CG C9 vs PBL vs McKees37?

[Sue Esponte]

Okay, so I recently picked up a Chemical Guys Carbon Flex C9 kit for free through a promotion and have some questions about it.

I know there's a lot of negativity on the board about CG products but I'll go on record as saying their Hybrid v7 paint sealant is awesome as a detailer. It leaves paint slick and vibrant looking and is great at maintaining a waxed shine after a quick wash, even with hard well water. I consider myself a junky. I'd clean my kids with it if I could. Similarly, I've found real success with Jet Seal as a part of my repertoire in maintaining the shine on my cars. Like most, however, I find their marketing and inexplicable array of products confusing, if not frustrating at times, and I'll also agree that I've tried some products that warrant no more that a "meh" to describe them.

When it comes to wax, however, I'm a Pinnacle Souveran guy. I've been using it for...well...ever...since David Bynon first sold me on it back when he was still getting Autopia off the ground...so, a long time. While it may not last as long as some of the competition, I've yet to find another wax that matches the depth of its shine on dark colors that is also as easy to apply and (most importantly) remove without risk of staining nearby plastics. I've also enjoyed using their Black Label coatings and love the synthetic shine and protection they afford. They go on easily with minimal risk of error and, provided the paint is properly prepped, seem to bond easily and quickly to whatever surface their applied with minimal need for correction.

Anyway, I like trying new products and I've also been wanting to try the McKees37 paint protectant so I bought some of that as well. I've got a few cars to share the love with so no conflict in that sense. I'm curious to see how the three compare. I tried to research the CG product a bit and was surprised to find very little about it here (or anywhere) other than the usual griping about CG by people who haven't tried the product.

Has anyone tried it? Is it difficult to apply? How does it compare to the PBL or McKees37 protectants in terms of application and protection? I don't have to worry about the "is it worth the price" question that seems to plague some since I've already got it...but...any thoughts or recommendations on it?

-Eric

[Sue Esponte]

P.S. Did I post this in the wrong forum? I'm happy to move it (or have it moved) if so.

[aztec1987]

From what I read on the review CG C9 is pretty complex on applying since the bottle tends to have a small form of lid inside in where you have to squeeze it to make the product come out but small amount does go a long way and it is easy to over apply the product. As the CG products I do agree that some are really good but some are you garbage. I have a friend that worked for CG in which I asked him about their famous wax project J97 in which he told me the reason it is so expensive is due to the container since it is made of some form of expensive material. The wax itself is comes down to similar to Concourse 50/50 wax just that of course J97 has a bit more of carnuba in the product. Yes some of their products are labeled in two categories in which makes it confusing. The products I tend to stick to from CG are the following in which my friend also agreed:

- Car soaps (Honeydew, Mr. Pink, Citrus wash + Gloss)
- Wax (Concours 50/50, Petes 53, Celeste Dettaglio, and 3X)
- Sealants (Blacklight, Jetseal 109, and M-Seal)
- Glazes (Wet Mirror finish, just ensure any glazes are applied after Black light, if glaze is applied before Black light it will defeat the purpose).
- Dressing (V.R.P., Silk Shine, G6 Hypercoat)
- Air re fresheners (they are like cheap colognes it smells good but last for minutes)

[WillSports3]

I find with CG products, you have to find out what works for you on an individual basis more so than most other manufacturers. I like CG products and I enjoy their specific waxes and polishes for specific uses but at the same time, I think it's hard to find anyone who really are a fan of the CG products the way you'd find Meguiars or CarPro. I imagine it'd be the same quality of coating quite frankly as really any of the ceramic/quartz coatings on the market. The only finicky part might be the application process itself, that'd really be it. It looks like the average durability is about 2 years or so, or at least that's what we can assume. I was personally put off by the cost as everything else on the market such as Glosscoat, Cquartz or PBL were all under 100 dollars here (Canadian) while for some reason, CG C9 was almost double that.