One important aspect/characteristic of any last-step product (LSP) is protection that I think you have not mentioned. That said, every vehicle owner has a preference of which LSP characteristics are most important to them, and it depends on the vehicle type (sports-car or truck), its usage (daily driver or summer garage queen), location and climate (coastal sea-salt Southeast or Midwest winter), paint color (metallic black or pearl white, etc.); they all affect the LSP choice.
For myself, it`s the look or appearance that an LSP imparts to a vehicle. I like carnaubas because of that, especially on dark vehicles. Carnaubas are easier to apply, and yes, I waste A LOT of wax in the application and wipe-off process. The other factor is initial cost. I have "moved up" in that department from OTC waxes like Turtle Wax, Mothers, and Meguiars (but still have a very small about of M16 Professional, which was very good in its day) to using Collinite 915 Marque d`elegance wax. Its not super expensive (although for a hobbyist $38.00 for 12 ounces is a lot compared to $12.00-to-18.00 for OTC waxes) and provides a great carnauba look on ANY vehicle color with some durability, which is a win-win for me.
By the way, for a humorous side to "repurposing" (IE, alternate uses for) carnauba waxes. please see my post:
Re Purposing Nuba
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