WaxAddict
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The bags on my Kawasaki Concours were in need of a light polish. These bags are out in the wind and take a lot of bugs as well as boot scrapes. I thought the size of these bags would make nice panels to do a long term LSP test, regardless of them being for a motorcycle, so here we go.
I'm going to test four waxes, and in the end (whenever that is) I'll compare them to the baseline - Collinite 845, which was on the bike. The picture shown below is after 3 months with 845. Not bad I'd say. We'll see if this new gang of four (described later) can do as well.
After checking the state of beads on the existing LSP, I striped it down with Dawn and 20% IPA. This did a good job, as shown below. I did another IPA wipedown after drying.
I then polished the bags, as was my initial intent. I used Sonus Paintwork Cleanser first. Remaining love marks were obliterated by the mighty SF4000. I used a 4" white CCS pad. Kind of a crappy picture, but look at that metal flake! The Sonus product works great and is cost-effective. It's mild and works forever, and is along the lines of Blackfire GEP. I like P21 Paintwork Cleanser better than either, but Sonus is cheaper and 95% as good IMO.
The polishing exceeded my expectations. The bags looked new. They've been out in the wind and scorching sun for three years and 12k miles.
So on the the waxes. Of the eight LSP's I had "in stock", I tried to choose a wide span of price, without getting expensive, avoiding pure sealants in favor of Carnaubas, and products us Autopians might actually buy.
Here's the waxes and the price rundown, from least to most expensive:
Adam's Buttery Wax: $19.99/16oz = $1.25 per ounce
Poorboy's World Natty's Blue: $21.99/8oz = $2.75 per ounce
Collinite 915: $34.99/12oz = $2.92 per ounce
Lusso Oro: $39.95/8oz = $4.99 per ounce (although I've seen this a cheap as $30)
For each wax, I applied manually with a red CCS foam pad cut in half, and applied two coats. However, these pics were taken after one coat. Without further ado, here are the waxed bags and the matrix:
Here's the Luso and Adams bag by itself:
Here's the 915 and NB bag:
Night fell before I could get initial beading pics, so I'll get those up ASAP.
My thoughts:
Adam's Buttery is better than even Adam's gives it credit for. I had a bottle of the old formula, liked it, went through about half of it, and traded it on a whim. About a year later, I got this New Formula, also as a trade. This stuff rocks. You know how a good QD makes your car so slick? This wax does the same, and the optics look "expensive". At this price point, it's a winner in the looks department. This thick liquid wax tends to drag and skip on the first coat (waxy, not oily), and I kept reaching for more product. The second coat was like... butter. I hope the longevity doesn't disappoint.
Natty's Blue is a favorite of mine and many. It looks amazing as a topper to sealants. It gives dark painted curved metal that liquid look we all love. Not glassy or too shiny, but deep and warm. It's one of those waxes where, if you're like me and switch around a lot for fun, you think "why do I use anything else?" Longevity is also good. My only caveat is the jar, which isn't wide enough when you get down to the last 50%, and the consistency can vary with temperature and within the jar. I'm on my second tub, and on both, NB gets softer as you get toward the center, to the point where the center of the tub feels oily and the outer part is pasty. This could be how I use it, or my environment, but Lusso and 915 and DoDos don't do this. With that said, it doesn't seem to matter much, it still works great.
Collinite 915 is a juggernaut of a wax. It has sealant-like longevity, and looks like a beauty wax. I love the way it spreads. It seems to melt onto the applicator, then spreads like wild fire. It's also easy-off, IF you do it in less than 5 minutes after application. Look out for missed spots, and you'll be fine. As good as 915 is, it isn't a playful aromatic hippie wax. It demands your attention and smells like solvent. I love the big metal tub. For reasons I can't quite explain, I like 915 on metal more so than plastic (bumpers).
Lusso Oro is the most pleasing wax to use ever! The way it smells, spreads, comes off, and looks. All top notch. And speaking of removal, the instructions say to do it in 60 seconds! Note that this isn't because it dries hard (it doesn't), rather, it just doesn't need to cure much. The trick here is thin layers. You'd think it would remove oily and smear, but nope. I quick wipe and it dazzles. For whatever reason, Lusso looks better a day after application. When I first used Lusso, I was knocked out how good it looked after the first wash. Oddly, Lusso isn't the slickest wax in this bunch. I also have the same issue with the jar size as NB.
According to this test so far, going on looks and joy of use, and taking value into consideration, I think Natty's is the star.
Stay tuned for beading pics.
All of these waxes look great. We'll see how these do in a long term test!
I'm going to test four waxes, and in the end (whenever that is) I'll compare them to the baseline - Collinite 845, which was on the bike. The picture shown below is after 3 months with 845. Not bad I'd say. We'll see if this new gang of four (described later) can do as well.
After checking the state of beads on the existing LSP, I striped it down with Dawn and 20% IPA. This did a good job, as shown below. I did another IPA wipedown after drying.
I then polished the bags, as was my initial intent. I used Sonus Paintwork Cleanser first. Remaining love marks were obliterated by the mighty SF4000. I used a 4" white CCS pad. Kind of a crappy picture, but look at that metal flake! The Sonus product works great and is cost-effective. It's mild and works forever, and is along the lines of Blackfire GEP. I like P21 Paintwork Cleanser better than either, but Sonus is cheaper and 95% as good IMO.
The polishing exceeded my expectations. The bags looked new. They've been out in the wind and scorching sun for three years and 12k miles.
So on the the waxes. Of the eight LSP's I had "in stock", I tried to choose a wide span of price, without getting expensive, avoiding pure sealants in favor of Carnaubas, and products us Autopians might actually buy.
Here's the waxes and the price rundown, from least to most expensive:
Adam's Buttery Wax: $19.99/16oz = $1.25 per ounce
Poorboy's World Natty's Blue: $21.99/8oz = $2.75 per ounce
Collinite 915: $34.99/12oz = $2.92 per ounce
Lusso Oro: $39.95/8oz = $4.99 per ounce (although I've seen this a cheap as $30)
For each wax, I applied manually with a red CCS foam pad cut in half, and applied two coats. However, these pics were taken after one coat. Without further ado, here are the waxed bags and the matrix:
Here's the Luso and Adams bag by itself:
Here's the 915 and NB bag:
Night fell before I could get initial beading pics, so I'll get those up ASAP.
My thoughts:
Adam's Buttery is better than even Adam's gives it credit for. I had a bottle of the old formula, liked it, went through about half of it, and traded it on a whim. About a year later, I got this New Formula, also as a trade. This stuff rocks. You know how a good QD makes your car so slick? This wax does the same, and the optics look "expensive". At this price point, it's a winner in the looks department. This thick liquid wax tends to drag and skip on the first coat (waxy, not oily), and I kept reaching for more product. The second coat was like... butter. I hope the longevity doesn't disappoint.
Natty's Blue is a favorite of mine and many. It looks amazing as a topper to sealants. It gives dark painted curved metal that liquid look we all love. Not glassy or too shiny, but deep and warm. It's one of those waxes where, if you're like me and switch around a lot for fun, you think "why do I use anything else?" Longevity is also good. My only caveat is the jar, which isn't wide enough when you get down to the last 50%, and the consistency can vary with temperature and within the jar. I'm on my second tub, and on both, NB gets softer as you get toward the center, to the point where the center of the tub feels oily and the outer part is pasty. This could be how I use it, or my environment, but Lusso and 915 and DoDos don't do this. With that said, it doesn't seem to matter much, it still works great.
Collinite 915 is a juggernaut of a wax. It has sealant-like longevity, and looks like a beauty wax. I love the way it spreads. It seems to melt onto the applicator, then spreads like wild fire. It's also easy-off, IF you do it in less than 5 minutes after application. Look out for missed spots, and you'll be fine. As good as 915 is, it isn't a playful aromatic hippie wax. It demands your attention and smells like solvent. I love the big metal tub. For reasons I can't quite explain, I like 915 on metal more so than plastic (bumpers).
Lusso Oro is the most pleasing wax to use ever! The way it smells, spreads, comes off, and looks. All top notch. And speaking of removal, the instructions say to do it in 60 seconds! Note that this isn't because it dries hard (it doesn't), rather, it just doesn't need to cure much. The trick here is thin layers. You'd think it would remove oily and smear, but nope. I quick wipe and it dazzles. For whatever reason, Lusso looks better a day after application. When I first used Lusso, I was knocked out how good it looked after the first wash. Oddly, Lusso isn't the slickest wax in this bunch. I also have the same issue with the jar size as NB.
According to this test so far, going on looks and joy of use, and taking value into consideration, I think Natty's is the star.
Stay tuned for beading pics.
All of these waxes look great. We'll see how these do in a long term test!
