Favorite brand of Clay

I noticed something unusual when I was looking at clay bar products in Australia - perhaps you guys in the US could verify this.

Each brand here has patent numbers on the box. They're all the same, regardless of brand. Clay Magic were the first and are the patent holders. Everyone else has the same patent numbers quoted. This generally only means one thing: Clay Magic manufacture ALL clay bars, regardless of brand. Chances are that there are secret parts to the Clay Magic formula that no one else gets, which is why everyone seems to love the Clay Magic Blue over everything else.

Thoughts?
 
Dr.Az said:
I noticed something unusual when I was looking at clay bar products in Australia - perhaps you guys in the US could verify this.

Each brand here has patent numbers on the box. They're all the same, regardless of brand. Clay Magic were the first and are the patent holders. Everyone else has the same patent numbers quoted. This generally only means one thing: Clay Magic manufacture ALL clay bars, regardless of brand. Chances are that there are secret parts to the Clay Magic formula that no one else gets, which is why everyone seems to love the Clay Magic Blue over everything else.

Thoughts?
Click to expand...

Very interesting. I hope someone else has an answer for this before I spend a ton of time researching.
 
I have been using the Blue Clay Magic bar for over 20 years, and it has always been a great all-around claybar.

So, I guess one can say that this bar has a lot of "time in grade" (military talk), or "time in the field", and perhaps that is why so many people like it - it was one of the first OTC claybars, and its quality has not changed or diminished in my experience.

I have also tried other brands, possibly made by the same company, I dont know and never really looked at the patent numbers to compare.

Other bars are also good, some better than others, some "stickier" than others, and I dont really care for bars like that, especially if it leaves itself on the paint and I have to take time to remove it, or it mars the paint easily.

I just want the claybar to do its job quickly, not mar the paintwork, be pliable in my hands, clean up easily with Blackfire Claybar Cleaner and Extender, not turn to mush and become unusable, and have a competitive pricepoint for my business.

It all seems so much more confusing to have so many choices out there, I sometimes wish I had a chart that listed the different "grits", etc., of all the claybars, so it would be easier to buy what you need for your particular circumstances; perhaps something like that awesome Menzerna compound and polishes chart, etc...

I have it narrowed down now finally, after years of using them to just a few brands; some for more dirty areas, some for way less dirty paint, and some for in-between.

But now that there is that wonderful chemical Iron-X, Iron-Cut, or whatever it is called, this may change a lot about what I will now need in a Claybar after using this product on the paint first...

Too many choices, not enough time ! :rolleyes:
Dan F
 
I can shed a little light on contract manufacturing, as I do work for a major manufacturer down here - we make our own brands AND products labelled for other companies.
We do tweak 'packages' for customers. For an auto-related example, we might manufacture a car-wash and Walmart decide they want to start stocking their own range of car-care products so they approach us to manufacture "Walmart Wash n Wax" which gets stocked on the shelf next to our own brand. Sometimes all they require is the addition of a fragrance and a different colour dye.
This is common everywhere, from food to cleaning products and tools. Toyota, for example, are a car manufacturer - not a coolant/anti-freeze manufacturer - yet they have their own brand of anti-freeze. In Australia, Toyota cars now run on a pink/purple anti-freeze. (For the record, anti-freeze is clear/colourless before they add dye)

So, and this is only speculation but, Megs could have approached Clay Magic to contract manufacture clay bars of a different colour and consistency. Clay Magic, not wanting to give away the market lead to turn into "that company that makes it for everyone else," would probably ensure that they still retain the best performing features for themselves.

This is just what I assume from each brand having the same patent numbers and what I know about contract manufacturing.
 
To my knowledge, Clay Magic is the patent holder in the United States, but they are not a manufacturer. IRC, clay is mostly manufactured in Japan.
 
I have used Megs grey and Griots. I found Griots to be very sticky and difficult to work with, even using plenty of their Speed Shine as lubricant. I purchased some Blue Uber Clay from Detailers Domain several months ago, but have yet to use it. Does anyone know who makes it?
 
I hate spending money on clay. It is probably the most expensive single material that I use during a detail. So I hate spending $ on the shipping. The clay available over the counter is plenty good enough and much cheaper.

I use the Clay Magic Blue and the Mother's yellow clay. If it's cold out the CM Blue clay is too stiff for me so I will use the Mother's clay. I bought about 10 box kits w/ 2 bars of the Mother's clay about a year ago on a clearance table for $8 each (w/ a MF too). The Mother's clay will get too soft when it is hot out so I use the CM Blue clay. I liked the Zaino clay but it is too expensive when factoring in shipping. It also fell apart too easily.

The BF Clay extender & Cleaner has destroyed every clay bar I tried it on. It turns to mush. I do not recommend it. Have a 3/4 full bottle of it sitting on the shelf.
 
I've used Meguiar's Blue Mild, Uber Blue Fine and a Zaino Z-18 clay bar. Of the three, I liked the Meguiar's the best. The Uber clay was very difficult to knead and I haven't used the Zaino enough to form a real opinion. All 3 were used with ONR as my clay lubricant.

I'll be trying some of that "yellow clay" later this spring but some home improvement projects are standing in the way of that right now.
 
Dr.Az said:
I noticed something unusual when I was looking at clay bar products in Australia - perhaps you guys in the US could verify this.

Each brand here has patent numbers on the box. They're all the same, regardless of brand. Clay Magic were the first and are the patent holders. Everyone else has the same patent numbers quoted. This generally only means one thing: Clay Magic manufacture ALL clay bars, regardless of brand. Chances are that there are secret parts to the Clay Magic formula that no one else gets, which is why everyone seems to love the Clay Magic Blue over everything else.

Thoughts?
Click to expand...

Hey everyone, haven?t been in in a long time, the reasons for another time.

There was a good article about this but I can?t find the link right now. Bottom line, Auto Wax Company, Inc. which is now owned by someone else, holds around six patents regarding clay products and they private label for other companies. They own Auto Magic / Clay Magic.

My understanding is that all of the clay being manufactured now either comes from a factory in Japan or from a U.S. licensed manufacturer (until the patent runs). Having said that, I believe companies (like Meguiars, etc.), can have different formulations made. If I remember correctly, there can be differences in the type of abrasive used in the clay, the size of the abrasive particles, the amount of abrasive in the clay, and the color. So companies can vary the types of clay they sell to us. FWIW.;)
 
It is an interesting discussion where one group all clay is the same and then others remark how they like one brand over another.

Now, when the patents expire, will the prices drop or will individual companies invent marketing reasons to maintain the price and reap the profits.
 
I have Meguiar's professional mild clay (blue). I found that it marred the repainted hood of my S2K. I guess I need to find a less abrasive claybar. Sonus?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top