#20 VS #21. Which has stronger cleaners

[Anomaly]

Both #20 and #21 are cleaner waxes/sealants. Which one is the stronger cleaner? I currently have and use #20 on my wheels. Cleans well, very easy to apply and remove, and leaves a durable slick finish on the wheels and makes wheel cleaning very easy with just soap and water. No need for strong chemicals brake dust washes right off. I am running out of #20 and was thinking of getting #21 but I need to know if it will clean as well as #20 does. If so I could use it as a one step clean and protect product like I use #20.

[Mike Phillips]

Re: #20 VS #21. Which has stronger cleaners

Since this is your first post, welcome to Meguiar's Online!


M20 has more cleaners. M20 is an actual light cleaner/wax.

M21 isn't technically a cleaner/wax, it should be used on paint in excellent condition or paint that has been previously cleaned and polished.

Nothing really lasts that long on wheels, especially if you're using a strong wheel cleaner, but it doesn't hurt to keep wheels with smooth surfaces waxed as it will make cleaning them easier, you just have to keep up on them.

What do you use on your car's paint?

[Anomaly]

Re: #20 VS #21. Which has stronger cleaners

Since this is your first post, welcome to Meguiar's Online!


M20 has more cleaners. M20 is an actual light cleaner/wax.

M21 isn't technically a cleaner/wax, it should be used on paint in excellent condition or paint that has been previously cleaned and polished.

Nothing really lasts that long on wheels, especially if you're using a strong wheel cleaner, but it doesn't hurt to keep wheels with smooth surfaces waxed as it will make cleaning them easier, you just have to keep up on them.

What do you use on your car's paint?

Hi Mike and thanks for the welcome and info on #21. I use several different products on my paint depending on my mood. From Meguiars I use NXT 2.0 Paste.

As for #21 I think you should look at this link. http://www.properautocare.com/meno21syse.html

It's from a very well known on line store. In the product description of #21 they claim a Meguiars representative told them #21 has such strong cleaners is can visibly reduce swirls and they recommend #21 as a replacement for the discontinued Medallion line. If I remember correctly the Medallion sealant had some pretty strong cleaners in it. Any ways the info you gave me conflicts with the info in the link I provided. Maybe some one should inform them their product description is faulty. Since I have not used #21 yet I cannot comment on it's performance.

Thanks

[Tuck91]

Re: #20 VS #21. Which has stronger cleaners

FWIW, I have found the best thing for my wheels is to clay them, then use an AIO such as A12 Cleaner Wax or ColorX followed by NXT Generation Tech Wax 2.0 or M21 2.0.

Then the next time I wash my truck i just use the car wash soap I am using at the time.

After each wash, i maintain the wheels with a combination of Last Touch and Ultimate Quik Wax.

I hope this helps.

[Mike Phillips]

Re: #20 VS #21. Which has stronger cleaners

As for #21 I think you should look at this link. http://www.properautocare.com/meno21syse.html

It's from a very well known on line store. In the product description of #21 they claim a Meguiars representative told them #21 has such strong cleaners is can visibly reduce swirls and they recommend #21 as a replacement for the discontinued Medallion line.

M21 and NXT are actually pretty good at masking light swirls but I wouldn't use one to try to remove swirls, that should be done in the cleaning or compounding step. The actual statement on that website is,

a Meguiar's spokesperson told me that No. 21 has enough cleaning power to visually reduce minor swirls

Both M21 and NXT have the ability to reduce minor swirls, this is true, but I'm not sure the cleaners are actually removing them as much as the product is just masking them, there's a difference between the words remove and reduce.

If I remember correctly the Medallion sealant had some pretty strong cleaners in it.

No that's actually not correct, there was a dedicated paint cleaner in the Medallion Line and it did have a slight chemical smell to it but was still a very premium paint cleaner that also used diminishing abrasives and was very popular with many long time Meguiar's users.

I don't have a picture of one of the last bottles manufactured, (I have some in my collection, just not a picture handy), but here's a picture of the first generation Medallion Premium Paint Cleaner.

Any ways the info you gave me conflicts with the info in the link I provided. Maybe some one should inform them their product description is faulty. Since I have not used #21 yet I cannot comment on it's performance.

Thanks

It can be very difficult to keep everyone that works for Meguiar's or is even associated with Meguiar's to stay on message but for the most part we do a pretty good job. Thank you for bringing this to our attention.

Most people that try M21 like M21, everyone's different so it really comes down to user experience and expectations.

[Anomaly]

Re: #20 VS #21. Which has stronger cleaners

FWIW, I have found the best thing for my wheels is to clay them, then use an AIO such as A12 Cleaner Wax or ColorX followed by NXT Generation Tech Wax 2.0 or M21 2.0.

I basically do what you do but I have been using #20 as a one step. I find the cleaners in #20 good enough that I don't need to use a ColorX or A12 type product first and it's durable and slick so I get what I need in one step. Than I to use regular car wash soap to clean them every wash.

I just thought if #21 was as good a cleaner as #20 that I would purchase some to replace #20 when my #20 runs out. I had been using Wheel Wax but found it a real pain to remove and it's just a cleaner wax/sealant which #20 is also but #20 is so much easier to use and much slicker and leaves a nice gloss. Very underated product on the forums IMO.

[Anomaly]

Re: #20 VS #21. Which has stronger cleaners

Mike,

So to sum it up #20 is the better "one step" product than #21 since #20 has better cleaning power?

[Mike Phillips]

Re: #20 VS #21. Which has stronger cleaners

Mike,

So to sum it up #20 is the better "one step" product than #21 since #20 has better cleaning power?

Definitely.

You are right about M20, it's a very good product. Hard to believe it's been around for approximately 30 years. Formula is updated whenever new technology applies.

I used it a lot when I used to detail cars full time, use to buy it in the half-gallon.

Dries fast and leaves a very slick finish.

[akimel]

Re: #20 VS #21. Which has stronger cleaners

Anomaly, here is the abrasive ranking of Meguiar's cleaner waxes, from least to most aggressive. Note that M21 and NXT are not included in this list, as they do not possess sufficient cleaning power to qualify as cleaner waxes:

• Meguiar's A12 Cleaner Wax (Consumer Line - Maroon bottle)
• M20 Polymer Sealant
• ColorX
• M06 Cleaner/Wax
• M66 Quick Detailer
• D151 PRC

You may find this thread of interest.

[Anomaly]

Re: #20 VS #21. Which has stronger cleaners

Anomaly, here is the abrasive ranking of Meguiar's cleaner waxes, from least to most aggressive. Note that M21 and NXT are not included in this list, as they do not possess sufficient cleaning power to qualify as cleaner waxes:

• Meguiar's A12 Cleaner Wax (Consumer Line - Maroon bottle)
• M20 Polymer Sealant
• ColorX
• M06 Cleaner/Wax
• M66 Quick Detailer
• D151 PRC

You may find this thread of interest.

I knew #20 was a decent cleaner from my experince using it but didn't realize how high up the abrasive scale it was. Surprised to see it above ColorX. When you combine it's cleaning power, durabilty, slickness, and ease of use it is one of the best one step products on the market. I like to use one step products on wheels, painted surfaces in the engine compartement, and door and trunk jambs. On my piant I go with a multi step process though.

[akimel]

Re: #20 VS #21. Which has stronger cleaners

I knew #20 was a decent cleaner from my experince using it but didn't realize how high up the abrasive scale it was. Surprised to see it above ColorX. When you combine it's cleaning power, durabilty, slickness, and ease of use it is one of the best one step products on the market. I like to use one step products on wheels, painted surfaces in the engine compartement, and door and trunk jambs. On my piant I go with a multi step process though.

The list (from top to bottom) goes from least aggressive to most aggressive. Thus ColorX is more aggressive than M20.

[Anomaly]

Re: #20 VS #21. Which has stronger cleaners

The list (from top to bottom) goes from least aggressive to most aggressive. Thus ColorX is more aggressive than M20.

Yes I noticed that after I posted but for some reason my posts don't show up after I enter them. I get a message about a moderator needing to approve them. The posts show up later. I couldn't edit my post as a result of this. Why is this happening?

[Tuck91]

Re: #20 VS #21. Which has stronger cleaners

Yes I noticed that after I posted but for some reason my posts don't show up after I enter them. I get a message about a moderator needing to approve them. The posts show up later. I couldn't edit my post as a result of this. Why is this happening?

I think it does that for newer members and their first 20-30 posts or so.