This was a post that I started on another forum, I figured I'd give it a shot here.......

OVERVIEW



Alright, these product shoot-out posts are usually pretty stupid for several reasons:

A. The tester usually has a bias toward one product
B. There are too many variables to make the test results accurate
C. Photographs don't tell the whole story, you have to see the results in person
D. Who in the hell has nothing better to do in their life than sit around and keep track of wax on thier car???

So, (A) I have chosen 2 products that I favor equally, I couldn't care less if one outperforms the other. (B) I'm performing the test on my wifes car, which has been MAJORLY preped for this test. (C) While I will be posting photographs, it will mostly be about peoples impressions of the car. (D) Shut up alright! I may have too much free time, but I'm cleaning my wifes car up as a part of her graduation gift...so I can rationalize it that way...

So what I'm really testing here is the whole concept of these "wax tests" to see if I can eve notice a difference in shine and longevity. I must say I'm skeptical, but looking forward to seeing how things turn out.

Both waxes will be tested on the same car, split right down the middle. The drivers side will have the P21S carnuba, the passengers side will have the Zaino Z-2.

Another goal of this comparison, is to see if I notice any difference between the carnuba vs. synthetic product on a black vehicle. Many think that carnuba is better for darker colors.

THE BATTLEFIELD

A Black 2002 Ford Taurus will be the test vehicle. It's finish has been a little neglected for the past year, and is showing some swirls and spiderwebs.








THE PREP

Prior to today, I've machine polished the entire car with a Porter Cable Dual Action Polisher and several passes using aggressive pads and Menzenera Intensive Polish to really get out the swirls. A pad and polish combination this aggressive will leave behind some micro-marring.






So today I will be performing my final polishing passes using a less aggressive pad and polish. This really brings out the shine and removes any micro-marring. I'm also "finishing" each half of the car with a polish that will compliment the wax I'll be using on each side.









THE WAX BATTLEFIELD

Whew! Alright, damn that was a lot of prep work, but it was needed to ensure a level playing field. Now it's time to apply the wax.



You'll notice I finished the polishing with a product that complimented each wax.

Menzenera Final Polish II --> P21S Carnuba
Zaino Fusion PC Polish --> Zaino Z-2



Alright, the stage is set, this is WAR!

 

awesome post,but i really cant see a difference.it looks great.

 

Thanks for the tests and photos. If I have any problem with the exterior of my car, I will bring it to you.

 

Here is the condensed followup post...with better pictures of the results...
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Well, it rained a little last night, so I gave it a quick dry off this morning. I must say that I'm really impressed with the results on both sides. It's been so long since I've been around a black car that is waxed up right, it really is awesome...

Right now, I'd say that 80% of the swirls are either polished out, or filled in with the wax.

Now how long will it stay that way?

ZAINO Synthetic

The Zaino goes on pretty easy, but has a lot of preperatory steps if it's your first time. It my case, my preperatory step was polishing with Z-PC swirl remover. You add the "FX" stuff, and apply it to the whole car (or half in this case) and give it and hour or two to dry. It goes on and comes off very easy, especially the second coat and beyond...




P21S Carnuba

P21S goes on like butter, and you apply and then remove it one panel at a time. DO NOT LET IT DRY OR HAZE OVER!!! It will be a pain to remove...Give it a few seconds and then buff it out, moving one panel at a time. This took some getting used to at first, I kept wanting to let it dry....

It takes a little more effort to buff the P21S out, but it's not bad at all.




Initial results, TOO CLOSE TO CALL.

Both sides look great, I think the P21S has the sightest of leads, I think it looks just looks a little warmer, but it too close to call. Different angles, reflections, and light levels kept making me rethink my conclusions...

We'll see how things hold up. Will I be able to tell a difference? This car is daily driven, so we'll see how it goes...


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Coming up next, the results after 3 months of neglect, hot weather, and daily driven highway hell.

 

The initial quality on most higher end waxes is great. They all look almost the same. But few last a lot longer than others, and others leave a better feeling on the paint. They both look great, but Im sure that the P21S fills in swirls better than zaino, but zaino lasts far longer

 

I polished and waxed my car this past weekend. I too used the P21S wax. This was the first time I had ever used this wax, but I loved it! It was easy to apply and remove and left a beautiful shine. Naturally, after I spend the better half of my day washing and waxing, it rained for the next three days. However, other than a little mud around the wheel wells, the car kept a pretty good shine. I have tried just about every wax out there, with the exception of Zaino, and so far P21S is my hands-down favorite!!

 

+1 can't see a difference, awesome work on it though

 

both are great products...and you'll always have pros & cons to each type of finish lookswise(synth vs nuba)...but P21s is not known for durability and this is where zaino has the advantage

 

Couldn't agree more. It will be no suprise if the Zaino ends up outlasting the P21S...

What's on trial here is the concept of these "product shootout" tests in general.

How much of a difference will be noticed between these 2 products in a controlled environment such as this? Any at all?

I will post another followup soon.

 

I've used the same products, but after finishing the Z2 applications and letting the car sit for a day, I then put a coat of P21S (actually S100, the motorcycle wax equivalent, that is MUCH cheaper) on top of the Zaino. Gives it the best of both worlds...the stamina of the Zaino, with the warmness of the wax.

Mike (sets aside a weekend to do this occasionally)

 

Fast Forward 2.5 months....

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According to my calculations, 2.5 months have passed without any additional wax applied to the test car. It has seen some of the years hottest weather, as well as a pretty grueling commute 3 days a week.

So yesterday I washed the car (for the first time in a month) and was suprised to actually notice a difference from side to side. Remember the the Drivers Side is P21S, and the passengers side is Zaino...





So the Zaino side is still beading while P21S side is sheeting the water off (showing initial signs of weakness). This was the case over the entire car also (roof and trunk).

I do believe this is conclusive evidence that the Zaino is staying stronger for longer...after all the abuse...the P21S is no chump though. You still can't tell much difference at all, aside from the beading...which in the scheme of things isn't even that big of a deal. Both sides still look great!


So what conclusions do I draw from this grudge match? Nothing we couldn't have guessed in the first place, but it was neat to see things play out on the grand stage of a Ford Taurus hood.

A. Zaino gets a small nod for longevity, P21S gets a nod for it's slightly warmer look...

B. If I had a garage kept weekend car that was a darker color, I'd go with P21S to bring out that awesome dark shine...if I had a lighter color car that was daily driven I'd use Zaino for it's durability.



Rock on! I'm happy there was actually a noticable difference on the 2 products to report after all this work....whew!

Both products are worthy in their own way...

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Hope you guys liked my condensed posts, I widdled down 3 months worth of work into the 24hr span of this post.


Thanks,

- Mason

 

awesome review. I can deff tell the difference in the shine. I have a black car and I will look into the PS1S.

 

I put my third coat of Zano on last summer . Ive only put on about 5000 miles on the car since , but it still beads the water . 4th coat going on before it gets to cold

 

zaino is long lasting. I could've told you that

It pretty much lasts 4-5 months before showing ANY signs of needing re-applying for me. I don't park it in the sun usually though.

 

No doubt. Zaino's longevity is tough to beat with anything except Collinite and a handful of others; even then it will be nearly similar. Synthetic vs. natural comparison of longevity is unfair; any synthetic would win that contest easily.

Agreed. That's the Carnauba difference

Very good thread, by the way

 

Great thread, Thx

 

If he got 2.5 months from P21S he is the first person ever. The side with the P21S is completely bare, as is illustrated by the loose sheeting of the water. Most people are lucky to get 4 weeks from P21S.

 

Can you please let me know where to get the pads you used. Im going to try this on my caddillac. Its black and a freaking mess. Did you claybar before you did all the polishing and waxing?

 

How about Zaino vs Blackfire? (not Blackmagic, but Blackfire) Both are synthetic based. http://www.properautocare.com/sypse.html

 

Here is the links for where I purchased the Yellow and White pads:

http://www.properautocare.com/hi612infopaa.html

Scroll down to see all the pad's listed, and you can add to your cart.

I had clayed the car a few month proir to all this madness, so I didn't feel it was necessary to clay again.