Opti-coat vid , review

M

mx5

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I notice many people on here use abrasive in the wrong context when talking about certain products. Or maybe I use it in the wrong context. :) People mention Klasse AIO, Liquid Glass, or Nu Finish as being abrasive. These products do not contain any polishing agents like a glaze or a polish but higher solvent content. I am under the impression they are paint cleaners and not polishers. According to Websters dictionary:



Main Entry: 1abra·sive

Pronunciation: &-'brA-siv, -ziv

Function: noun

Date: 1853

: a substance (as emery or pumice) used for abrading , smoothing, or polishing



So these products may be more solvent(adjective) than others but not abrasive.
 
That they contain suspended particles of alumina, sand, or clay,etc, that provide an abrasive polishing nature when rubbed on paint. Nu finish is the most abrasive in my opinion. I just got a sample of liquid glass and will be adding to my abrasive test subjects soon, along with BF sealant and polish. Check out my abrasive test under product reviews. I basically took a handful of products and used a raw painted aluminum boat propeller for the test to see which product removed the most paint on a white cotton applicator........Not real scientific, but draw your own conclusions.
 
I thought Liquid Glass contained polishing agents also but on the ingredients list it only says minor inert cleaning agents
 
I wish they would post ingredientws like food labels it would be so much easier.



Maybe we should start a petition for our congress to enact new legislation on consumer product lables for chemical ingredients for the safety of our kids and animals???
 
I would rather go on how they function and how effective they are and how they work and the results, rather than, let's say particle count. Perfect example, strong acid wheel cleaner versus SMR on my painted wheels. Acid cleaner killed my wheels and made them yellow, the other did way better. The net affect is what you're after no matter your route.
 
I want ingredients to know if something has abrasives or not.



I always go by what works but it would be helpful to know if such and such product has chemical X in it so I do not turn into a power puff girl or something worse.
 
No manufacturer is required to disclose ingredients and most won't. If you go by marketing, virtually every product is abrasive free. Some things I look for to indicate that a product could contains abrasives are:



Removes swirls

Removes oxidation

Contains microscopic polishing agents

Contains cleaning agents

Contains no HARMFUL abrasives



The key with abrasive products is consistancy in size. This will yield a good product and nice results when trying to polish away swirls. I don't know why else anyone would want to use abrasives for anything else other than taking a short cut with a one step cleaner wax. Don't get me wrong, they have their uses. I use them often on "old lady cleanups." type jobs. Definately not for the enthusiast, which is what this specific forum is all about.
 
A lot of products are abrasive but then have fillers or oils to fill in those voids. You won't see the scratches till the product is stripped. Ever wonder where all those swirls were coming from?! Abrasives are also used in formulas to help the product's durability. It can give a product more of a bite to the surface of the paint.
 
Here are the ingredients listed in order as on the Liquid Glass container:

Active ingredients: Aliphatic hydrocarbons, amino polymers, ultra-violet sunscreen inhibitors, moisturizers, conditioners, rust inhibitors, mild inert cleaning agents, aliphatic petroleum solvents.

Contains no silicones or waxes.



It also comes with a life time warranty.
 
When Klasse says on there AIO bottle contains no harsh abrasives, does that mean it may contain mild abrasives so it can clean. If clay is considered an abrasive , is a clay bar an abrasive or are they different?
 
Hmm… I dunno. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe all this can be categorized into three groups: Chemical cleaner, abrasive cleaner, and physical cleaner.

I like to define chemical cleaners such as Klasse AIO as using its own solvents to chemically loosen the bond of the contaminates. The only abrasive action is the heat generated from the applicator or anything in between the paint and the applicator. Think…if you lightly spread a thin layer of AIO on the paint, and wipe it off, there will be minimal difference. But if you use a Microfiber applicator with firm pressure, like you’re “working-it-in,â€� you will see a greater cleansing effect from the different application technique.

As with an “abrasiveâ€� cleaner, I like to think of it as liquid sandpaper. Such a product usually contains a coarse element inside to removes a thin layer of paint… leveling out the swirls. An “abrasiveâ€� is more like 3M SMR, rather than AIO whose solvents depend on your force.

For a physical cleaner, such as clay, force still needs to be exerted (like chemical cleaners.) However, instead of depending on powerful solvents, contaminates stick to the bar, pulling everything off. This is definitely not liquid sandpaper. <em class='bbc'>However[/i], some people consider the friction and stuff stuck on the clay to be causing some harm and <em class='bbc'>“abrading�[/i] the paint from the contaminates on the bar...... but the damage is <strong class='bbc'>very[/b] minimal if you use a lubricant and fold it multiple times. I wouldn’t worry about it.

Also, the definition of “abrasiveâ€� can be different for each person… leading to this confusion. Some may consider anything to smoothen the paint abrasive, yet some may say that anything with something coarse inside is (like SMR.) Or same with getting contaminates stuck between the clay and paint. Do you consider that abrasive? Then is getting keyed “abrasive?â€�

All in all, I would probably make your own conclusion as there is always more than one answer for every question. Ones definition of abrasive may be different from someone elses. Isn’t free speech and this forum such a great thing? :)

~bw
 
The words "abrasive" and the phrase "chemical cleaner" have definite meanings. There is a distinct and objective difference between a chemical cleaner and an abrasive. The difference is simple. Abrasives remove material from an object through mechanical action. Sandpaper is an abrasive. BW's analogy of a liquid paint abrasive as being "sandpaper in a bottle" is brilliant.

Auto abrasives (sometimes called polishes) have small or medium sized <em class='bbc'>particles[/i] in them, which particles are, per BW's example, analogous to the sand that is glued on to the paper in sand paper.

Chemical cleaners dissolve material through chemical action, not through scraping, abrading, etc. Purely chemical clearners do not have particulates . . . or, at least no hard particulates.
 
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