DETAILING SUPPLIES |
Best in Class = |
|
|
|
CATEGORY |
PRODUCT |
RATING |
COMMENTS |
CLAY BARS |
Griot's |
**** |
Very good. Larger quantity, good value. Similar to Gliptone. |
|
Meguiar's (consumer) |
*** |
Easiest and most mild "consumer" clay, safe |
|
Gliptone |
**** |
Very elastic. Closest to the original clay bar. |
|
Meguiar's (pro) Mild |
***** |
Top quality, long lasting. Different grits for better results, but it's not cheap. |
|
|
|
|
SPRAY DETAILER |
Meguiar's Quik Detailer |
*** |
The standard. Easy to use, and you can buy it almost anywhere. Cleans a dirty car pretty well, but it does smear in high humidity |
|
Meg's Ultimate detailer |
**** |
Better than the original, as it works in humidity. It also leaves more gloss |
|
Griot's Speed Shine |
*** + |
Good quality, works well with clay. |
|
Prima Hydro |
**** + |
Use wet or dry. It has wax in it . Best in high humidity. |
|
Prima Slick |
**** |
Super smooth finish, and it works OK in humidity. High gloss. |
|
|
|
|
POLISH (machine) |
P21S |
**** |
Very easy to use with orbital or by hand. Offers a deep gloss with little effort. |
|
Meguiar's 205 (Pro line) |
***** |
This is the latest technology. For best results, use an orbital. Works on all paints, provides excellent results. |
|
Meguiar's # 3 |
*** |
The original hand polish. Easy to use, but the new tech is better. |
|
Griot's #3 Machine Polish |
**** |
Use it with an orbital. It's easy to remove and has a nice gloss |
|
Duragloss TPP 105 |
**** |
Easy to use by hand or machine. It's excellent on newer paint. |
|
Zymol hd cleanse |
** |
This has a strong resemblence to Meg's #3, but it's hard to use. Produces only an average gloss compared to P21s or 205. |
|
Poorboys Professional |
**** |
Works well with orbital, OK by hand. |
polish |
|
|
|
|
WAX (Paste) |
P21S |
*** |
Easy to apply, it has a nice smell, but only average-lasting. |
|
Meguiar's 23 paste wax |
** |
Easy to apply, but it doesn't last too long. |
|
Pinnacle Souveran |
***** |
The current front runner is longer lasting, has a deep gloss, goes on and comes off easily. |
|
Poorboys Natty's red |
**** |
Very deep gloss; only Pinnacle looks better. Nice strawberry scent. Good value, but hard to find. |
|
Zymol Carbon, etc. |
** |
Lacks the gloss of newer technology products, and doesn't last. |
|
|
|
|
INTERIOR CLEANER |
Griot's |
**** |
Cleans very well, wipes off clean. Generally mild. |
|
Meguiar's |
**** |
This is a great cleaner. Should be mixed with water. Good value. |
(Detailer series) |
|
Simple Green |
*** |
This one's cheap and easy. You can buy it anywhere, and it can be used as grease cutter as well. |
|
|
|
|
LEATHER CLEANER |
Lexol |
**** |
Very good cleaner. Can be used on almost all leathers, and works well on Connolly and older cars. |
|
Griot's |
*** |
Cleans well, easy to use. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
LEATHER |
Lexol |
**** |
Easy to use and buy. Use sparingly and wipe off after a little time. Best on older leathers, but be sure to test it first. |
PRESERVATIVE |
|
Leatherique |
**** |
This one's most versatile; it's great on all leathers. Easy one step. |
|
Prima Nourish |
*** |
Smells great, and it's better on newer cars. Goes on easily, not greasy. |
|
Griot's |
*** |
Good quality; it compares to Prima and Lexol brown. |
|
|
|
|
VINYL/ |
Griot's |
*** |
Easy to use, although maybe a little glossy. Good on almost all vinyl and rubber. |
RUBBER DRESSING |
|
Prima Nero |
**** |
This one's good on vinyl, and dries to perfect semi-gloss. |
|
Wurth Cockpit Cleaner |
*** |
Satin finish, but it's expensive and hard to find. It's Excellent on hard plastic. |
|
Lexol Vinylex |
*** |
Works well and it lasts. It can be slimy if it's not buffed off. |
|
Meguiar's #40 |
*** + |
Second to Prima. It's a good product with a semi-gloss finish. Great on rubber mats as well. |
|
|
|
|
PLASTIC CLEANER/ |
Plexus |
***** |
Easy spray-on, improves gloss and clarity, fills hairline scratches. Excellent. |
POLISH |
|
3M |
*** |
Easy liquid polish. Works well. Follow with Plexus for a great shine. |
|
Novus |
**** |
3 steps. Very good. It can restore milky or scratched plastic. |
|
|
|
|
POLISH (HAND) |
P21s Paintwork Cleanser |
**** |
See above. Easy to remove by hand. |
|
Griot's Hand Polish |
*** |
Very good, but P21s outperforms. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
WAX (liquid) |
Prima Epic |
***** |
Latest technology is a synthetic wax. Offers a wet look, long lasting, very deep gloss. |
|
Griot's Best of Show |
**** |
Easy on, not so easy off. Nice gloss. |
|
Poorboys EX-P |
*** |
Easy to use, paste outshines by far. Doesn't last as long as others. Synthetic. |
|
|
|
|
TIRE CLEANER |
Westley's Bleche White |
*** |
The original whitewall cleaner. Great on all rubber, but rinse it off well. Easy to use and find. |
|
Griot's |
*** |
Cleans well, use brush to agitate |
|
Meguiar's APC |
*** |
From their Detailer's series, this is a good value. You can dilute for other uses. |
degreaser |
|
Lacquer thinner |
**** |
Great on white walls, but use sparingly and carefully. Not for the faint of heart. |
|
|
|
|
COMPOUND |
Meguiars 105 |
***** |
Excellent results with rotary or orbital buffer, and offers an easy clean up. Good by hand. Removes sanding scratches. |
|
3M machine compound |
**** |
Very good. Best for sanding marks. Use with rotary buffer. |
|
3M extra cut |
**** |
Difficult to use, and you can damage paint. For professional use only. Very good to remove sanding marks. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
TIRE DRESSING |
Prima Nero |
***** |
Works best on tires, low gloss, lasts a long time. |
|
Meguiar's Endurance |
**** |
Available in low and high gloss, this is an easy-to-use gel formula. Stays on when applied. |
|
Griot's tire dressing |
**** |
A little glossy, but goes on easily and it can be buffed out. Neat applicator. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
SWIRL REMOVER |
Prima Amigo |
**** |
Super wet look finish when followed by Prima Epic. |
|
Meguiar's #9 |
*** |
Good quality, not as responsive as newer tech products. |
swirl remover |
|
3M Swirl remover |
*** |
This one can be tricky. It's a true professional product, dependent on pad/buffer combo. Good results. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
GLAZES |
3M Imperial Hand Glaze |
*** |
This is popular in the Hot Rod world. It's a short-term fix for long-term paint problems. |
|
Meguiar's #7 show car glaze |
** |
Used to be considered to be THE product to use, but it's average compared to newer tech products. |
|
|
|
|
CLEANER/WAXES |
Meguiars Gold Class |
*** |
Better than average carnauba based. |
(ONE STEP) |
|
Meguiar's (red bottle) |
** |
Average gloss and longevity, but it's the highest rated at Consumer's. |
|
Meguiar's #6 |
** |
Just okay; it doesn't last. |
|
Meguiar's NXT |
*** |
Polymer formula provides a big shine for a short time. |
|
Zymol |
*** |
Smells great, works OK. |
|
Prima Banana Gloss |
**** |
Smells weird, excellent shine, apply in layers for more gloss. |
|
Mother's |
** |
Old tech, similar to Meguiar's. |
|
Mother's |
*** |
More like NXT, provides good gloss. |
Reflection series |
|
Duragloss TPP 105 |
**** |
One of the best in class. Offers great depth and shine. Can be "topcoated" with wax. |
|
Poorboys polish |
*** |
Good shine lasts as long as the others. |
with Carnauba |
|
Poorboys polish |
*** |
Better shine, lasts longer than blue Poorboys. |
with sealant |
|
|
|
|
METAL POLISH |
P21S |
*** |
Excellent polish is good on chrome. It removes light staining on exhaust tips. |
|
Wenol |
*** |
See above, similar to p21s. |
|
Flitz |
*** |
See above, like wenol and P21S. |
|
Mothers mag and aluminum |
** |
Old school trick may be a little more abrasive than it needs to be. |
|
Meguiars metal polish |
** |
Similar to Mother's |
|
Gliptone (Heavy Metal) blue |
*** |
Liquid or cotton based wadding. Works well on most metals. Wadding is very convenient. |
|
Simichrome |
*** |
The original. Comparable to Flitz, etc. A little more aggressive. |
|
Nuvite |
***** |
The best. Grade S is superb. Use on any metal from titanium to brass. Different grits available. |
|
Rolite |
**** + |
Similar to Nuvite but not as diverse in product line. Nuvite edges slightly on overall shine. |