Recent Happenings

:) Good replies Anthony and Scott. Not that I expected you to come out with your arms swinging. I still respect the both of you very much despite the misunderstanding on my part.



edit: The review form is a good idea and I have brought it up a few times. :)
 
Anthony, I think a review form is a great idea. It would really help to provide consistancy across all of the reviews. We all have different ways of writing just like we have different processes when we detail...standardizing would allow us all to do more apples to apples comparisons.



Knowing how much prep work was done and how it was done is very helpful.
 
Scottwax said:
Corey is right about Shokar, at least for me. I was only asked to give feedback to him. I wasn't even going to review it until I saw Anthony's review and I had only recently learned he even had samples too. I posted a review because my experience was pretty similar. My first impression is that is a very good product. Now the real evaluation starts. How well does the look hold up? How about long term beading and slickness? Those are answers I don't know yet.



The reason many vendors or manufacturers want to get product into the hands of some of us for field testing is because we work on a large variety of vehicles, including exotics. Manufacturers need feedback from actual users. The product may work great on the vehicles they have available to them but they don't have a huge fleet of vehicles to test on.



I suspect, for example that Clearkote never released Blue Moose because there were some hazing issues, especially when used by hand. That was a concern I passed along to Everett when I tested it out. No problem removing the hazing but now I am testing a different compound that I don't have hazing issues with. Carnauba Moose was formulated at least in part because people were using Vanilla Moose and topping it with S100 and obviously, Clearkote wants people to use as many of their products as possible, so he came up with two waxes, one with carnauba and one without. I tested both and I believe some others did too. He came out with the carnauba version. Testing like that is invaluable to smaller companies who just don't have the resources or even time to test their products on a huge variety of cars. I think constructive feedback, both positive and negative can help them bring out a new product that is already field tested and will work well for the vast majority of their customers.
Click to expand...



I really think you're missing the point. A small portion of us on this board are product testers for various product lines, but WE DO NOT DISCUSS OUR REVIEWS WITH THE GENERAL PUBLIC UNTIL THE PRODUCT HAS BEEN RELEASED TO THE CONSUMER.



This only leads to a whole lot of hype and, as we've all learned, a lot more disappointment.



The review should only be shared with the supplier or manufacturer keep it off the forums.
 
dternst said:
I really think you're missing the point. A small portion of us on this board are product testers for various product lines, but WE DO NOT DISCUSS OUR REVIEWS WITH THE GENERAL PUBLIC UNTIL THE PRODUCT HAS BEEN RELEASED TO THE CONSUMER.



This only leads to a whole lot of hype and, as we've all learned, a lot more disappointment.



The review should only be shared with the supplier or manufacturer keep it off the forums.
Click to expand...



I am not missing the point, I am just explaining where I am coming from. Like Anthony, I thought the release was imminent of Shokar. I also hadn't intended on doing a review until I saw Anthony had posted his. I figured he must have some imformation I didn't that the products were about to come out. If I had known it may be summer or later, I wouldn't have posted it. Who knows? Maybe long term testing will make or break the product so by release date, there will be much better information on the Shokar twins. :nixweiss



I have never reviewed (formally) any other product still in test form other than Vanilla Moose but I knew that was a go. I haven't reviewed Blue Moose or Yellow Wax formally because they were still in testing. The only reason I have mentioned them is because they are part of the process.
 
I don't understand. I must be thick!



Why are some asking for a Review Form, when we have an under-utilised Review SECTION! :nixweiss :nixweiss
 
Alfisti said:
I don't understand. I must be thick!



Why are some asking for a Review Form, when we have an under-utilised Review SECTION! :nixweiss :nixweiss
Click to expand...



There is no standardization within the review section. Try reading 10 peoples reviews and you will see everything from 1 sentence to full blown essays.



Half of the reviews are a few sentences and most do nothing to describe the conditons the product was used in or the process that was used. It generally is this product worked for me or this product sucked for me.
 
mtodde, I'm sorry, but I respectfully disagree.



There is standardisation...maybe not all the options suggested, but:



Packaging

Instructions

Ease of Use

Slickness

Gloss & Finish

Sealant Durability

MFG Claims

Value



Scaled 1 to 5.



That's standardisation!



I'd support an expansion of these standards, no problems. :up



The commentary is optional and I have no issue with how it's used.



But not here. In the (under-utilised) REVIEW section, YES.



I'm not suggesting to proscribe anyone from making informal reviews of released products, but to use this 'Detailing Product Discussion' forum as a formal review forum is redundant.



As I said above, the (under-utilised) REVIEW section is for formal, standardised reviews, with the flexibility for additional personal commentary....not here.



This section would be better served as a 'HOW TO...' section, or a 'COMPARISON' section, 'New Product A is similar to Old Product B in durability but with the depth of Old Product C'.



As DavidB said:



"One of the true strengths of Autopia is the great information provided by so many people. Product information, via personal review comments and discussions, appears to be very popular. We have nearly 600 product review/discussion threads and thousands of posts.



In an attempt to organize product reviews for future use by all, I invested in a software product called Censura. I have integrated Censura into our community as the "Autopia Review" system. After 7 months in play, we have 245 products loaded from 67 vendors, but we only have a total of 100 reviews.



Many people have made product and vendor recommendations. Until recently, adding new products to the Censura database was tedious. An upgrade to the software has made that task much easier.



It is my hope that people will use the Autopia Review system to provide their initial product review feedback. The Autopia Review system is hooked into the forum and will automatically create a discussion thread if you use the "Start a discussion!" link on the item you reviewed....If you have a product to review that is not in the system (check first), please use the ADD ITEM link and send me a quick PM. I will add the new item within 24 hours.



Thanks,

David"



I know this is quite old, but as far as I know (I'm willing to be corrected) it's current.



This way the REVIEW system is more difficult to be, unwittingly, misused.



That's my Tuppence worth. :wavey



P.S. Did I mention the REVIEW section was under-utilised?
 
Maybe it's just Me that has a different view on all of this...BUT I'd rather read a review of a product before it comes to market...maybe not tons of review on it but give me a little taste of what's coming, what to expect and it's pro's and cons.



If i were to hear that something was officially released to the public and then all of these positive reviews started coming out of the woodwork from months back I would see that more as an advertising technique for the manufacturer than knowing ahead of time what to expect?



Am I the only one that would think negatively of being bombarded with positive reviews immediatly after something was released from experiences months back?



It took me forever to break down and actually spend the $13 to buy Optimum Spray Wax. Seeing a thread pop up with all of these "Too good to be true" claims actually made me weary of the product rather than really wanting some. Now that the comotion has calmed down a bit and I'm reading more and more reviews I feel as though I can make a more informed decision on the product and I did indeed break down and get some as the benefits of having it in my lineup seem to be valid. Do I need another sealant as a weekend warrior with a Gallon of UPP, 32oz of Wolfgang, 16oz of Zaino, 33oz of SG and 3Liter's of AIO sitting on my shelf?...NO but if it's truely something that I find can be used as a QD it will come in handy as an up-sell for my regular wash customers.



Only time will tell.



Andy
 
Andy,



Truthfully I also love to hear about "up and coming" products and tools. In fact many magazines, whether dealing with detailing or not, have a section where they may speak of "new" products either already out or coming out soon.



Perhaps what can be done is we have a section just for 'Potential/Soon To Be" products and/or tools. A small glimpse into what the future holds.



As far as a "form".......I am not suggesting we do away with any system that's already in place but at least lets enforce what's already on the "books". As already noted many reviews are just a quickie and done poorly and all I am suggesting is that we try to all be on the same page.



Also I wish to thank everyone for their input on this topic. I believe it needed to be aired.



Later,

Anthony
 
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