imported_Dave KG
07-04-2011, 06:57 PM
So, I`m getting myself back into the way of testing detailing products :)...
The next in the series of tests is on Swissvax Onyx. This is Swissvax`s entry level wax, and when I originally bought it, it was priced to undercut its main rival in the market, Zymol Carbon. For a time, these two brands had the rule of the boutique waxes category, but now there are a whole load of waxes looking to steal the crown in this category, and competition is stronger than ever! Strange then, in my eyes at least, that Swissvax`s recent UK price hike puts Onyx as more expensive to buy than its main rival from Zymol as for me, one of Swissvax`s advantages was that it was always a little less expensive than its closest Zymol counterparts... without this advantage on side anymore, Onyx must really compete with Carbon in a way to warrant the extra outlay. For comparison, typical costs in the UK (how do the costs in the USA compare?):
Onyx: £53 for 200ml
Carbon: £51.50 for 226g (which is more in volume than 200ml)
Of course, let us not forget other products that are competing in this segment:
Dodo Juice "Entry Level" (eg Blue Velvet, my favourite): £32.99 for 250ml
Victoria Concours: £34.95 for 6oz (177ml)
So - in terms of price, it certainly wades into battle at a disadvantage... dearer than many of its competitors, certainly its key ones! However, we all know there is a lot more to the boutique wax market than just price: there is the feel of specialness, the arguable (very debateable!) advantages in look, enjoyment and feel of satisfaction at buying something just a little special for your pride and joy. To this end, the lovely look of the black pots appeals from Swissvax, the products look classily packed (though I have to say the lids of the wax jars drive me nuts, and they seem to get worse with age for getting back on easily!). However, does the Swissvax name carry the cache that Zymol does? This will be very personal in opinion, but to me, it still lives rather in Zymol`s shadow and now being more expensive than the American brand doesn`t help its cause. On its side, however, there is the amazing smell - truly one of the best smelling waxes on the market, I think only Dodo Juice Orange Crush and Rubbish Boys Original smell better for me, so if smell is your think, it gets a big thumbs up!
We could discuss all the little ins and outs until the cows come home of course, and we would come to one single conclusion - personal preference (and in some cases, I would venture onto slightly riskier ground and say "brand loyalty") is the biggest deciding factor in preferences... and in the market of boutique waxes, on paper performance means a lot less for many. However, this test examines on paper performance as well, and the car of choice for this test is a friend`s Vauxhall Corsa in silver lightning metallic (so we can examine whether or not this natural carnauba wax does indeed mute flake). The wax will be run on this car and durability assessed over the summer months (and autumn if it makes it that far), and it has a benchmark set by Zymol Creme: over three months durability through the winter months! A high benchmark indeed.
Application of the wax was easy - a little spreads a long way, and its oily nature makes it very easy to spread. You must keep the layers thin in order for removal to be easy - initial removal is easy regardless, but the wax is a little more punishing than others to over-application when it comes to the oils smearing and leaving the "wax holograms". Just something to be aware of, in my experience. The smell makes application a real joy, and it does feel like something special, something that is being lavished on the pride and joy rather than simply applied for the sole purpose of protection (this, it would seem, is what the boutique wax market is all about).
Results - well, this car was not prepped... it was cleaned, checked to see if it needed claying and prepared in this sense, but it had received no machine polishing (it received none for the Zymol Creme either). I don`t sign up for needing to use specialist cleaners - eg, Zymol say to use HD Cleanse before applying their waxes, but any decent paintwork preparation before hand is just fine! (No other prep work done to car, eg no plastic or tyre dressing, glass cleaning... it will be fully detailed as part of newbie detailing guide after this wax test :) )
http://i1228.photobucket.com/albums/ee451/DefinedDetails/AnotherWashTechnique/DSC_0146.jpg
http://i1228.photobucket.com/albums/ee451/DefinedDetails/AnotherWashTechnique/DSC_0147.jpg
If anything, on the non-machined paintwork, the wax gave a slight darkening effect. I put this down to the oils in the wax, the effect with Creme and Victoria is very similar, though Onyx does feel the oiliest of them all and if one was to squint, and in a fair wind ;) you may be able to argue that in terms of looks, it gave the greatest darkening effect - just! A couple of reflection shots...
http://i1228.photobucket.com/albums/ee451/DefinedDetails/AnotherWashTechnique/DSC_0148.jpg
http://i1228.photobucket.com/albums/ee451/DefinedDetails/AnotherWashTechnique/DSC_0149.jpg
A word of warning here - the lighting conditions are perfect for reflection shots - car in the shade, reflecting sunlight objects will always give very good reflections, pretty much regardless of paint prep or product applied. So I was using the sunlight and later evening lights to assess the looks as well.
Flake muting - well, this is a controversial little topic. The theory goes that carnauba wax is opaque, which it is, and that a layer of this over the paint finish will act like a slightly tinted window to mask the flake... Synthetic sealants offer greater optical clarity and hence less flake muting. The theory is sound with one critical caveat - the thickness of the wax layer. Typically around 20 nanometers, and the likely effects of a layer so thin will be very small indeed to the point where it is quite conceivable that the naked eye cannot notice it (whereas a glossmeter can, for example, if pushed). Additionally, given this thickness is ten times smaller than the typical wavelength of visible light (hundreds of nanometres) I would query whether the ray optic explanations of diffraction apply here for the diffusion of light. Of course, dyes in the waxes can also make an effect but these dyes in oils may be more typically short-lived. It is certainly a topic with no solution as yet, but is certainly worth considering. For what it is worth, we saw no evidence of Onyx masking flake with one layer to our naked eye, and I put this down to the sheer thinness of the wax layer meaning that the opacity has negligible effect. Perhaps it would be more evident with further "layers", or addition of more "dyeing" oils from further application. Alongside its competition, Onyx was no better or worse at flake muting :)
Finally, the water behaviour on application:
http://i1228.photobucket.com/albums/ee451/DefinedDetails/AnotherWashTechnique/th_DSC_0152.jpg (http://s1228.photobucket.com/albums/ee451/DefinedDetails/AnotherWashTechnique/?action=view¤t=DSC_0152.mp4)
http://i1228.photobucket.com/albums/ee451/DefinedDetails/AnotherWashTechnique/th_DSC_0156.jpg (http://s1228.photobucket.com/albums/ee451/DefinedDetails/AnotherWashTechnique/?action=view¤t=DSC_0156.mp4)
Sheeting is certainly strong and fast, very "wax-like" as you would expect which appeals to me. And it certainly matches offerings from Menzerna and Dodo Juice here though I would say that water behaviour is a little lacking compared to Zymol Carbon and Creme which seem to just have the edge on fast sheeting and also tight water beads (something which appeals to me personally, but is not to everyone`s taste). Still, beading is certainly no slouch from Onyx...
http://i1228.photobucket.com/albums/ee451/DefinedDetails/AnotherWashTechnique/DSC_0153.jpg
http://i1228.photobucket.com/albums/ee451/DefinedDetails/AnotherWashTechnique/DSC_0154.jpg
In summary so far, Onyx certainly seems to tick the boxes for boutique waxes - it is a real pleasure to use and feels special, and on application performs decently as well so it is not a case of all show and no substance. It is a little more finnicky in my experience than its rivals if you over apply - the wax is less forgiving, I suspect because of its oily nature, but if you apply nice and thin it will give you no issues. Looks wise, on application, it arguably has a very slight edge but you`d be hard pushed to notice it in fairness. Water behaviour is up there, but shy slightly of Zymol`s offerings. What worries me most though is the cost - it no longer holds a price advantage, in fact it is now competing at a disadvantage here which will matter to some... its price suggests that it is the best of those with which it competes, but in reality it to me is just alongside them with maybe a whisker in front here but a nose behind there if that makes sense. The test will come from the durability assessment over the coming weeks, and this test will be updated as the test is conducted to see how Onyx will fare on an every day car.
All up, a good wax on initial impressions but maybe a little too expensive now in my opinion compared to its rivals which offer more in certain areas. Durability will make or break this wax for me against its rivals, so for now, the jury is out on Swissvax`s entry level wax.
(Please note - this thread reflects the opinions of the author, and should be read as such: opinions :) )
The next in the series of tests is on Swissvax Onyx. This is Swissvax`s entry level wax, and when I originally bought it, it was priced to undercut its main rival in the market, Zymol Carbon. For a time, these two brands had the rule of the boutique waxes category, but now there are a whole load of waxes looking to steal the crown in this category, and competition is stronger than ever! Strange then, in my eyes at least, that Swissvax`s recent UK price hike puts Onyx as more expensive to buy than its main rival from Zymol as for me, one of Swissvax`s advantages was that it was always a little less expensive than its closest Zymol counterparts... without this advantage on side anymore, Onyx must really compete with Carbon in a way to warrant the extra outlay. For comparison, typical costs in the UK (how do the costs in the USA compare?):
Onyx: £53 for 200ml
Carbon: £51.50 for 226g (which is more in volume than 200ml)
Of course, let us not forget other products that are competing in this segment:
Dodo Juice "Entry Level" (eg Blue Velvet, my favourite): £32.99 for 250ml
Victoria Concours: £34.95 for 6oz (177ml)
So - in terms of price, it certainly wades into battle at a disadvantage... dearer than many of its competitors, certainly its key ones! However, we all know there is a lot more to the boutique wax market than just price: there is the feel of specialness, the arguable (very debateable!) advantages in look, enjoyment and feel of satisfaction at buying something just a little special for your pride and joy. To this end, the lovely look of the black pots appeals from Swissvax, the products look classily packed (though I have to say the lids of the wax jars drive me nuts, and they seem to get worse with age for getting back on easily!). However, does the Swissvax name carry the cache that Zymol does? This will be very personal in opinion, but to me, it still lives rather in Zymol`s shadow and now being more expensive than the American brand doesn`t help its cause. On its side, however, there is the amazing smell - truly one of the best smelling waxes on the market, I think only Dodo Juice Orange Crush and Rubbish Boys Original smell better for me, so if smell is your think, it gets a big thumbs up!
We could discuss all the little ins and outs until the cows come home of course, and we would come to one single conclusion - personal preference (and in some cases, I would venture onto slightly riskier ground and say "brand loyalty") is the biggest deciding factor in preferences... and in the market of boutique waxes, on paper performance means a lot less for many. However, this test examines on paper performance as well, and the car of choice for this test is a friend`s Vauxhall Corsa in silver lightning metallic (so we can examine whether or not this natural carnauba wax does indeed mute flake). The wax will be run on this car and durability assessed over the summer months (and autumn if it makes it that far), and it has a benchmark set by Zymol Creme: over three months durability through the winter months! A high benchmark indeed.
Application of the wax was easy - a little spreads a long way, and its oily nature makes it very easy to spread. You must keep the layers thin in order for removal to be easy - initial removal is easy regardless, but the wax is a little more punishing than others to over-application when it comes to the oils smearing and leaving the "wax holograms". Just something to be aware of, in my experience. The smell makes application a real joy, and it does feel like something special, something that is being lavished on the pride and joy rather than simply applied for the sole purpose of protection (this, it would seem, is what the boutique wax market is all about).
Results - well, this car was not prepped... it was cleaned, checked to see if it needed claying and prepared in this sense, but it had received no machine polishing (it received none for the Zymol Creme either). I don`t sign up for needing to use specialist cleaners - eg, Zymol say to use HD Cleanse before applying their waxes, but any decent paintwork preparation before hand is just fine! (No other prep work done to car, eg no plastic or tyre dressing, glass cleaning... it will be fully detailed as part of newbie detailing guide after this wax test :) )
http://i1228.photobucket.com/albums/ee451/DefinedDetails/AnotherWashTechnique/DSC_0146.jpg
http://i1228.photobucket.com/albums/ee451/DefinedDetails/AnotherWashTechnique/DSC_0147.jpg
If anything, on the non-machined paintwork, the wax gave a slight darkening effect. I put this down to the oils in the wax, the effect with Creme and Victoria is very similar, though Onyx does feel the oiliest of them all and if one was to squint, and in a fair wind ;) you may be able to argue that in terms of looks, it gave the greatest darkening effect - just! A couple of reflection shots...
http://i1228.photobucket.com/albums/ee451/DefinedDetails/AnotherWashTechnique/DSC_0148.jpg
http://i1228.photobucket.com/albums/ee451/DefinedDetails/AnotherWashTechnique/DSC_0149.jpg
A word of warning here - the lighting conditions are perfect for reflection shots - car in the shade, reflecting sunlight objects will always give very good reflections, pretty much regardless of paint prep or product applied. So I was using the sunlight and later evening lights to assess the looks as well.
Flake muting - well, this is a controversial little topic. The theory goes that carnauba wax is opaque, which it is, and that a layer of this over the paint finish will act like a slightly tinted window to mask the flake... Synthetic sealants offer greater optical clarity and hence less flake muting. The theory is sound with one critical caveat - the thickness of the wax layer. Typically around 20 nanometers, and the likely effects of a layer so thin will be very small indeed to the point where it is quite conceivable that the naked eye cannot notice it (whereas a glossmeter can, for example, if pushed). Additionally, given this thickness is ten times smaller than the typical wavelength of visible light (hundreds of nanometres) I would query whether the ray optic explanations of diffraction apply here for the diffusion of light. Of course, dyes in the waxes can also make an effect but these dyes in oils may be more typically short-lived. It is certainly a topic with no solution as yet, but is certainly worth considering. For what it is worth, we saw no evidence of Onyx masking flake with one layer to our naked eye, and I put this down to the sheer thinness of the wax layer meaning that the opacity has negligible effect. Perhaps it would be more evident with further "layers", or addition of more "dyeing" oils from further application. Alongside its competition, Onyx was no better or worse at flake muting :)
Finally, the water behaviour on application:
http://i1228.photobucket.com/albums/ee451/DefinedDetails/AnotherWashTechnique/th_DSC_0152.jpg (http://s1228.photobucket.com/albums/ee451/DefinedDetails/AnotherWashTechnique/?action=view¤t=DSC_0152.mp4)
http://i1228.photobucket.com/albums/ee451/DefinedDetails/AnotherWashTechnique/th_DSC_0156.jpg (http://s1228.photobucket.com/albums/ee451/DefinedDetails/AnotherWashTechnique/?action=view¤t=DSC_0156.mp4)
Sheeting is certainly strong and fast, very "wax-like" as you would expect which appeals to me. And it certainly matches offerings from Menzerna and Dodo Juice here though I would say that water behaviour is a little lacking compared to Zymol Carbon and Creme which seem to just have the edge on fast sheeting and also tight water beads (something which appeals to me personally, but is not to everyone`s taste). Still, beading is certainly no slouch from Onyx...
http://i1228.photobucket.com/albums/ee451/DefinedDetails/AnotherWashTechnique/DSC_0153.jpg
http://i1228.photobucket.com/albums/ee451/DefinedDetails/AnotherWashTechnique/DSC_0154.jpg
In summary so far, Onyx certainly seems to tick the boxes for boutique waxes - it is a real pleasure to use and feels special, and on application performs decently as well so it is not a case of all show and no substance. It is a little more finnicky in my experience than its rivals if you over apply - the wax is less forgiving, I suspect because of its oily nature, but if you apply nice and thin it will give you no issues. Looks wise, on application, it arguably has a very slight edge but you`d be hard pushed to notice it in fairness. Water behaviour is up there, but shy slightly of Zymol`s offerings. What worries me most though is the cost - it no longer holds a price advantage, in fact it is now competing at a disadvantage here which will matter to some... its price suggests that it is the best of those with which it competes, but in reality it to me is just alongside them with maybe a whisker in front here but a nose behind there if that makes sense. The test will come from the durability assessment over the coming weeks, and this test will be updated as the test is conducted to see how Onyx will fare on an every day car.
All up, a good wax on initial impressions but maybe a little too expensive now in my opinion compared to its rivals which offer more in certain areas. Durability will make or break this wax for me against its rivals, so for now, the jury is out on Swissvax`s entry level wax.
(Please note - this thread reflects the opinions of the author, and should be read as such: opinions :) )