updates guys?


----------



## MrLOL

considering it was -4 here again in yorkshire yesterday i very much doubt it.


----------



## Finerdetails

OK guys, time has pasted, we have seen one of the coldest and longest periods of weather since 1986, apparently.....

Review, 12th January 2009:

The last review was start of Nov, and today was a huge task just to wash the horsebox, I used over 175 litres!

Test orignally started 30th June 2008. Reviews took place at 26th July, 1st Spet, 8th Oct and 1st Nov 2008.

After 6 and 1/2 months, the following waxes are still protecting the paintwork:

Autoglym Hi Def
Collinite 915 Marque D'Elegance
Nattys White & Blue
RaceGlaze 55
Swissvax Divine, Mystery, BoS and Concourso
Victoria Concours
***** Vintage and Glasur

So there you have it, my final list of what lasted over six months in very extreme conditions too.

I am sorry to say I shall not be conducting any further reviews, the time is no longer available. Due to the amopunt of failures and the appearance of the horsebox there is also now a need to get it all stripped back and restored to its previous glory.

Thank you to everyone who has followed this, and I hope it has proved as useful to you, as it has to me.


----------



## joe_0_1

Thanks Iain, much appreciated. 4 of them are on my wax list 2009 too


----------



## Deano_2104

Thanks for taking the time to conduct this test 

I havent previously posted in the topic but have been subscribed

it gives people who are looking to buy a wax for long term protection an idea of which to go for.

also pleased I have 4 waxes out of the final bunch


----------



## glyn waxmaster

Great work there Iain and well above the call of duty.

Some very interesting results too.

Thanks again for doing the test.


----------



## addsvrs

Awesome work Iain


----------



## notsosmall

Good test :thumb:
Nice to see that some "cheaper" wax's are still in there with the more expensive :thumb:


----------



## Finerdetails

Biggest surprise for me was the AG HD


----------



## akimel

I don't know about anyone else, but I sure am surprised. Natty's Red and Blue survived but Collinite 845 and 476 failed? And look at the performance of the expensive "beauty" waxes. Apparently their carnauba beauty is more than skin deep. Very surprising. 

It does appear that the waxes toward the rear had a higher survivability than the waxes at the front. Just coincidence? 

Thank you, Sir, for conducting this test.


----------



## green-blood

agreed, I'm a little suprised to see HD there... food for thought


----------



## Ross

Natty white and blue is quite impressive.


----------



## SimonW

Great work Iain!!! We all owe you a beer :lol:

The AG and Natty's stand out the most, considering the price

Simon


----------



## Nickos

Finerdetails said:


> Biggest surprise for me was the AG HD


i did look at that line and think "wth"!?!

Same with Nattys as people seem to say its pants for durability!


----------



## Ross

Iam going to get the Nattys out again


----------



## Nickos

RosswithaOCD said:


> Iam going to get the Nattys out again


I was going to sell the 70% left in mine, this has changed my mind!! :doublesho


----------



## tfonseca

Wow I'll drop my SN and go for a Nattys or Vicky. BTW, the SN used in the test is V1 or V2?


----------



## Finerdetails

V1, hence V2 came along.....


----------



## Deano_2104

Ian just out of interest which in your opinion from the final bunch showed the best signs of protection?


----------



## rushy

Thanks for this mate, I also noticed that AG EGP finished in the final lot in the Sealant test.


----------



## Finerdetails

Deano_2104 said:


> Ian just out of interest which in your opinion from the final bunch showed the best signs of protection?


SV mystery, I also find this particular wax works like no other from the SV range, and to that, the FD van is currently wearing two layers.

We (Glyn and I) drove to the NEC last week from Manchester. We left Man, in horrid rain and so much road film when we arrived at Hilton services the windscreen had a definate 'shape cut into it from the wiper pattern'. The actaul paintwork however looked nowhere near as bbad as Glyn and I both expected.

For absolute value for money, with a everyday car which is waxed every 2-3 months, BoS. No doubt in my mind at all, so easy to use, and fantastic results. It does, however, to my eye show a drop off after one month. But this is to my eye, and others/customers havent noticed it.

Mystery offers above this, with no drop and the fabulous durability.

I appreciate some will read this and say I am biased as I am an Authorised Sv Detailer. Well **** to you! I dont like the whole range, and dont use the whole range, I use the best product from each task, and carry a whole host of products from many ranges to give me, my business and my customers the best I can. So to that end, SV waxes will remain in the FD van.

I will stress, this is my personal opinion. I only do this for a living, and use waxes on an everyday task, so you take what you want, read and interrept as you see fit, but please remember one thing:

Its just cleaning cars, I enjoy it thats all


----------



## Deano_2104

Thanks Ian 

im currently using BOS on my car and had been suprised how long it lasted


----------



## Schnorbitz

Will happily continue to use my Natty's Blue. I notice a reduction in beading after a month or so, but it has never gone 'flat' or anything. Not left it longer than that so can't comment exactly how long it lasts. Surprised to see that Collinite 476 didn't make the cut, given its reputation for longevity. Good to see some objective testing! Thanks for the work.


----------



## natjag

Thanks for this Ian.

Like many others I'm looking to purchase a quality wax. I have purchased a sample of SN, but my next purchase would be based further on your results. It also seems that AG has surprised people. Perhaps as it's not a new boudoir product with clever marketing people pass it by nowadays. Certainly worth considering if your for those that can't offord £300+ for the more exclusive brands.

Great test Ian, thanks once again.


----------



## SuperchargedLlama

Thanks Iain, absolutely brilliant test you've done there.

I see what you are saying about the SV waxes, but for the people who can't afford them, and judging by this month, it looks like people on a budget could do with any of the following:

Natty's Blue
Colli 915
AutoGlym HD

And seeing as it only dropped out last month and is incredibly easy to apply, probably the Colli 845 as well, what would you say to that? (This is for the people on a budget remember, I do appreciate what you have said about the SV waxes)


----------



## RaceGlazer

There appears to be a clear stratification in these results, and the whole exercise has been fascinating, so a big thank you to Iain, especially for getting Race Glaze 55 in the line up very late on.
The survivors are the c£25-30 waxes, the C.£100+ waxes (Sv, Z.) and then RG55 squarely in the middle at £65. I wish I'd put RG42 in to mix that segmentation up, as I think it would have hung in there too.
So - do I need to raise the price (and no, I'm not dropping it !!) ?


----------



## rossdook

God help us all - Royale on a flipping nag trolley....:wall:


----------



## Trig

Thanks Ian.


----------



## Nickos

rossdook said:


> God help us all - Royale on a flipping nag trolley....:wall:


indeed. toilet seat next :devil:


----------



## uiuiuiui

as said by the others a huge thank you for doing this.


----------



## Finerdetails

my pleasure everyone. I'm a tad sorry it couldnt have been taken further to be honest, but my commitments are so high at the moment.


----------



## dillon733

Again many thanks. I followed this from the begining and it was both very interesting and surprising


----------



## Lloydy

Thanks for the test, you have just made me go out and buy Natty Blue :thumb:


----------



## MarvinJames

What a beautiful test you did there! Very interesting to see and read the results.

Funny how the Swissvax waxes are very long lasting! Was there any difference in their final condition?


----------



## nicp2007

thanks again for all your time and effert :thumb:

top man.


----------



## bcwang

I kinda wish the results were more readable. Natty looked like it was about to die off like 476s, but then at the end it survived along with AG HD. So when exactly did 476s die off?

I guess a month to month chart of which wax is left and which have died off would be easier to read.


----------



## Neil_M

Thanks for spending the time to do this.

Im suprised by 476 not lasting as long as 915. Just as well I use 915 then .


----------



## John757

This thread really is brilliant. Thank you very much for spending the time doing this, it's great. Very happy with my 915 and I hope it can last as long as it did for you.


----------



## Cullers

Great test.


----------



## Rasher

cracking test


----------



## Sp3no

Never thought i would say this but im diching my Supernatural and Blue Velvet and going to revert back to my Nattys Blue :doublesho


----------



## Prism Detailing

Sp3no said:


> Never thought i would say this but im diching my Supernatural and Blue Velvet and going to revert back to my Nattys Blue :doublesho


I guess it all depending on conditions, I have applied SN to my partners car and she runs it everyday, lives by the sea (so a lot of salt in the air and on the roads) and does the trip from Aberdeen to Glasgow on a weekly basis. After 4 months Dodo Juice SN was still holding strong, saying that i have replaced with Swissvax BOS last weekend......

BTW excellent thread and a good read.....


----------



## Dodo Factory

Sp3no said:


> Never thought i would say this but im diching my Supernatural and Blue Velvet and going to revert back to my Nattys Blue :doublesho


The SN in use was a pre production prototype of SN version 1. We are currently on SN version 2.2  It is like parking up your brand new Gallardo as you read a road test about the Countach reprinted from 1988.

There were also a host of other inconsistencies and factors that I won't go into because it would be unfair to Iain, who undertook the test with his best intentions. But let's say that a 'control' wax we entered that was essentially the same recipe or fractionally worse than Supernatural lasted four months, when the 'real' Supernatural failed 'early'. Who knows why, but I'd be after a recount if it was an election.

Tests like this can be helpful or misleading. You need to apply a little judgment and interpretation to get meaningful results from them.

As ever, it is best to try products yourself and use the ones you like. One man's meat may be another man's poison. We have found wax performance is drastically affected by preparation and application. You'll halve max durability in a stroke if either is insufficient. For SNv2, we have reports of between two months and eight months of durability. We find 8 months hard to believe, just as we'd expect a bit more than two months. So we tend to give an average figure as guidance if anyone asks. A wax could last years on a garaged car 

Finally, many of our products, not just SN, are on improved and revised recipes already. We keep improving our products, so when somebody reads an old test and believes it applies to current products they could be wrong. The main range waxes are on their third recipe, for example - a recipe that a few years back was compared favourably and independently to Zymol Royale when in a prototype stage. No one would dream of setting Rainforest Rub vs Zymol Royale these days, but it does make you think.


----------



## Rickyboy

Dodo Factory said:


> *As ever, it is best to try products yourself and use the ones you like. One man's meat may be another man's poison.*


Couldn't have said it better myself. Personally I'm not a fan of Dodo Juice waxes but there are hundreds of people on here who swear by them. I would never form an opinion on a product without actually giving it a try and a wax test like this only gives food for thought, not a ********** answer.

It is much appreciated thought Iain!


----------



## Judas

Dodo Factory said:


> The SN in use was a pre production prototype of SN version 1. We are currently on SN version 2.2  It is like parking up your brand new Gallardo as you read a road test about the Countach reprinted from 1988.
> 
> There were also a host of other inconsistencies and factors that I won't go into because it would be unfair to Iain, who undertook the test with his best intentions. But let's say that a 'control' wax we entered that was essentially the same recipe or fractionally worse than Supernatural lasted four months, when the 'real' Supernatural failed 'early'. Who knows why, but I'd be after a recount if it was an election.
> 
> Tests like this can be helpful or misleading. You need to apply a little judgment and interpretation to get meaningful results from them.
> 
> As ever, it is best to try products yourself and use the ones you like. One man's meat may be another man's poison. We have found wax performance is drastically affected by preparation and application. You'll halve max durability in a stroke if either is insufficient. For SNv2, we have reports of between two months and eight months of durability. We find 8 months hard to believe, just as we'd expect a bit more than two months. So we tend to give an average figure as guidance if anyone asks. A wax could last years on a garaged car
> 
> Finally, many of our products, not just SN, are on improved and revised recipes already. We keep improving our products, so when somebody reads an old test and believes it applies to current products they could be wrong. The main range waxes are on their third recipe, for example - a recipe that a few years back was compared favourably and independently to Zymol Royale when in a prototype stage. No one would dream of setting Rainforest Rub vs Zymol Royale these days, but it does make you think.


you are correct that the application and preparation greatly affects the performance, but you have to remember that his application method and treatments prior to application of the waxes was constant throughout the group.


----------



## Eddy

Judas said:


> you are correct that the application and preparation greatly affects the performance, but you have to remember that his application method and treatments prior to application of the waxes was constant throughout the group.


Very true regarding the consistency.

The only issue might be what is sitting underneath the wax's. I'm sure I read once that to get the absolute best out of any zymol wax, a coat of HD Cleanse was of paramount importance. Probably similar with a Dodo Juice wax I'm sure some Lime Prime would help the wax bond to the paintwork and thus give improved durability.

Either way this test was great, I mean its not like its claiming a difinitive answer in regards to what the best wax is, but it did give some interesting results.

It does show one thing though, unless your applying wax to a beutifully polished surface, then no matter what wax you use your not going to notice any massive difference in appearence weather it be a <£20 pot or a £100> pot of wax. I remember recently a thread where a guy was going to buy a pot of BOS to apply to a non polished car but with enough advice he ended up buying a machine polisher and a cheap wax with the same money instead and got an amazing finish by doing this. If he had just applied BOS to his faded paintwork it probably would not of looked majorly different.

All in the prep guys:thumb:


----------



## Judas

Eddy said:


> Very true regarding the consistency.
> 
> The only issue might be what is sitting underneath the wax's. I'm sure I read once that to get the absolute best out of any zymol wax, a coat of HD Cleanse was of paramount importance. Probably similar with a Dodo Juice wax I'm sure some Lime Prime would help the wax bond to the paintwork and thus give improved durability.
> 
> Either way this test was great, I mean its not like its claiming a difinitive answer in regards to what the best wax is, but it did give some interesting results.
> 
> It does show one thing though, unless your applying wax to a beutifully polished surface, then no matter what wax you use your not going to notice any massive difference in appearence weather it be a <£20 pot or a £100> pot of wax. I remember recently a thread where a guy was going to buy a pot of BOS to apply to a non polished car but with enough advice he ended up buying a machine polisher and a cheap wax with the same money instead and got an amazing finish by doing this. If he had just applied BOS to his faded paintwork it probably would not of looked majorly different.
> 
> All in the prep guys:thumb:


also........

who really cares about longevity?

lets say the best Wax here lasts 3 months, who here is going to leave it 3 months before they apply it again........not me thats for sure.

we're all so obsessed that we'll have it done again after a fortnight.

:thumb:


----------



## Dodo Factory

Judas said:


> you are correct that the application and preparation greatly affects the performance, but you have to remember that his application method and treatments prior to application of the waxes was constant throughout the group.


I know... this was the issue 

Some products would naturally favour the 'average' application technique used, others would be handicapped by it.

I appreciate it would have been very complicated for Iain to do each product specifically, but customers would ideally and logically read the instructions (in an ideal world) and products would never be at their best unless the process for their ideal application is followed. It was a necessary compromise perhaps, but people look for ********** answers in these kinds of tests - and one method of application for all products isn't going to create a ********** result of what wax is better. Just what wax suits the application technique used.


----------



## Judas

that is true and I understand that.


----------



## liannagreyson

Very nice post with a ton of informative information. I really appreciate the fact that you approach these topics from a stand point of knowledge and information 
instead of the typical “I think” mentality that you see so much on the internet these days.


----------



## chillly

Ian took the time to do this test and gave his results and opinions which we all thank him for. I for one can not imagine any company saying ok there product is better than mine can you. So after being on here a while and read tons and tons of members posts past and presant and must say you learn an aweful lot that way!!. And to get a feel for products and there opinions on them. Opinions on products in posts are great and what ian did was give us lots to think about when choosing a new wax. 

However my way of finding out about new products is buy it and try it that way you see for your self, and if you dont like it sell it swop it or just top shelf it.

The fun sometimes is trying new products anyway just to see if its better than the last product. Great post ian and thanks:thumb:


----------



## RaceGlazer

Whilst I hear what Judas has to say, and that I guess that for many people on here longevity isn't a critical issue as they have one car and enough time on their hands to re-do the process before ultimate durability has been tested, it IS a factor for many other buyers of product outside the hard core detailing world.
If you have a small number of cars, say even 3 or 4, two being daily drivers for his 'n' her, plus a son/daughters car or a weekend classic, the time factor in using and reapplying a product that lasts only a few weeks becomes a major deciding factor in what wax to buy, irrespective of the prep process.
I personally have 3 cars to look after (though thankfully only 2 after the Volvo estate goes on Saturday) and use the longest lasting wax (correctly prepped and having read the instructions) I have in my bag - which is 55. I simply don't have time to keep doing my cars. I think therefore durability and ease of use are big factors.
And also, many folks who look after their own cars but would never consider using the word 'detailer' to describe their efforts are perhaps not 100% committed to lengthy preparation and mix and match pre-wax, shampoo, polish etc, so a more forgiving product is going to give better results (looks and durability) than one that is very prescriptive on pre-wax prep.


----------



## atomicfan

@Dodo 

You forget that Zymol Products especially from Destiny upwords do not need an imrpovement. They are very good and there are not 3 or 4 different versions on the market or have beeen.

I personally dont like your products as no products holds what you or DW says. For example de DW Wax or Supernatural first was compared to Vintage and people found it looked the same, beading should be the same and durability should be very good.

In fact no word was right. As a Vintage and Royale User i only can laugh about comparing them to the big Z oder Swissvax waxes.

Durability, beading, sheeting and the look was bad. These are things that Colli 476 can do better and it is very cheap.

Also i never found the ingridients of your products or when they are in a font that is nearly unreadable


----------



## chillly

honest open debates thats what we like:thumb:


----------



## Dodo Factory

atomicfan said:


> @Dodo
> 
> You forget that Zymol Products especially from Destiny upwords do not need an imrpovement. They are very good and there are not 3 or 4 different versions on the market or have beeen.
> 
> I personally dont like your products as no products holds what you or DW says. For example de DW Wax or Supernatural first was compared to Vintage and people found it looked the same, beading should be the same and durability should be very good.
> 
> In fact no word was right. As a Vintage and Royale User i only can laugh about comparing them to the big Z oder Swissvax waxes.
> 
> Durability, beading, sheeting and the look was bad. These are things that Colli 476 can do better and it is very cheap.
> 
> Also i never found the ingridients of your products or when they are in a font that is nearly unreadable


Every product needs improvement, no matter who makes it. And how do you know Destiny has not changed? Do you make it? How do you know Chuck hasn't changed it?

We constantly improve our products and we are pleased to have a policy of openness. Unlike some manufacturers. I'm sure you'd be surprised what some of your favourite waxes have in them. You won't find the real ingredients on the label, unreadable font or not. We don't play their silly games. If you are fussed about what is in a wax, check out the MSDS data. It is freely available.

I have used Vintage and Royale, too. The joke's on you, sadly, but you're entitled to an opinion and I'm not going to be dragged into an argument. You are also factually wrong re durability, beading and sheeting being 'bad'. This is incorrect although you may have a personal opinion that you feel that they are not as good as others. That is a personal opinion, not fact. The only thing 476 does *demonstrably* better than our Supernatural is carry a lower price - it is not made in the same way or with the same ingredients as our waxes, and we admit we can't sell it as low as a mass market manufacturer does in low grade packaging.

You're entitled to your opinion, and if you don't like our products, carry on buying what makes you happy.


----------



## chillly

Thats very interesting and good reading. Also nice to see alot of the big boys watching this post and getting involved in the chat.


----------



## MerlinGTI

Only just seen this, what a fantastic Idea and test, thankyou very much for taking the time to compile it.

Go on the AutoGlym HD :thumb:


----------



## Amused

I just stumbled onto this old thread...wonderful job!

I am a little surprised by the results and do understand that this test was far from an ideal controlled experiment, but there are some good merits here, most notably real world conditions.

Having read through the entire thread, I did notice a few missing updates for when drop off occurred, for RBOE and Juiced Edition. However, I can appreciate the difficulty of conducting such a test with limited time and resources.

I was pleasantly surprised with the longevity of the Swissvax products. I would have never expected a boutique beauty wax to last so long. Having tried various Zymol products before and being disenchanted with them and the whole notion of high dollar waxes, this has cracked the door back open for me to possibly investing in a luxury wax again. I can't believe Natty's lasted so long. My experience with them were far from impressive.

Anyway, enough screwing around for me 

*@Finerdetails* - Thanks for the time and effort!


----------



## Dodo Factory

Judging from the results, RBOE and Juiced Edition failed between 4 and 6 months as Iain didn't do an update at 5 months.

This was our main bone of contention as no-one but us realised that we had submitted a coloring and fragrance free version of Juiced Edition as a 'Supernatural v1' prototype. Iain needed something to test and we weren't quite ready with the production version of SN, so we sent him an albino Juiced Edition as a Supernatural prototype as it was along the right lines (SN v1 was, in fact, a modified version of Juiced Edition). We thought there was little harm in this as it was a tried and trusted recipe already, so we were shocked when the 'yellow Supernatural' lasted 4-6 months and the 'official Supernatural' lasted just two at most. How two virtually identical products gave such different results suggested caution should be taken with the results and that the method and process should be checked, as it would seem anomalous.

Other anomalies included the ZFX Zaino products failing early in the sister sealant test and the real bombshell being G-Techniq - a covalent sealant which will outlast virtually anything else on the market at maybe 10-15 months durability (by my reckoning as a competitor!) not even getting beyond four months!

Then more subtle 'surprises'... Vintage beating Royale and Collinite 915 outlasting 476. Nattys overperforming, perhaps.

But let me be clear here. This is NOT a dig at Iain, as he always stressed it was just one man trying to do a forum a favour. He is a good guy and did his best.

However, forums want answers. Fast. They don't want to hear about anomalies and methods. They just want to know what wax they should be buying, and if someone grumbles then it must be sour grapes.

The reality is, if the wax we had in as a control sample, Juiced Edition, failed at exactly the same point, I wouldn't have written another word. If G-techniq had lasted well beyond the 6 months of the sealant test, again, why raise an eyebrow? The tests raised _more questions than answers_. Why the apparent premature failures? Was it anything to do with the products not being applied according to manufacturer's instructions, but to a single basic technique? Was some part of the horse box (test panel) more failure prone? Was Iain's interpretation of 'wax failure' good enough - Supernatural looked like it hadn't completely failed after two months, for example?

Well, of course all this was good enough, as it was Iain's test. He was free to do what he wanted. And rightly so. 

Unfortunately, the side-effect was that our original v1 Supernatural got slammed because of it, and instead of people hunting down the anomalies and asking why a wax like Ben's Original Edition outlasted Rob's G-Techniq covalent sealant, there was a lot of applause and an air of finality with the results. It was all a little bit more Sun than Newsnight.

There should still be applause for Iain taking the time to do the test. But the results had enough anomalies, uncertainties and queries for the results to be discussed and investigated further. They should not have been taken as gospel and set in stone.

It saddens me that even after reports of 16 weeks of durability from a German tester of SNv1, and its use by a lot of pro detailers - one of whom prefers it to v2 and wants us to make batches of the old recipe for him - it will always be known on this thread, and potentially this forum, as a wax 'with poor durability and Natty's Blue is better'. I personally disagree. And even if you take the results as being true and Iain's methods as being infallible, you *can't even buy Supernatural v1*! In fact, no-one has been able to for a year or so.

Making the results of this test... interesting, but academic.

And still unfair and dangerous to us when the casual observer glances down the list and goes 'oh, Supernatural is sh1t'.


----------



## Dave KG

First of all - I think Iain deserves a thank you for carrying out the test. I admit I had my own reservations on this test at the start, how to evaluate whether or not a wax has failed, as this is not quite the cut and shut answer you would expect... but it has been assessed here and the time has gone in to produce a test to answer a questions asked a lot, and this has given one answer to it. So thanks Iain, useful information for all on the forum :thumb:

To enter into the discussion here... The durability of a wax is, in my opinion, subject to a large variety of factors. Here, a lot of variables were kept controlled, but on the other hand I find that certain waxes seem to peform better in certain environments whereas others seem to be far more generally durable. There are a great many factors at play. Durability is something that for me is now being assessed better using a large "sample set" - as many cars as I can closely monitor, and building on regular use of the same product as well. There are some products for me that I now rely on for durability - namely Collinite, and also Meguiars #16 out of the waxes. Zymol waxes offer me very good durability consistently as well, and in terms of consistency, the more comparisons I make to Swissvax, the more I see the water behaviour of Zymol being superior for longer, and general durability too. But then, this is my findings, one man, one detailer, one set of cars. This test details Iain's findings, one man, one detailer, one horse box  It is _very important_ here to note that durability findings should really be based on a large sample set - so my findings are not enough for a ********** answer, neither are the ones in this test or any other single test for that matter. It is, as Dom says above, a touch dangerous to label products as poor or not based on a single test. The test is well intentioned, it adds great value, but it is _part of a story_, not the full picture.

On the topic of Supernatural, as I see its coming in for a little bit of a hiding here. I have it. I have V1. I didn't get great durability from it. I've tried it a few ways in terms of application (worked in, gently wiped, long cure, short cure), and for me it did not offer great durability. But that is for me. Others (Bigpikle IIRC) report much better durability from it... Now my car goes around muddy roads and salty motorways, so that's its environment and other cars may differ and the wax better suit that. I would therefore be wary of saying categorically that Supernatual has poor durability (V1, I have no experience thus far of V2.5.2.99.x.007Bond.Q), based solely on my single tests. The dangerous thing, as Dom says above, is that a single test can be read as gospel when it is simply one part of a story, one piece of a jigsaw.

Now, I'm not about to enter into a discussion of the look of Supernatural being bad compared to Vintage or Royale... I have used the big Zs, along with pretty much every other wax on the market, and the look is in the prep, not the wax so for me, there isn't a "bad" looking wax unless the underlying prep itself is poor. Waxes just dont add to looks for me. But they do last longer or shorter, and this is where I personally see differences - and yes, I personally have not found Supernatural as durable as others. For what that is worth.

But this now brings me to another point with regards to LSPs, and a fact that is often missed. Bearing in mind that waxes dont really add anything to the looks (in my opinion, and I am yet to read or see convincing evidence to the contrary), and that the main measurable difference is in durability, why dont we all go and use Collinite 476S? (Which for me has shown better durability than for example Vintage, Swissvax Mystery, and many other much more expensive products). Well, I imagine it is because there is more to it than simple the results - there are feel good factors as well... Some people like buying expensive waxes, bragging rights will come into it, but also with paying large sums comes confidence in a product by human nature. Cheaper must be inferior. This is not the case in practice, but on paper results often mean very little. Waxes have to be marketed - Dodo are rather fun, funky marketing - something different, something fun. Collinite markets its durability, but isn't what one might call funky and fun. Dodo caters better for a market where you want the wax to smell nice, be a fun colour and be entertaining to apply. Collinite caters for me, where I want durability and I don't want any frills. This brings me back to consideration of the big picture.

There is a lot of valuable information in this thread, and I do hope that it is taken correctly. It is not here to rubbish waxes I am sure, simply show how they last under these particular test conditions to add yet more valuable information to the growing amounts about wax durability.


----------



## spitfire

Interesting read from Dom and Dave there and I'd like to comment if I may. To an extent I sympathis with Dom that SN v1 seams to have been tarnished by the results here, but Dom, I'd like to ask you, if you had faith in the wax, why change it? You could have called it Version two and no one would have known the difference. Did you question the durability yourself maybe?

Ineresting reading from Dave there too and his thoughts on using boutique waxes and durability. There can't be many who have tried as many waxes as Dave has and his opinion on them counts a lot from my point of view. Having said that, I don't carry the same enthusiasm as he does for buying boutique waxes. I simply can't see the point, £100 or £10, no _visual difference_ and the £10 wax has better durability:doubleshoIt's a no brainer for me. The funny thing is though, and it's that word that Dave used to use a fair bit on here, NUANCE. I mean Dave you say that there is no difference on looks as it's all in the prep, and if you showed me ten cars with different waxes on, I certainly couldn't tell one from another, but why is it when I'm applying colly it gives me a very silvery nuance and when I apply Dodo Banana Armour I feel it has an ever so slight warmer look to it. Maybe there are some slight differences after all that the eye can't quite separate on a consistant basis.  So anyway, if the differences are that small as to be virtually undetectable, then why oh why do we waste our money so. Maybe I'm just a skin flint

Iain your tests may not have proved anything conclusively but it has simulated debate and for that and the effort you put into it, I thank you:thumb:


----------



## Judas

I've only been 'proper' cleaning for about a year, to a year and a half - so in terms of exp. I would say I'm a noob...lol

but......imo, the big wax test was great, informitive and a great read....but...

it wouldn't make me buy a wax over another, it would certianly add to my choice but it wouldn't ultimately sway me from one to another.

I would look for other reviews and create a wider range of opinion - or I would just go 'sod it' and buy it anyway.....lol

:thumb:


----------



## Finerdetails

very interesting how this thread has developed and continued.... looks like it had the right result in the end


----------



## Dodo Factory

Good debate chaps, and interesting points by Dave KG and Spitfire.

It is true that Dave KG didn't like Supernatural v1 very much either, from a durability perspective, and whilst we had reports of 16 weeks durability doing the rounds for the same wax, we always look at the overall picture. The seemingly anomalous result in the wax test meant that we had to change something so that durability no longer became an issue, which is why SNv2 was born. Sometimes you have to change something because the market needs you to, not because you want to.

The simple premise with wax making is that as durability goes up, ease of product use goes down. You can see this at its simplest with products like our Banana Armour that are extremely easy to use and last 2-3 months, and products like G-techniq's paint sealant that needs extremely careful and considerate application (professional application only, from memory) for 10-15 months of durability. So to counter the scattered negative reports about SNv1, we reformulated Supernatural to become SNv2. This had even more carnauba and some tweaks to its chemistry to ensure that durability was substantially improved (and indeed, the consensus amongst users on DW is that durability is almost sealant-esque, with the average report being 4-5 months and some claiming as long as 8 months, and a couple as short as 2. (We tend to take the average... the shorter ones are likely to be misapplication because Supernatural needs time to bond and the longer ones are likely to be on garage queens). And never forget the effect of the ambient environment - cars in Australia and Nevada may see weeks out of a product, yet cars in garages could see years. And if you take salt out of the equation, products often last longer in winter due to lower UV exposure!

Unfortunately, increasing the durability did make Supernatural that much more 'specialist'. It takes about twice as long as our standard waxes to 'set up' ie haze over. It needs very careful removal, as it is quite oily and those oils that give it durability don't want to leave the paint surface easily. So you have to allow it to dry completely in a thin layer, buff it, then rebuff it later, using more than one buffing cloth if required. If you don't do this, you could get a bit of wax/oil hologramming or rehazing. It needs an educated technique to remove, and the casual user will find it 'smeary' if they're not careful and blame the product.

Of course, we never set out to make Supernatural trickier to remove, but we had to up the durability and this was the side-effect. I personally think Supernatural v1 has a good balance between the two, and Supernatural v2 is now more of a specialist wax. But then, maybe that's the way it should be.

It's also worth noting that we were trying to keep the 'natural' wax elements as high as possible in the recipe - some modern silicone polymer sealants can give a good 6 months plus of durability and be applied and removed very easily. They can also be a bit cheaper. It's the wonder of the modern age... but we had always wanted Supernatural to be the highest performing 'naturally based' wax, not a sealant, and we hope the wax cognascenti appreciate that subtle difference. We will, at some point next year, do far more synthetic products/sealants and increase the choice in our range, but for those who want a high performing 'substantially natural' wax, Supernatural v2 is our offering and with good prep and intelligent application/removal, it does very well.


----------



## jimmyman

top test mate thanks for your time


----------



## master_detailer

Great test mate! Well done!:thumb: I can't find though any specific reference to Collinite #845 IW regarding its durability through the test results. Excuse me if I am wrong.


----------



## magnumsport

REALLY wish this and the sealant-equivalent test were made sticking in the wax section! It takes me AGES to find each time I want to view it, and it's such a good thread!

Any chance we could cut the OP some slack and give him a little more praise for this by making it a sticky? Seems such a shame after he put sooo much effort into it, and it's gotten lost deep within the 'Studio' section


----------



## Judas

magnumsport said:


> REALLY wish this and the sealant-equivalent test were made sticking in the wax section! It takes me AGES to find each time I want to view it, and it's such a good thread!
> 
> Any chance we could cut the OP some slack and give him a little more praise for this by making it a sticky? Seems such a shame after he put sooo much effort into it, and it's gotten lost deep within the 'Studio' section


why dont you add it to your favourites via i.e.???

job done........:thumb:


----------



## magnumsport

I could, but what about all the other visitors who are missing out on this thread? I think it's invaluable! Just seems such a waste 

Making it a sticky would allow less-frequent visitors to more easily find this amazing thread. Just my views :thumb:


----------



## A Fast Sloth

Bumping an old post, but this test was amazing. 
I use Autoglym HD Wax and this has confirmed what I've thought for ages, that it's a great wax at a great price, especially off Amazon at the moment for 26squiddlys!


----------



## ryand

Where did thr Colly 845 finish, wasnt listed in the results or did I miss it?


----------



## Finerdetails

the 845 dropped at 3months from memory


----------



## Jai

Great test mate, makes me really consider what wax to put on next! Tempted to use Natty Blue as I haven't touched the stuff in ages!


----------



## The Fat Man

Very nice test mate! :thumb: Sad to see the 845 drop out so early! Rather surprised to see the 915 last longer than the 476


----------



## 3976

Such a good test this. Loved my Nattys when I first got into detailing and just shows, for a £15 wax, it is bloody good!!


----------



## big ben

was a great test, and pretty damn accurate to!!


----------



## terraknorr

Great review :thumb:. 

Think I'll have to try the Nattys Blue instead of the DODO Blue Velvet I was going to get.


----------



## voon

Coolest Test ever. Happier than ever to just have bought Raceglaze 55


----------



## peugeot106

Thanks man


----------



## The_Bouncer

^^ where's old fred when you need him.. :thumb:


----------



## CraigQQ

holy thread resurrection lol..

dragged it up 6 months later for Thanks man :lol:

totally worth it


----------



## 550_VRS

only just got around to reading this .. what a great review  well done that man


----------



## gatman

First time I've seen this, AG HD wax for me thanks


----------



## Prestige Detail

Cracking test, glad somebody else has the patience as I know I don't !!


----------



## GAVSY

Only just found this test via a google search for Vics Concours vs Autoglym HD!
Sooo chuffed I went for Vics Concours. Thanks for a great right up/ test


----------



## james vti-s

Great test! thanks a lot.


----------



## rixis

what a :doublesho test
thank You for Your effort :thumb:


----------



## Finerdetails

I wonder if anyone will ever conduct a test on this scale again?

We have lots of new waxes on the market now - and I still have that horsebox!!! Who's brave enough to send me their first sample and see about doing a 2014 version.....


----------



## Rowe

be interesting to see if any of the Chinese '12 month waxes' really do what they claim


----------



## Trip tdi

Finerdetails said:


> I wonder if anyone will ever conduct a test on this scale again?
> 
> We have lots of new waxes on the market now - and I still have that horsebox!!! Who's brave enough to send me their first sample and see about doing a 2014 version.....


Ian it's been a very long time Nice to have you back on board on DW :thumb: It's been way too long


----------



## The_Bouncer

Finerdetails said:


> I wonder if anyone will ever conduct a test on this scale again?
> 
> We have lots of new waxes on the market now - and I still have that horsebox!!! Who's brave enough to send me their first sample and see about doing a 2014 version.....


Happy to submit a Bouncer's product if you run this again - Just PM me when and if you do this.

I'm not out to win, or be 'the best' - Taking part for me is good enough

:thumb:


----------



## 20vKarlos

That's a great attitude there Bouncer!

id love to have all those waxes!


----------



## lowejackson

I had completely forgotten about this thread. Nice to be reminded of what a great test it was and how much work went into it. It would be great to see waxes from Bilt Hamber and ADS along with some of the other new products


----------



## Autoglym

Finerdetails said:


> I wonder if anyone will ever conduct a test on this scale again?
> 
> We have lots of new waxes on the market now - and I still have that horsebox!!! Who's brave enough to send me their first sample and see about doing a 2014 version.....


We'd be keen to send you something too.

PM us when you are ready :thumb:


----------



## taz007

def time to get a new test on the go with a more extensive range of waxes, 2015 is the year


----------



## dubstyle

Not sure Iain from Finerdetails is still on the forum, i know he not posted for a while. I still like looking at his blogs on his website of what cars he has been doing.

This was a big wax test!!


----------



## james_death

dubstyle said:


> Not sure Iain from Finerdetails is still on the forum, i know he not posted for a while. I still like looking at his blogs on his website of what cars he has been doing.
> 
> This was a big wax test!!


His last post was jan last year stating he had resigned from his job nothing since i think.


----------



## R0B

james_death said:


> His last post was jan last year stating he had resigned from his job nothing since i think.


Still open as far as I know and now called Finer Detailing at least it was in August 2014 when I was a cross the road from it James


----------



## james_death

R0B said:


> Still open as far as I know and now called Finer Detailing at least it was in August 2014 when I was a cross the road from it James


I just meant nothing posted on the forum to show any likelihood he has seen this thread... if he still has the horse box.

A PM could show up in his e-mail provided its set up to get notification and if still using the e-mail.


----------



## Finerdetails

still here, still very much alive and detailing. Just not all over this forum 

Still got the horsebox too, and it really needs some tlc too


----------



## james_death

Finerdetails said:


> still here, still very much alive and detailing. Just not all over this forum
> 
> Still got the horsebox too, and it really needs some tlc too


Good to hear your still about pal....:thumb:

I have started a feeler thread to see if any manufacturers are up for this test again....

http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=353964

If you could jump in on it for some input would be appreciated to see if your up for it etc...:thumb:


----------



## Kirkyworld

A great test, a great result for AG HD wax that I think gets overlooked all too often for more expensive but not as good products


----------



## percymon

IF there were to be another mega wax test, and some of theprevious products are re tested I'd like to see those applied previously on the top row to feature on the bottom row and vice versa, given how much more crud and spray the lower half of any vehicle gets compared to the upper sections.

A good performaing wax at the top doesn't necessarily mean its anywhere near as good as one at the bottom row. Without multiple vehicles, or using one layout on one side, and a reverse layout on the other side of a vehicle its always going to be very subjective assessment. It would be great to see a new test but it does need the support of suppliers and a willing test bed (and tens of hours of prep, application, washing, assessment and reporting) - no small ask by any means.


----------



## james_death

Have sent Iain a message through his site in hope he will pop on to let us know.


----------



## james_death

Iian is unable to undertake this I'm afraid as he simply is too busy.

Good thing mind when running your own business.


----------



## matthewsimone

Deffinately sticking with my Autoglym Hd wax 
Great test


----------



## DLGWRX02

I know this is a thread revival, but damn!, he must of had arms like the hulk by the time he had finished..lol 

Also Good to know the 915 holds up well.


----------



## todds

What a great thread especially for new members or existing long time members as well
thanks
todds


----------

