This question came up on MOL once in a while and here's something more specific I wrote about a year and a half ago...
Difference between #16 and #26?
As for the difference between M16 and
M26,
they are completely different animals, M16 came out in
1951, and is what is referred to as a "Heavy Wax", or a
high molecular weight wax or a
hard wax, just ask anyone that has applied too thick of a coating of this product and then attempted to wipe it off and what they discovered?
If you apply too thick of a coat of M16 and let it fully dry it will come off like concrete, it will dang near break your arm trying to remove it. There is no wiping, but instead it's more like forcing the wax off. Most people that have made this mistake, usually thinking is more is better will actually put scratches into the paint in their efforts.
So be forewarned, if you ever apply M16 to your car's paint, be sure to only apply a thin coat and just to be on the safe side, if it's your first time using the wax then only apply it to one panel, let it dry and then wipe it off and see how you do with just one panel. If you can apply a thin coat to one panel and remove it without struggling, then wax the entire car.
M26 is a
blended wax, not a wax based solely off Carnauba as some think. Actually M16 is also a blended wax in that it is made from a blend of ingredients, it is not based off of just Carnauba.
If you trust the chemists, then you have to assume that anytime they include any specific ingredients in a formula it's either for the benefit of the process or for the benefit of the end-user and in most cases both.
When I found out M16 was going to be discointiued I bought all the remaining stock in the warehouse plus I already had stock from when I was a distributor for Meguir's in Oregon.
I actually found at least another case in a box and a couple single cans since this picture was taken. I'll never use this wax in my lifetime so I'll leave it in my will and it will likely end-up on eBay someday.
Some older cans, most of these still have usable product in them.
This can is from the 1960's and it's never been used. By the way, how it looks is 100% normal as you see it here, you just use the technique outlined above to "break-in" the wax.
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