BlackWow Pro Introduction & History

[OctaneGuy]

Black WOW Professional Trim Restorer, black wow pro, plastic trim restorer


What is BlackWow Pro and how is it different from the original Black Wow?

My name is Richard Lin and I am the inventor and creator of BlackWow as well as being a full time detailer for over 10 years. I have a 6,000 sf detailing shop in Anaheim, California under the name of ShowCarDetailing.com. Mike Phillips and I were partners many moons ago working together as ShowCarGarage before he joined Autogeek. My father is a famous consulting chemist within the cosmetics industry and I learned a great deal from him although I am not a chemist, my specialty within the family cosmetics business was to develop new products.

BlackWow Pro takes plastic restoration to new levels by making it easy, fast, and cost effective on any color plastic. Restoring and maintaining uniformity is one of the keys to successful trim restoration. If a surface is blotchy, despite being dark, it will be deemed as looking poorly and that the dressing/restorer has failed.
http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/...lackWowPro.jpg

In 2007 I created Black Wow now known as BlackWow Classic in 4oz sizes that were intended for the enthusiast as a product that lasted a very long time, using very little product and looked great the whole time. I made it smell like my favorite candy, the watermelon Jolly Rancher. The color red was chosen because at the time, there weren't any similar products that were this color, most people chose to make their silicone products blue or purple. I wanted mine to stand out, and people would recognize it by smell or color. The name BlackWow was chosen after a naming contest was held in the MINI community but I wasn't happy with any of the 120+ submitted names, so I named it after the number one comment..."Wow Thats Black" and best of all, there were no plastic products with the initials BW.

In 2010 we released a half sized version in 2oz because customers were stating 3 years later they still had half a bottle and were loving it, so we opted to offer a reduced sized version at a lower cost to get more people to try my product. We also launched Pre-Wow our prep for Black Wow that helped clean and promote absorption into plastics and it also helps remove polish and wax residue.

At SEMA 2013 (our 3rd year as an exhibitor for SEMA) we introduced BlackWow Pro which was inspired by late night infomercials with super easy to apply products. It took several years to develop Pro, and testing was done over a year long span through a secret FaceBook group where we could monitor results in different states at different times of the year allowing us to tweak the formula, over 4 times before arriving at the production version. In December 2011, we purchased a neglected black 2005 Honda Element with faded plastics. It lives outdoors 24x7 and is our test vehicle for our products.

First off, what is BlackWow Pro?
BWP is a silicone based trim restorer that was created by a detailer for detailers that truly redefines how silicone products behave and perform. Most silicone products are either sticky, shiny, or slippery. BWP is none of these. Silicones are fantastic for restoring trim because they are extremely stable, resistant to water, temperature, and sunlight. However most people associate silicone with tire dressings that are shiny or attract dust. Even the BlackWow Classic was a little shiny before it’s first wash, but it needed time to absorb so we advised people to apply it, let it soak for a week, then give it a nice wash. While BlackWow Pro isn’t slippery, it is still silicone based and not recommended on any driving control surfaces or areas that might be walked or stepped on.

How does it work?
When BlackWow Classic was first launched in 2007, the idea of "hydrating" and "products-absorbing" into materials wasn't common. Most products sat on the surface for various reasons. Black Wow actually absorbed into plastics and stayed there for many months but the time it took to absorb was measured in days or weeks. Detailers don't usually have the luxury of seeing if the trim will fully absorb the product over several days and reapply. Thus it was imperative to create a product that would absorb in seconds or minutes. We started from the ground up with new silicones with very different properties. We desired a matte or satin finish that absorbed in seconds and allowed us to reach saturation very quickly. We also didn’t want to artificially color the plastics or be limited to only grey or black plastics. By saturating the plastics, we restore the natural color for a long period without the negative effects of paints, dyes, or coatings that can flake or chip off over time or require extensive prep or special safety precautions.

We made these samples for SEMA 2013 using opaque white bottles. After 1 month, the bottles were looking a little pink. After 3 more months, the bottles were actually red which shows that BWP is permeating the plastics and doing it’s job to soak in and absorb in to the plastic.
http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/...ProSoaking.jpg

How far does a 16oz bottle go?
It takes about 1oz to do an entire Avalanche including the tonneau cover, front and rear bumpers, side cladding. Doing the math, you should be able to do 12 to 16 Avalanches with a single bottle. It takes approximately 45min to 1.5 hours to apply the product with multiple coats to an Avalanche.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Q0dnAXLGw8

If the BlackWow Pro is so good, why continue to sell BlackWow Classic?
BWP was designed with the professional in mind. Big bottle, fast absorption, fast results, matte or satin finish, great on all materials including vinyl wraps, vinyl trim, plastic, rubber, and painted surfaces. However it costs $70 and for anyone not making money with detailing, it can seem very expensive. Although from a cost per ounce standpoint, at $30 for 4oz of BlackWow Classic, a 16oz version be $120 (4x$30) and Pro is only $70. So in other words, the original 2oz and 4oz bottles of BlackWow are perfect for the consumer and part time enthusiast detailer and Pro is perfect for everyone else.

BlackWow Classic is also great for maintaining BWP. Let’s say you own a car with lots of plastic and hire a detailer to clean it up and he uses BlackWow Pro on it. You can continue to maintain or touch it up with BlackWow Classic if desired.

How durable is BlackWow Pro?
Take a look at how BWP looks on a Honda Element after long term soaking..6 months and still going strong for this neglected outdoor living vehicle.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=toduIAGcKro

Documentation from January 2013 to October 2013- single application, no long term soaking, using early test version.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZpKE8xNQMU

What are the key features that make BlackWow Pro stand out?

Ease of application
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSFcTENvvvo

Flexibility of application such as spraying it on with an airbrush without diluting it
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hu4DG3bVRTk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cBeLz76-z98

Using Preval disposable sprayer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Es_ssNVcqc

Applying with microfiber towel on satin finishes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OdJrpFO95tM

BlackWow products are made in the USA and bottled and packaged in Anaheim, California. We are a small husband and wife company passionate about what we do and are always willing to demonstrate and educate the public about our products.

Check us out on Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/BlackWowPro

[EvolutionDetail]

Great post, I have always been a fan of trim restoring product, especially the ones that LAST.
I HATE the dressing type where it is greasy and literally needs reapplying every wash.

I use black wow pro in EVERYTHING that I own and care about. Literally anything that is BLACK and made out of plastic / rubber.
Dries to the touch and a smooth silky surface afterward.

However i have not used this long enough to comment on the durability. But with the info and videos i can found online, i am a believer in this product.

[JSou]

That's awesome. Love the blackwow products. Looking forward to try.

Also Richard, Any availability on Precoat? I am interested in that product.

[OctaneGuy]

Thank you!!! I'm glad you like my products! PreCoat is being reworked. Although I loved the concept, it's not quite ready for primetime yet. Blame it on me not wanting to release something that I'm not 100% happy with. I did however revise PreCoat into a fantastic glass cleaner. That will be released first and will be as easy to use as--fill the bottle to the top with your favorite alcohol--70-91% and shake and its ready to use.

Richard

Great post, I have always been a fan of trim restoring product, especially the ones that LAST.
I HATE the dressing type where it is greasy and literally needs reapplying every wash.

I use black wow pro in EVERYTHING that I own and care about. Literally anything that is BLACK and made out of plastic / rubber.
Dries to the touch and a smooth silky surface afterward.

However i have not used this long enough to comment on the durability. But with the info and videos i can found online, i am a believer in this product.

That's awesome. Love the blackwow products. Looking forward to try.

Also Richard, Any availability on Precoat? I am interested in that product.

[CarolinasFinestDetailing]

Awesome!! Are you willing to sell samples bottles of this for us to try???

[Mike Phillips]

Very well written and informative Richard!

This will help a lot of people into the future and I'll use it for a reference guide....

[EvolutionDetail]

Richard, what is your method of cleaning the surfaces prior to applying?

[allenk4]

I hope there was a final re-formulation of Black Wow Pro.

It didn't perform well in this test:

Trim Restorer Showdown - Round 2 (Long and Pic heavy)

[OctaneGuy]

When the time is right.

Awesome!! Are you willing to sell samples bottles of this for us to try???

Thanks Mike! I learned from the best. I plan to take a much more active role here on AG to get the proper information out about my products. So this is only the first of many planned posts.

Very well written and informative Richard!

This will help a lot of people into the future and I'll use it for a reference guide....

For BWP, very little prep is needed on most surfaces. Meguiar's APC+ is great for contaminated surfaces. If there is any wax or polish residue, PreWow is great especially in conjunction with a carpet brush on a DA.

When using PreWow with BlackWow Classic, I always follow by removing it with a bit of dish soap in a water bottle which removes most of it but leaves the surface uniform and ready for treating.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Az2YnAgO_RE

I used to have a video on using the carpet brush on a DA for prepping large plastics but can't seem to find it. I might need to upload it again to YouTube.

Richard

Richard, what is your method of cleaning the surfaces prior to applying?

[OctaneGuy]

I am very familiar with this test and unfortunately durability tests need to consider many variations. I can show you documentation from me and 30 other detailers around the country that will say that their experience is quite the opposite. And yes, the test was performed on a pre-release version that was a couple of iterations away from the production version.

A big part of testing durability is whether the material will reach material saturation or not. I have a simple test procedure and that is to apply BWP to the plastic, let it soak for 20 or 30 minutes. Swipe it with 70-91% alcohol with a MF towel and see if it gets removed. If it does, you can be sure that durability will be no better than any other dressing on that material. This lack of consistency is unfortunately common among all plastic products. Some materials just respond better than others.

When I perform tests, I use it on real world cars under real world conditions and just document it periodically.

There are also a number of factors that are in my mind also very important but are not considered in such a test. How easy is it to apply? How many of those tested can be sprayed on with an airbrush without diluting it? How much prep is needed?

I appreciated Chris inviting me to participate in the testing and while it didn't fare well in his tests, if you consider that his results contradicted dozens of people that have been using it for the past year and they all LOVE the product, then the positive results also cannot be ignored.

Btw, I read your posts on that thread, and I understand you have found the product you like and that's great. My products have always required a certain amount of technique but a lot of people didn't get that, they in fact got offended if I suggested that maybe technique was the problem.

Real world users can be found on our Facebook here as well as long term durability tests:
https://www.facebook.com/BlackWowPro



Richard

I hope there was a final re-formulation of Black Wow Pro.

It didn't perform well in this test:

Trim Restorer Showdown - Round 2 (Long and Pic heavy)