XMT Spray Wax Review - TLC Auto Detail

[Flannigan]

XMT Spray Wax (New Formula) Review

Today I tested out a couple reformulated products from the XMT line. I honestly haven’t used many products from this line, so I do not have the old versions of these products to compare to. However, I can compare them to many other products on the market that I have used.



Initial product impressions

This review will focus on the new version of the XMT Spray wax. The wax comes in a bottle with a pump sprayer head on it. This right here is going in the con column for me. I don’t like the fact that the spray pattern cannot be adjusted, and I don’t like the feel of a pump sprayer on a full size bottle. This certainly won’t keep me from using the product, but I will transfer it into another bottle that has a sprayer I prefer on it. The product is a very thin liquid that is pink in color and smells of pina colada. It is a very pleasant smell, and isn’t overwhelming. A product’s smell doesn’t make it work better, but a pleasant scent certainly makes using a product much more enjoyable, at least to me.



Application thoughts and observations

Since I’m reviewing this product as it is sold, I left it in the original bottle for this review. The first thing you’ll notice is the sprayer does do a very nice job atomizing the wax. I still don’t care for the pump style sprayer, but you surely won’t be putting down too much product by using it. In the following picture I tried to capture how fine of a mist the sprayer produced on the surface. It`s a little hard to see, but there is a very fine mist on the surface.



For the hood on my cube I used 4 sprays, two on each side. I split it up into two sections, because no matter how good the spray wax is, if you do too big of a section you will get streaking. After two sprays I took a very plush towel folded in quarters to spread the wax out. I then flipped the towel and buffed the wax. I did notice by using a plush towel I was actually getting a little bit of streaking. This is black so it’s the worst case scenario, but the streaking was there. It was almost like the towel wasn’t removing all of the product. I changed to a towel with less nap and it seemed to take care of the problem. It was still a little tough to buff off all the product, but not tough enough that it would deter me from using the product again. I won’t list this as a con, but I know there are other spray waxes out there that will work well with pretty much any towel.



The main pro to this product is noticed immediately after buffing it off. The slick/smooth feeling left by this product is pretty much second to none. I don’t think I have ever used a spray LSP that left the paint feeling as slick as this did, think BFWD. That impressed me very much since you can cover an entire vehicle with this product in a fraction of the time it would take to apply a traditional sealant. Also it leaves a great shine on the paint. I’m a big fan of the carnuba look, and this product did not fail to deliver in that department. It does seem to have a little more of a glossy look than a true carnuba, but it also has tons of depth and a warm glow. I very much enjoy the look of this product.


After feeling how slick the paint was, I assumed this would equate to great sheeting properties. Honestly it sheets ok, as in most of the water will sheet off, but it sure isn`t very fast. After comparing it to other spray waxes I have it seems to be on par, or a little better than some others.



Here are a couple pictures showing just how glossy/reflective the finish is. It is also very deep, like looking into oil.






Durability

The last attribute that I will be looking at will be durability. I just received this product this week, so I haven’t had time to see how it holds up. I will be keeping an eye on it in the coming weeks, and I will update this thread if it starts to fail.



Final thoughts and Pros & Cons

Overall I really enjoyed using the new version of XMT’s Spray Wax. It has a very slight learning curve (picking the right towel, not using too much product), but once you get the hang of it, it’s great. It leaves the paint feeling as smooth/slick as a traditional sealant, and leaves a look right between the high gloss of a sealant and deep glow of a carnuba. Sealant and carnuba lovers should both be able to use this wax and be satisfied by the final appearance. As of now durability cannot be commented on, but I will update the thread with my results.
Pros:
Leaves paint feeling very smooth/slick
Leaves a great gloss, and warm glow to the paint
Price – At time of review it was on BOGO, and for that price you can’t afford not to try it.

Cons:
None at the time of review.
?:
Durability
I don’t care for the pump sprayer, but it doesn’t take away from how the product works.
Can be towel dependent, it works much better with a lower nap towel. Plushies need not apply.

BONUS - 4 way spray wax comparison


So I decided it would be cool to compare this new formular with some other spray waxes I have. I chose some of my favorites. This test will include Optimum Car Wax, Werkstat AJT, Prima Hydro, and of course XMT Spray Wax. I have taped the hood off in four sections. I will compare the application, look, beading, sheeting, and over time durability of each product. Here is how the hood is divided.





First up is Optimum Car Wax. This has become one of my favorite spray waxes since it goes on so easily, looks great, and offers real protection. I applied two squirts from the finger pump, spread it with a semi-plush MF towel, then flipped the towel and buffed the residue. This product buffed off every easily. I would give it a 8/10 in ease of use. It can get a little streaky if you apply too much though. Here is how it looked right after application. Obviously looks are subjective, but I give this an 8/10 in terms of looks. It has a very waxy look. Not super reflective, but very deep. Finally in terms of slickness I give it a 6/10. It certainly acts like a carnuba, which usually isn`t as slick as a sealant. This honestly doesn`t really matter, but I decided to note it.






And here is how it beads.





Next up is one of my all time favorite spray products, Werkstat AJT. This product is also very easy to use, and two coats can last up to six months. That is some real protection from a product that only takes a few minutes to apply to an entire vehicle. I applied it in the same fashion I did the OCW. It took a little more effort to buff off this product, but I would still categorize it as easy to use. It gets a 7/10 for ease of use. This is one of my favorite looking products, and it gets a 9/10 from me in terms of looks. It has tons of depth, but still has a nice shine to it. After two coats, it really is hard to get anything to look better. As for the slickness it sure isn`t super slick, but it is a little slicker feeling than OCW. For that it gets a 7/10 in terms of slickness. Heres how it looked right after application.





And here is how it beads.





Next up is the XMT Spray Wax.


Another quality spray LSP here. Again it was sprayed twice on the section, spread out, then buffed with a clean MF towel. This product works great, but you do have to watch out for streaking a little bit more. not enough that it`s an issue, but it is something to be away of. Also, as mentioned in my initial review, a less plush towel works better here. This product is still fairly easy to use and get a 7/10 for ease of use. I must say I am in love with the look of this product. Its super glossy, almost like a sealant, but has tons of depth when you look at it, just like a carnuba. It is a great compromise in my opinion. I give it a 9/10 in the looks department. Also this is easily the slickest feeling product in the bunch, if not on the market. I was blown away with how slick it was. It gets a 10/10 in slickness. Here is how it looked right after application.





And here is how it beads.





Finally in this test we have Prima Hydro. This was one of the first spray waxes I ever used, and still gets a place in my cabinet. It is easily the easiest to use of this bunch. You could drench a panel with this stuff and it would still buff right off. It also is great as a drying aid while adding a little protection. It was applied just like all the others and took noticably less effort to buff off. It gets a 9/10 for ease of use. As for looks, Hydro is right up there with the rest of them. It doesn`t blow me away like the XMT, but it is still great. I give it a 7/10 for looks. Since this is another carnuba based product it doesn`t do much in terms of slickness. It feels just like the OCW so it gets the same score of 6/10 for slickness. Again this isn`t a bad thing, just something I decided to note for this comparison. Here is how it looks right after application.





and here is how it beads.



I also took a quick video of how each of these products sheets. I think I can say that Hydro sheets the best/quickest, and the other three are all pretty much equal. All four products do sheet very well though, leaving the surface almost totally dry. I think the sheeting would be more impressive if the hood had more of an incline to it.




I think thats about it. Thanks for looking and please let me know if you have any questions!!!

[ernie_h]

Amazing write-up; I`m still educating myself on products that I`m not familiar with since I last actively read the board....but posts like this make it a whole lot easier. Thanks for your efforts/time in testing and posting.

ernie

[TroyScherer]

Great review Dave.

I am interested to see how the Durability plays out. I have OCW and love it but have been thinking about getting AJT as well to update my Klasse line as I am running low.

In the end which of these 4 was you favorite overall?

[BIOLINK]

Great! Just what I need, another product to try. I am already fighting a mild case of hoarding.

[Bunky]

I had posted comments at AG but your review shows that spray products have several uses with ease of application one key difference. I wonder how this compares to DP Final Glass Quick Detailer.

[Rocket]

Nice review. I like the comparison to the other products at the end.

[Pats300zx]

Great review Dave. We have simliar "likes" in spray waxes lol. I have to give the new XMT a try !!!!

[Dr Oldz]

Awesome job, Dave! I really like the high volume sprayer you have for OCW. In the final pic, the two on the driver side seemed to be much glossier and have more clarity... This just a pic playing tricks or was this your findings in person?

[Flannigan]

Amazing write-up; I`m still educating myself on products that I`m not familiar with since I last actively read the board....but posts like this make it a whole lot easier. Thanks for your efforts/time in testing and posting.

ernie

Thanks Ernie! I really enjoy doing the reviews!

Great review Dave.

I am interested to see how the Durability plays out. I have OCW and love it but have been thinking about getting AJT as well to update my Klasse line as I am running low.

In the end which of these 4 was you favorite overall?

Thanks Troy. I`d have to say the XMT looks the best, but I still like using OCW and AJT since I know they offer real protection.

Great! Just what I need, another product to try. I am already fighting a mild case of hoarding.

LOL, glad I could help

I had posted comments at AG but your review shows that spray products have several uses with ease of application one key difference. I wonder how this compares to DP Final Glass Quick Detailer.

I`ve never tried that DP product, so I can`t compare. Sorry.

Nice review. I like the comparison to the other products at the end.

Thanks!

Great review Dave. We have simliar "likes" in spray waxes lol. I have to give the new XMT a try !!!!

Glad to know I`m not alone! LOL Thanks!

Awesome job, Dave! I really like the high volume sprayer you have for OCW. In the final pic, the two on the driver side seemed to be much glossier and have more clarity... This just a pic playing tricks or was this your findings in person?

Thanks Doc, I knew you would love the OCw sprayer LOL. The XMT id glossier for sure, I think the Hydro looks glossier b/c that side of the driveway is where the sun was shining the strongest.

[Todd@RUPES]

Great review! Top-notch

[viOlaziOne]

Fantastic review !! helps a lot when choosing new products .. I have a few questions if anyone can answer .. first off, the towel in the first picture and the towels in the following pictures .. who makes them and what are they called ?? secondly, is hydro a spray wax that can be applied to a freshly cleaned and dried surface or is it only to be applied on a surface while drying ?? thanks in advance as I`m always looking to try new products and I definitely want to experiment with new microfibers

[Flannigan]

Great review! Top-notch

Thanks todd!

Fantastic review !! helps a lot when choosing new products .. I have a few questions if anyone can answer .. first off, the towel in the first picture and the towels in the following pictures .. who makes them and what are they called ?? secondly, is hydro a spray wax that can be applied to a freshly cleaned and dried surface or is it only to be applied on a surface while drying ?? thanks in advance as I`m always looking to try new products and I definitely want to experiment with new microfibers

Thank you! The towel in the first picture is the plush towel I talked about not working very well. It`s made by Showroom FX I believe. It`s a great towel, just didn`t work well with this particular product. The towels that I ended up using are Pakshack Ultra Plush towels. They are great as well.

Hydro can be applied to a clean dry surface, or a wet surface. It is by far the easiest spray wax to apply that I have ever used. I don`t think however, that it will offer nearly as much protection as some other products on the market. Hope that helps!