Professional v consumer products

[79elcamino]

Do the professional products give better results then the consumer products or are they the same formula but slighty tweaked so they are body shop safe??

[Tuck91]

Re: Professional v consumer products

You can achieve great results from products that are in all of Meguiars lines, including the Consumer and Proffesional Line.

Some products in the Professional line are body shop safe but not all of them are.

[Eddie6th]

Re: Professional v consumer products

The consumer products are every bit as good. A lot of pro line products are bodyshop safe as mentioned,and intended for machine/rotary use.

[79elcamino]

Re: Professional v consumer products

that really doesnt answer the question, i know that the consumer line is good i use it and i love the results i just want to know if i could get better results from the professional line since it has the title professional, to me that means better and if it doesnt mean better whats the point

[Calais]

Re: Professional v consumer products

They all get the job done. Each does a different job though. Most Mirror Glaze products were designes specifically to be used with the DA or rotary (of course by hand too), to be body shop safe and to come in higher volume sizes. They do their job exceptionally well. Detailer Line products were designed to be in extremely high volume and inexpensive for professionals who use a lot of product. They also do their job exceptionally well. Consumer line was designed for weekend end warriors, to come in small sizes and also do their job extremely well.

Lesson: all the products do what they claim to do as well as they claim or better. There is no Meguiar's product, professional or consumer, that is not worth its weight in gold. Professional or consumer line, you will be happy with what you get. Each product is different and does a different thing, all of them in an exceptional fashion no matter what line they're from.

[sleepy]

Re: Professional v consumer products

They all get the job done. Each does a different job though. Most Mirror Glaze products were designes specifically to be used with the DA or rotary (of course by hand too), to be body shop safe and to come in higher volume sizes. They do their job exceptionally well. Detailer Line products were designed to be in extremely high volume and inexpensive for professionals who use a lot of product. They also do their job exceptionally well. Consumer line was designed for weekend end warriors, to come in small sizes and also do their job extremely well.

Lesson: all the products do what they claim to do as well as they claim or better. There is no Meguiar's product, professional or consumer, that is not worth its weight in gold. Professional or consumer line, you will be happy with what you get. Each product is different and does a different thing, all of them in an exceptional fashion no matter what line they're from.

Well said.

[BarryK]

Re: Professional v consumer products

used properly any of the products, regardless of which "line" they are in will give excellent results. The main differences between the Consumer line, Detailer line, and Pro line is how they are designed and marketed to be used.

An example is the Consumer line which has products like DC Paint Cleaner, DC Polish, DC Carnuba wax, etc. When an average consumer walks into their local auto parts store of Pep Boys, Autozone or the Walmart, etc most do not know all the various detailing and car care products available but they know they need something to keep their car clean and waxed. The consumer line of products is there to help the consumer purchase what they need and to make use of the product(s) easy and to give very good results if they follow the direction on the container. It's easy for Mr. Customer to walk in, realize he needs car shampoo, a paint cleaner, a polish, and a wax and than to also pick up a bottle of Quick Detail spray to keep the car dust free afterwards. It makes buying the products he needs and using the products basically a no-brainer operation.

The Detailer line is direct, not surprisingly, to professional detailers, car washes, and car dealership prep departments. Customers in this market need not only products that produce excellent results but are fast and effective to use in terms of applying and removing product so their product speed is not slowed down and they also need products that are avaialbe in larger valume size containers and that are very cost effective so the product alone is not taking up too high of a percentage of their per vehicle fees. A perfect example is D151 PRC. This is an excellent product and on most of my detailing jobs my standard go-to main product. It give some polishing cut to reduce/eleminate minor swirls, etc and is a good quality carnuba wax. It's also DA and rotary formulated so i can machine apply it and in one step polish and wax. It's fast, removes very easily, and extremely cost effective. As a detailer I LOVE D151.
The detailer line has so many great products that as a detailer making money from this profession I couldn't live without (well, I could but these are such great products I'd sorely miss them) such as Hyper Dressing, APC+, Super Degreaser, Last Touch, Body Solvent, and the list goes on... All are great at what they do and all are very cost effective.

The Pro line (Mirror Glaze line) is markets and designed for body shop use. Many but not all of these products are silicone free but more than that they are designed for the type of work that bodyshops need. For example, after painting a vehicle it needs to be wet-sanded and a compound and polish used to remove the wetsanding marks and final finish the paint. Products like M83/M80 and the newer M105/M205 are designed for this purpose.
In the hands of an experienced painter M105/M205 can achieve excellent results but put M105 in the hands of an uninformed and inexperienced basic consumer and the results could be disastrous.

Products are designed, marketed, and even the information on the container is adjusted to whatever area of the market the product is designed for.
look at the Pro line products and you will see Cut level information so the bodyshop knows how aggressive one compound of polish is compared to another. Look at consider products and cut level information is not given because most consumers wouldn't understand how to best use that information and most likely would use it wrong (IE: well, if product 'A" has a cut of 3 and product "B" has a cut of 8 I should buy product "B" because it works better and i'll get more results. Problem is their vehicle is brand new and all they really need is DC 1 and DC carnuba wax!
Look at products like SwirlX and ScratchX. There are no Cut level's given on them but you know what they are designed for, what they will correct, just by their name. Easy for the general consumer.

Now, forums like this get a target audience that pretty much takes the rules away from this directed marketing approach since people on detailing forums are detailing "enthusiasts". While most on here (the non professional detailers anyway) are really just basic consumers they are also knowledgeable abot detailing, the processes and techniques, and the various products available more than just what they fine on the shelves of their local store. People on these forums than you will find can be a 'regular consumer" type person but using products like M105/M205 correctly and successsfully, M07 glaze for added results, APC+, Hyper dressing, etc. Furum members tend to use products from all the lines but keep in mind that forum members are only a VERY small percentage of the total market. Most of the worlds population tends to fall distinctly within one of the specific markets (consumer, detailer, bodyshop) and tend to stay with products within that market scope

[CieraSL]

Re: Professional v consumer products

Well said, Barry. Well said.

[Nappers]

Re: Professional v consumer products

Well said guys.

FWIW, I use both OTC and Pro/Detailer series.....Different paints, circumstances calls for different products, also calls for different if using a machine or by hand.

Once in a great while, I don't want to break out the tools, pads, multitude of products, I reach for the OTC (UC or SwirlX) and do paint correction by hand as necessary. And, I do break out the arsenal and knock down the swirls as needed as well.

Can't knock any of the lines down really.....

[Tuck91]

Re: Professional v consumer products

I use products from every single line, even the motorcycle line. And they all have a place in my collection since I am not just limited to one line.

[kaptain_zero]

Re: Professional v consumer products

that really doesnt answer the question, i know that the consumer line is good i use it and i love the results i just want to know if i could get better results from the professional line since it has the title professional, to me that means better and if it doesnt mean better whats the point

I'll attempt to formulate a direct and short answer to your question. There is a lot of great information in the answers above but to make it short and sweet:

A professional will use the pro line of products which generally gives him/her a better price/performance/specific features that he/she requires (example: Compatibility with rotary application to save time, not necessarily producing a better result) Imagine a large body shop having to get their supplies in 8oz bottles at consumer prices.... Nope, they'll go for that 55 gal drum if they use a lot!

A consumer can use the consumer line of products (available in small containers, better suited for occasional use and thus more cost effective) and get (providing he/she has skills equal to the professional he/she is comparing him/herself to) an equally good result most times using typical methods such as a DA rather than rotary machines etc.

Enthusiasts will draw from all product lines in their never ending search for the *perfect* product!

There ARE some products in the Pro line that are not available as consumer versions... Things such as faster cutting compounds, compounds designed for working on fresh paint, body shop safe versions of products. They are not necessarily better, just designed for a very specific purpose.

SIgh.... it's hard not to get wordy, so I'll leave it there.....

I hope this answers your orginal question the way you posed it.

Regards

Christian

[Murr1525]

Re: Professional v consumer products

There ARE some products in the Pro line that are not available as consumer versions... Things such as faster cutting compounds, compounds designed for working on fresh paint, body shop safe versions of products. They are not necessarily better, just designed for a very specific purpose.

And in some cases kept away from novices for good reasons, as they could be damaging if used improperly.

[Calais]

Re: Professional v consumer products

And in some cases kept away from novices for good reasons, as they could be damaging if used improperly.

Although it is a pain for those of us who do have the experience and need for M105 and other potentially dangerous compounds, I shudder to think what would happen if your average garden variety "master turtle-waxer" were to get his mitts on a bottle.

[Murr1525]

Re: Professional v consumer products

I was a little surprised UC came out, its pretty far up there. But I was also thinking more like Wheel Brighter and other dilutable products also.

[HealthyCivic]

Re: Professional v consumer products

that really doesnt answer the question, i know that the consumer line is good i use it and i love the results i just want to know if i could get better results from the professional line since it has the title professional, to me that means better and if it doesnt mean better whats the point

I know what you're thinking. You're thinking "professional = 'better'." I used to think that a while back too. With Meguiar's products it's a little different. You have to look at the objectives of the consumer and the objectives of the professional detailer/bodyshop. All Meguiar's products are the best in the sense that each accomplishes these objectives best in their class. Here's what I'm saying:

Professional detailers and bodyshops work in a production environment. As such, they need to have large quantities of product at the lowest price available and they need product that gets the job done as quick as possible. That is what the professional products are ultimately designed to do. The products are sold by the gallon, they are designed for the detailer to manually dilute them, bottles are sold separately, etc... The catch is, these products are still Meguiar's and still of fantastic quality.

Consumer products are designed for people who take care of their cars at home and are not as production centered. They are sold in spray bottles rather than the gallon, they come packaged at their correct dilution ratio, they may not be compatible with rotary buffers, they are not designed to be used in body shops, and they often have more consumer-friendly aspects such as the Smooth Surface Clay Kit which comes with clay, a clay holder, a microfiber towel, and a bottle of Quik Detailer.

As I mentioned earlier, they are all Meguiar's quality products though so my advice to you is try out some Professional product as well. If you are willing to dilute your own quick detailer (Last Touch), you will probably like it better because you get more for your money and have total control. I use a bit of both. I like the versatility of All Purpose Cleaner and Last Touch but I also use Ultimate Compound, Ultimate Quick Wax, NXT 2.0 Tech Wax, Gold Class car wash, etc...

Does that make more sense?