mikester said:
Apologies if this has already been covered or is covered on your website, but I have a question about the relative merits and possibilities of "mixing" these products.
I've been a longtime user of Mother's Pure Carnauba (Paste) wax, and am generally very satisfied with my results.
I have heard here and elsewhere that some of the synthetic products such as Zaino have a substantially longer "staying power", but these seem to require multiple applications. Also it seems that some people as stated above use a synthetic and then a carnauba-based wax on top. Is this a good practice and if so, why ?
Can you summarize (based on your experience and opinion) some of the differences in terms of application methods, resultant finish and durability) between Zaino, Klasse, P21 S vs. a Carnauba paste wax like Mothers? I understand that P21S is a carnauba-based product, BTW.
Thanks !
Mike G.
Vantage made an excellent summary on a previous thread. It is down near the bottom of the page.
Comparing synthetic to carnauba
I like to layer a carnauba over a synthetic. Basically, I'm busy and don't want to HAVE to wax my car. I coat of synthetic will give me the durability I want so waxing isn't a necessity. I like the look of a carnauba, so for a show, or if I have time, I will put a layer of carnauba over my synthetic.
Much of durability depends of driving environment, so there is no magic number of how long a wax will last. On a daily driver in Denver, I get about four months out of a synthetic. I get about two weeks from P21S. Our sun here is pretty intense and thus hard on wax products. A rainy environment may yield similar results, but for different reasons.
There are vast differences when you compare an off-the-shelf product to a boutique product. Companies like einszett or P21S will use a higher grade of chemical, more active chemicals with less water and product filler. Quite simply you get a higher concentration of better product. A mass-produced wax will have a large amount of preservative for shelf life, lower quality chemicals and more water or inert filler. I'm not suggesting a wax from your local auto parts store is bad. You simply have to decide if a boutique wax is worth 3x as much money. I have found the differences to be subtle, but if I spend a chunk of money on a car, $30 for a "better" wax isn't a big financial drain.
You said you currently use Mother's. It is a wax I am familiar with and have used extensively in the past. I thought it was pretty good until I used P21S. I think P21S gives the paint more depth and warmth. There is a thickness to paint that just isn't there with Mother's. At $30, I felt like P21S delivered. I have recently been using Swissol Saphir as a carnauba topper. I think it looks better than P21S. At $120 a jar, I'm not sure it is that much better. But, when you move from a car show to a concours the subtle improvement can be the difference between first and second place.
That said, this discussion is almost putting the cart before the horse. Even the best wax will not make a poorly prepped car look great. However, good prep tends to level the playing field for an average wax. Like Abe Lincoln said, "Give me three hours to cut down a tree and I will spend two sharpening my ax." I will spend 5 hours with clay and polish and 30-45 minutes with the wax. When I am done prepping the paint, wax is almost an afterthought.
I don't think I specifically answered your question, but if you want me to try again, I could give it another shot.
