Meguiars Smooth Surface Clay Bar 3 Pack

[STI4Life06]

Hi Guys,

I normally use this clay bar and it seems to perform quite well but I have not really tried any other brands. How well does this clay compare to like pinnacle and other higher end brands? I would like to try other brands but, if it just has the same results I'd rather save some money. I also like the fact that the clay comes in three little packs and it has a little case to keep them organized. Please discuss...


Thanks You,
Ben

[C. Charles Hahn]

Can't honestly say I've used the Meg's "Smooth Surface" clay but I have used their clay from the Mirror Glaze line and had excellent luck with it; that said I actually prefer Auto Magic's "ClayMagic" blue and pretty much always reach for it first.

What it can't take care of, Meg's red aggressive clay will.

Also if you haven't tried it yet, ONR mixed to QD strength makes for an EXCELLENT clay lube.

[STI4Life06]

Can't honestly say I've used the Meg's "Smooth Surface" clay but I have used their clay from the Mirror Glaze line and had excellent luck with it; that said I actually prefer Auto Magic's "ClayMagic" blue and pretty much always reach for it first.

What it can't take care of, Meg's red aggressive clay will.

Also if you haven't tried it yet, ONR mixed to QD strength makes for an EXCELLENT clay lube.

I will definitely take note of this. Is it harsh on the paint if you use a more "aggressive" clay all the time?

As for lubricant I use Pinnacle since I got 4 of them on the BOGO a while back but, once I run out I will try the ONR and OD mix.

Thanks!

[poweraid]

i use pinnacle xmt clay. its prob the lease expensive. i cut the bar in 2 and do full size truck with 4oz.-100gm. i use this on everyday driven vehicles. i dont think it is as pliable as the more expensive clays, but i used this just recently in 40' temps, so that could have been a reason. as far as cleaning capabilities, it gave me the wow factor on my truck, 7 years old, but id use a better clay on more higher end vehicles. i also used dp rinseless wash 1:16 as lube.

[rwright]

I think Meg's over the counter clay is harder than Mothers, but close to Clay Magic Blue in terms of aggressiveness. Pinnacle clay is soft. Riccardo yellow is soft. A little birdie told me DP clay appears identical to Wolfgang clay. I was told once that XMT clay is similar to Mothers. I have a blue bar that I got from Buff & Shine that I believe is fine grade and it works well. I also have a purple bar from Buff & Shine that is labeled medium on their site but was told it's aggressive. I found Clay Magic Blue to be very sticky.

So in the end I believe it will come down to personal preference, just like most detailing products. What works for one may not work for others. But something most agree on is using ONR as clay lube. :D

[rwright]

Oh yeah, I must give a shout out to Anthony@OCDetails Salt Lake City. He taught me the rule of thumb method for using clay. Since then I don't waste as much clay. Thanks man!

- Lay your thumb across the clay bar, not length but width (shortest side)
- Cut or tear this amount of clay only; store the rest until needed

Yes larger vehicles may need a couple pieces but you won't waste an entire bar on 1 vehicle.

[STI4Life06]

cool thanks for the info. I think I am going to try pinnacle clay and see how it compares to Megs.

[STI4Life06]

Oh yeah, I must give a shout out to Anthony@OCDetails Salt Lake City. He taught me the rule of thumb method for using clay. Since then I don't waste as much clay. Thanks man!

- Lay your thumb across the clay bar, not length but width (shortest side)
- Cut or tear this amount of clay only; store the rest until needed

Yes larger vehicles may need a couple pieces but you won't waste an entire bar on 1 vehicle.

That is the reason I like the Meguiars SSCB. I beleive each bar is only 50 grams which is a perfect amount for me that way I don't waste anything :)

[C. Charles Hahn]

I will definitely take note of this. Is it harsh on the paint if you use a more "aggressive" clay all the time?

Not necessarily; on harder paints it's not as big of a deal since the likelihood of clay causing marring is lower -- in fact it may even be necessary to use more aggressive clay in those instances in order to remove embedded contaminants.

On softer paints, however, you'd want to stick to a milder grade of clay as much as possible so you're not marring the surface, necessitating polishing to remove the below surface defects left behind.

:dblthumb2:

[FUNX650]

Can't honestly say I've used the Meg's "Smooth Surface" clay but I have used their clay from the Mirror Glaze line and had excellent luck with it; that said I actually prefer Auto Magic's "ClayMagic" blue and pretty much always reach for it first.

What it can't take care of, Meg's red aggressive clay will.

Also if you haven't tried it yet, ONR mixed to QD strength makes for an EXCELLENT clay lube.

I agree on Auto Magic clay, and, why not---they are the supplier of most of the clay supplied to most of the resellers and they have the US patent on it until at least 2013.

[Flash Gordon]

Hi Guys,

I normally use this clay bar and it seems to perform quite well but I have not really tried any other brands. How well does this clay compare to like pinnacle and other higher end brands? I would like to try other brands but, if it just has the same results I'd rather save some money. I also like the fact that the clay comes in three little packs and it has a little case to keep them organized. Please discuss...


Thanks You,
Ben

Throw that stuff in the garbage and go get some Mothers claybar. Its avalible at most all leading automotive retailers (Wal Mart/Autozone...)

[STI4Life06]

Throw that stuff in the garbage and go get some Mothers claybar. Its avalible at most all leading automotive retailers (Wal Mart/Autozone...)

do they sell just the clay itself or do you have to buy the kit with the lubricant?

[maximus20895]

The heat is getting To Flash. I would still use it. It's not horrible clay by any means.

You might want to try some new clay later on after you used all your Meguiar's clay.

I haven't found a place that just sells Mother's clay by itself.

[STI4Life06]

The heat is getting To Flash. I would still use it. It's not horrible clay by any means.

You might want to try some new clay later on after you used all your Meguiar's clay.

I haven't found a place that just sells Mother's clay by itself.

I wish we had heat in CT :o. Anyways I just purchased some DP clay which is 200 grams so that will probably do about 4 cars. I just want to try different clay's out to see if I notice a difference.

[Lasthope05]

I wish we had heat in CT :o. Anyways I just purchased some DP clay which is 200 grams so that will probably do about 4 cars. I just want to try different clay's out to see if I notice a difference.

You'll notice big difference between Megs and DP. The DP is kind of a pain to work with for me because it is so stiff but it is a decent mild clay bar compared to the Megs which is a fine grade.