clay bar patent

[rtbrick]

Stirred by a comment made about clay bars on another forum, I did a simple search and it seems that AutoWax Inc., the Claymagic brand, owns the patents pertaining to clay bars in the U.S. An article I found mentioned that they supply the clay to other manufacturers. Seems to me this means that all clay is created equal and I should simply look for the best price. What do you guys think/know about this?

[Beemerboy]

That`s interesting makes you wonder why there are not other trying to develp there own clay lines.

I just want to know one thing why is clay so darn expensive. Maybe its because Claymagic is the only guy in the game and can charge what ever they like.

[The Fuzz]

All clay is not created equal. That would be like saying that just because Ford makes cars that all Ford cars are equal. They make different grades and levels of clay. That is why you have the Clay Magic blue bar and the red bar. Meguiar`s has overspray clay that is more agressive than the red bar I believe. It may boil down to the fact that there are only 2 clay makers out there, but the clay they produce is different and has a lot of levels of effectiveness. Don`t just look for the best price. You may get something that is too harsh for what you really need. If there wasn`t a difference in clay then all clay bars would stick to your hand as well as clay magic. ;)

[rtbrick]

Yeah, I omitted the red and blue part, but what I was getting at is the fact that Auto Wax holds the patents for the idea and formula for clay bars used in detailing. That means no other company can make clay bars without an agreement with (and fee, of course) and permission of the patent holder. Auto Wax has levied and won three lawsuits to that end (against Mothers most recently).

Now, I am sure that companies have contracted for these bars to be sold under their own brand name and have even asked if the color of pigment can be tailored to their product line (don`t let the color fool you!). Color is easy. I would bet they can tailor the grade of clay also, but I am leery of that as it would surely incure an increased cost (materials and time). How many grades of clay do you really need anyway? At some point the finish is beyond clay. I say the two grades are it.

I`ll quantify all this by saying that I have only used one clay bar, the blue ClayMagic. I just thought this was very interesting from a cost perspective. How many overpriced clays are out there that are simply the repackaged ClayMagic bar? I`ve read that some of those different packages carry the same patent number information. It`s similar to all those re-packaged PCs that are sold for $50-$100 more (Griots, Meguiars) than the regular PC 7424 or 7336.

[Coastal Eddie]

I read somewhere that clay was started by the Japanese, and it was around 25 years ago. Anybody else ever heard that??

[John Sharp]

Hey Eddie,

I heard that too. I was told by a manufacturer and supplier of chemicals that the clay he buys was invented in Japan.

I imagine the story is true.


John

[Poorboy]

Yes there have been lawsuits and there are two mfg`s of clay bars the other being the Japanese mfg who provides clay bars to many companies....they may have to eventually fight this one out in international patents...I heard that the Japanese company says it uses a totally different formula...like the mother`s bar and AutoWax uses a different one ...and that`s why the clay magic is so different
I highly doubt they can monopolize the market with a patent like this...knock-off are very common in the Auto-biz as well as all products...imagine only being able to buy Bayer Asprin ..and no other brand...rediculous...

[Blinded]

There was a law suit I read about once. It was about this Japanese cultured pearl company suing an American company for making their pearls the same way. The Japanese company argued that the Americans had no right to rip off an obvious Japanese tradition. They thought of it and they put it into motion first and the Americans should respect that. The defense the American company put on was the stuff movies are made of. The defense attorney stood up and said something like "I understand what you are saying about how the Japanese started it and the `tradition` should be kept in Japan. I just have one concern... It appears that Japan makes some pretty nice automobiles... I don`t believe your country came up with that idea first. I would really hate to see a judge or jury find that you are correct in your claim and then have all the American car manufacturers in the land sue every off shore car manufacturer for breach of tradition based on the outcome of this case." I`m not much of a legal eagle, but that was just brilliant. I think about that case everytime I read about someone suing over patent issues. I would love to have a philisophical discussion about the nonexistance of original thought, but I doubt I`ll get the chance.

[Ferrarislave]

Im also with that not all clay is created equal. The cheaper clay will dry out quick and probley not have enough bite for deeper cleaning. Try the Meguiars Overspray clay or there Detailer Line clay works great. ;)

[Cujo31]

I have tried a few out there, Megs, Pinnacle, Mothers, Clay Magic, No name brand, and Poorboys. Megs was a pita to use where no matter how lubed it was it stuck to the paint, and the Pinnacle would fall apart in its own solution! I prefer Clay Magic and Poorboy`s over any other brands out there.

[The Fuzz]

I agree about the Pinnacle clay. Pretty weak clay. It saturated and disintegrated with its own recomended lube. I`ve never had Clay Magic disappoint me like that.