OK, second coat is on, along with the dust/pollen test. The latter was unintentional, but the pollen is coming off the pine trees in CLOUDS, and a freshly washed car is pollen/dust free for about an hour. I actually rinsed (water only) the hood before doing 2nd coats as there was a fair amount of pollen on there.
I also did the hood on the G35 for kicks.
Onto the content:
NXT Second Coat
Applied with the Porter Cable (aka PC) and a yellow pad, and removed with a cotton terry bonnet. On and off easy. This is the way to do it. I think
one4gatr had it right -- it went on thinner and more uniformly than when I did it by hand. No residue, no smearing, no staining.
Did a single coat on half the G35's hood using the same method.
All the comments below are for the X (but I'll let you know that on the G, NXT did nothing for me...it looked clean & shiny but Z5 alone was better than NXT, and Z+S100 was far superior to both on that paint).
Zaino Z5 Second Coat
As usual, on and off by hand with ease. No residue, streaking or staining. Followed with Z6 spritz.
Z5+S100 area
No second coat or quick detailer here. Just a single Z5+S100 as before.
Single coat on half the G35's hood, same method as on the X before.
Comparison and Comments
Interesting differences between the three sections, sometimes subtle, sometimes not. With two different types and colors of paint, it became clear that the color/type of paint makes a difference (at least to me for my preferred look) for how the products look/turn out.
On the X:
One thing I noticed during the rinse was that with the 'full flow' method, the NXT area sheeted more effectively than the Z or Z+S100 areas (which really wanted to bead). The sheeting action would be helpful during the summer when waterspots become an issue due to heat and the time required to get all the way around the car. All three areas beaded about the same with a "spray".
The three sections look different. I suppose defining the "type" of look would be helpful for the sake of comparison.
Reflectiveness = how much of the *external* environment shows off the finish. I know with Zaino on my old non-metallic, non-cleared GS300, it was like a mirror on top of the paint. Sometimes, you'd actually ask yourself "what color is that car?" and it imparted a sort of "glow" that looked like a "clear armor" had been applied to it. I really liked that look on that car.
Gloss/Depth = how "wet" does the paint look, and how shiny is it? Is it a true representation of the color of the paint, and does it look "deep" and clean? It would still be "reflective" but moreso reflecting
itself and its properties rather than the surroundings.
Just looking at the hood, it's difficult to tell the difference between the NXT and Z5 sections at first glance. There's no real clear line of demarkation and the difference is pretty subtle (but there
is a difference. Both are slick to the touch and a towel slides right off both. The Z is very slick, but in a dry/hard sort of way. The NXT seems equally slick but feels just a bit "softer". The Z+S100 area is as slick as the other two, but it has a warm "satin" feel to it.
The Z is more reflective of the surroundings, like the mirror finish. You have to get pretty close and "re-focus" your gaze to determine the color/nuance of the paint color, because the reflection of the surroundings is so strong. Keep in mind this is the black, which on close inspection is a very very very dark dark dark blue metallic. Difficult to see that it's very very very dark blue metallic with the Z, since what you tend to focus on is the sky, trees, etc that the Z is reflecting. I think this is actually the reason for my dissatisfaction w/Z2 on the X -- it was
tooreflective and made it too hard to see the true metallic nature and color of the paint. The minor swirls and spiderwebbing are still evident and have not been reduced. Certainly not enough to not have to use some SMR on em. It needs the buffer
The NXT is also quite reflective of the surroundings, but not as mirror-like as the Z. I'd say it's reflective but without imparting the sort of "silvery mirror/clear armor" finish the Z has. You can see a bit more of the metallic flake, and from farther away, but you still need to re-focus to see it. The color looks the same (i.e., it isn't altered) but it's a
bit deeper than the Z. The swirls and spiderwebbing are still evident, and *may* have been *slightly* reduced, but it still needs the SMR and buffer.
The Z+S100 is a different thing altogether. I can clearly see where it starts and stops abutting the Z and NXT areas, with the circular hand application I did. There's a nice combination of reflectiveness and depth to it. IMO it has the "cleanest" look of the three, along with the most depth. The "true" color of the paint along with the metallic comes through pretty easily -- with a nice warm gloss/depth, but there's also a subtle-but-clear mirror glow thing going on here. IMO this is the best look. The swirls and spiderwebbing have been reduced somewhat (the spiderwebbing moreso). Enough that I could live with it rather than hit it with the SMR and buffer.
In all fairness, I guess now I have to top NXT with S100 to see how it looks.
Summaries
Ease of Application -- Z and Z+S100 is easier since doing it by hand is an effortless wipe on/wipe off affair. NXT, although a "single step" product and not requiring Z1 or ZFX, is best applied (it seems) with the PC. That's extra work for setup and washing pads. I'd try NXT again by hand, though, to try and get it on thinner.
Slickness -- All three are excellent @ this point.
The Look -- With the Z, the tendency is to see the surroundings/reflection rather than the paint itself. You can re-focus on the paint, but you have to try. With the Z+S100, there's a natural balance between the two. Little effort is needed to "shift" your gaze from one to the other. You notice a reflectiveness and depth simultaneously. The NXT is somewhere in between. You definitely see the reflectivity first, but it isn't as "difficult" to re-focus on the paint itself as with the Z. But you do still have to try.
Dust/Dirt Attraction -- all three were pretty much the same.
Durability -- TBD
Water Spot Resistance -- Z+S100 and NXT appear better than Z alone.
What I'd use -- I like the Z+S100 combo the best, but if I were going to use just a single product
without regard to durability, I'd use NXT rather than Z on the black. This is assuming the review about ~ 6 weeks durability for NXT is accurate. Waxing every 6 weeks or so in the summer isn't a difficult thing to do. I think I'd still use Zaino in the winter, when I might go 6 weeks just between washes! I get *months* from Zaino and that's always a good thing.
Bottom line -- NXT seems to be a worthwhile off-the-shelf (and readily available, and affordable) product. It's a good combo of depth and reflectiveness. I think you can do better for either by selecting a different product (a carnauba for depth or Z for reflectiveness) or better for both by combining different products (i.e. a long-lasting polymer for protection & reflectivity with a quality carnauba topper for depth & gloss).
Part of the challenge is that NXT was *so hyped* pre-release that it was made to sound like the end-all/be-all that would blow away everything else w/r/t depth, reflection, and durability. And it doesn't. Still, an excellent product for peeps looking for ready availability and an affordable cost-of-entry. I think I'd characterize it as an outstanding "consumer level" product but for an "enthusiast level" product it's not without its compromises.
, you just copy and pasted it. How do I know?? Because I'm in that board too!! Ask me who I am if you want to know.
:shocked :nixweiss
I assume C-MDX is good ol' Cappy (Captain)?