"Slickness", technically speaking, is the measure of the co-efficient of friction. Less friction, more slickness. That`s true in engine oils, slides on product conveyors, or cooking pans; all things that desire or need less friction. How that is achieved and then measured or quantified can be done, but I doubt most detailers will conduct a physics experiment to prove that this wax, coating, sealant, or detailing spray has "this much slickness".
Hydroscopicity (no, there is no such word, but it sounds "scientific"), or water beading, is really a subject of water surface tension. There are even waxes that tout how much "angle" the water bead has, with a 120° angle between the flat surface and the roundness of bead being kind of the "Holy Grail" for this angle index. You all have seen posted pictures of the water beading characteristics of an LSP on a vehicle. Some are big "blobs", some are very small. It would seem the smaller the bead, the "better" the LSP.
I would prefer to have a LSP that sheets off water completely rather than beads on a surface because when that water evaporates, the dust or water contaminants in the water bead are left behind, leaving those unsightly "water spots" we are accustomed to on vehicles, especially those after a rain And maybe some coatings do that and have that sheeting characteristic. I don`t know.
But I go back to my original statement about water beading and the mis-perception that if someone sees water beading on a vehicle exterior surface, they assume that some form of surface protection must be present. This "mis-perception" has been perpetrated by the long-time practice of using of carnauba waxes on vehicles and the inherent water beading characteristics of such a wax. Once the beading was gone or diminished, it was time to re-apply the wax of choice. This visibly seeing the water beading on a vehicle surface and hence, the assumption of some amount of protection being present, is still used by product manufacturers in LSP development because it is so ingrained in vehicle owners` minds. Were an LSP just to sheet water off, it gives the illusion that the surface protection is not there. It`s a hard sell to have an LSP sheet water in a thin film.
I use an LSP for a glossy, shiny, glass-like reflection appearance purposes, but that is my opinion for a LSP priority, and I am sure I am in the minority. MOST vehicle owners want protection first, especially on daily driven vehicles, which is WHY most of them prefer a good liquid-applied ceramic/graphene coating that has excellent protection and self-cleaning characteristics. How it looks appearance-wise may be secondary . But chances are, it beads water very well but does not sheet water for reasons mentioned above.
I think Rejex sealant has the packaging slogan text "Nothing sticks to it but the shine."
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