Menzerna SIP Vs. Menzerna SIP1500?

[Cmich325i]

I already know what most people are going to say. I have them both and I use them both and although they are supposed to be the same, I don't think they are...

I called Menzerna with the number on the side of the bottle and the rep said its the same product and there is no difference, but the cut chart on the side of the bottle tells a different story. He didn't explain why the cut chart is different, although I asked him specifically; he just said they are the same. White is old bottle and black is the newer bottle.

Bought both at the same time - white bottle came from Autogeek (the Menzerna rep told me its the old bottles) and the black bottle came from another website.

[Twister]

I have the old bottle. Menzerna is changing labeling and numbers to make it easier for people unfamiliar with their line know what order the products should be used.

As for the chart my guess is the scale they are using. Instead of have 10 products on a 1-10 scale maybe they have 7 now. That would would change how they choose to rank the products in aggressiveness. Just a theory. Also remember that that scale is based on their products so the most aggressive may not be all that aggressive compared to other lines

[Cmich325i]

I know in theory that sounds like a good explanation, but I can't imagine it would make sense to change the cutting scale this late in the game?

It would just change the cutting proportions of all the other products to such an extent that some of them would fall off their own scale - like the powergloss for example compared to the SIP on the new scale...

I think that some people might be turned off to the SIP thinking it cuts a lot harder than it actually does because of the new scale.

[Twister]

On the old bottle it says 1500-2500 grit I think. What doesn't the new one say?

I find it hard to base cut on a scale thats put on a bottle I think there are other things that help us determine the amount of cut.

Example M105 cuts more than SIP but if you looked at scales on each bottle you wouldn't be able to tell which has more cut because the scales are based on different standards

[Cmich325i]

The newer one (black bottle) has details relating to how it is suitable for scratch-resistant clear coats.

SIP 1500 but says its suitable for 2000 sand marks on the front of the bottle.

On the back of the bottles both say 1500-2000

Maybe its just me, but I think the white bottle finishes a little better...

[Setec Astronomy]

Ha, ha, that really looks funny in the picture when you have the two cut scales next to each other.

Could it be that, other than your imagination, there is some batch-to-batch variation at play here? All things manufactured have some tolerance.

It might also be that one has been sitting a lot longer than the other one, and you haven't gotten it shaken up all the way? I know my products in clear bottles (Poorboy's, Clearkote, really old Meg's MG stuff) always seem to take a lot more shaking than I think/hope they will to get them mixed up...makes me wonder if the stuff in opaque bottles is really shaken back together when you can't see if there is 1/2" of stuff on the bottom still when you turn the bottle over.

[Cmich325i]

After thinking about it for some time, I THINK that although the product is still "the same" regarding its serial number, there has to be some sort of difference in the product/formulation itself.

I think that although both cut and polish, the older stuff wasn't exactly formulated for cutting through the clears on the latest scratch resistant finishes... This would explain why it has more cut (according to their own scale and even in my trials)

The older product cuts less and finishes a little nicer (maybe bc it has less cut), it just seems like it's just a little bit more mild, although its only a marginal variation between the two.

maybe... who knows...

[Twister]

Maybe you could post a side by side of the two finished down. If it is different I really liked the old stuff because of how well it finished