Review: BlackFire Midnight Sun Wax

[Swanicyouth]

I thought I`d post up a quick review on Black Fire Midnight Sun wax (BFMS).



This is not a new wax. In fact, it`s been around as long as I can remember. I do remember when it was not made/owned by PBMG (AutoGeek / Autopia). It used to be produced by one of PBMGs competitors, then PBMG acquired the line (BF), updated it - and added a whole bunch of products. Actually, I believe the BFMS wax I have (pictured) may be so old - it wasn`t even made by PBMG - but is the previous version made by the other manufacturer.

Somehow, I`ve had this wax for a while - but haven`t got around to using it until recently. Although this may be an older version of BFMS, I was told that newer version just have some minor improvements, and they all use basically similar/same ingredients. BFMS is a hybrid wax, which means it contains carnauba and polymers:



Not like you could tell from looking, but unlike most hybrid waxes, BFMS actually smells (and looks) like carnauba. It seems as there are no added colors or scents. The container it comes in is thick, heavy , and one of the best plastic wax containers out there. No busted lids to worry about here. The cap makes a tight seal and can be cranked down without fear of breaking it. This is a real concern, as I`ve found many high dollar waxes come in a $2 plastic container. The first thing to go on these cheap containers is the lid. Over tighten it once and you may have just cracked it. This pot seems like you could drop it and it would survive just fine.

I`ve heard really good things about this wax, but wasn`t sure what to expect. Part of me was wondering if this wax may have an over inflated reputation, because AG / Autopia sell BF and this was there premier wax up until Black Ice came out. It`s certainly not a new product - maybe it`s outdated? Well, we will see. I decided I was going to follow the Blackfire system and use this over BlackFire All Finish Paint Protection sealant, or what a lot of people just call BlackFire Wet Diamond (BFWD). Incidentally, my BFWD also dates back to pre-PBMG days as well.

So, after applying BFWD it was time to apply BFMS. This wax applies easy and spreads far. You really need to do little more than touch the applicator to the wax to load it up. As soon as the applicator touches the paint, the wax spreads almost like an oily liquid. Wipe off should be done pretty quickly - as you don`t let it haze.

I was using this on a black car, so I found the thinner you apply it - the easier it is to remove. Not that this wax is hard to remove at all, but if you over apply it, the wax can be a tad bit smeary on black. Likely, you wouldn`t even notice this on a lighter color car. I`ve noticed this previously with most waxes that are wipe on / wipe off. Anyway, application is pretty simple and very little product is required to wax a vehicle.

Now on to my thoughts about this wax. It`s old, right? Been around forever. However, I still think it`s excellent. I think it looks as good or better than anything else out there. Shine, depth, reflection were all there. One thing I really noticed is how slick the wax feels after it`s buffed off. It`s quite a nice feeling.

This wax/combo does a great job of beading and sheeting as well. I drove this car to Detail Fest, which was about 2300 miles. I applied the BF combo prior to leaving. While it was all smiles and sunshine on the way driving down, it rained constantly on the way back. So, that was over 1100 miles of driving in road filth and left over dissolved road salt on I-95.

When I got back the car was the dirtiest I can ever recall it being. I mean, it was really nasty. I washed it with Wolfgang`s soap, and noticed no degradation of the beading of the wax at all. In fact, the slickness seemed to return. This is the benefit of using a hybrid wax like BFMS. I`ve used other show car non-hybrid waxes, like Bouncer`s Capture the Rapture and Swissvax Best of Show. There durability and beading/sheeting is quite poor compared to this combo.

Anyway, here are some beading pictures I took I North Carolina after driving a few hundred miles in the rain. The car was fairly dirty here:





While the BF combo / BFMS wax may not be the newest stuff out there, I think it`s one of the best out there. Compared to Wolfgang Fuzion, wipe off is a tad bit more labor intensive. But, this wax is every bit as good as Fuzion. Some have criticized the beading of Fuzion in the past, I like how both Fuzion and BFMS handle water. Both seem to disperse water off the finish quite well and you feel like there is something substantial on the paint.

Maybe the slickness of the wax helps the water to disperse off the surface better? That is what seems like is going on to me. As, this wax definitely handles water differently than a pure carnauba wax. Also, the paint feels like there is something on it when you touch it. I`ll take BFMS/Fuzion over Swissvax Best of Show any day - which is a $300+ pot of wax.

In closing, I really like this wax. It`s definitely in my top 5 waxes of all time. It just has a certain feel/look/water handling that I can`t quite describe - but just enjoy. The car just seems "sealed up and protected" - more than with other products. I have no facts to back that up, but that is subjectively just how it feels to me. I hate spending all the time to prep and wax a car - only to get lackluster beading after driving in the rain or washing.

So, most of the pictures in this review I`ve posted around already. But, here are some pictures of BFMS:















Thanks for looking.

[tropicsteve]

looks great. definitely my favorite all around wax !

[Todd@RUPES]

Awesome review!!!

[cleanmycorolla]

Who`s the handsome fellow in the reflection?

[Pats300zx]

Great review !!! Love the hood shot

[Swanicyouth]

Took some at the post office where I was mailing some wax to a forum member.

[Wheelzntoys]

One of my fav waxes, looks like a combo of old and new school. A pleasure to use.

Funny comment on the lids since I have high end 3 waxes with cracked lids.

[Klock]

Great review! This is also my favorite wax. I just got a jar of blackice in and am looking forword to trying it out. I hope there will be another favorite on my list when I give it the test.

[Todd@RUPES]

Took some at the post office where I was mailing some wax to a forum member.

You know a wax is good when you start taking random photos of it!!!!

[TacoHerder]

I agree with wheelzntoys. This wax was my first higher dollar wax and is still IMO one of the best. Easier than Bouncer`s waxes IMO when it comes to applying/removing. I

[Swanicyouth]

I agree with wheelzntoys. This wax was my first higher dollar wax and is still IMO one of the best. Easier than Bouncer`s waxes IMO when it comes to applying/removing. I

It seems a lot more durable than Bouncer`s CTR. I loved the look of that product, but it didn`t seem to last/bead/sheet for very long. I know it`s a "show wax", but so is BFMS.

[Saved By Grace]

Some questions if you don`t mind. I bought the smaller container a couple weeks ago and did one coat of wax on both my cars. Now I`m almost out of wax! Obviously I`m probably using too much on my polisher. So...

1. How do you apply (and how much) wax to the polishing pad? I am using a 6" blue pad with my Griot`s. I used the method of taking it out of the container and essentially made a few X`s across the entire face. I probably did that every 2 panels, so 5-6 times total for each car. Make sense?

2. How many coats of wax do you normally apply? Time in between?

3. How many cars should I be able to do with the large container? (Since it`s on sale today). The stuff ain`t cheap but I do love it.

4. Any difference between using a 6" pad or 3.5" pad to apply wax?


Sorry for all the beginner questions,
David

[Swanicyouth]

I don`t use machines to apply wax for a few reasons:

1. It seems to waste product for me.

2. I don`t need the weight or rotation of the machine to apply a wax.

3. There are areas where a 3" pad will not fit.

4. It`s more precise by hand.

5. I don`t have the room to quickly move around a car via machine. It`s a science project for me of moving the car at different angles and positioning extension cords in a single car garage. I don`t really like to apply wax outside due to airborne particles and pollen constantly landing on the paint.

**** I`ve done it before successfully, but it just seems like I can use less product applied more precisely by hand. You should need very little BF MS to wax a normal size car. Based on my using 1oz Dodo Juice panel pots, I`m guessing you can wax a normal car AT LEAST 6 times with an ounce of wax by hand. That`s about 50 times with 8oz of wax.

I apply one quality coat by hand most times. Then, a month later or so I`ll top it off.

[EVOlved]

Midnight sun keeps luring me in. I am going to try wet ice over fire in the next year I am almost positive unless I fall in love with the hydro I just received

[Pats300zx]

Midnight sun keeps luring me in. I am going to try wet ice over fire in the next year I am almost positive unless I fall in love with the hydro I just received

It`s a great combo. You`ll love it