Recharge v Overcoat v VS1

[BudgetPlan1]

This particular idea sprang from the mind of Autopia user glfnaz; booster comparison on bare paint. This is the kinda thing that happens when guy from NE Ohio travels to Arizona and meets another Autopia for lunch at a Chinese place; I`m sure my wife was thrilled by our car-centric observations/discussions but she was later placated when we went to Barrett-Jackson and saw many 1970 Chevelle SS 454`s that we can not afford. Budgetplan and all...but she was just happy to be out of the cold in OH in January. Trouble is, we ended up in AZ on a rainy, 58 degree day; where`s the dry heat everyone talks about out there?

Anyway, started as testing Kamikaze Overcoat v 22ple VS1 Final Coat on top of McKees 37 Paint Coating V2. The the question was raised on how would we know when the boosters wore off and the coating was doing the protecting/self-cleaning? So, we nixed the McKees Paint Coating underneath and decided to test on bare paint.

Prep: This was a vehicle I compounded/polished in November, coated with Gyeon Prime. Then added CanCoat on top of Prime. Then topped with IGL Premier. Compounded and polished the hood to remove the combo from all areas except under the tape because I thought it would be fun to leave the combo under those two strips because...well, just because. Used Flex 3401 and Orange Force Pad w/ M101 followed by HD Polish+ on White Force Pad; boy, I really like HD Polish+...not a lot of cut but just really nice to use and I`ve also always liked the HD/3D bottles and labels.

Kamikaze Overcoat instructions for application on bare paint:

And for an advanced method (ONLY on non-coated cars), you can apply OVER COAT by machine using a soft finishing pad, and slow machine speed. This application method will increase durability, and will do a better job of filling in fine hairline defects.

Used the GG6, LC Country Blue Flat Finishing Pad; spritzed with Overcoat, ran at speed 3 for about 3 passes, buffed off.

For the HydroSilex Recharge (which was added to the test cuz it just happened to show up in time) and the VS1 I sprayed onto microfiber applicator and applied up and down, side to side motions to insure even coverage and then buffed.

I`ll let glfnaz determine the maintenance (if any) going forward. I`ll see this truck pretty much every day, it gets moderate use but nothing heavy like some of our other fleet vehicles. Can waterless/rinseless wash it with McKees 914 or ONR or PB Spray and Wipe. I dunno, or we could just let it ride with no ongoing maint.

We`ll see how it turns out...

Hood


HydroSilex Recharge


Kamikaze Overcoat


22ple VS1



I`m so tired of looking at this red Ford paint I really couldn`t discern any gloss differences once I removed the tape. At first I thought slickness ranked

1. 22ple VS1
2. Kamikaze Overcoat
3. HydroSilex Recharge

...but then when i pulled the tape off and ran towel lightly (Rag Company Creature) across the entire hood I really didn`t notice a difference from section to section. This was immediately after application in a 62 degree F warehouse so we`ll see tomorrow how it as as it cures. I`ll be here working on another one of our new fleet vans until likely 10pm tonite so the temperature will stay around 62 up until then, then likely drop to 50 degrees by the time we hit the 24hr mark after application. Vehicle won`t be going anywhere until Monday at the earliest.

On another, stranger note, the owner showed up while I was doing this, looked at the GG6 and wondered if it could be used to polish his wooden desk. Nothing ventured, nothing gained so I gave hime the GG6, some Menz 2400 and a yellow Lake Country Flat Pad. It`s actually working quite nicely; doesn`t remove many defects in the soft wood but sure cleans it up and shines it up well. HydroSilex Recharge says it can be used on wood...hmmmm.

Kinda got the cord over the shoulder thing going too...kinda.

[Ronkh]

Cool !~!~!!!

Very interested.

[glfnaz]

YOU DA MAN!
Wash: Mckees 914 when you think it visually needs a wash, but not more than once a week.

Yeah sorry about the weather. 81* today and tomorrow. I`ll be at the Phoenix open in my shorts watching opening day of women`s `tank top season`. Might even watch a few golf shots.

[rlmccarty2000]

I love this kind of test. With all the new toppers coming out seemingly every day I keep wondering which is “best”. Best being in this case longest lasting. There seems to be very little difference in the shine department as long as the prep work is done properly. There are so many toppers out right now it would be difficult to do a comparison test among all of the contestants. Keep up the good work, I’m subscribed.

[JHL88]

A lot of hype and choices around toppers nowadays. We need to sift through the options

[BudgetPlan1]

Aside from what seems to be a morphing of previously classified `toppers` into stand alone products recently, I kinda look at the booster products as something that enhances the base coating in some distinguishable and desired manner.

Appearance: Something like PA High Gloss can change the appearance in a meaningful way (for an Autopian anyway, 75% of people in the world wouldn`t notice a difference). It changes the somewhat `relaxed high gloss` of our base coatings to a more defined and sharper look for a while which is sometimes fun.

Feel: Some coatings, while performing and looking good, just don`t have that nice, smooth feel to them, can be grabby. Topping them helps improve the feel if that matters to someone.

Hydrophobic/Self cleaning: These products usually renew, restore or improve upon the base coatings performance. For us, this is where Overcoat excels. If you don`t live in a climate or use the car in a manner where that`s a concern it might be pointless to use that particular product.

Add to that the (real or perceived) claim of additional protection and it becomes "Well, it can`t hurt" kinda proposition. Unless it`s me, TAC Moonlight and a black Corvette with WG Uber on it; that was a definite step in the wrong direction. Oops.


And FWIW, a couple of hours after application, Recharge was noticeably less slick than VS1 and Overcoat. We`ll see what tomorrow holds. Maybe spritz with some water or give it a little flood rinse wirh a bottle of water and see what happens.

If nothing else, gives the folks at work a new reason to ask "What are you doing now?" although they are kinda used to me spraying hoods with water, throwing water at hoods and wandering around the parking lot in the rain, occasionally stopping to blow on hoods to see how easily the beads move.

[Dustin Cropsboy]

If nothing else, gives the folks at work a new reason to ask "What are you doing now?" although they are kinda used to me spraying hoods with water, throwing water at hoods and wandering around the parking lot in the rain, occasionally stopping to blow on hoods to see how easily the beads move.

So will the winner be pitted against PA High Gloss, Cosmic Spritz, and Viking Spritz?

[BudgetPlan1]

So will the winner be pitted against PA High Gloss, Cosmic Spritz, and Viking Spritz?

Er...uh...dont give me any ideas. That PA stuff is pretty pricey and at some point a bit of fiscal common sense has to overrule my curiosity. Not saying I`m there yet but still have Gyeon Pure and Nanolex Si3D on the shelf to use. Do still have some unused holiday gift certificates to use...hmmm.

See, this is how it all starts...

[Dustin Cropsboy]

Er...uh...dont give me any ideas. That PA stuff is pretty pricey and at some point a bit of fiscal common sense has to overrule my curiosity. Not saying I`m there yet but still have Gyeon Pure and Nanolex Si3D on the shelf to use. Do still have some unused holiday gift certificates to use...hmmm.

See, this is how it all starts...

Bwah hahaha!

[Ronkh]

"I put it on the car, meh, didn`t look different..... Came back & WOW!"

"well sorta""

[Ronkh]

Er...uh...dont give me any ideas. That PA stuff is pretty pricey and at some point a bit of fiscal common sense has to overrule my curiosity. Not saying I`m there yet but still have Gyeon Pure and Nanolex Si3D on the shelf to use. Do still have some unused holiday gift certificates to use...hmmm.

See, this is how it all starts...

Why wait, you know you`re gonna do it.

(isn`t this how I got ya to do overcoat)?

[SWETM]

It`s going to be interesting to follow this. Thanks for shareing your testing.

[BudgetPlan1]

OK; trying to take videos of this without everyone here thinking I`m totally nuts is gonna be an issue; but perhaps that ship has sailed regardless. Kinda limited on what I can do regarding using a hose to simulate rain/sheeting, I`m left to the glug-glug of water bottle. Not ideal, but best I can do here where it is a scintillating 6 degree F and snowing outside.

Slickness:
1. Kamikaze Overcoat and 22ple VS1 Final coat (tie, indistinguishable)
2. HydroSilex Recharge: If`n I hadda put a number on it, I`d say 10% less slick

This was also confirmed by an impartial party who I had close her eyes and gently drag finger (very lightly) across hood. She confirmed that the OverCoat/VS1 sections felt `silkier`.

Misc item of note: You can tell when you hit one of the dividing lines (tape) where there surface is Prime/CanCoat/Premier you can feel a slight transition; I did wipe down tape lines to be visually indistinguishable so it can`t be tape residue from the edge.

Pic after pour water across top edge (windshield edge) of hood and let it run off; for future reference, hood is basically split by where windshield washer squirters are on cowl, circled (ok...`squared`) in below pic:
All_day1.jpg

Vids of pouring water on hood, crappy `flood rinse`; stuff is hard to holding a cellphone camera and pouring; apparently coordination between two activities is not my strong point:

All Sheet: https://youtu.be/i6m52I0ddB4
Kami Sheet: https://youtu.be/FxzpQ9Bkms0
VS1 Sheet: https://youtu.be/NfexSn-Mulc
HydroSilex Sheet: https://youtu.be/BiE1GanZvhM

Well, it`s pretty much shows nothing dramatic.

Edit: As I pondered it this morning after taking the pics, the application of Kamikaze via DA didn`t seem `fair` to the others in that they were applied by hand with just a wipe and buff so I buffed off the center section with M205, panel-wiped and then applied the Overcoat just like the others, microfiber applicator pad and towel buff. It just seemed a bit more consistent as to how most would apply these products.

[SWETM]

Seems like kamikaze and vs1 has a little more aggressive sheeting too?

But think that is to expect as the hydrosilex is sio2 based. And the others is also fluorine based just to be more slicker and aggressive water behavior?

If hydrosilex comes anywhere near those 2 in longevity it`s the real deal. Is there any claims of the up to longevity on their own?

[glfnaz]

They all looked good, but I`d expect that after 48 hours.