BLACKFIRE... <insert dramatic drum roll here> ;)

Sky Wing Findin said:
I'm a bit dissappointed in BF2. After 2 weeks (3 Washes) in the Buffalo winter it was looking kind of dull.
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Sky Wing - I was also dissapointed in BF1 in Minnesota winter. I was tempted to try BF2 but.... naw. The crud just seems to bond with the BF? :nixweiss
 
Yeah, the dirt seems to stick TO blackfire. It's been in the garage for the past 3 days so it looks somewhat stunning. The dirt-fixation never happened with a regular wax, it usually stayed cleaner freshly waxed in the winter. I think I'll stick with a dino wax and just do it once a month like I used to, this is a big waste. I like my car more than the once every 6th month people I guess.
 
You might consider posting a little more detail about your experience with Blackfire. How did you apply it, and on top of what, and with what sort of paint prep? Also, how old was the car, what color, make, etc (I know Sky Wings is black with 85K on it)? Also, under what conditions have you noticed dirt sticking to it? Do you perhaps mean dust? I don't think too many protectants will repel dirt... :nixweiss



If you have had a poor experience with Blackfire, then please share it and the specifics. It's fine if you don't like it, and we would all certainly be interested in why you don't. But please don't make general statements about it being overrated, or it being a big waste. And certainly don't imply that the people who have had success with it are "once every 6th month people" who just don't care as much as you do, which also implies that the only reason they like it is because they don't know any better or don't demand any better. :nono



P.S. wax doesn't come from dinosaurs... :o
 
I think that Klasse acts somewhat as an anti-static sealant. I noticed a definite reduction in dust attraction when I started using that. Blackfire has always has the opposite reaction though. It has a dust attraction problem pretty bad. To say that waxes don't do that is to say that you've never tried Pinnacle Paste Glaz, Souveran or Blitz. All three of these have moderate dust attraction issues. Blitz is probably one of the worse ones for dust attraction. Its just a weird thing that happens. I'm sure there is an explanation, but I'm lost for what it is.



You use sealants for more than just the apperance. It is protecting your paint from fading because of the UV rays. It is kind of like putting sunglasses on your paint. Very useful. Sealants will also last longer than carnaubas because of the polymers.



Your comment about the "once every six month people" is really off base. That is probably the rudest thing I've ever read on Autopia. We are all enthusiasts here and to insult the board by saying that we don't care about our cars just because we use products that you don't like is incredibly inappropriate. Most users of Blackfire and these other sealants aren't waiting for it to fall off before they reapply it. Spend some time reading the forums and you'll see that most of us are applying new coats of sealant every month or so. Multiple coats of sealant makes the car look better than just one. Please do some research before you make ignorant blanket statements like that. :nono
 
I read those comments and rather than shoot holes in their gneralizations I thought it best to ignore. Thanks for being more PC about their opinions then I would have been.

:xyxthumbs





It's been in the garage for the past 3 days so it looks somewhat stunning. The dirt-fixation never happened with a regular wax, it usually stayed cleaner freshly waxed in the winter.



Where is all that dust coming from? You may want to clean the garage to help eliminate this dust accumulation problem. My car sits for weeks in the garage without accumulating or attracting any significant dust. But I am very anal about cleaning my garages.

Once every 6 months is not enough. ;)
 
Sky Wing Findin said:
Yeah, the dirt seems to stick TO blackfire. It's been in the garage for the past 3 days so it looks somewhat stunning. The dirt-fixation never happened with a regular wax, it usually stayed cleaner freshly waxed in the winter. I think I'll stick with a dino wax and just do it once a month like I used to, this is a big waste. I like my car more than the once every 6th month people I guess.
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Yeah, those of us out west have huge dust issues. I have found however that BF II is much better in dust reduction. I am running a test on my red Mazda. The hood and roof have BF II topped by P21S, and the trunk has a coat of BF II protectant only. So far there has been slightly more dust on the trunk than the rest of the car. It also doesn't bead quite as well as P21S. But frankly, I haven't seen anything that does yet. With the newer products with all or mostly synthetic ingredients beading isn't as large of an issue as it is with pure Carnaubas.



The test has only been in place for 2 weeks, but it has rained or snowed at least 4 times. Very little difference so far.
 
Just for the record - I posted very detailed descriptions of my experiences with Blackfire 1 - a year ago - and as one of the first here to use it in tandem with Zaino, I also posted extensively about that combo.
 
jps said:
Just for the record - I posted very detailed descriptions of my experiences with Blackfire 1 - a year ago - and as one of the first here to use it in tandem with Zaino, I also posted extensively about that combo.
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Ok, thanks. I'll do a search for it. You might have tried saying that (and linking to it) in your original post here when you said you were dissappointed with it. I found your comment about crud bonding to the BF1 to be a bit cryptic, so I look forward to reading your review to understand that.
 
jps, from reading the archives of your reviews it seems that your biggest complaint about Blackfire was the lack of slickness it had. Your comment about crud bonding to it seemed to be dispelled as just a lack of slickness coupled with the inability of touchless washes to get a dirty car very clean. Probably the biggest change in Blackfire 2 from BF1 is the increase in slickness. BF2 is incredibly slick. So you might think about giving it another chance. :nixweiss



While reading those archives, I noticed an interesting post from BlkZ28Conv inquiring as to why jps would layer BF in with Zaino... could this have been the spark that led to mixing them? ;)
 
Sorry about the "blanket statement." It was off-base. In all reality, 2 coats makes the difference. Steps, wash, clay bared, washed after, used their polish, then the sealant. It looks better in daylight than the flourescent lighting in my garage. The paint isn't in bad condition, I've had people ask if it's new. In part, due to the Blackfire, and in part due to me being anal about keeping it nice looking. It's a '96 Stratus 85k miles. It's not a wonder product by any means, but we'll see how it does hereafter. Maybe I judged too quickly. Once again, I'm sorry.
 
Sky Wing Findin said:
It is pretty "slick", whatever that means. Smooth is more like it. But good paint that is well taken care of is smooth. I don't get it.
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Glad to hear you gave it a second shot (especially after saying it looked "somewhat stunning", not exactly a damning comment... :)). To me, smoothness is what you get from great paint. It feels just like glass when you run your hand over it, no bumps or snags. But it isn't necessarily slick. In fact, oftentimes after a cleaner or polish it is smooth and sticky. A coat of protectant usually adds the slickness, or at least some slickness. This is when you set a towel down on the hood and it slides right off the car. It will feel smooth, but also your hand/towel/whatever will move very easily over the surface. Some products seem to have more slickness than others. Waxes tend to be pretty slick, and polymers seem to vary by product (although maybe I just haven't used enough waxes). The first BF really doesn't add much slickness to the paint after a polish (for me anyway). It's enough to remove that sticky feel, but it never really feels slick. I find Klasse feels pretty slick, but not as much as a carnauba. You can really feel like it put something on the paint, though, but it isn't necessarily super slick. I personally find BF2 to be incredibly slick. The paint feels more slippery than with carnaubas on it (to me, anyway).



Can I ask a question, though? Do you regularly use a paint cleaner, or when was the last time you used one? I'm sure you take great care of your car, but after 6 years, even with meticulous waxing, the paint could still probably benefit from a cleaner. If you try that first and then the polish and protectant, you will probably get better results out of any polish/protectant. The BF polish is a very light cleaner, and really doesn't do much more than add gloss.



I've found the Blackfire looks much better outside too. In the garage it just looks sort of deep and has good reflection, but nothing you wouldn't get with any carnauba. When it gets outside, that's when you see the full depth, shine and glow that the Blackfire adds.
 
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