New Products From Optimum

Here I am again bringing news from the Optimum forum. Apparently TRC is doing their own (virtual) version of Detail Fest, and Optimum took the opportunity to release some new/updated products as well as some marketing news.

First off, there is now a V.5 ONR, supposedly completely reformulated to provide more slickness and better sheeting for easier drying.

Opti-Clay is back, but it`s now blue, so I don`t know if it`s the same Erazr clay it used to be.

There is a new Ultra Ceramic Seal, which is a spray ceramic sealant supposed to last 6 months. Looks like similar application to OCW. I don`t understand why they need this product, especially since Opti-Seal was updated last year to include ceramic.

Opti-Trim Protect--this is an all-in-one consumer version of the 2-step Opti-Trim pro product. It supposedly restores/protects trim. Although I have been clamoring for a consumer version of this product for years, the inability of Opti-Lens to protect headlights after the factory coating has had to be sanded off, and the "silvering" problems with products like C4 and DLux, makes me skeptical that this will be a satisfying product in the long term. It may be that if you apply it on a new car, it will keep the trim from fading, just like applying Opti-Lens to headlights with the factory coating may help deter the deterioration of the factory coating.

They have also added to the marine/RV line, I think most notably with a "snow foam" kind of wash primarily targeted at cleaning gelcoat prior to rehab, but Dr. G said it`s pH-neutral and can be used on cars. It`s called RV & Marine Wash.

The big marketing news is they are allowing TRC (apparently exclusively) to sell the Opti-Coat maintenance line. This is a fru fru line that was supposed to be exclusive to Opti-Coat installers to sell to their customers for maintaining their expensive coating, however they also sell it at the Opti-Coat online store so us civilians could buy it too (ostensibly so if you were an Opti-Coat customer who lived far away from the installer, you could buy it direct). IMO allowing TRC to sell it blows up that marketing model, which I`m kind of surprised at, since Optimum usually bends over backwards for the installer community, withdrawing OC 2.0, for instance. (I know some are going to scoff about that bending over backwards, after OPT jacked up coating prices and enforced minimums to force weekend pros out of the Opti-Coat game)

The maintenance line packaging looks great.

Hyper Seal looks VERY interesting.

I just found the maintenance line in Canada.
refinedshine dot ca

Why is Opti-Coat® No Rinse so expensive..?

Anyone use Hyper Seal before?

The maint. line has been out for years, the "new" thing is you can buy it from TRC. All the Opti-Coat maint products are expensive. The Opti-Coat ONR has ceramic in it, they way they were talking about it in the TRCMA video it seemed like some holy elixir.

Yes, I`ve used Hyper Seal and had a terrible time with it, I may have misunderstood how to apply it, thinking it was like a WOWA sealant. Apparently you are supposed to use it like a spray wax, spray it on and buff it off. I never like spraying WOWA`s or spray waxes on the vehicle as it always seems you get overspray that dries into spots, so I sprayed the Hyper Seal onto an Optimum coating applicator and applied it...I just could not get it to lay down into a thin layer like a coating or WOWA, and there was a huge amount of static. So I left it thick to flash and then went back later to remove the high spots, figuring they would come off like a WOWA, or worst case be like a coating high spot. Instead what I got was a sticky smeary mess that I could not clean off.

Since I had applied it on everything, including the glass, I had to polish it off the glass for clarity, and went home with my tail between my legs not really wanting to look a the rest of the vehicle (this was someone else`s new vehicle that I was doing a favor for by giving it a spray coating in the middle of winter to hold until spring). There may have been some temperature issues at play, I dunno. It was a horrible experience and I wished I had just used some Collinite or Opti-Seal instead of paying $50 for something new (doing the math the price/oz on the Hyper Seal actually isn`t bad).

Hyper Seal can be used as a drying aid apparently. So its not water based?

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Originally Posted by noorth

Hyper Seal can be used as a drying aid apparently. So its not water based?

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No, it`s solvent-based like Opti-Seal. At least that`s the way it seemed to me.

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Originally Posted by Setec Astronomy

No, it`s solvent-based like Opti-Seal. At least that`s the way it seemed to me.

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Interesting. What do you think of Opti-Seal?

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Originally Posted by noorth

Interesting. What do you think of Opti-Seal?

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I like it, I have the original version from 2007-ish. I just never get to use it, really. Too many products still from back then, plus I barely get a chance to even wash my cars anymore.

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Originally Posted by noorth

Anyone use Hyper Seal before?

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Yes. An AGO member sent me the latest version. It has this odd static like effect during wipe off. I could feel it on my arm hair. Its an effect that does not last long. It goes away after going around the vehicle. Hydrophobics are decent. Can`t help you on durability. The good thing is its a spray so you can se it as often as you like.

Hyper Seal by itself performs very similar to Opti Seal in terms of hydrophobics I found. More of a sheeting product. It`s interesting in its own way because there is usually less water on the surface from this type of product. You can`t air dry though like you can with a good beading product. I always air dry. However Opti/Hyper Seal is sooo easy to use which is nice.

Optimum overstates durability with some of their products IMO. I wouldn`t expect much from the Ultra Ceramic. We`ll have to see. I watched the TRC interview and Q&A with Dr. G.

The new ONR is interesting.

I sure wish they would mark bottles with which version on ONR you are buying.

Also saw in the comments on the TRC video that the OPT was getting a branding overhaul. Bottle labels etc.

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Originally Posted by craigdt

I sure wish they would mark bottles with which version on ONR you are buying.

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The current is v.4 and that is marked "New Formula", while v.5 will say Version 5.

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Originally Posted by craigdt

Also saw in the comments on the TRC video that the OPT was getting a branding overhaul. Bottle labels etc.

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I haven`t seen/heard anything about that, and the new Ultra Ceramic Seal is certainly packaged/labeled consistently with current products. The Opti-Coat Maintenance line, has completely different branding/packaging to distinguish it from the regular line.