M20 vs M21 vs M16 vs NXT

[poyo]

I've been a user of NXT Paste Wax for almost 2 years now. Great product [ easy to apply and remove ], but the durability of the wax in high humidity countries like Malaysia makes the wax last up to 3 weeks only.

I have seen cars done with M21 as LSP and I do like the look [ similar to NXT, a bit better in terms of gloss and reflectivity perhaps? ], but I have yet to see cars [ visually, not thru Net pics etc ] applied M20 or M16 as their LSP.

M16 is available here in Malaysia, and I have read some of the reviews of this nifty stuff here in MOL. But the pics show that it's not as reflective as NXT [ [ which even helps my Giallo Modeno - painted car, this colour is not so reflective during the day, to reflect a lot better! ]. Haven't used it it. But since my NXT Paste Wax is diminsishing, prolly buy a can of M16 and give it a try. To my understanding, M16 must be applied as thin as possible, as this wax is slightly harder to remove compared to M21?

Haven't seen a M20 applied as a LSP also.

My question[s] is :

- For personal use [ personal as in, having lots of time to use a finicky LSP to have the best possible result ], which one of 'em will last the longest, but yet, giving out the best water beading, protection, gloss, clarity and reflectivity?

- For business purposes, I believe M16 is outta the list [ since it seems like it's the hardest to take off ]. So, between the three [ M20, M21 and NXT ], which one works best?

- But for certain business purposes [ special customers which their vehicles are painted deep red, black, or deep, dark blue colour ], which one of the four I've mentioned will provide the best result?

Pls forgive the questions, as here in Malaysia,

[lgangi]

Re: M20 vs M21 vs M16 vs NXT

Although I haven't used M20, IMHO M21 is best all-around. I'd been using M16 for many years before being convinced to replace it with NXT. Then I tried M21- very close to NXT but I think my deep dark blue is best with 21 - seems "clearer and deeper...

You could top 21 with M26 or M16 to get some extra depth but I save that for only the very best of occaisons.

[Mike Phillips]

Re: M20 vs M21 vs M16 vs NXT

Couple of comments...

At this time, best protection of the paint is with NXT, liquid or paste. It doesn't bead water as long as products like M16, but protection from attack is better. For what it's worth, water beading looks cool, but it's a bad thing because water beading leads to water spotting if the water drops dry on the car.

M16 is what is referred to as a heavy wax, thick applications, or coatings of this wax will be very difficult to remove after the wax has fully dried, key words here being very and difficult.

M16 is a pure wax, that is there are no cleaners in it, for this reason it should only be applied to paint that is completely clean and polished smooth, this would be a new car, a new paint job that is over 30 days cured or an older paint job that has been professionally cleaned and polished to a smooth high gloss. This requirement actually applies to these waxes also, Deep Crystal Carnauba Wax and M26 Hi Tech Yellow Wax as these are also pure waxes.

Assuming your paint is in excellent condition,(smooth, clean and polished), then the goal or idea is to apply and work onto and into the paint a thin, even coating, not a thick coating. You want to gently but with focused attention push these types of waxes onto the paint and into microscopic surface imperfections as well as you can but without being rough or doing it in any haphazard way because you're working on a finish in excellent condition and you must be careful with your technique so that you don't instill any swirls and scratches in the process but at the same time do a thorough job of applying the wax.

Then, allow the wax to fully cure or dry, then remove this layer of wax carefully so that again, you don't instill any defects in the process.

M16 is unique and different from most other waxes because of they way in which it coats over and dries to a very hard film. You need to understand that more is not better because you're going to wipe off the excess wax sitting on the surface, and knowing this, and knowing that this wax dries very hard, it only makes good sense to apply a thin coating.

Thin coatings wipe off easy, thick coatings will break your arm. Seriously.

"Find something you like and use it often"

Hope this helps...

[bernard78]

Re: M20 vs M21 vs M16 vs NXT

Hi Poyo. I'm from M'sia too. I've used #20+#16. Results very durable. Better than NXT anytime. But the surface wasn't as silkly smooth as NXT though. But in my personal opinion I think #21 will be a good selection for our climate in M'sia.

But I don't feel it's hard to wipe off #16. Still far much more easier than other brands OTC products in M'sia. Even applied a bit thick sometimes. But the #20 very-very easy to wipe off. Even more easier than NXT.

For Personal - I feel all is good, it really depends on individual perception on the products. I have most of Megs waxes. I use them randomly as my mood feels like actually. But durability issue the #21/#16 is better.

For bussiness - I guess it's #21. I haven't tried #26 yet though (as seems tht #26 might suits ur customers deep red, black & etc.

I also feels that it's the prep tht is very important if u want the colours to really pop out like show car shine. Rather than waxing alone. As after the oil, polymers, silicons or whatsoever breaks down day by day. Its slowly loses the shines. It'll slowly comes back to its original shine slowly. U won't actually notice it really. And in M'sia u know this happens faster than them in US. Its the heat & humidity. So it really is the real paint colours tht makes the end results good. Waxes are to boost the colours and protect the paint surface I feel. In my personal opinion lah.

[RamAirV1]

Re: M20 vs M21 vs M16 vs NXT

IMHO, if you are going to use only one LSP, #21 is the best choice. It has the look similar to that of NXT, combining depth and reflectivity. It seems to be just about as durable as #20, with a little better look. #20 emphasizes reflectivity. #20is very easy to use and dries quickly in all temperatures. #21 is easy to use, especially when buffing out. But it does take longer to dry in colder temperatures. #21 has very good swirl filling ability, whereas #20 does not, at least in my experience.

#21 gives me all the protection I need. I used it this summer on my GTO and is performance was exemplary! I just started my winter detail, and there was surprisingly few above surface contaminants on the paint. And there has been road construction everywhere!The amount of contaminants was so low that I almost skipped the claying process, but I am OCD so I wound up using the clay. Also, I had no bird dropping etch marks on the paint. The paint stays slicker longer, and the water rolls off the surface more quickly through more car washes with #21 compared to NXT.

I like the NXT Paste. It is also very easy to use, even if you are not careful and apply too heavy of a coat, it wipes right off. It has a great look maybe just a little better than #21. It is great at filling swirls, but does not last as long as #21. If you wax frequently (every 3-4 weeks), NXT Paste is a great choice. If you maintain the finish with Speed Detailer, you could probably extend the wax interval to 6-8 weeks. One of my favorite combos is NXT over #21. It looks great, and helps cut down the dust attraction on the paint. And if you get a few swirls on the surface, all you need is some NXT Paste to fill them in. IMHO, when you have a daily driver, it is not practical to use a cleaner polish with the DA every week to remove swirls!

For my winter detail, I am using #26 over #20. With the cooler weather, I was concerned about the long dry time for #21. The #20 provides great durability and reflectivity, plus it is easy to use in cold weather. The #26 provides extra depth to the finish. Plus it has no cleaners to remove the #20 applied previously. And #26 on its own provides good durability. I am very happy with this combination! It provides a clear, very reflective surface with great depth! When I finish my detail, I will do one panel with #21 over #20 so I can make a comparison. The finish was prepped with #80 by DA prior to the LSPs.

So I use NXT Paste over #21 for the summer. And my choice for winter is #26 over #20. I am going to try #21 over #20 on a remaining section if the weather is warm enough.

RamAirV1

[poyo]

Re: M20 vs M21 vs M16 vs NXT

Thanks for all the comments fellas!

So now it's between NXT and M21. But for business purposes ( where speed and quality counts a lot ) I believe M21 is the way to go. But as Mike Phillips sezs, currently NXT offers the best protection from damage inflicted by bird poo etc ( am I right? ). What about M21? From you guys own opinion and experience, does M21 have the same of better level of protection compared to M21?

Bernard78 is right. The MAIN problem with Malaysia is the high temp and high humidity, plus it rains cats and dogs often! Sometimes daily! It'll be very2 hot during the morning and afternoon, and then by early evening, it'll rain heavily! NXT doesn't stay long enough in these conditions. Best is 1 month, tops. And that is with the help of NXT Spray Wax during weekly wash.

Maybe M16 is reserves for those special days, where I have oddles of time to spend on the car. Heheh.

[arthurtoo]

Re: M20 vs M21 vs M16 vs NXT

hey poyo....im from malaysia as well...and i realise NXT doesn't last long on my car as well. therefore, i switched to #20 and it worked miracles.....im currently testing to see how long it'll last on my car and its been six weeks since i've last waxed my car....only normal washes every week. so i guess maybe u would wanna give either #21 or #20 a try to see if it lasts longer than NXT.

to make ur NXT and #20/#21 last longer, just do a layer of pure carnauba on top of it every week......

[RamAirV1]

Re: M20 vs M21 vs M16 vs NXT

I have had #20 last through an entire winter. That alone is reason enough to use it. I would expect similar performance from #21, given it has newer engineered synthetic polymers. Although Meguiars updates its established products like #26 and #20 also.

Back in the 80s Meguiars had a consumer line polymer sealant. It was in paste form and came in a red/silver metal tin can. It was really hard to buff off, and I didn't have a PC back then. But it lasted through an entire midwest winter complete with over 100 inches of snow! It continued to bead water, and the surface was amazingly slick even at the end of the winter. Very impressive for a product back in the 80s!

RamAirV1

[pcunite]

Re: M20 vs M21 vs M16 vs NXT

I like #20 and #21. This has been my experiences with them:

M21
* spreads very far using the PC and finishing pad.
* Living in a southern state USA I need to wait about 20 - 30 minutes before the product is ready to remove.
* Requires more work to remove than 20.

M20
* Dries very quickly.
* Extremely easy to remove vs 21.
* The finish feels much "slicker" than 21
* Product does not spread as far as 21.

[sneek]

Re: M20 vs M21 vs M16 vs NXT

I think I am going to do a test compairing #21,#20, and #16. This question comes up so often that I think it would be worth it.

my massive supply of #16 should come on Friday.

[RamAirV1]

Re: M20 vs M21 vs M16 vs NXT

I think I am going to do a test compairing #21,#20, and #16. This question comes up so often that I think it would be worth it.

my massive supply of #16 should come on Friday.

Excellent! Be sure and keep us posted.

I used #21 over #20 on part of my car for the winter, and it looks awesome! The #21 does take a bit longer to dry in the cooler weather like others have said. #21 was designed for rotary use so it has more wetting action to allow that, hence the longer drying time.

RamAirV1

[pcunite]

Re: M20 vs M21 vs M16 vs NXT

I like #20 and #21. This has been my experiences with them:

M21
* spreads very far using the PC and finishing pad.
* Living in a southern state USA I need to wait about 20 - 30 minutes before the product is ready to remove.
* Requires more work to remove than 20.

M20
* Dries very quickly.
* Extremely easy to remove vs 21.
* The finish feels much "slicker" than 21
* Product does not spread as far as 21.

I forgot to mention that #21 does not flake and seems to hide better in jams etc... while #20 flakes somewhat...


.

[Mike Phillips]

Re: M20 vs M21 vs M16 vs NXT

while #20 flakes somewhat...

Would the word dusts substitute better for the word flakes?

[yakky]

Re: M20 vs M21 vs M16 vs NXT

Would the word dusts substitute better for the word flakes?

Perhaps he was thinking dandruff

[ducktail]

Re: M20 vs M21 vs M16 vs NXT

Poyo, where abouts in Malaysia did you get the #16, Hypercoat? I'm in Singapore but will be going back to PJ for CNY. I'm thinking of picking some up along the way. The distributor here is totally out of stock.

cheers
Seb