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Bob,

The test results show some differences in properties baesed on the tests that you have performed so far.
I agree, there are some clear differences.

If you repeat the same test again, you are validating the test results.
Agreed.

I agree if you test the products side by side with exactly the same slope, you have an easier comparison.
However, if you prep the hood and run the two top waxes back to back on the center of the hood, you will be narrowing down the field but using a different surface from before (make sure it is stripped).
I figured we can make a switch to two products at a time and just compare them to the top performer. I think we can safely narrow it down to two products at a time on the hood and keep whatever is the top product as the champion and introduce a second challenger. I don't think we will need to keep testing 4 at a time since we will already have a baseline and polish / wax that is the best performer, and it would be safe to say that if we found an even better performing product, it would be better then the rest already tested. If we find one that performs even better, than we will then use that one as the one to be tested against. A side by side test will yield better results IMO, and it will allow to large sections of the hood to be used for the testing. I hope that makes sense.

Here is my two cents
These are all very good products...No Losers Here...
Agreed.
1) All of these products seem to perform well enough to do what they are supposed to do

2) Are there enough differences in performance that will sway me in one direction or another?

3) If you determine that one product lasts twice as long as another, then that is something valuable to me and may cause me to purchase the product.

4) Imprinting may be a bigger factor than we expect. Didn't Pete say he has puts down dozens of coats of wax on his cars?

5) Lastly, price is a very important variable to me... Value is important to most people.
I am not cheap, but if I can buy a product for $20 that serves me well, I will probably not pay $75 for another product...unless that product is that much better...
Agreed, and in order to make sure we take imprinting into account, I will just go ahead and reapply the wax / polish onto the current surfaces without using a claybar and dawn soap. This will tell us right away if imprinting is a factor that affects the waxes / polishes differently and if so if it is worth taking into consideration. After this, I will change the test so that we are only testing two products at a time with a control on each side. I will also make the next trials easier to follow along.
 
I think there's no reason to hide the products anymore. I'd say reveal and go through for a re-test with the 4. Then after that just use 2 at a time (the #1 and then a second)

But I'm still convinced imprinting will have a pretty big impact. At least, I would expect it to.
 
Okay, lets reveal the products in the zones.

Zone 1: Meguiars NXT 2.0

Zone 2: Zaino AIO, Z2, Z5, and Z6.

Zone 3: Chemical Guys Butter Wet Wax

Zone 4. FUKKEN

Objective Observation (these are only after the first trials, so we will have to see what happens :

Drag Tests:

Meguiars NXT 2.0 was the clear winner of the drag testing.

Bead Tests:


I think this was a toss up between Zaino and Meguiars up until the end, and both were still doing a great job repelling the water. We will have to do a side by side soon to see which one is the best.


Longevity:

Based on the beading tests, I cannot say which one was beading better between Meguiars and Zaino. I think we need a second test side by side so we can really test these two side by side. It's really hard to tell due to the location of the body panels. It's clear that both Meguiars and Zaino out performed the other products in this trial. Meguiars definitely provided a smoother surface, but before I am comfortable with saying it was the winner in this area, I want to validate it with more testing. Zaino and Meguiars had the same exact drag results for the first two weeks, but Zaino dropped off after week three. We will have to wait and see what happens with head to head testing before we make any claims.

Subjective Observations:

It appeared that Meguiars was the smoothest panel throughout the testing when I and others used the back of our hands, and this was validated through drag testing. It was clearly the smoothest at the end of the trials. It seemed that both Meguiars and Zaino did a great job at repelling the water, even after week 3 according to the videos. I think we need to test these two again side by side, but I think both produce a great product. As for appearance, I couldn't really tell a difference between any of the zones at first, but after week 3, I felt zone 1 and 2 still looked great.

Which do I think is the best product between Zaino and Meguiars? I don't know, which is why we are going to put these two products up head to head next time using the same portion of the hood panel (Zones 2 and 3 only).

Both Zone 3 and Zone 4 are Caranuba based products, which is why they had similar results IMO.

As for which product is easiest to apply, I would say FUKKEN goes on and comes off the quickest. FUKKEN is also the most versatile of the products as it can be used (I didn't test this though) on glass, plastic, etc. O

Zaino is easily the most expensive and takes the most work to apply. Whether the extra work is worth it will be determined by more testing, especially when we run Zaino vs Meguiars head to head after the next trials are over.

So what are your thoughts?
 
The Meguiars NXT looks like something I want to try. I think I'll pick some up, and run it side-by-side on my wife's new Toyota (yes, she has a Toyota, and no, it hasn't experienced any uncontrolled acceleration
- actually, its not capable of any sort of major acceleration). I just restocked with Zaino, so some new NXT should be a good comparison. The car has an extra cost pearlescent white paint, so I don't know how dramatic the difference is going to be - not like a darker color.

I think the important point out of your tests - and one people seem to be missing by calling all these products "waxes" - the top performers are not "waxes". They are non-abrasive polymer polishes.
 
Wow, I don't think anyone is going to be more shocked than me but it is what it is, Thanks for doing this Bob!
I am going to be interested in the multiple application layers to see if anything changes but I suspect not.
Might be time for me to do my own long term study over the period of one year using the 68 vs the 69.
 
Looks like I'm going to be getting some NXT. I certainly see the value of the FUKKEN though. Easy to apply and it has multiple uses. For me, I just can't see spending almost $70.00 for Zaino when the performance of NXT is so good for around $20.00.

I suppose if you took away the surface prep products of Zaino the cost is more in line with Mequires, but would that affect the overall performance of the product?
 
heres another thing to think of, i am willing to bet between NXT and ZAINO....... that especially on a black car it makes it look deeper and hides normal wear better, maybe someone should test this out
Someone has tested that out already and you can see the results here. According to this link, you cannot see any difference between the two on a black car, and the guy did an excellent job IMO.
 
Too funny! I was looking at the Mequiars NXT last week. The only reason I didn't buy it was due to your testing Bob. I was waiting for the reveal on zone #1 before I bought anything. Now it seems I'm all set.

Thanks for doing this Bob. Like I said before, I'm all about using products that are tested in the "Real World" and not some dumb infomercial. Everyone has their prefferences when it comes to products and I find it refreshing to see some actual head to head product testing so I can make an educated purchase instead of going by someones opinion.

I honestly think that we should submit this testing thread to the Mequires offices. It could result in some good publicity for Firebird Nation and maybe as a result, attract some big name advertising to supliment the costs of maintaining the server.

Again Bob, thanks for such extensive test work. Great job!
 
The Meguiars NXT looks like something I want to try. I think I'll pick some up, and run it side-by-side on my wife's new Toyota (yes, she has a Toyota, and no, it hasn't experienced any uncontrolled acceleration
- actually, its not capable of any sort of major acceleration). I just restocked with Zaino, so some new NXT should be a good comparison. The car has an extra cost pearlescent white paint, so I don't know how dramatic the difference is going to be - not like a darker color.

I think the important point out of your tests - and one people seem to be missing by calling all these products "waxes" - the top performers are not "waxes". They are non-abrasive polymer polishes.
The interesting thing about the Zaino is even though it seemed to lose it's "slickness", it was still repelling water, and if you look at the last videos, you can really see this when comparing zone two to zone 3. It might have even been doing a better job than Meguiars, but I could not really tell because the water from zone two was pouring down on zone 1, which is why I want to compare them side by side using only zone two and three. I am still interested in seeing if the Zaino drops off in slickness like it did last time after the third week.

I also have another synthetic product on the way called liquitech which we will be testing.
 
Discussion starter · #174 ·
Too funny! I was looking at the Mequiars NXT last week. The only reason I didn't buy it was due to your testing Bob. I was waiting for the reveal on zone #1 before I bought anything. Now it seems I'm all set.

Thanks for doing this Bob. Like I said before, I'm all about using products that are tested in the "Real World" and not some dumb infomercial. Everyone has their prefferences when it comes to products and I find it refreshing to see some actual head to head product testing so I can make an educated purchase instead of going by someones opinion.

I honestly think that we should submit this testing thread to the Mequires offices. It could result in some good publicity for Firebird Nation and maybe as a result, attract some big name advertising to supliment the costs of maintaining the server.

Again Bob, thanks for such extensive test work. Great job!
Thanks Rick. You can't go wrong with any of the products tested, and Zaino and Meguiars seem to both be great products and really need to be tested against each other again. I can't wait to test them back to back so we can see how they look when they are side by side. I will be interested in seeing if the zaino looses it's slickness again in week three, or if imprinting will have any affect.
 
Discussion starter · #175 ·
Just thought I would mention, if anyone would like to donate to keep this study going, you can do so in several ways. Here is what I need: rags (both microfiber and 100% cotton terry towels), and products. If you can send these in, it would be great. You can also mail me your favorite products and I will test them. Or if you want to just donate funds so I can buy the stuff myself, you can do so by visiting the front page of the forums and looking for the donation box in the right hand side of the forums.

I also want to say thank you to all those who have already donated. You are the ones who have made the tests possible.
 
Okay, lets reveal the products in the zones.

Zone 1: Meguiars NXT 2.0

Zone 2: Zaino AIO, Z2, Z5, and Z6.

Zone 3: Chemical Guys Butter Wet Wax

Zone 4. FUKKEN

Objective Observation (these are only after the first trials, so we will have to see what happens :

Drag Tests:

Meguiars NXT 2.0 was the clear winner of the drag testing.

Bead Tests:


I think this was a toss up between Zaino and Meguiars up until the end, and both were still doing a great job repelling the water. We will have to do a side by side soon to see which one is the best.


Longevity:

Based on the beading tests, I cannot say which one was beading better between Meguiars and Zaino. I think we need a second test side by side so we can really test these two side by side. It's really hard to tell due to the location of the body panels. It's clear that both Meguiars and Zaino out performed the other products in this trial.

Subjective Observations:

It appeared that Meguiars was the smoothest panel throughout the testing when I and others used the back of our hands, and this was validated through drag testing. It was clearly the smoothest at the end of the trials. It seemed that both Meguiars and Zaino did a great job at repelling the water, even after week 3 according to the videos. I think we need to test these two again side by side, but I think both produce a great product. As for appearance, I couldn't really tell a difference between any of the zones at first, but after week 3, I felt zone 1 and 2 still looked great.

Which do I think is the best product between Zaino and Meguiars? I don't know, which is why we are going to put these two products up head to head next time using the same portion of the hood panel (Zones 2 and 3 only).

Both Zone 3 and Zone 4 are Caranuba based products, which is why they had similar results IMO.

As for which product is easiest to apply, I would say FUKKEN goes on and comes off the quickest. FUKKEN is also the most versatile of the products as it can be used (I didn't test this though) on glass, plastic, etc. O

Zaino is easily the most expensive and takes the most work to apply. Whether the extra work is worth it will be determined by more testing, especially when we run Zaino vs Meguiars head to head after the next trials are over.

So what are your thoughts?
WOW! Zone 1 is Meguiars, huh?!

My husband has always favored their products. Now I gotta tell him that he was right.
Dang-it, Bob!!
 
Just remember, this is only a very small sample of all the products out there, and we really need to re-test these products again. We will also be retesting the two top performers side by side one final time after the second trials are done. We also want to test a bunch of other products. Maybe I will start contacting various companies and see if they are willing to send us their products to test.
 
Bob I have been using Meguiars NXT 2.0 for a while on my cars and customer cars. My friend has been using the Zaino and we have argued over which product was better. From your testing I can now put this debate to rest, although it was really close NXT 2.0 is better, quicker, cheaper, and will last longer. And as a bonus you can run down to the local parts place ( Auto Zone, Walmart, Advanced Auto, etc.) and pick some up. Great job Bob I look forward to the rest\next testing.
 
Great test ... I just read / watch 9 pages of test info. I Used the 2.0 after using the gold class paste wax my car ussally comes out good. I agree MEG 2.0 wax makes your car super slick for the first 2 or 3 days im sometimes lazy and busy in the summer light tree pollen and dust lands on the car I can get a microfiber mitt or towel and lightly lift it off the car. tho I've seen a Zaino C6 vette at a car show that was UT orange and it shined so hard...

To test each wax with various washes would take forever because I think just like waxes we use different car washes, Of course most products will say best results when used with their wash kinda like Meguiars says to use their microfibers when using there wax... i don't think the towel will make a difference other than price.

I saw someone post about white pasty with paste wax... thats water mixing with the wax im guessing, because my tail lights leaked some water I was holding the rear hatch rim while I was waxing on a cool day, pissed me off so bad I was out there like 35 mins on the back bumper.
 
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