Blackfire Pro Ceramic Coating - Initial Thoughts & Video

The new Blackfire Pro Ceramic Coating is out, they`ve made significant changes compared to the previous Crystal Coat!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7c053pE0Vg

Price: $65.00 for 50ml
Durability: 2 Years
Cure Time: 12 hours before wetting, 72 hours before washing
Flash Time: 10-30 seconds (my environment)

Overall, Blackfire has completely revamped their coating. Gone is the 4oz size of Crystal Coat with its poor shelf life and nightmarish on/off behavior that so many users had issues with. In contrast, Pro Ceramic yields a very easy on/off application process while still showcasing a strong hydrophobic performance. Less in the bottle yes, but less likely one you`ll throw directly in the trash.

Blackfire does note some interesting features out of Pro Ceramic, I see no mention of this being SiO₂based. They`ve formulated this with a thermoplastic component that allows the coating to flex with the paint while still maintaining a hardness rating of 9H. After applying to the surface, the suede applicator did not feel anywhere near as stiff as CQUK after the 2 week period, so it`s clearly a much different type of coating. With regards to the flexibility, we`ve seen this mentioned before with Sonax`s CC36, I would love to read some autogeeky science paper testing the expected differences between a flexible base compared to an SiO₂ base. B)

Applying and removing this was a dream compared to something like Gyeon`s Q² One. I`d say it`s more similar to GTechniq Crystal Serum Light or Gyeon Mohs, however I could certainly feel that coating style tackiness when flipping the towel over to give the final buff. The initial wipe/off felt like butter, slick through the towel, buffed off really cleanly when checking with the light. Flash time seemed like it was between 10-30 seconds in my environment.

Prep: 3D One, Meguiar`s D302, Blackfire Pro Primer Polish (right half), Blackfire Paint Prep

Pro Primer Polish deserves a real test, I waited about 15 minutes before deciding to use Paint Prep across all sections due to time constraints. They recommend to let it cure for an hour if you`re going to be topping with the coating. Gloss looked fantastic on the panel!

I would like to see a 30ml size offered at some point, this did spread out nicely with just a few drops so I feel I could stretch 30ml for a few coats on the Honda Insight that I work with. The price actually doesn`t seem that bad when you compare 50ml of this to other 50ml size offerings. The true test will be in the durability, I plan on keeping an eye on it on the rear bumper, Crystal Coat proved to be a great performer on the paint over the months so I`m hoping this can match it. Would love to hear your feedback!