Durable AIO 4-way test

[Dan]

So in another thread I had posted about reconsidering my approach to the standard practice of using an LSP every few months followed by claying and polishing twice a year. I love the results from clay and polish but I have less and less time to do it. With two cars that are parked outdoors 24/7 and one that is garaged but a DD, keeping all of them at their best gets to be a bit too time consuming. While not getting a lot of love on any forum, the All in One, cleaner, polish and protectant is the workhorse of a good detailing arsenal.



Until the past five or so years, you would be very hard pressed to find an AIO that would last past a few months. Protection and looks were always compromised. There are now quite a few products that move past these issues. I chose three products that have a very strong following and one that sparks some serious controversy. A staple in my arsenal has been Optimum`s Poli-seal. It is a fantastic product. It works well as a cleaner and provides some minor correction when used with a PC or rotary. It is also very operator and surface fault tolerant. I have also been very pleased with its looks. Its very deep and wet looking for a sealant. My absolute favorite part is how cleanly it finishes by machine. Almost no dust or residue, it just seems to melt into the paint.



Two other products in the durable AIO segment that always get attention are Zaino`s AIO and Finish Kare`s FK215. ZAIO has a reputation for its strong cleaning properties and its long lasting beading. I have had some waterspotting issues with Z2, so I was curious to see how Zainos AIO product would work. Another contender that gets a lot of positive feedback is FK215, strengths seem to be true correction power and looks that rival true sealants.



The red herring in the mix, something almost universally hated by the detailing community, you can find it in most grocery store, the one and only NuFinish. Its an old product, it comes in a cheesy orange bottle and worst of all, it claims to last a year. Comments vary from delivering on that promise to claims of overly harsh abrasives. I wanted to see how a product so widely available (and hated) stacked up against the boutique brands.



My goal is to find a product that keeps the finish at its best with minimal work. I would like to avoid using a traditional polish all together. I would also like to avoid claying as long as possible. I thing many folks end up topping AIOs. In my routine, I find this to be very wasteful, if I am doing two steps, its going to be a polish and LSP as the results are superior to AIO+LSP. There are so many good one step polishes that using an AIO as a polish doesn`t make sense. For this test, its going to be AIO only.



The testbed will be an 05 Audi that is parked outside 24/7. Since I was familiar with Poli-seal and didn`t have great expectations for NuFinish, I chose to test them in a limited capacity. I am very familiar with the use of Poli-seal but I seem to always top it. For this test I will leave it alone. I confined those two to the trunk and hand application. The real battle is between ZAIO and FK215.



My test criteria in order of importance:

-visual appearance of paint over an extended time period. I have said this countless times, water beading does not equal paint protection. If a surface continues to bead, but dulls and is subjected to environmental damage, it is worthless to me.

-paint cleaning. While an LSP may protect against UV damage and other contaminants, they do not prevent various particles from settling on the finish and bonding. Prior to the popularization of clay in the mid 90s, chemical cleaners were used to get that smooth paint feel back.

-defect removal powerful enough to remove wash and clay induced marring

-ease of use, time is a huge consideration.

-immediate looks, I`d like for it to look great, but its not an immediate concern, as long as it doesn`t dull the appearance of raw paint, all is well





Prep work

The paint has not been clayed in 6months and not been polished in a year. I washed with CG citrus wash & gloss at paint cleansing mixture (2oz to 2 gallons). I did not clay the vehicle because I wanted to judge how well each product cleaned. I applied FK215 and ZAIO using a PC on speed 6 with a Megs Yellow 6.5 pad. The Poli-seal and NuFinish were applied by hand since it was such a small area. Since I was applying by hand, I did two passes to assure good coverage.



The perliminary results:



ZAIO

-Visually, it looks a bit boring. Its shiney but lacks depth.

-Excellent cleaning ability, possibly best of the bunch. Smoothest surface.

-Abrasive appears to be fairly mild, minimal correction

-Product is thin, I ended up using more than the others and after waiting 30 minutes to dry, I wiped it off. It kept re-appearing on the surface, a major bummer as this is a big time waste



http://datasmuggler.com/images/car_cleaning/aio4way/AIO4waytest114.JPG

http://datasmuggler.com/images/car_cleaning/aio4way/AIO4waytest117.JPG

http://datasmuggler.com/images/car_cleaning/aio4way/AIO4waytest118.JPG

http://datasmuggler.com/images/car_cleaning/aio4way/AIO4waytest119.JPG

http://datasmuggler.com/images/car_cleaning/aio4way/AIO4waytest112.JPG



FK215

-Visually, quite the surprise, this stuff looks great. Candy shell look, great depth, a little bit of glow, looks leader of this bunch. Slickest surface of the bunch, but not smoothest.

-Mild cleaning ability, definitely left the most surface contaminants of the four products tested

-Strongest abrasive of the bunch, moderate level of correction on this hard clear

-A little goes a long way. Easy on, long working time and easy to wipe off. An absolute pleasure to work with



http://datasmuggler.com/images/car_cleaning/aio4way/AIO4waytest101.JPG

http://datasmuggler.com/images/car_cleaning/aio4way/AIO4waytest102.JPG

http://datasmuggler.com/images/car_cleaning/aio4way/AIO4waytest103.JPG

http://datasmuggler.com/images/car_cleaning/aio4way/AIO4waytest104.JPG

http://datasmuggler.com/images/car_cleaning/aio4way/AIO4waytest105.JPG

http://datasmuggler.com/images/car_cleaning/aio4way/AIO4waytest106.JPG

http://datasmuggler.com/images/car_cleaning/aio4way/AIO4waytest107.JPG





Poli-seal

-Mid pack lookswise, has more depth than ZAIO but a little bit less shine

-Excellent cleaning ability

-Mild abrasive package

-Very easy to use, it melts into the paint, very little residue, what is left is very easy to remove.



http://datasmuggler.com/images/car_cleaning/aio4way/AIO4waytest111.JPG



NuFinish

-Suprizingly good looks, the last time I used this "stuff" it made the paint more dull, I`m guessing it has been reformulated. Nice and crisp look, compared to this, Zaino looks a bit sterile.

-Mild cleaning ability, though it smells solvent rich, it doesn`t seem to clean better than average.

-Very mild abrasive package, this stuff used to be rocks in a bottle, it almost feels as smooth as suntan lotion

-Probably the hardest to use of the bunch. Goes on a little rough but comes off very easily. Dusts much less than I remember, its on par with Megs OTC stuff.



http://datasmuggler.com/images/car_cleaning/aio4way/AIO4waytest109.JPG

http://datasmuggler.com/images/car_cleaning/aio4way/AIO4waytest108.JPG

http://datasmuggler.com/images/car_cleaning/aio4way/AIO4waytest110.JPG





Comparison of ZAIO vs FK215 polishing ability:

ZAIO

http://datasmuggler.com/images/car_cleaning/aio4way/AIO4waytest116.JPG

FK215

http://datasmuggler.com/images/car_cleaning/aio4way/AIO4waytest115.JPG



So there are the initial results. They are just that, initial. I plan to keep this test going and post up pictures as soon as a product fails. At that point, I`m also going to re-apply the product (and that product only) and keep the project going. After a year I will assess the situation and see what really performed and what didn`t.



One Month Photo Update



Snapped some pix while doing the second wash at the one month mark.

http://datasmuggler.com/images/car_cleaning/aio4way/aio_4way_update1.jpg

http://datasmuggler.com/images/car_cleaning/aio4way/aio_4way_update2.jpg

http://datasmuggler.com/images/car_cleaning/aio4way/aio_4way_update6.jpg

http://datasmuggler.com/images/car_cleaning/aio4way/aio_4way_update5.jpg

FK215 is now sheeting very strongly on the hood, look at the surface, it is almost dry, especially towards the center of the hood (hottest part). Both still bead pretty well after rain.

http://datasmuggler.com/images/car_cleaning/aio4way/aio_4way_update3.jpg

http://datasmuggler.com/images/car_cleaning/aio4way/aio_4way_update4.jpg

Poliseal (left) seems to be on its last legs, it still beads when it rains, but this is after being rinsed. NuFinish seems to be holding up strong.

[ltebow34]

215 is such a great product, I notice it does alot of cleaning(chem) but maybe different paints. I use it now for years and tell people about it but nobody believe this lol.. Looking forward to see how NuFinish is going to do.

[JCturboT]

Great test Yakky.



I `m curious how far that NuFinish will go.



Jeff

[Alexshimshimhae]

can`t wait =]

[Rob Tomlin]

You have my highest compliments on your write up thus far. It is obvious that you have put a lot of time and effort into this post/review, and it is very well written.



I will be ordering a AIO in the next month or two as I am almost completely out of my current one (Klasse), and I always want to have an AIO on hand, so this review is very timely for me. I was leaning towards Poli-Seal, but I tend to like most of the FK stuff as much as Optimum`s.



I think people would be interested in knowing (well, I know I would be anyway) which product you would pick as your favorite based on your initial results, given your priorities. Obviously things like longevity and protection will not be taken into consideration at this point.



Also, you say that the FK has the "Slickest surface of the bunch, but not smoothest". Can you explain that a bit? I kind of equate slick as being smooth.



Thanks, and again, great write up!

[imported_Bence]

Very nice writeup yakky!



I strongly suggest that you should try these with a rotary. That would be the ultimate challenge.



I know how OPS and 215 behaves with a rotary and they are truly magnificent, but I`m curious about the other 2 as well.

[Dan]

215 is such a great product, I notice it does alot of cleaning(chem) but maybe different paints.



Yeah, I wonder how well it does on oxidized paint, the paint on the A4 was in decent shape so the only real cleaning ability I was testing was bonded contaminants.






I `m curious how far that NuFinish will go.



Yeah, its totally the underdog, I`m most curious about it too!




You have my highest compliments on your write up thus far. It is obvious that you have put a lot of time and effort into this post/review, and it is very well written.



I will be ordering a AIO in the next month or two as I am almost completely out of my current one (Klasse), and I always want to have an AIO on hand, so this review is very timely for me. I was leaning towards Poli-Seal, but I tend to like most of the FK stuff as much as Optimum`s.



I think people would be interested in knowing (well, I know I would be anyway) which product you would pick as your favorite based on your initial results, given your priorities. Obviously things like longevity and protection will not be taken into consideration at this point.



Also, you say that the FK has the "Slickest surface of the bunch, but not smoothest". Can you explain that a bit? I kind of equate slick as being smooth.





Thanks everyone for the kind words. I have learned so much here, I enjoy giving back.



Rob, given my priorities, I`d have to chose Poli-seal as its the only product I could say would do OK in regards to my primary concern, which is keeping the paint near perfect, but that is only because I have used that in the past. Now, if FK215 were to deliver equal durability, it would bump Poli-seal as it looks better, I was blown away by how good the car looked. It looks like someone blended FK1000p and BFWD. I think you mentioned you are a Werkstat fan, why not try Prime Strong? That was on my short list. I did not want to compare KAIO as the protection portion of that product falls short for me.



As far as slickest vs smoothest, slick is the actual product, smooth is how it made the surface of the car, keep in mind I did not clay, so I was counting on the AIO to removed bonded surface contaminants. While ZAIO removed considerably more surface contamination, the actual product was not as slick as FK215. If both were applied on a clayed surface, the FK215 would be much slicker. FK215 feels very similar to FMJ in the slickness dept, and honestly, that scares be, because FMJ falls flat on its face sooo fast for me.



After using 100 some LSP`s, taking all my experience into consideration, I`m going to make some predictions just for fun.



FK215 is going to lose its looks and slickness within a month.

ZAIO will continue to look the same for 3+ months at which point it will still bead but the surface will degrade.

Poli-seal will diminish to nothing in 3 months, slowly losing its looks (experience talking here)

NuFinish is either going to tumble in one month or shock all of us and go 6+

[imported_Larry A]

I guess Nufinish is not as bad as some people say . I suppose it would be great for a older car that you just wanted to clean up a little.

[Dan]

Very nice writeup yakky!



I strongly suggest that you should try these with a rotary. That would be the ultimate challenge.



I know how OPS and 215 behaves with a rotary and they are truly magnificent, but I`m curious about the other 2 as well.



Yeah, Poli-seal is great via rotary, I`ll have to try out the FK215. Not sure how ZAIO and NuFinish would do as they both seem sort of dry on the pad, I`m not sure how they`d deal with the heat.

[imported_NHBFAN]

I`m the last to preach about spending $$$ since I`ve been purchasing detailing supplies, but it would be hard for me to shell out $26.95 + shipping for ZAIO with much of its competition costing 1/2 as much or less.

[David Fermani]

Wow - This is a great test Yakky. Thanks for putting this together. AIO`s are definately growing on me. I personally like using SRP and would have loved it if you found a place in your comparison for it. Regardless I`ve bookmarked this and will be following it.

[Thomas Dekany]

I have to say that ZAIO looks amazing alone, or after polishing. It is worth the $$$$.




I`m the last to preach about spending $$$ since I`ve been purchasing detailing supplies, but it would be hard for me to shell out $26.95 + shipping for ZAIO with much of its competition costing 1/2 as much or less.

[tom p.]

Yakky, nice write-up. We`ll be watching :)



I bought a large bottle of #215 to use as a base under 1000p. It works well for that and does offer a bright gloss and reasonable cleaning power. I can tell you it doesn`t last as a standalone product. In that category it`s been quite a disappointer. I have found very few AIO products that actually last beyond a month or two.

[Accumulator]

yakky- Cool test, thanks for doing/posting about it!



Interesting that the abrasiveness of the products didn`t always equate to potent cleaning (even if only a "grinding/shearing the stuff off" type of cleaning).



Oh, be a little careful with the more abrasive of these products. I would *NOT* use them on surfaces like the black plastic parts of your sideview mirrors (gee, guess how I know *that`s* a bad idea :o ).



And yeah, other contenders would be SRP (not too long-lasting untopped) and some of the 1Z leaves-stuff-behind products (ditto on the crappy durability).



It`ll be interesting to see how this test works out...the closest I`ve come is comparing ZAIO to KAIO on sideview mirrors.

[Dan]

yakky- Cool test, thanks for doing/posting about it!



Interesting that the abrasiveness of the products didn`t always equate to potent cleaning (even if only a "grinding/shearing the stuff off" type of cleaning).



Oh, be a little careful with the more abrasive of these products. I would *NOT* use them on surfaces like the black plastic parts of your sideview mirrors (gee, guess how I know *that`s* a bad idea :o ).



And yeah, other contenders would be SRP (not too long-lasting untopped) and some of the 1Z leaves-stuff-behind products (ditto on the crappy durability).



It`ll be interesting to see how this test works out...the closest I`ve come is comparing ZAIO to KAIO on sideview mirrors.



Yeah, I read your posts about ZAIO, and as much as I rely on your advice and knowledge, I`m bewildered as it didn`t seem to have very much abrasive power. I really haven`t had much luck with abrasives removing surface contaminants, its usually the strong chemical cleaners that work very well for that sort of stuff. Megs M66 is amazing in that regard, on moderately dirty paint you can get clay like results, however it is not very durable at all.