REVIEW: (Product Showdown) Head to Head review of 4 products: 2 tire gel and 2 tire dressing

[Dr_Pain]

Good morning ladies and gents and welcome my first official product showdown!!

The subject (for this experiment) is the enormous sidewall of my beloved Ford Raptor. I chose this set of wheel, over any others, because there is a LOT of surface area to cover and to observe :dblthumb2:

The products
1) Pinnacle Black Onyx Tire GEL. 16 fl.oz. @ $29.99 Pinnacle Black Onyx Tire Gel dresses your tires in a dark, satin finish that protects the rubber for weeks! This tire dressing and protectant enhances
2) Blackfire Total Eclipse Tire Gel. 16 fl. oz. @ $24.99 BLACKFIRE Tire Gel, tire dressing, tire shine
3) Poorboy`s World Bold N Bright tire dressing. 32 fl. oz. @ $17.99 Poorboy`s World Bold `N Bright Tire Dressing Gel 32 oz.
4) Pinnacle Black Onyx Tire Dressing. 16 fl.oz. @ $19.99 Pinnacle Black Onyx Tire Dressing, tire protectant, tire dressing

As you can see these are PBMG house brands + Poorboy`s. Why did I select those over others? Because I had them on hand.

The intent of this "showdown" is to compare and contrast in a side by side the above 4 products to see if we have a clear winner in each of the following category, and a grand champion (short term and long term).

Categories include:

1) Smell
2) Application ease
3) Post application look (gloss/shine)
4) Sling
5) .... and finally durability!

So on to the showdown!! This was the state of my tires after 3 weeks of fighting sugar cane grinding season and an overly business professional and detailing schedule.



As you can see, there is no shine and quite a bit of browning/blooming.

The next step was to clean the wheels, which was accomplished with some diluted APC, a couple of good brushes, a general soaping and a thorough rinse





The tire was then dried with a black MF and the rims were tended to. The tire was then sectioned and marked.



The sections were as follow:

1) Radial line (vertical line) was reserved for the Pinnacle Black Onyx Tire Gel
2) Circumferential line (horizontal line) was reserved for the Blackfire Total Eclipse Tire Gel
3) Positive line was reserved for the Poorboy`s Bold N Bright Tire Dressing
4) Double circumferential line (equal sign) was reserved for the Pinnacle Black Onyx Tire Dressing.

Method:
The gels were applied using a separate Carrand brush Carrand Brush & Shine Tire Dressing Applicators, tire brush, tire shine applicator and the tire dressings were agitated (as per instruction with a brush and dressing was reapplied for a shiny look.

Impression of the application

In a few words, a little tire gel goes a LONG way, whereas a lot more product needs to be dispensed for coverage using tire dressing (and a lot of overspray on unintended surfaces).

Impression of the products

1) Pinnacle Black Onyx Tire Gel

This product is a translucent red colored product. I would describe it as thick mucus consistency, which dispenses very well out of the bottle. It has a strong pungent cherry smell to it which does not overwhelm. It applies very easily and does seem to have cleaning agents as some browning surfaces even after a thorough cleaning of the sidewalls. This image below shows the product seconds following the application. It offered a wet and shiny coverage, as you can see



2) Blackfire Total Eclipse Tire Gel

This product is a more opaque light pink product which also looked like thick mucus. It dispensed very easy out of its bottle, and its application was effortless (using the Carrand Tire Dressing brush). The smell could be described as Cherry Cough Medicine. The following picture shows a well covered shiny surface.



3) Poorboy`s Bold N Bright Tire Dressing

First off, I did purchase the Poorboy/s spray head and was very pleased with the atomization of the product. I definitely recommend the spray head. It is a very thin liquid that can be diluted to any specification. For the purpose of this experiment, it was used undiluted. Its smell is Pina Colada (coconut), which is very mild and pleasant. After the initial application which took 2 spray, the tire was gently agitated and a second application was made (2 light mists) in an attempt to equal the shine of the tire dressing.



4) Pinnacle Black Onyx Tire Dressing.

This product is a slightly thicker white liquid compared to the Poorboy`s dressing. Being that it is water base, it can also be diluted to offer different levels of gloss/shine. For the purpose of this experiment, it was used undiluted. The smell of this product was that of a bubble gum snowball. Very pleasant to say the least. The biggest flaw of this product was the spray head as it did not atomize the product well leaving to use more product for even coverage (this may be in part due to the viscosity of the product). Only 2 sprays were used for the surface area and a lot of brushing was necessary to distribute the product (unlike the Poorboy`s product which had much better and even coverage). No reapplication was deemed necessary to provide the level of gloss sought.



After the initial application, the truck was detailed and a general review of the results was made 30 minutes later.

These were the results



1) Pinnacle Black Onyx Tire Gel



2) Blackfire Total Eclipse Tire Gel



3) Poorboy`s Bold N Bright Tire Dressing



4) Pinnacle Black Onyx Tire Dressing.



RESULTS

Well, for this part, I chose my son as a my blind evaluator. Here is how he ranked the products

1) Smell:
Winner: Pinnacle Black Onyx Tire Dressing
Runner Up: Poorboy`s Bold N Bright
Third: Tie between Pinnacle Black Onyx Tire Gel and Blackfire Total Eclipse Tire Gel (for their cherry mediciny smells)

2) Look:
Winner: Pinnacle Black Onyx Tire Gel
Runner Up: Blackfire Total Eclipse Tire Gel
Third: Pinnacle Black Onyx (described as streaky)
Fourth: Poorboy`s Bold N Bright (described as splotchy)

From me (not blind):

3) Application

Winner: Tie between Pinnacle Black Onyx Tire Gel & Blackfire Total Eclipse Tire Gel
- Very little waste
- Quite easy to apply (Thanks in part to its consistency and the Carrand brushes)

Runner Up: Poorboy`s Bold N Bright
- Very good spray head, but a lot of overspray on the rims and off the tire surface, and some run offs)

Third: Pinnacle Black Onyx Tire Dressing
- In part because of its sub-par spray head and the fact that I had to do a lot of work to spread the product. The stream (rather than an atomized spray) bounced off the tire and on the ground or created run offs which I had to chase not to waste the product.

Cost/Benefit Analysis

For the purpose of this experiment I will say that I up a small thin line of product about 2" long by 1/4` wide of the tire gel (maybe accounting to 1/10th of an ounce (no EXACT measures), whereas I believe I could extrapolate to about 1/4 oz. of the spray (with its two application)

Cost brake down is as follow :

Pinnacle Black Onyx Tire Gel: 16 fl.oz. @ $29.99 or $1.87/oz, so for this showdown, I spent $0.19 (1/10 oz.) and would extrapolate that I am looking at about $0.80/tire or $3.20/truck (car having less sidewall and therefore being less expensive. I would say 1/2 the price would be more than fair)

Blackfire Total Eclipse Tire Gel: 16 fl. oz. @ $24.99 or $1.56/oz, so for this showdown, I spent $0.16 and would extrapolate that I am looking at about $0.65/tire or $2.56/truck (1/2 that price for a car)

Poorboy`s Bold N Bright: 32 fl. oz. @ $17.99 or $0.56/oz , so for this showdown, I spent $0.14 (1/4 oz) and would extrapolate that I am looking at about $0.56/tire or $2.24/truck (1/2 that price for a car.... MAYBE!! because you don`t exactly control to fan of the spray and will most likely dispense 4 sprays for coverage)

Pinnacle Black Onyx Tire Dressing: 16 fl.oz. @ $19.99 or $1.24/oz , so for this showdown, I spent $0.31 (1/4 oz) and would extrapolate that I am looking at about $1.24/tire or $4.99/truck (1/2 that price for a car.... MAYBE!! because you don`t exactly control to fan of the spray and will most likely dispense 4 sprays for coverage)

Showdown cost winner

Winner: Poorboy`s Bold N Bright @ $0.14 or $0.56/tire
Runner Up: Blackfire Total Eclipse Tire Gel @ $0.16 or $0.65/tire
Third: Pinnacle Black Onyx Tire Gel @ $0.19 or $0.80/tire
Fourth: Pinnacle Black Onyz Tire Dressing @ $0.31 or $1.24/tire

The overall GRAND WINNER (Day 1)

Based on the look, smell, ease of application and product cost, I will have to choose -----> Pinnacle Black Onyx Tire Gel<------ as my WINNER!!. The Runner Up with a very slim victory would be Blackfire Total Eclipse Tire Gel, followed by Poorboy`s Bold N Bright Tire Dressing. At this time I could not really recommend the Pinnacle Black Onyx tire dressing because of the cost/benefit, bad spray head and somewhat laborious application, not to mention product waste. I will however suggest that PBMG should strongly consider putting the smell on their Pinnacle Black Onyx Tire Dressing into their Pinnacle Black Onyx Tire Gel.... for a MAJOR WIN!

The surprising fact which came out of this showdown was the cost/benefit ratio. Like most on the forum, I was under the assumption that a spayed liquid would far surpass the cost of an "overpriced" tire gel. Well, I was proven wrong and hope to have made a few believers out of you! Even if the cost/oz is better in the sprayable dressing, you end up wasting a lot of product in run offs and overspray.

Parting words on product sling. I did not experience any sling from any of the products I have tested today, on any vehicles I have applied the products in the past, so if you do, please take a minute to ask if you are not applying this product "heavy handed". Even coverage can and will be achieve with a small amount of product, so don`t need to be too liberal in your application. Thin is in!!

So what about Day #2....... well, this is the look of the product on the wheel day #2



Pinnacle Black Onyx Tire Gel was not only my winner on Day 1 but a clear winner of Day 2. If you look closely, you will see that the radial masked out line is GONE! I don`t know if the product continued leaching into the side wall but it found itself covering the masked area !?!?! Some of the sploshiness of Poorboy`s seems to have resolved itself but both dressing seem to have lost some of their gloss factor.

Feel free to comment or suggest or ask questions!

I will try and update this thread with future pictures and impressions.

Thanks for reading!

[dc52nv]

Great review! Thanks for taking the time in doing it. I am currently working on a tire gel review as well but with only 2 products.

[mnehls86]

Great write up!

[Bunky]

Great review! I prefer PB`s Bold n Bright gel over the regular spray for ease of application. Even with sprays, I tend to spray the applicator then spread since it just seems more efficient and no overspray.

[GearHead_1]

Really like this review.

[mrclean81]

This was really good. Great review

[Dr_Pain]

Thank you fellas! I appreciate all the positive reviews. I will try and update as I go. I should have something for you today

[Dr_Pain]

Day #5 update!!!

This is the view on my drive to work in the morning. Sugar cane processing plant in full gear!! 100`s of 18 wheelers and 100`s of tractors hauling sugarcane will make the trip to the mill weekly. This makes for some very dirty roads!!



Well, I drove up to the office this morning and decided to take a look at the sidewall.



Guess which is the winner! Yup, Pinnacle Black Onyx Tire Gel.:dblthumb2:

The Pinnacle Gel section is a lot deeper in color, and on close inspection is very "shimmery". From far it appears as gloss but close up it looks more like a "glittery covering" (If I can use that expression).

Surprisingly, there is a tie for second between Poorboy`s BNB and Blackfire Total Eclipse. They both look very similar in depth of color and "shimmer". The splotchiness originally seen with the Poorboy`s BNB is gone.

Last would have to be the Pinnacle Black Onyx Tire Dressing which is more of a deep flat matte black. Compared to the other 3, it actually is more of a dark gray color, and they is no shimmer. The base gloss is the same with all, but the shimmering effect makes the former three look more "wet/shiny" in appearance.

Next update I will try to take individual section pictures

[Todd@RUPES]

AWESOME COMPARO!!!! Excellent excellent work! WOW

[512detail]

i have received two samples of Pinnacle Black Onyx Tire Gel and LOVE this stuff, but it is pricey

i now reserve it to be only used on my car

[Nth Degree]

Good showdown. It is very interesting that your tape line disappeared. Could this migration be a sign of potential sling if over-applied?

I have found that tire dressings will produce different results on different tires. (Gels less so than dressings.) Large, smooth tires like on your truck are quite different from low profile tires with "gills" you find on performance vehicles. Application of gels on those tires can be frustrating. It would be awesome if the test could be reproduced on a different type of tire and see if the results are the same.

Tire dressings are subjective as well. Some people like high gloss while others like a more natural look. Can you give better descriptions on "looks"? At least how they compare to each other. The light reflection in the photos makes it difficult to discern. This helps those who might have used one of the products understand how the others compare.

[Bunky]

I have found that tire dressings will produce different results on different tires. (Gels less so than dressings.) Large, smooth tires like on your truck are quite different from low profile tires with "gills" you find on performance vehicles. Application of gels on those tires can be frustrating. It would be awesome if the test could be reproduced on a different type of tire and see if the results are the same.

The smooth sides of the Michelin tires on my Dakota do not really want to accept a dressing. They are hard to dress. The rubber is very strange.

[GearHead_1]

Surprisingly, there is a tie for second between Poorboy`s BNB and Blackfire Total Eclipse. They both look very similar in depth of color and "shimmer". The splotchiness originally seen with the Poorboy`s BNB is gone.

Thanks for this thread. I`ve enjoyed it. I wasn`t surprised with the Poorboy`s at this stage of the evaluation. I really like this product. If I`ve read this thread correctly it wasn`t wiped down during application. I don`t use it as a spray-n-walk away product but always wipe it down, I do this with aerosol`s and spray-ons (especially Armor All type products). I don`t experience splotching once these are buffed out. I find it`s durability to be very respectable. I wonder if this product might have initially been applied with a wipe down if it wouldn`t have initially been rated higher than it was. It`s a winner in the pricing category. Makes me think it`s a good fit for many.

[Dr_Pain]

i have received two samples of Pinnacle Black Onyx Tire Gel and LOVE this stuff, but it is pricey

i now reserve it to be only used on my car

I was under the same impression that it was "pricey" but if you look at the break down, it is not really that expensive.

Good showdown. It is very interesting that your tape line disappeared. Could this migration be a sign of potential sling if over-applied?

I have found that tire dressings will produce different results on different tires. (Gels less so than dressings.) Large, smooth tires like on your truck are quite different from low profile tires with "gills" you find on performance vehicles. Application of gels on those tires can be frustrating. It would be awesome if the test could be reproduced on a different type of tire and see if the results are the same.

Tire dressings are subjective as well. Some people like high gloss while others like a more natural look. Can you give better descriptions on "looks"? At least how they compare to each other. The light reflection in the photos makes it difficult to discern. This helps those who might have used one of the products understand how the others compare.

I will say that if the product is overapplied especially in tires with "gills" or large grappling threads that the product will indeed sling, but that is where the tire brush helps so much. It gets into all the nooks and crannies and prevents an over accumulation of product (unless you are heavy handed by nature.)

Thanks for this thread. I`ve enjoyed it. I wasn`t surprised with the Poorboy`s at this stage of the evaluation. I really like this product. If I`ve read this thread correctly it wasn`t wiped down during application. I don`t use it as a spray-n-walk away product but always wipe it down, I do this with aerosol`s and spray-ons (especially Armor All type products). I don`t experience splotching once these are buffed out. I find it`s durability to be very respectable. I wonder if this product might have initially been applied with a wipe down if it wouldn`t have initially been rated higher than it was. It`s a winner in the pricing category. Makes me think it`s a good fit for many.

Poorboy was not really wiped and/or brushed. None of the product was wipe because it does tend to remove the gloss. The main reason I would go with a sprayable dressing would be for reason of ease of application. If I have to spray, wipe, brush, reapply etc... and have to deal with the overspray etc.. then that product is not exactly for me. I know what I am in for with a gel..... BUT regardless, if the dressing would out performed the gel, then it may be worth the extra time.

[Paul Mitchell]

Excellent review! Thanks for all work and posting your review.