Review: Clearkote: Assorted Products

bjwebster

New member
With all the talk about Clearkote lately, I decided I would test it on my own. I tried the Moosewax, The Vanilla Moose, And the Quikshine. Prior to testing, I clayed the testing grounds with Autopia clay and lube, Glide and Block, and then I taped off the first testing area, and moved the tape to the inside edges as i went along so that the areas would be directly next to eachother for comparison.

Moosewax:

Wow, i cannot find anything good to say about it. It just didn't work well for me. It left major haloing on the paint, removed every last bit of vanilla moose under it, and left the surface pretty much bare. No depth, or anything.

I took about a trillion pics trying to capture what i was talking about and this is the best I could come up with. It looks decent, not so haloing in anything but direct light/sunlight. But in the right light at the right angle, its not pretty.

Here It Is:



1265decent3_copy.jpg




Where it is much blacker and not halo'ed the right, that is where I applied Vanilla moose topped with P21S. The line extending beyond the marker line is where product built up along the edge of the tape, i didn't remove it because it showed a nice barrier of where one product stopped, and the next product began.

Pro's: Can be used in the sun, I didn't try it in the sun, but thats what everyone says.

Cons: Leaves a sterile haloed surface.



Vanilla Moose:

Well I definitely like the Vanilla moose better than the Moosewax. Its a very odd consistency, almost like water. I noticed when i squirted it on my applicator, it had some odd mixed consistency about it, this was after I shook it very well to re-mix the product.

I found the vanilla moose to glaze and clean the surface well, but it was slightly harder to remove than P21S gepc, and left a few streaks. I think thats the surface shine and depth it leaves, is somewhere close to GEPC but not better imo.

Pros: Leaves a fairly deep slick surface.

Cons: Left some streaks that had to be buffed pretty good to remove. Not as easy to work with as P21S GEPC.



Quikshine:

If I was to go buy another clearkote product tomorrow, it would be the quikshine. It leaves a nice slick surface, and dried streak free. It reminded me of some of my favorite QD's like Eagle one QD, mothers showtime, and Pinnacle crystal mist.

I would have to use it more before I decided if I would use it over other QD's I like. But initial tests prove its a pretty nice QD.

Pros: Leaves a super slick surface, dries streak free.

Cons: Pricey compared to other QD's available.
 
I've always wanted to say the same - I am unimpressed with the ClearKote waxes, and they do not meet Autopian standards. Both of their cleaner waxes leave the impression of an over-hyped, silicone and coarse-abrasive filled wax that you'll likely find in a car show.



Their QuickShine is the only product that I find above average.
 
Bolton,





:shocked Man, that Moose Wax totally tore up your paint. Wow. I also got hazing on black, but not that bad. Man, that sucks. :(



Your thoughts sound similar to mine, I also got a very sterile surface from Moose wax, and zero depth. I was not overly impressed with VM either, although I had no buffing issues like you did. At least the quick shine worked OK for you. :)



Thanks for posting your review, at least I'm not the only one who was not impressed.
 
:bounce I am glad someone else thinks the way I do!!:bow

I put some VMW on today, then topped it with MW (My truck is Silver Met.) I cant see any differance between these and the $9.99 Meguiars Gold Class.

I think the products are not up to all the hype! The customer service..... What customer service?:nixweiss

Everrett sent me ONE PM wich I replied.... I havnt heard from him since.
 
This is why I say pics never tell the truth! Here is the same area but I have focused on the reflection. You can see that the area within the marker lines look great.

This is how it looks from afar in the sun.



1265looksgood.jpg
 
There are a few products I will always want on my shelf.



Zaino, Blackfire and S100.



I also thought the Moose stuff was abrasive and oily.
 
It looks as though the honeymoon is ending...



That's for sure! I'm sure glad I held off for a bit on the VM and MW, though I'll probably give the QS a shot sometime down the road.
 
Everyone is entitled to there own opinion on products. The only thing that is going through my head is that Mods will start to do product reviews and start to push some of david's stuff.

These product reviews must be honest and not steering anyone away just for a sale.

IMO mods should not be allowed to post product reviews on Davids line of products. Because in a way they do work for david and it would be like me working for meg's coming here and trying to push meg's products.

This is just my thought and I have no intention to bash anyone or start a flame.

NYD
 
DavidB said:
Leland, is that you? Geez, what does it take! :argue



:nixweiss I haven't had any problems with Clearkote products and neither have other people. I will agree that Moose Wax doesn't have the depth of a carnuba, but I haven't had any hazing issues at all. I've been using foam pads to apply it instead of terry cloth ones, so that may have something to do with it. I know you, David, didn't report any hazing issues when you used Moose Wax either. S100 is still my primary wax, but I can't use it in the sun.



Some people really like Vanilla Moose and some think it just doesn't look very deep the way that P21S GEPC does. I think it does, but everyone's perception is different. I used it on that black Porsche 993 I have in the gallery today and VM noticably deepened the blackness of the paint and increased the shine. Even my customer commented on the difference as I was applying it.



Quikshine seems to be the most liked of the Clearkote line-the only real issue seems to be price. BTW, I received the MSDS Data Sheets on it and it does not contain petroleum distillates. Vanilla Moose and Moose Wax do.



Why are some people having problems with primarily Moose Wax? I don't really know because I haven't had the hazing issues or a haloing effect. Seems like if you are having a haloing effect, some residue is not buffing off completely and since Moose Wax has a lot of oils in it that could cause the haloing that bj was experiencing. If you go over it with Quikshine, it should remove any remaining product left behind. The issues with Vanilla Moose seem to be more perception oriented than performance. I like the look, some don't.
 
NY detailer said:
Everyone is entitled to there own opinion on products. The only thing that is going through my head is that Mods will start to do product reviews and start to push some of david's stuff.

These product reviews must be honest and not steering anyone away just for a sale.

IMO mods should not be allowed to post product reviews on Davids line of products. Because in a way they do work for david and it would be like me working for meg's coming here and trying to push meg's products.

This is just my thought and I have no intention to bash anyone or start a flame.

NYD



Yeah, I've also noticed most of the negative reviews seem to be from mods. No implications, bj's review included pics so I don't doubt he had a problem.



Like you Brian, I hope all reviews are honest and fair to everyone involved.
 
I'm with NY detailer and Scottwax. I just started using vanilla moose and QD a few weeks ago and love it. I think that VM is easy to use and leaves a great shine behind. I actually used it on my car today and had people coming up to me commenting on how great the car looked. I guess we all have a different idea of the "perfect" shine.
 
NY detailer said:
Everyone is entitled to there own opinion on products. The only thing that is going through my head is that Mods will start to do product reviews and start to push some of david's stuff.

These product reviews must be honest and not steering anyone away just for a sale.

IMO mods should not be allowed to post product reviews on Davids line of products. Because in a way they do work for david and it would be like me working for meg's coming here and trying to push meg's products.

This is just my thought and I have no intention to bash anyone or start a flame.

NYD





Oh, where to begin. First we don't work for David, we are volunteers. We have ZERO financial interest in Autopia or any branch business. Thus, we are just as unbiased as anyone else.



Second, when David has asked us to test products he has NEVER, EVER told us to do anything but an honest, accurate review. Personally, we would not participate in anything that is not honest. It is highly insulting that you would suggest we would do anything different.
 
mod = moderator



There is no benefit to us personally if David's store does well. That is soon to be his bread and butter. We all have our own jobs that pay our bills. Moderating is an extention of our hobby here on Autopia. There isn't anything in it for us if we pimp David's products. We aren't gaining anything financially from it so I don't see the problem in mods reviewing anything they want to. In the end we are still members of this board.
 
ShowroomLincoln said:
Oh, where to begin. First we don't work for David, we are volunteers. We have ZERO financial interest in Autopia or any branch business. Thus, we are just as unbiased as anyone else.



Second, when David has asked us to test products he has NEVER, EVER told us to do anything but an honest, accurate review. Personally, we would not participate in anything that is not honest. It is highly insulting that you would suggest we would do anything different.



I understand what you are saying, but you need to see things from a non-mod view, they way others may see it.



you volunteer for david & you post about his products. What i am saying is that you have a working relationship with david whether or not you get paid. It is almost like a conflict of interest.
 
NY detailer said:
Everyone is entitled to there own opinion on products. The only thing that is going through my head is that Mods will start to do product reviews and start to push some of david's stuff.

These product reviews must be honest and not steering anyone away just for a sale.

IMO mods should not be allowed to post product reviews on Davids line of products. Because in a way they do work for david and it would be like me working for meg's coming here and trying to push meg's products.

This is just my thought and I have no intention to bash anyone or start a flame.

NYD



Wow, I'm insulted that you would even imply that I was anything but honest and objective. I wrote a detailed review and even included pics, what more do you want? If you look through the posts, you will find lots and lots of people less that ecstatic, about these products, only 2 of which are mods.

Secondly, if you read my review, you might see that I actually like the QS, and found the VM ok as well, but somehow I'm not being objective for some reason. I guess placing the blame on us is easier than anything else...
 
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