RoadRageDetail
07-07-2012, 01:38 AM
A customer of mine just had some power upgrades installed and wanted his ride cleaned up before he picked it up. Unfortunately he wasn't at all interested in paint corrections or polishing in general, but this gave me a great opportunity to try out a couple products I've been wanting to put to the test. Supernatural Micro Prime vs. Chemical Guys Blacklight
http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd129/Road_Rage_Photos/ZR1%20Detail/IMG_4308.jpg
I know I'm not comparing apples to apples here. However, there's a couple things I'm taking into consideration before diving into this:
1. People who have used BL say it has fine corrective properties, perhaps even a candidate as a possible AIO. So lets compare these products to see just how much "fine tuning" each bottle has in store.
2. Even CG say BL ranks pretty low on the longevity scale and is best paired with something like V7 or other sealant/carnauba products to extend LSP life. Since both products could be considered a final step before waxing or sealing, what kind of finish do each leave behind?
If you just want to see some final pics, go ahead and skip the side-by-sides. Just keep in mind there were NO corrections made to the paint so you will see some swirls.
Each product was applied with its own black LC CCS pad to avoid cross-contamination. They were put on with my Flex 3401 at speeds between 3-3.5
While I wish I could have put a good one or two step polish to work, lets see how much corrections are made. I see some swirls, light scratches and water deposits.
http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd129/Road_Rage_Photos/ZR1%20Detail/IMG_4305.jpg
I put down a wide tape line to divide the products so there's quite a bit of a gap between them. I applied Micro Prime to the left, BL to the right.
http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd129/Road_Rage_Photos/ZR1%20Detail/IMG_4309.jpg
http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd129/Road_Rage_Photos/ZR1%20Detail/IMG_4310.jpg
Before Micro Prime:
http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd129/Road_Rage_Photos/ZR1%20Detail/IMG_4313.jpg
After Micro Prime:
http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd129/Road_Rage_Photos/ZR1%20Detail/IMG_4315.jpg
http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd129/Road_Rage_Photos/ZR1%20Detail/IMG_4316.jpg
A few scratches remain visible but it quickly removed all the water spots and corrected/filled the swirls nicely. It DOES contain fillers so this is something to keep in mind.
Before Blacklight:
http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd129/Road_Rage_Photos/ZR1%20Detail/IMG_4317.jpg
After Blacklight:
http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd129/Road_Rage_Photos/ZR1%20Detail/IMG_4318.jpg
http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd129/Road_Rage_Photos/ZR1%20Detail/IMG_4320.jpg
Overall clarity has been greatly optimized. Not all the defects were removed, but I had a very difficult time capturing them with my camera and you'd have to be a detailer to notice them.
http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd129/Road_Rage_Photos/ZR1%20Detail/IMG_4321.jpg
I had a very hard time telling which product did better than the other.
http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd129/Road_Rage_Photos/ZR1%20Detail/IMG_4322.jpg
http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd129/Road_Rage_Photos/ZR1%20Detail/IMG_4323.jpg
I will say this, however: Of the two, I could tell in the pad that some clear was being abraded in the Micro Prime. It behaved much like a polish, practically vanished as it worked into the paint and was an absolute breeze to use. Blacklight really blurred the line between sealant and polish. It did thin out quite a bit when it was time to move to the next section but never changed in texture or appearance. I really had to put some effort to get the effect out of Blacklight that you see in the Micro Prime.
Since I knew I was using the BL and V7 combo before beginning the job, I went ahead and finished the car using those products. If I had more time or quoted the job a bit higher for a basic detail service, I would have stuck with the Micro Prime and probably topped it off with BFWD. No question. I must say that I am NOT disappointed with the results.
http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd129/Road_Rage_Photos/ZR1%20Detail/IMG_4325.jpg
http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd129/Road_Rage_Photos/ZR1%20Detail/IMG_4332.jpg
http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd129/Road_Rage_Photos/ZR1%20Detail/IMG_4334.jpg
http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd129/Road_Rage_Photos/ZR1%20Detail/IMG_4335.jpg
http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd129/Road_Rage_Photos/ZR1%20Detail/IMG_4339.jpg
http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd129/Road_Rage_Photos/ZR1%20Detail/IMG_4342.jpg
http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd129/Road_Rage_Photos/ZR1%20Detail/IMG_4343.jpg
Like I said, not flawless. But the shine was INCREDIBLE standing back knowing that I had not polished a single inch of the paint.
http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd129/Road_Rage_Photos/ZR1%20Detail/IMG_4344.jpg
Dressed up the engine bay:
http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd129/Road_Rage_Photos/ZR1%20Detail/IMG_4329.jpg
http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd129/Road_Rage_Photos/ZR1%20Detail/IMG_4331.jpg
Quick interior cleaning:
http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd129/Road_Rage_Photos/ZR1%20Detail/IMG_4346.jpg
http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd129/Road_Rage_Photos/ZR1%20Detail/IMG_4349.jpg
Yes. The ear protection IS needed on the dyno.
http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd129/Road_Rage_Photos/ZR1%20Detail/IMG_4350.jpg
http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd129/Road_Rage_Photos/ZR1%20Detail/IMG_4352.jpg
http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd129/Road_Rage_Photos/ZR1%20Detail/IMG_4353.jpg
http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd129/Road_Rage_Photos/ZR1%20Detail/IMG_4308.jpg
I know I'm not comparing apples to apples here. However, there's a couple things I'm taking into consideration before diving into this:
1. People who have used BL say it has fine corrective properties, perhaps even a candidate as a possible AIO. So lets compare these products to see just how much "fine tuning" each bottle has in store.
2. Even CG say BL ranks pretty low on the longevity scale and is best paired with something like V7 or other sealant/carnauba products to extend LSP life. Since both products could be considered a final step before waxing or sealing, what kind of finish do each leave behind?
If you just want to see some final pics, go ahead and skip the side-by-sides. Just keep in mind there were NO corrections made to the paint so you will see some swirls.
Each product was applied with its own black LC CCS pad to avoid cross-contamination. They were put on with my Flex 3401 at speeds between 3-3.5
While I wish I could have put a good one or two step polish to work, lets see how much corrections are made. I see some swirls, light scratches and water deposits.
http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd129/Road_Rage_Photos/ZR1%20Detail/IMG_4305.jpg
I put down a wide tape line to divide the products so there's quite a bit of a gap between them. I applied Micro Prime to the left, BL to the right.
http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd129/Road_Rage_Photos/ZR1%20Detail/IMG_4309.jpg
http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd129/Road_Rage_Photos/ZR1%20Detail/IMG_4310.jpg
Before Micro Prime:
http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd129/Road_Rage_Photos/ZR1%20Detail/IMG_4313.jpg
After Micro Prime:
http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd129/Road_Rage_Photos/ZR1%20Detail/IMG_4315.jpg
http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd129/Road_Rage_Photos/ZR1%20Detail/IMG_4316.jpg
A few scratches remain visible but it quickly removed all the water spots and corrected/filled the swirls nicely. It DOES contain fillers so this is something to keep in mind.
Before Blacklight:
http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd129/Road_Rage_Photos/ZR1%20Detail/IMG_4317.jpg
After Blacklight:
http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd129/Road_Rage_Photos/ZR1%20Detail/IMG_4318.jpg
http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd129/Road_Rage_Photos/ZR1%20Detail/IMG_4320.jpg
Overall clarity has been greatly optimized. Not all the defects were removed, but I had a very difficult time capturing them with my camera and you'd have to be a detailer to notice them.
http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd129/Road_Rage_Photos/ZR1%20Detail/IMG_4321.jpg
I had a very hard time telling which product did better than the other.
http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd129/Road_Rage_Photos/ZR1%20Detail/IMG_4322.jpg
http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd129/Road_Rage_Photos/ZR1%20Detail/IMG_4323.jpg
I will say this, however: Of the two, I could tell in the pad that some clear was being abraded in the Micro Prime. It behaved much like a polish, practically vanished as it worked into the paint and was an absolute breeze to use. Blacklight really blurred the line between sealant and polish. It did thin out quite a bit when it was time to move to the next section but never changed in texture or appearance. I really had to put some effort to get the effect out of Blacklight that you see in the Micro Prime.
Since I knew I was using the BL and V7 combo before beginning the job, I went ahead and finished the car using those products. If I had more time or quoted the job a bit higher for a basic detail service, I would have stuck with the Micro Prime and probably topped it off with BFWD. No question. I must say that I am NOT disappointed with the results.
http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd129/Road_Rage_Photos/ZR1%20Detail/IMG_4325.jpg
http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd129/Road_Rage_Photos/ZR1%20Detail/IMG_4332.jpg
http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd129/Road_Rage_Photos/ZR1%20Detail/IMG_4334.jpg
http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd129/Road_Rage_Photos/ZR1%20Detail/IMG_4335.jpg
http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd129/Road_Rage_Photos/ZR1%20Detail/IMG_4339.jpg
http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd129/Road_Rage_Photos/ZR1%20Detail/IMG_4342.jpg
http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd129/Road_Rage_Photos/ZR1%20Detail/IMG_4343.jpg
Like I said, not flawless. But the shine was INCREDIBLE standing back knowing that I had not polished a single inch of the paint.
http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd129/Road_Rage_Photos/ZR1%20Detail/IMG_4344.jpg
Dressed up the engine bay:
http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd129/Road_Rage_Photos/ZR1%20Detail/IMG_4329.jpg
http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd129/Road_Rage_Photos/ZR1%20Detail/IMG_4331.jpg
Quick interior cleaning:
http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd129/Road_Rage_Photos/ZR1%20Detail/IMG_4346.jpg
http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd129/Road_Rage_Photos/ZR1%20Detail/IMG_4349.jpg
Yes. The ear protection IS needed on the dyno.
http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd129/Road_Rage_Photos/ZR1%20Detail/IMG_4350.jpg
http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd129/Road_Rage_Photos/ZR1%20Detail/IMG_4352.jpg
http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd129/Road_Rage_Photos/ZR1%20Detail/IMG_4353.jpg