Do different waxes really look different?

[ShinyChevy]

I've seen threads on (other) detailing forums where guys go on and on about the different looks of waxes, usually carnuba based waxes vs synthetic sealants. Is this for real? Maybe I just don't know what to look for or my eyesight is not that good but I don't think I see a difference in say Gold Class vs NXT 2.0 - they both look great to me. Does anyone have any pictures that show a difference? I've searched and have not found anything. I have found several side by side wax tests where people could tell no differnce between waxes when they were first applied.

I'm not saying there is no difference. Quite the contrary, I want to see the difference if it's really there. How about the pros who use lots of products on lots of cars and take lots of pictures, do waxes really look different?

[Murr1525]

Re: Do different waxes really look different?

Most of the looks will come from the prep work you do.

And the UQD, UQW, Nxt 2.0 products do look better than the old Nxt products to my eyes.

But it can also depend on the color, the lighting, seeing it from different angles in person.

If they all look good to you, then stick with your favorite product. Let other people argue about nonsense...

[ShinyChevy]

Re: Do different waxes really look different?

If they all look good to you, then stick with your favorite product. Let other people argue about nonsense...

I agree, words to live by!

But that's not really the point. I'd just like to be able to see a difference in appearance of different waxes, in pictures or in person, if such a thing is real. Sharpen my eye, if you will, like learning how to look for finish defects. Not looking for another "my wax can beat up your wax" flame war!

[akimel]

Re: Do different waxes really look different?

For me personally, the jury is still out on this question. During the past nine months I have used seven different waxes on my car (Gold Class, NXT, Reflections, Collinite 845, Harly Wax, Fuzion, and Souveran), and I intend to use another half dozen over the next six months or so. I hope that I will have an opinion, however tentative, to offer by the end of 2009.

My provisional opinion is that the differences are subtle and very hard to discern (assuming they in fact exist). My car in fact looks great in all the waxes I have tried so far. I presume she will look great in all the waxes I will try in the future. My car does not possess a swirl-free finish, but the finish is in pretty good condition, if I say so myself, which is no doubt why she looks so good in everybody's protectants. I am beginning to believe that, as Dave McLean likes to say, prep is 99% of appearance.

It is also possible, perhaps very probable, that I have not yet acquired the ability and discernment to detect the nuances between waxes. After all, acquiring a taste for good single malt scotches takes time and lots of drinking (lots of good drinking!). Some folks really believe that Dewar's or Glenfiddich tastes just as good as McCallan, Oban, or Laphroig. I do not know what to say to them. Taste in these matters is always subjective ... but they are also wrong. Just as one must acquire new ability to appreciate a good whisky, wine, or beer (please don't tell me that Budweiser is just as good as Sam Adam's--it's not!) so one must acquire an analogous ability with waxes. Perhaps as time proceeds, I will develop a more refined appreciation for good waxes and the differences between them. Perhaps or perhaps not.

I for one do not believe that on a well-prepped car any good wax will make a night and day difference. No good wax is going to make a well-prepped car look bad. At least no one has yet shown me any photographs that would support such a thing. All good waxes will make all well-prepped cars look good, but there may be minor differences and nuances--and it is precisely these minor differences and nuances everyone loves to get so passionate and acrimonious about, precisely because perception and appreciation are all so very subjective and free from objective controls. We want to believe that we "see" something that most people cannot see.

Anyway my quest for the magic wax continues. I can recommend all of them with various degrees of enthusiasm. Souveran sure looks good on my car right now, but I do not know if it is worth a $100 a tub; but it may be worth it when it becomes available at BOGO. Fuzion is a delight to apply, as is Souveran, and it took leaves an initially wet look. But is it worth the $175 they are asking for it? Probably not, but if you can get it, as I did, for $100 w/ refill, then it becomes a lot more reasonable.

Harly Wax remains one of my favorites. It it easy to apply and remove , it doesn't stain trim--which is an important characteristic for me personally--and it gives a balanced warm canuaba shine. I don't know if the look is as rich as Souveran, but it's an attractive look; and you can't beat the price of $20 for a 14 oz. tin. I don't understand why Harly Wax doesn't get more attention than it does.

Are these better than the Meguiar's waxes? Heck if I know. Gold Class, I think, is my least favorite of the Megs' waxes, but I can't tell you why. Perhaps it is simply a matter of it being the first I tried, and I can no longer really remember what it looked like and therefore cannot accurately compare it to any other product. Luthien looked great in NXT, but she looked equally good in Reflections and perhaps even a small margin better, perhaps. It's all so subjective. I have not yet tried M26, even though several have told me that it will look terrific on my car. I don't like the fact that M26 stains trim. If I can get good products that do not stain trim, then those are the products I will use, even if it means I have to spend $50 a tin for the stuff. For the moment, therefore, I am recommending Harly Wax. I like it. I wish some others would try it and tell me what they think. It won't knock you out of your socks, but you may be pleasantly surprised.

But I have more waxes to try, and I suspect that I will be recommending each of them to you in turn. We shall see.

Cheers,
Al

[eyezack87]

Re: Do different waxes really look different?

My "blind" testing of the waxes is always my Mum since she likes it when I work on her car instead of mine (rare). I would never tell her whats on it and she would actually point out that some of my collection looks better than the other. Even if that doesn't prove anything, I believe that what you think of it matters more than what other people think. It IS your money after all. Thats my justification for continuing my steadily increasing wax collection

[BigLeegr]

Re: Do different waxes really look different?

I think if you took a darkening wax and compared it to, say #20, you should see a difference. #20 is very shiny. Also (And I can't think of the specific waxes off the top of my head right now) there are some waxes that show an immediate/dramatic darkening of the paint, even as you are applying/wiping off. Some just help with reflection and shine while keeping the "true" color of the car visible. I've read of 1 person that actually waxed 2 identical cars with 2 waxes and afterwards it looked like the cars were painted slightly different colors. Again, sorry, can't remember the waxes used, but I do believe there is a difference in looks between waxes. It may just be that some you have tried are not as obvious as others.

[3Fitty]

Re: Do different waxes really look different?

I've seen threads on (other) detailing forums where guys go on and on about the different looks of waxes, usually carnuba based waxes vs synthetic sealants. Is this for real? Maybe I just don't know what to look for or my eyesight is not that good but I don't think I see a difference in say Gold Class vs NXT 2.0 - they both look great to me. Does anyone have any pictures that show a difference? I've searched and have not found anything. I have found several side by side wax tests where people could tell no differnce between waxes when they were first applied.

I'm not saying there is no difference. Quite the contrary, I want to see the difference if it's really there. How about the pros who use lots of products on lots of cars and take lots of pictures, do waxes really look different?

My thoughts on this subject is that there are only two types of waxes/sealants. Really good ones and really lousy ones (in terms of how they look). As Murr said, most of "the look" comes from the prep work and not your choice of LSP.

Take this example...

Two cars in similar shape. One prepared by Mike Phillips, Tim Lingor, Joe, Nick Chapman, Rasky, Kevin Brown etc... and one prepared by me. My belief is that ANY LSP they use will look better than anything I use, because of better prep work, not necessarily a better LSP.

I would be willing to bet the Kevin Brown and the least expensive Meg's LSP vs. 3Fitty and $2,000 zymol and Kevin's car comes out better.

However, the only modification I say to this is with regards to my initial statement between really good vs. really bad. My gut tells me a majority of products fall into the really good category. The only time I think you can see the difference in an LSP is when you come up against a "really bad" product and assuming prep work is all the same.

In those rare cases, a product like NXT 2.0 *might* darken the paint better, or a something like GC, *might* give you a deeper warmer glow. However, usually the differences between good quality LSPs is so small, I think you have to look at other factors when deciding which is best.

[ClearlyCoated]

Re: Do different waxes really look different?

Different paint finishes will react differently to various waxes and sealants, which is why there is so many on the market. To say that one wax is better than the rest for every paint finish used by every manufacturer for every make and model ever produced is simply impossible. Another variable is perception. If your car looks better to you hand waxed with a low priced OTC product as opposed to a professional detail finished off with a pricey boutique LSP, will you really allow yourself to be convinced otherwise?

[Michael Stoops]

Re: Do different waxes really look different?

As with so many things, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. That and you need to train your senses to detect differences, whether that be in the sound quality of different home audio speakers, the taste of different wines, the steering feel of different sports cars, or the visual appearance of different waxes. Even when you've trained your senses to pick up these differences, what you like and what someone else likes won't always be the same.

Does a synthetic sealant give you a look that makes you think the car has been wrapped in plastic, or is it a nice bright, crisp shine? You can find arguments both ways on this, but when you're waxing YOUR car, YOU get to choose what YOU like based on what looks good to YOU.

As for looking at pictures online to help with a determination, that's an exercise in futility, really. If you take a black car with no orange peel, prep the surface really well, apply a coat of even a very inexpensive wax, then shoot pictures under ideal lighting conditions with a high contrast scene being reflected in the paint, that car (and therefore that wax) is going to look amazing. But take the most esoteric, highly regarded, most talked about wax on the planet, slap it on a tan car, then take some pictures of the car sitting in the driveway under full sun so that you lose any real contrast and......... yawn.

[TLMitchell]

Re: Do different waxes really look different?

I've read of 1 person that actually waxed 2 identical cars with 2 waxes and afterwards it looked like the cars were painted slightly different colors.

A guy on a Brit forum got his detailing friends together and prepared 7 identical cars returned from lease. After correction and polishing they were indistinguishable. After applying LSPs of varying expense, some expensive and highly touted, some fairly common, they got a panel of "experts" together to rate color, gloss, depth etc. The ratings were all over the place and no one was able to correctly identify which LSP was on which car.

One wax was consistently rated higher by many than the others, and it was a fairly common, reasonably priced product. The #2 rating was also rated consistantly. Other than those two the observations suggest that the looks of an LSP are so subjective that it's all about using the product you prefer that works best for you on your vehicle.

I personally use a wax I've been using for over 20 years. It's economical, easy on & off and lasts a long, long time and gives my white vehicle what I perceive as a brighter shine with crisper reflections. I've layered it over sealants and used it solo and could perceive little visible difference and no difference at all in longevity.

Your mileage may vary,

TL

[MrCLRider]

Re: Do different waxes really look different?

A guy on a Brit forum got his detailing friends together and prepared 7 identical cars returned from lease. After correction and polishing they were indistinguishable. After applying LSPs of varying expense, some expensive and highly touted, some fairly common, they got a panel of "experts" together to rate color, gloss, depth etc. The ratings were all over the place and no one was able to correctly identify which LSP was on which car.

One wax was consistently rated higher by many than the others, and it was a fairly common, reasonably priced product. The #2 rating was also rated consistantly. Other than those two the observations suggest that the looks of an LSP are so subjective that it's all about using the product you prefer that works best for you on your vehicle.

I personally use a wax I've been using for over 20 years. It's economical, easy on & off and lasts a long, long time and gives my white vehicle what I perceive as a brighter shine with crisper reflections. I've layered it over sealants and used it solo and could perceive little visible difference and no difference at all in longevity.

Your mileage may vary,

TL

so what wax do you use?? you can PM me if you want, I am interested in knowing.

[wyseilmykkar]

Re: Do different waxes really look different?

I'm not going to be able to quote it verbatim, because my memory ain't so good these days, but doesn't Mike Phillips' signature state something like:

"Find something you like and use it often"

If you like it, then you obviously like how it applies and removes and it looks good in your eyes, if you use it often your car's paint will always look new because it's only when paint is neglected that it goes down hill.

Okay, I looked up another message and use cut & paste. 'Nuff said.

[ShinyChevy]

Re: Do different waxes really look different?

... and you need to train your senses to detect differences, whether that be in the sound quality of different home audio speakers, the taste of different wines, the steering feel of different sports cars, or the visual appearance of different waxes.

And that ability only comes with lots of experience with different products (waxes, speakers, wines, whatever) and carefull observation IMHO.

As for looking at pictures online to help with a determination, that's an exercise in futility, really.

Gotcha! Too many variables in photos.

Thanks for the insight: No real shortcuts to experience

[J. A. Michaels]

Re: Do different waxes really look different?

As others Have stated, the prep work is the key. I also believe this. There may be a subtle difference in the performance of a wax. When initially finished, if the prep work was done correctly, I bet 99% of people would not be able to distinguish between the different waxes.

As 3Fitty said in his example. There would be a difference if Mike, Kevin,Tim, Nick, did avehicle as opposed to others. I would tend to believe the difference is in the prep.

Unless someone could replicate the exact car under the exact conditions with different waxes. To show the differences in waxes, I will believe the difference is in the prep work.

[Slicked]

Re: Do different waxes really look different?

I can definately spot a bad wax. The "dead" look is hard to miss. And I can see a difference between Gold Class and NXT. Thankfully I really like both looks so I use both, depending on how I'm feeling. I also spot a difference when using Souveran.

It all gets a bit blurry beyond that.

Here's what Gold Class can do to a small section of a C-pillar (the Gold Class "look"):