How's it hold'n up? Blackfire

I can only compare to Zaino and standard carnuba (never used Klasse or other polymer sealants).



As expected, no contest with standard carnuba!



As for BF vs Z, I think the Zaino retains its shine and slickness a little better. Definately the BF performs better when washed with the BF car wash, and it got a good test today! It was covered with salty sloppy slushy garbage yesterday, and came out looking good after hand wash.



I love the polish.



I love the look of the BF protectant, although it seems a little "softer" and does not retain the slickness that Zaino does. Perhaps that is the reason it seems to be a little more difficult to keep clean than Z.



I have some hazing problems with the QD, but that might be due to the temperatures I am forced to endure here.



If I were in a warmer climate, I think it would be great stuff. For winter protection in Minnesota I'd prefer to have Zaino over top of the BF protectant. Summer I would probably skip the Z except on the wheels and maybe chrome/lens.



I had no problems intermixing layers of BF protectant and Z2.



All in all BF is a great product, but like everything else it involves tradeoffs!
 
The BF/Zaino combo seems very interesting. When you put the Zaino over the BF, did the shine take on the Z characteristics or did it just enhance the deep BF look??



H
 
bigboyhf - a little bit of both! The BF color depth was definately there, but the Z shine and reflectivity was dominant. In both cases (BF over Z, or Z over BF) the top coat dominates the look.
 
BF is holding up really well for me. I agree the slickness doesnt last, but the shine held up pretty well. Using the QD really helps bring back the shine.
 
Yeah, ive been using Klasse since a week or two after I came here, so since the begining of the summer. Used it on about 10 cars, about 15 times
 
Looks: Definately Blackfire



Feel: Closer, but Blackfire



Durability: hard to tell, need more experience



Application: Blackfire



Removal: Blackfire, the polish is easy but the protrectant can be finicky if over applied.



So , yes I prefer Blackfire over klasse, the reults are just more impressive, needs no wax topper to improve looks, and cures imidiately.
 
To me slickness and water beading are the prime indication of durability. You said that BF was holding up good for you, but that the slickness didn't last, and you needed to use the QD to bring back the gloss? Well, what is holding up then?

<blockquote class='ipsBlockquote' >

<em class='bbc'>Originally posted by Brad4rdHay [/i]
<strong class='bbc'>BF is holding up really well for me. I agree the slickness doesnt last, but the shine held up pretty well. Using the QD really helps bring back the shine. [/b]</blockquote>
 
Blackfire is supposed to sheet, not bead. Sheeting of water is highly visible and can be a measure of durability same as beading. I've seen the sheeting and it's pretty cool! As to shine, I have noticed that after washing Klasse, BF, Zaino and Souveran or Blitz, a QD will bring up the luster of the coating. They all tend to dull very slightly after a wash. I don't know just how slickness is related to shine, but I have noticed that both Zaino and Klasse lose slickness gradually over time, though both have held up the shine extremely well. The QD's tend to restore slickness somewhat. It's still to early for me to tell about the durability, but what has been reported so far is consistent (at least to me) with any (all) of the products. But it is way too soon for a judgement call. My Mustang tends to be the "Garage Queen" so the most environmental challenge it has had so far is dust...:rolleyes:



BF is such a new product, I think that the pioneers should be given a little more time to fully report on it. Personally, I think all these products are great. They all have their strengths and weaknesses. These are all just progress reports. If you give us time, we will be able to more accurately report the final results and we can then make informed judgements.



In the end, the only real judge will be yourself! Everyone seems to have a different eye, or profile for application and durability. Like I said before, I like them all. Mixing them up just makes this a more interesting (expensive??) hobby.



H
 
I have not tried BF but have been using Zaino. What I find with Z is that the finish actually improves with washing ( DK noted this fact in the past). Of course I was skeptical because I have been a carnuba user for years. My Z28 is a complete "garage queen" that never gets dirty or even dusty ( after starting Zaino ). But one day I decided to run a test of DK's hypothesis. To my amazement and delight the Zaino shine improved and was still extremely slick :D. The Z6 was just an added gratification to the detailing that day.

So the question is: Does BF loose protection after washing when it has a decrease in slickness? This can only be answered with time. :cool:
 
Good input folks.



I was planning on breaking out the BF this weekend, but I'm sitting here shaking like a car knowing it's going through a car wash! Seems the fever has taken hold, 101:( Could hamper the plans, but as you can see I needed my Forum fix.



LC
 
Likecars, sorry to hear about your illness. I am getting over the flu myself, I had a 104.3 fever last Saturday :eek:. Best wishes for a speedy recovery. Please keep us posted on the Blackfire! I know you have been researching it some so your input would be valuable.
 
<blockquote class='ipsBlockquote' >

<em class='bbc'>Originally posted by blkZ28Conv [/i]
<strong class='bbc'>I have not tried BF but have been using Zaino. What I find with Z is that the finish actually improves with washing ( DK noted this fact in the past). Of course I was skeptical because I have been a carnuba user for years. My Z28 is a complete "garage queen" that never gets dirty or even dusty ( after starting Zaino ). But one day I decided to run a test of DK's hypothesis. To my amazement and delight the Zaino shine improved and was still extremely slick :D. The Z6 was just an added gratification to the detailing that day.
So the question is: Does BF loose protection after washing when it has a decrease in slickness? This can only be answered with time. :cool: [/b]</blockquote>
Yes, the shine and smoothness on a Z'd car just seem to get better and better as the weeks go by. Zaino feels like a slick plate of armor on your car.

I'm really looking forward to trying BF one of these days, especially with all the good preliminary reports. But for now I'm having a lot of fun with Klasse and Zaino (in other words, I don't want to waste it!).
 
I also can not wait to hear all the reviews and experiences with BF. Especially the combined usage of BF and Zaino.:bounce:

Detailing, the never-ending search for perfection. :cool:
 
Ok , dony bust my balls but I'll try to clarify.



Shine: holds up great, doesnt diminish, as far as I can tell, the QD did help the shine, bringing it to a level a notch better than when it was first detailed.



Water Beading: water doesnt bead, it sheats as advertized, and yes the water sheets off diferently than with no protection, kinda slides off.



Slickness: If there is any weakness of the product line its here, the slickness degrades a little after about 2 weeks. The slickness holds up about the same as klasse, maybee a little better.



But, all three of the products were talking abouthere are the best out there so we should squable over them, just enjoy them. I love BF, even more than i love klasse, which is saying alot. (Have not used zaino so I won't say anything, dont want to get attacked)
 
One thing I will say comparing BF to Klasse is that BF is 99.99999% optically clear ;) because I can now see the true dark green color and the metal flakes in the paint which was significantly darkened by Klasse. In fact, the metal flakes were almost blended in to the paint with Klasse...



It only has two coats of BF and I had about 5 coats of SG so this may or may not hold up as I put on more coats of BF. I am in no rush to add more coats though, since it is really awesome as is!



H
 
It does seem my metallic green paint looks more metallicy with BF. I too am impressed with the optical clarity of BF.



The Souveran topper has not seemed to obscure the BF's clarity, just adds some depth (not much) and slickness (a lot).



I have 2 coats of polish and 2 to 4 coats of protectant on my car. Also have 2 coats of Souveran as a topper.
 
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