Ive been seeing a good amount of posts about these waxes comparing them to other waxes in their price brackets and so on. I am interested in them myself, because those are just about the most i would spend on any wax if i could be convinced it was like gold paste. :shrug: lol . Anyway, how do these and others in their price range stack up in terms of durability, ease of use, looks, etc. in summary: Zym0l Glasur vs Swissvax Saphir vs Dodo Supernatural V2 vs insert wax here
Why assume that the more expensive the wax the better the wax? In Dave KG's wax test, Collinite 915 competed extremely well against the all the expensive waxes, and a 12 oz tin only costs $30.00. And no other carnauba beats Collinite on durability. I wonder how well Megs #26 would compete in a comparable blind test? How many of us are confident we could tell the difference between, say, PS21 and Zymol Glasur or Harly Wax and Supernatural?
The problem with wax tests is that each person views each wax diffrently. Im not arguing the validity of the test in terms of durabilty however some people like the look of one wax over another. For example, i used Vintage on my moms car, she loved it. The next time i detailed it i used pinncale soverien, wheni used it she told me the last time i detailed it it looked better. Others feel that PS looks better then zymol. What im trying to say is the tests work well for durability but dont take into account for each persons PERSONAL opin on the look. also each person look at each wax diffrently so one persons test cannot claim anothers view. I know allot of people in a blind test may not be able to tell diffrence in certain waxes others car... so take the wax tests with a grain of salt (like you should with any test or opionn),. I am not trying to discredit those who do wax tests im just saying dont take what anyone (inlcuding me) for face value
Calgarydetail, I do not disagree with anything you have written, and I completely agree with you on the subjectivity of wax appearance. And that is the point, isn't it? We all have a natural bias toward the conviction that the more expensive the product is the better it is. And perhaps this bias obtains in most aspects of our lives, but does it obtain with regards to car waxes? I'm like anyone else. I'd love to try Supernatural, Smaragd, or Vintage on my S2000. I want to believe that by spending two hundred or a thousand dollars more I would achieve a superior look (even though at the present I cannot afford such a wax). But there's a nagging voice in my head that keeps telling me that I'm being played for a fool, and the blind tests that have been published on a couple of different forums over the past year confirms this voice. These blind tests may be faulted for their lack of scientific controls--and those who conducted these tests did not pretend to any level of scientific objectivity--but they are suggestive, nonetheless. Where are the blind tests that contest the nagging voice in my head? To what extent does our expectations determine our appreciation of a given wax? If I were given a tub a Smaragd and a bottle of M26, and if I compared both on the hood of my car, would my knowledge of the retail prices of these waxes allow me to recognize that M26 gives a look comparable to Smaragd? I honestly do not know the answer to this question. My father owned a chain of furniture stores. He also owned a clearance center, where he sold discontinued merchandise at substantially reduced prices. I worked on the floor at the clearance summer two summers during my high school years. I distinctly recall one sofa, made by an extremely good manufacturer. The price had been marked down by two-thirds, yet still we could not sell it. I brought it to the attention of my father. He looked at the sticker and immediately increased the price by $500. I was dumbfounded and asked him why he had done that. "It's too expensive," he said. "No one will believe it's as good as it in fact is." We sold it within a week. Sometimes perception is reality. I am not suggesting that Turtle Wax is as good as Supernatural--I do not believe that for a second--but I do wonder whether the expensive waxes really are superior to waxes like M26, Collinite 915 , Victoria Concours Red, Pete's 53, Lusso Oro, Natty's Blue, or whatever. I would love to see a really good, scientifically controlled blind test that would compare these waxes, and even less expensive waxes like Turtle Wax and Mothers, against the expensive boutique waxes. I suspect there might be some surprises. Just a thought. Cheers, Al P.S. I'm still hoping that one of my children will give me a tub of Souveran for Xmas. I didn't have the nerve to ask for Smaragd.
just looking for some discussion on the aforementioned products, dont really want to get into the price vs. product issue that many threads seem to turn into. Ive got a tin of 1000p which is a great product for the money (or so i hear The thing is, psychologically most of us have a want for a higher end wax REGARDLESS of whether or not its better than a 20$ tin of wax. What im looking for, but also trying to gather in one thread, is a comparison of some higher end products that are discussed frequently. These higher end waxes hopefully can meet technical requirements such as durability, ease of use etc, psychological need of a "more expensive and therefore must be better" product, and maybe smell good as a bonus
I just picked up Saphir but still no take on Glasur or SN. The only reason I choose to buy different waxes is to try them out and see how I like them. Also, I do it in order to market to my clients since to them, the more expensive my wax is, the more special they feel. It just comes down to marketing and perception really. Ultimately, it'll probably be likely I'll be sticking to waxes under $100, which is what I have been doing since I started detailing (Saphir is the exception, I bought it from Heath for cheap ).
Akimel, I definitely see what you are saying. I do have that voice of reason that says I’m wasting money if I buy some wax over 20$, which is why i haven't purchased any. Not sure why I am even looking for one, when i have a 80% full bottle of Blackfire paint sealant that looks great and lasts a long time, as well as an brand new tin of 1000p. Maybe its just the hype, maybe its being on forums where people buy waxes all the time, maybe its just collecting-like appeal. I’ve chosen these particular waxes because they are comparable on several levels. It is interesting to see people spend 2k + on a wax, when something that is ~30$ can do the job in some peoples eyes (the real variable here). Similar to why someone would spend 250K + on a Ferrari when an M3 or evo will perform in many ways, just as well. Is it the sound, or the prestige, or some other variable? The thing is, if there is something more expensive and claims to be the best, there will most likely be someone to buy it. Could i order product x for 100+ dollars and not know if it looks inferior or better to 20$ product y? Absolutely. Why swissvax, when I’ve never used or even seen any in person, as opposed to something I’ve used and know to work? I honestly don't know. The packaging looks classy and better than anything I’ve seen, but the prices seems ABSURD to me at the least, But people still use and like it. Waxes are usually those companies main attraction. So why not straight to divine or crystal rock, if it is technically superior to their other products? Because we have to draw the monetary line somewhere based on priorities. Why zym0l, and specifically Glasur? Well as many here may know, zym0l is a pretty well known company, whether that be from many years of existence, and quality products or what have you. Glasur is included here not only because of its price point, but also that it seems to be the only zym0l that most, if not every, opinion i have heard regarding it is positive. As i have heard before, the "sleeper" in their lineup, and therefore a candidate for someone new to these companies and type of products. And lastly, Why dodo? Well to be honest, the name is just superb, and the design, like swissvax, is appealing. But also because i see them (Dom?) on the forums (as well as rubbishboy), giving advice and asking questions that detailers themselves ask, or should ask. Another plus on the dodo side is, many people use and love Supernatural and compare it to many other expensive waxes. Supernatural is also technically their best wax but the price compares with those of waxes further down the "totem pole" of the other high end companies and therefore included in the comparison. Why not compare sn, or even glasur and saphir to Divine and Solaris, then since those are the top of each company? Well I’m sure this could happen, and the results would be interesting in person, but the amount of people with the top of the top waxes is very small, and thus lessens the chance for this comparison. Just a few thoughts on this thread and the wax market in general.
All good points, but to be honest that's how my wax collection began. It all started with Souveran and I used to think Souveran was the best wax there could be....then I started venturing into other waxes...after Souveran it was Victoria, Zymol, Swissvax, Meg's, Luso..ect..ect..ect..the list goes on and on. After purchasing all those waxes I've finally narrowed to what really appealed to me and it's a mixture of things, I like Zymol but don't really like there lower end waxes with a few exception of course, same goes for the Swissvax. But to be honest what I love the most is my healthy collection of waxes, when ever I wan to use something different I just look over all the waxes pick one and go from there. Each was has it's own little characteristic, some have durability, some have that gorgeous glow of Carnauba, others have more gloss and less Carnauba glow....now keep in mind this is all subjective to the person viewing the wax on the vehicle. I don't let the price determine if I like a wax or not..but to be honest spending the amount of money I've spend on my wax collection you have to be a little :crasy: to spend the amount I have...but if you look at it in a different perspective, I enjoy collecting waxes. Others enjoy collecting stamps, rocks, shoes, clothes, cars..ect..ect..it comes down to personal taste and what makes each one of us happy. Heck my sealant collection is starting to grow just as bad as the wax collection lol. Well that's just my :2cents:
Nica, I love your post. If I had sufficient funds, I too could see myself becoming a collector of waxes, with one caveat: I do not know if I have the "eye," acquired only, I suspect, through long experience, to truly distinguish and appreciate the distinctives of different waxes. But I'd like to think that I could acquire it, just as I like to think I will eventually acquire the ability to distinguish and appreciate different single malt scotches. Unfortunately, single malt scotches are even more expensive than car waxes! Cheers, Al
Well to be honest, I sometimes wonder what I'm looking at...I mean I sometimes stand there looking at the car and wonder is my head fooling my eyes or my eyes fooling my head Sometimes, depending on the wax I can't even tell the difference between a few of them..I stand there scratching my head and looking at different angles but the odd thing is that when I try a wax take a few steps back and look at it I'll know I like when I see it..it's really odd. This, take a step back look at the wax and liking it when I see it happened to me when I purchased Victoria. I mean it was mind blowing to me the difference it made...the next day I applied a coat of Meg's #16 on another of my vehicles and was very disappointed on the appearance, after that I sealed the tin tight and put it away I use it here and there but only if my friends/customer wants it. Choosing a wax is like choosing a car, it's so personal...some people want a car to have style, some like curves, others like head lights others don't care about the exterior but want a great interior others don't care about the car just as long as it gets them from point a to point b....the point is that trying things out on your own is the best thing you can do...I do warn you though, you'll spend allot of money by doing what I have done...but at the end of the day it comes down to are you happy with your purchase, simple as that. I used to think I would never spend more then $100 on a wax..lol..look at me now :crasy: :crasy: I mean I spend money on a bunch of waxes, rotarys, polish, variety of pads, start a forum and got a dedicated server for the forum..ect..ect..who knew I would turn into a detailing junky ...but at the end of the day, it makes me happy and that makes it all worth it for me :thumb:
This is a great post as it sums the whole situation up nicely... a preference of *look* in one wax over another. A highly subjective opinion but one we would never argue with. From a technical point of view I know some interesting differences between these waxes that even Ben wouldn't dispute, but it is irrelevant. Whichever wax you prefer, is the better wax for you. It is like arguing that a Ferrari 430 is 'better' than a Ferrari 250GTO or vice versa.
