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Chemical Guys vs Fukken vs Zaino vs Meguiars

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#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
The Testing Protocol:
This is the second trial run with Meguiars NXT 2.0 vs Zaino vs FUKKEN vs Chemical Guys Butter Wet Wax. If you want to see the results, videos, photos, discussions of the first trials, or how the all of these trials are performed, check it out here.:

Remember this is the second trials for these waxes / polishes. I did not re apply the clay bar or use Dawn soap since I didn't want to strip off any wax / polish this round. I also wanted to take into account any possible wax imprinting. In addition, this round I am going to apply an equal amount of coats of each polish and wax. Since Zaino is a multi-stage wax / polish, it's only fair that the other waxes and polishes get the same amount of product on each panel. In addition, Meguiars suggests the use of Scratch X before applying the wax, so I also added this in this time too.

1. Zaino (Z-AIO, Z-2, Z-5, and the Z-6 Spray).

2. Fukken Wax

3. Chemical Guys Butter Wet Wax

4. Meguiars NXT 2.0

Application Time:

This time is based on the time to read the instruction, apply the product, and remove the product.

Chemical Guys: Shake, Apply wax, let dry, and wipe off. Total application and removal time: 11 minutes per coat, 3 coats.

Fukken Wax: Shake can, spray on, rub in, let dry and remove. Total application and removal time: 5 minutes per coat, 3 coats.

Meguiars NXT & Scratch X: Shake bottle, apply with special applicator, allow to dry, and wipe off. Total application and removal time: 15 minutes per coat + 5 minutes for the Scratch X. 3 coats.

Zaino: Shake Zaino AIO, apply thin coat to paint and allow to dry. Wiped off after one hour. Apply Z-5 using same process and allowed to dry one hour. Removed the Z-5 with a few terry towels. Applied the the Z-6 Gloss Enhancer as per directed and then a coat of Z-2. Total application and removal time: 3 hours and 15 minutes.

Testing Parameters:

Every Saturday or Sunday:

1. Wash and thoroughly rinse the hood.

2. After wash and rinse, perform a soaked hood bead test.

3. Take a video of each zone being spayed with water to see how each zone repels the water.

4. Dry off hood and perform drag test.

5. Perform water bottle bead test with ten sprays on each zone.

6. Dry off hood and perform a rain simulation bead test (gently spray the hood to simulate rain).

Baseline drag tests for this trial:

Drag Test Results Baseline:

These are the results from the last drag testing performed from the last test.

Zone 1: .77

Zone 2: 1.93

Zone 3: 2.1

Zone 4: 2.2

Cost Analysis:

Fukken Wax: shipped to my door: $23.00 17.50 fl. oz

Meguiars NXT 2.0 + Scratch X: $18.00 18 fl. oz + $12.00 for Scratch X.

Chemical Guys Butter Wet Wax: shipped to my door: $24.38 16 fl. oz

Zaino: Z-AIO $26.95 16 fl oz., Z-2 $14.98 8 fl oz., Z-5 $16.95 8 fl oz., Z-6 $9.95 16 fl oz. Total for Zaino: $68.83 (without shipping).
 
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#34 ·
That's cool Bob, if this coming Saturday is the last for these 4 being tested will you / us finally be picking a winner for this round or are you going to not use the past 8 to10 weeks testing you have done and just use the side by side as the new "first" round because of the water issue rolling into other zones. Not trying to be a smart butt just confused as to how / when an actual winner is determined per round / test. If I have missed the explaination on this I aplologize in advance.
 
#35 ·
The last 6 to 8 weeks have been a learning experience which has allowed me to make changes to the testing in order to get the best results. I have made changes based on what I have learned and have, in my opinion, made the tests more reliable. I wouldn't consider this a waste, but rather a learning experience.

Although it's very easy to see the difference between Zone 2 and 3, it's not as easy to see the differences between Zones 1 and 2 in regards to the water testing. The problems with Zones 1 and 2 is that when it comes to the water tests, it's hard to make a comparison. The drag test is only one of the parameters of the entire test and since Zaino and Megiaurs seem so close as to how fast the water rolls of the hood, I only think it's fair that we get them lined up side by side so we can actually see how long each of them takes to whisk the water off the hood and film it. We simply cannot do that with the current set up. There is no doubt that Zones 1 and 2 are far superior to Zones 3 and 4, in both the water testing and the drag testing, I am of the opinion that the two top contenders should at least get a fair shake.

The Zaino vs Meguiars comparison is a long standing controversy, and I don't want to give any room for doubt when I do announce a winner between the two, and I feel it's only fair to make sure they are compared in such a way to leave little doubt as to which product is superior. My goal is to find out which product is superior, and I don't want anyone with a bias to say that it was due to the difference in the Zones. Once I get them side by side on the same panel, with the same pitch, the same contour, etc, all those variables will be eliminated and we can focus solely on which product produces the best results in the tests. If you remember, I wanted to stop the testing after the first results for this very reason, but others wanted to see how much imprinting affected the zones, and I have to say that I also learned a lot of these second trials too. I am impressed with how much the second application (not coat) of each product helped in the second trials.

For the next trials I will also be using the clay bar, but without the detail-er. Instead this time I will use only water and a new clay bar and then wash the hood with dawn soap in order to get off all the residue. I didn't like the fact that the detail-er may have caused some issues in the first trials.

For the record, I have no problem saying that I think Meguiars and Zaino are far better than the other products tested so far. It seems clear by all the tests performed.
 
#38 ·
Posted 16 March 2010 - 07:10 PM

Bob I like this test your conducting. Interested in what type of time between different waxes and will you be using anything to "clean the slate" of your Dodge before the next wax is applied ? My friend and I have had heated discussions between his Zaino "polish" and my NXT 2.0 "wax" for some time now and this may be a great way for us to watch an unbias test be conducted. I'll check and see if I have a spare bottle of the NXT 2.0 in my garage for you to use with your other waxes if your interested.

Thanks
Jon

For the record I have been with you from the very beginning and believe I was the second person to post, I understand there is always a learning curve with anything new that we do. I'll just wait for the Meguiars vs Zaino side by side comparison. Keep up the great work Bob I appreciate what your trying to do and the work involved.
 
#37 ·
Can't begin to tell you how much I appreciate this Bob both for the info and somewhat for the shock of the result's.
I have been a strict user of one of the losing product's so I am very curious to try the winner, hard to think I could be happier than what I have using but the test results sure indicate it is likely.
 
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