TV analogy

[Craigmri]

I`m beginning to see a very similar relationship between TV`s and Wax/Sealants.....bear with me a minute.



My brothers and I all recently purchased large HDtvs for our respective homes. One bought a Sony, One a Hitachi and I got a Panasonic. All great TV`s. But which one looks better? We all decided the difference is so slight, so insignificant that unless the three sets were side-by-side in the same room it would be impossible to detect. With the three sets in three different homes when viewing any of the three separately, the picture is great on all of them.



I`m coming to the same conclusion with high end wax/sealant products. There are so many good ones to choose from that unless you had two identical cars side by side, identical color, identical surface prep etc..etc.. Most people will probably come away saying.....the car looks great! The difference between Zaino, Klasse, Pinnacle, NXT 2.0 etc..etc......Is it that much??? Is it significant enough to say.....WOW what a difference!!!



Craig

[Setec Astronomy]

We used to have a saying here that process > product; i.e. process is more important than product. Been a little more like "flavor of the month club" in recent years.

[HansB]

Since joining here in August I have tried a lot of different products. I have used five different polishes, KAIO and six very good LSP`s. After a fresh wash you couldn`t tell the difference between the different products, the car just looks great no matter which I use! I think the main difference with LSP`s is longevity.



It seems the only products that vary a lot are the spray detailers, some are definitely slicker than others.



YMMV

[a.k.a. Patrick]

Since joining here in August I have tried a lot of different products.

Now theres a pattern we`re all familiar with!

As for the original post, I couldnt agree more. All products have similar characteristics in one way or another, but as setec stated, its all about how its used (within reason). I will add, each product has its limitations, which kind of throws "process" out the window. Example: two similar products used with identical processes give two differing results. Thats not process, thats product. They have boundaries. And to gain full benefit of said product, you must understand these characteristics. No offense to setec, but sometimes process is overstated, while product is under emphasized.

As with your families TV purchases, its entirely subjective to your individual criteria. Much the same with car care products!

[imported_Detailing Technology]

Agreed 150% I have done a similar act with the TV`s, except I bought 3 and returned 2 back to the store (their policy). I bought 2 different Pioneer and one Panasonic TV. I ended up keeping the mid-priced Pioneer. I felt the $7,500 for the Pioneer Elite wasnt worth the dough for my eyes. I couldnt see the difference.



The wax / sealant is a similar issue, but if the preparation is not done correcly, nothing will look good. On equally prepped surfaces, I cant tell between my Souveran, Swissvax Mystery, or Natty`s Blue.



But the experience if different. It`s like wearing a $9,000 Brioni suit and feeling great or wearing a $900 Boss suit and hoping you look great. If you are in shape, 90% of the people that see you in either suit wont be able to tell the difference.

[Setec Astronomy]

No offense to setec, but sometimes process is overstated, while product is under emphasized.





Certainly there are large differences between products as far as characteristics and usability. The products are the tools, but the process is the knowledge of which type of tools to use for a given situation and how to use them.



So it`s a combination of the two, and I kind of lean towards that if you understand the process, you can get good results with almost any product--however, some products will make the job much easier or faster.



Bottom line I think one needs to maintain perspective between process and "flavor of the month".

[Pennypacker]

The way I feel about process vs product is that the process variable is held constant if it`s the same person doing all the prep work. And yeah, over time he/she will hopefully develop better and better prep skills, but in the meantime mediocre polishing coupled with NuFinish will still looks worse than mediocre polishing with Souveran.

[howareb]

The way I feel about process vs product is that the process variable is held constant if it`s the same person doing all the prep work. And yeah, over time he/she will hopefully develop better and better prep skills, but in the meantime mediocre polishing coupled with NuFinish will still looks worse than mediocre polishing with Souveran.



I think that Billy Mays, would disagree. :LOLOL