Are high end waxes (swissvax, zymol, supernatural, etc) have great durability? I assume that having higher content of carnauba, equals great durability. The majority of the info on forums about high end waxes, are about the looks. That important if one is spending 100's or 1000's of dollar. But I would like a good durability, if I am spending that kind of money. What is the opinion?
Depends what you consider durable. Most people in this hobby can't help but detailing their vehicle every month or sooner! Almost all Carnaubas SHOULD last a month and is why I use Carnaubas. If I wanted more durability I use a sealant.
I can tell you that I've compared Zymol Vintage directly to Pinnacle Souveran paste and P21S/S100 paste and it came in last in every comparison. Cost doesn't always equal value. I was absolutely shocked at how Vintage performed compared to S100 that is literally a hundred times cheaper. Don't get too caught up in the price tag. Sometimes the cost of fancy labling and advertising get tacked on to products and it doesn't really change the contents in the package.
Despite of their relatively low prices, I think that Victoria Waxes are high end waxes. I always loved them, but never thought of them as durable waxes. I used them during the warmer months, kept them pristine, but reapplied them more often than it was essentially needed. Then came October 2007. I thought I'd do a test, so I applied 2 coats of Meg's #16 on my roof, and 2 coats of Victoria Cruising (the discontinued, acrylic-enhanced wax)on my hood; both with a DA. It was shocking for me that the Vic held up better on the hood than the #16 on the roof. I think it's fully understandable why I'm babying my jar...
I have been wondering lately about waxes vs price and looks. Now being as a carnauba wax comes from the carnauba palm in plant leaves its basically just a natural ingredient which then goes through refining and bleaching. Now what makes Z Vintage or any other "uber-wax" essentially better than a P21s 100% or Souveran or any other standard wax? Does Z Vintage come from better plants compared to P21s 100% or is the refining and bleaching process used that makes it so special? And since a wax is a natural product of a plant how does more of it or a higher quality of it make a paint finish look better? Is it proven that a higher carnauba wax content makes paint shine better and protect better? I mean get how cows which are fed healthier diets make better meat but hows does a natural product make a paint finish look a certain way? I am very curious about these things. Ive seen cars with Vintage and Divine that IMO dont look any different than those with Souv or P21s. Can anybody educate me on how exactly a very fine and very expensive waxe supposedly makes a paint finish look or protect better?
Don't get hung about buying a wax based on it's carnauba content. The carnauba is just one ingredient in the finished product and a few percent either way will not make a huge difference in looks, durability or effect the price of the wax. In fact raw carnauba is not that expensive, it's certainly not why a wax marketed as having 51% carnauba costs £130 and a wax marketed as having 60% carnauba costs £1300. And the 60% wax is also not 9% more durable and doesn't have 9% better looks because of the extra carnauba. So, yes carnauba adds something to the wax, but it's the final blend of wax and oils, the finished wax as a whole, that you should be considering.
High end affrodable waxes (withing up to $250 range) will offer you great looks, and good durability...Keep in mind that durability will depend on how often a car is washed, what it is washed with (using citrus wash and gloss will remove wax in 1-2 washes), wheather a QD is being used, and storage factors (outside 24/7, garage kept)...
Good thread here :thumb: My experiance with some high end waxes is that they do have a very nice durability...but to be honest I never leave Vintage or Divine long enough to find out about it's durability. Example, I've applied about 5 coats of Vintage on my Lexus back in December/January and the beading is very impresive...but pleace remember my Lexus hardly ever comes out of the garage. Most of the time it comes out on the weekend. But having said that to be honest with these high end waxes I'm not interested on durability I'm only interested on apperance and glow :thumb: That's quite the interesting claim there, I mean Vintage compared to Souveran man that's something. I've tried Souveran and for the price it's an okay wax but to be honest I personaly feel that Victoria is a much supperior wax compared to Souveran. Victoria has great durability and best of all very nice glow and adds depth :thumb: But that's just my opinion.
Are high end waxes the most durable products on the market, nope sleanets win. (that and collinitre product). I have used lots of high end products. (particlarly Zymol) and have found that no other sextion of the wax market protects as well from bird bombs or rain etching. The wax does a great job of protecting the paint. My dads car had vintage on it, a bird droped a bonb at the golfcourse, then my dad went out for a few hours. You would think a bird bomb on the paint for almost 8 hours would do some damage, atleast to the wax. Sure didnt, a quick rinse of the hose and the paint was like new. That is something I have never seen from the 20-50buck waxes. Also the higher end waxes are still very durable, carlos has vintage on his Lexus, and irs been there for 5 months and it still beads like new. There will always be people who naysay products, somet times unjustly but most of the time justly. Some people just dont like the look of one thing or prefer the look of another. A good example of that is me and pinnacle soverien. I really do not like the look of the wax or how long it lasts. However i know im in the minorty, most people love it. Nothin wrong with it just not my cup of tea. Its about finding a look that works for you and you alone. If you like it then stick with it, if you dont then dont. If you are interested in getting into the world of luxery waxes I would suggest Victoria wax concours. This stuff looks great and has a decent amout of duabilty.... and the best part, you can pick it up for under 50bucks. Its def worth a shot.....but then again thats just my opion
Thanks for all the opinions. Know a see that when it come to high end wax, durability is not something that people care much; it's more about the look.
Although I'm not a wax fanatic, of the half dozen I have used, Collinite insulator wax for $12.99 at Harbor Freight holds its own against very expensive sealants as far as durability goes. It really is quite impressive in looks, durability, and especially value.
You found that Souveran looked better then Vintage, or P21s? That's interesting...:shead: I can say for one thing, as looks are obviously so opinionistic, that the higher end waxes DEFINATLY last a lot longer. I have 2 coats of vintage on my truck, which is regularly driven(36k+kms a year). I did it in january and had quite a boat load of poor weather, and tons of rain/ off-highway use. It's been through muddy fields, mud holes, and it all still washes off and beads quite well, in fact better then it did with souveran or any other wax after only a few days. All the same i'm going to redo it this week, just to get it back to how it was.
