6 LSP's go head to head!

[natewood70]

Hello AGO!

I continue to see reviews and opinions on various LSP's in a huge range of environments and different conditions. Ranging from products labeled as Sealants, Waxes, and hybrids that are derived from classics such as Collinite 845, to some of the newer spray on sealants such as Blackfire Crystal Seal. This got me searching for a head to head comparison of various products, and I just couldn't find it. That being said, I decided to jump in to this and perform a test on 6 different products on my own... and guess what... you can come along for the ride with me!

Here is the basic idea behind this. I tested six different products on the same panel of two different cars. Every two weeks for the next six months I will post updated pictures that show the beading and color/depth/clarity changes to that section of the panel, or until the product has seemed to lose hope. This is being determined by the beading that is visibly seen on each section of the panel. I know that beading doesn't necessarily correlate directly to how well a product protects paint, but in this world of car paint we get wrapped up in, perception is reality and will create perceived value. So, take this test for what it is worth at your discretion.

Now, let's get onto the fun!

Our test subjects are as follows:

A daily driver kept outside 24/7 in the South Florida Climate, with Snow White Pearl Paint, minor swirls marks, and 63,257 miles, I introduce to you my wife's 2012 Kia Optima LX:



My first car I purchased since high school, also a daily driver covered 8 hours a day in a parking garage Monday through Friday, with 6,583 miles, no swirls, and Granite Crystal Metallic Paint, I give you my 2015 Chrysler 300S:



Now, without an intriguing boxer like introduction (or so I thought), here are the products that were tested on the trunk lid of both cars:

1. Blackfire Crystal Seal
2. Collinite 845
3. Dodo Juice Supernatural Acrylic Spritz
4. 3D HD Poxy
5. Menzerna Power Lock
6. Wolfgang Deep Gloss Paint Sealant

I picked these based upon availability, what I have seen over the years as the most common, and some that I have never tried personally. The only one I couldn't get that I wanted was CG's Jet Seal as it was out of stock during my last order.

So, here is how I did the test on both cars:

1. Washed the car with a foam gun pre-soak, and two bucket method.
2. Clayed the vehicle and IPA'd the trunk lid to remove any remaining wash residue or oils.
3. Dried the car with a shine and buff microfiber (seriously love using these to dry... much more absorbent than my waffle weave, but that's another thread later).
4. LSP on the remaining body panels was provided by Mckee's 37 Rinseless Wash & Wax as well as Pinnacle Souveran Spray Wax as a drying aid/LSP.

I had no visible signs of LSP beading on the trunk after the wash, let alone the IPA wipe down. I did not polish out the trunk lids to perfection as with most DD's a mirror finish really isn't realistic and I was trying to think of all the people that may not take the time to polish if they are happy with the paint. So, it is what it is.

Ambient conditions today in Royal Palm Beach at the time of application were 91 degrees with 65% humidity. The products were applied in the shade out of direct sunlight.

Here is how the testing looked prior to application on both cars (yes the cars were out of direct sun during application):






So, first thing first... how easy are these guys to apply? That's tough to answer so I'll break it down into a few sections.

Ease of product application:

- Scale of 1-10
- 1: Painfully gummy, unspreadable like bondo that is on the verge of fully setting... are LSP's really worth it?
- 10: Spread in an even layer with one pass and no repasses. You wish everything in life was this simple.

1. Blackfire Crystal Seal - Spray on panel and spread with a microfiber applicator pad evenly in a thin coat (8)
- The spray pattern of the crystal seal was fantastic. It let out a small amount of product that went a very long way and left no gummy feeling while spreading it out.
2. Collinite 845 - Apply to applicator pad and spread an even, thin coat across body panel (6)
- Although it is decently simple to apply, the bottle and liquid state of the product meant that it could run off the applicator very easily if not careful.
3. Dodo Juice - Spray on panel and spread evenly with a clean applicator (7)
- Much like Crystal Seal, the spray was appreciated. The pattern out of the nozzle left something to be desired, but once the applicator was down, it was simple to spread.
4. HD Poxy - Apply to applicator pad and spread an even, thin coat across body panel (7)
- A thicker product meant that it didn't have a chance of running off like the Collinite. The coverage was great, and didn't require multiple passes.
5. Power Lock - Apply to applicator pad and spread an even, thin coat across body panel (7)
- Similar to HD Poxy, the products was thick and didn't run off the applicator.
6. Wolfgang Deep Gloss - Apply to applicator and spread an even, thin coat across body panel (7.5)
- Much like HD Poxy and Power Lock, it was thick and easy to use. The smell was better which is why I gave it a small bump.

Removal of Product:

- Scale of 1-10
- 1: Geez.... I need a jackhammer to remove this stuff, and it took 19 days to set before I could buff it off... I think I'll just ride a bicycle from now on.
- 10: Did I actually do something here? The product has a small army of people in the formula that actually removed it for me.

1. Blackfire Crystal Seal - After spreading allow it to flash and buff out any high spots (9.5)
- The application of crystal seal was the easiest of all the products. As long as it was applied thin, you will not need to buff out any high spots making it super simple and quick.
2. Collinite 845 - Wait for product to dry to a haze and remove with a microfiber towel (8)
- This product hazed in about 10 minutes and was effortless to remove. No dusting, and nothing but clean paint.
3. Dodo Juice - After application, buff to remove product once spread (7)
- This product didn't seem like it wanted to come off without a little extra time spent with the towel. Not a lot of pressure, but multiple passes were needed.
4. HD Poxy - Wait 30-45 minutes to cure and remove with a microfiber towel (7)
- Very easy to remove much like 845, but the long curing time meant a longer time waiting to complete the job.
5. Power Lock - Allow product to dry to a haze and remove with a microfiber towel (7)
- No dusting upon removal, but took about 25 minutes to dry to a haze as intended in the climate I was in.
6. Wolfgang Deep Gloss - Allow product to dry to a haze and remove with a microfiber towel (8)
- This also had no dusting, and hazed in about 5 minutes. The quick haze time was something unexpected (as I had no expectations), and nice to see.

Slickness after removal:

- Scale of 1-10
- 1: Why does this feel like I'm stuck on it with velcro? F1 car brakes can't even apply this much friction.
- 10: Crisco. Crisco lubricating butter, that had a date with olive oil, teflon, and one of those pans from the infomercials so nothing would stick to this... ever.

1. Blackfire Crystal Seal - (5)
- You can tell that something was applied compared to where the tape was, but it didn't have a very smooth feeling.
2. Collinite 845 - (8)
- The slickest of all the products, my finger was able to glide effortlessly without feeling caught on the paint.
3. Dodo Juice - (6)
- This was slightly slicker than the Crystal Seal, but did seem to resistant movement more than I expected.
4. HD Poxy - (7)
- Decently slick without too much grab.
5. Power Lock - (7)
- Very similar to the HD poxy in slickness.
6. Wolfgang Deep Gloss - (7.5)
- The tiniest bit of grab was noticed with this, but nothing that was seriously alarming. Almost as good as the Collinite.

At this stage in the game I saw no discernible difference in paint depth, color, or metallic "pop." This is why I didn't do a close up shot of each section and only an angled capture of each trunk lid:





Thanks for taking the time to check this out, my next update will be on Sunday July 31st!

[Marc08EX]

Great review! Looks like the 845 scored very high in various departments. My personal favorite is Menzerna PL because of the ease of removal and how slick it is. But looks like 845 is better. I need to try my 845 hahaha!

Did you have any initial water beading testing done?

Thanks for doing this test. Looking forward to seeing the durability results.

[Jowillie]

Thanks for your time and effort. Watching for the updates.

[ski2]

Great test!! Will be interesting to see the long term results.

[shadwell]

Nice job,

I am quietly pleased as for my white car i settled on Collinite 845 after going through a few options over the last year... so i am glad to see that reinforced by the experinces of others..

Also i just finished wet sanding the whole car and following some poorboys white diamond my LSP is Collinite 845.. 2 coats...

To anyone going down a similar pathway, i top up weekly after washing with Optimum spray wax.. it seems to compliment the 845 well in terms of appearance, and is ridiculously easy to apply and remove (with cool paint)...... i also mix OCW with ONR as my detailing spray.... just great flexibility..

[natewood70]

Great review! Looks like the 845 scored very high in various departments. My personal favorite is Menzerna PL because of the ease of removal and how slick it is. But looks like 845 is better. I need to try my 845 hahaha!

Did you have any initial water beading testing done?

Thanks for doing this test. Looking forward to seeing the durability results.

I do not have any initial beading before or after application. No beading was present prior to application, and as for right after application I didn't want to do anything to disturb any additional curing that might occur.

[natewood70]

Thanks for your time and effort. Watching for the updates.

No problem, I'm happy to do it.

Great test!! Will be interesting to see the long term results.

I agree - I can't wait to see how these products hold up.

[shagnat]

Subscribed and waiting for the 31st.

[tenblade2001]

AWESOME thread!

[oneheadlite]

Another tip of the cap to you sir- Great test, and thread to share it! Looking forward to updates!

John