UN vs. Souveran

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imported_capid1

New member
Now reading the Vette Forum you always hear the constant argument on Wax lasts 1 week etc....oh and Sal is the 2nd coming. So how long does wax really last? If it lasts for such short times why is there white wax marks left over from like 6 or more months ago! its because it doesnt deteriorate even in the blistering heat the white wax marks stay there! Its not melting away or being washed away, they are stuck in the little pit marks from my crappy spray job around my windows. I think thats definitive proof wax does last a long time , altho the shine of the wax might deteriorate in a month or 2, its still there...
 
It highly depends on what kind of wax you use. Blitz wax protection will typically last about 3 months. Pinnacle Soverign (sp) lasts about 3 weeks. But I beleive the typical wax usually lasts about 3 months on a daily driver.
 
Also depends on your paint color and temps. I know for a fact that Blitz doesnt last very long in the South on dark cars during the summer, which is why I only use polymers in the summer.
 
I would certainly think that dried wax that has NOT been completely buffed out is an entire different story than wax that has been completely buffed out.
 
UN would be me and Souveran would be the much talked about Pinnacle Souveran.

Well, to start with I got about 4oz of Souveran from a friend of mine who has sent me A LOT of amazing products, some through trades, some through simple goodwill. My car (the white IS350) was filthy so I had a few hours to kill today before my son's hockey practice so it was Souveran time in the Great White North.

I'll also preface my review with a few more remarks. Two guys who post here regularly and who I trust in their opinions (Al Kimel and Mikejl) both like the product and use it regularly (amongst about another 20 waxes each - lol). As such, my expecations for Souveran were VERY high. It is also worth mentioning that in the past I have DESPISED paste waxes but I'm learning to use them, so take what I write with a grain of salt.

The Start

To begin with, Souveran has a fair scent (slightly fruity but slightly on the chemical side) and the consistency of my sample was fairl soft as far as past waxes go.

Application

I didn't have time to break out the G110, so I decided to wax by hand but first, I washed using Z7 and a lambswool mit, two buckets, grit guards and warm water.

After the wash, the car looked AMAZING. A testament to Z2Pro which was on the car from a few weeks ago. I CHOSE NOT to strip the Z2Pro and I did so, for a reason.

I wanted to see if Souveran "added" anything to the look. As you know, the knock on Zaino is that is looks like plastic and has no depth, so I wanted to see what, if anything, Souveran added.

In any event, application was done using a brand new, never used polyfoam wax applicator. Application was MAGIC. An ABSOLUTE BREEZE to put on, without doubt.

You can spread it thin and it goes a long way. Loved the way it went on.

Removal

Removal was also a breeze. I decided to try removing it the suggested and non-suggested way. Whetheryou let the product "set" or not, it came off like a dream. Another VERY easy product to remove.

The Look

Here was disappointment #1. I do NOT believe Souveran enhanced the look of the car at all. It didn't make it worse either, but there was just NO change. The car looked AMAZING before Souveran and it looked amazing after.

Also, this Lexus has "tri-coat" white paint and has a flake in it and I've read others talk about how Souveran really makes the flake "pop". Again, nothing I saw was different from what I've used before.

The Feel

This was disappointment #2. The feel is NOTHING close to the Wet Diamond feel (but neither is anything else for that matter - not Z2Pro, not NXT but WG DGPS is close).

In fact, I think my paint felt "slightly" less slick after Souveran (meaning the two week old Z2Pro was more slick).

The Price

Souveran sells for $95 but *most* people get it when it is BOGO free, meaning it is just under $50. I think it is pretty obvious that the markup on Souveran is quite large.

My Verdict

I said "my" verdict, because that is all this review is really worth. I don't try to change opinions, just report what "I" found when I used it.

Souveran is another great product IMO because it goes on easy, comes off easy, does not stain BUT, it is TOO expensive IMO, for what you get.

I do not discuss durability and I know I've heard this product doesn't last, but it would be unfair for me to (now) say that matters to me, when it never has in the past. The reality is, when I like a product, I will wax my car every two weeks if need be, however, the reason why I'm a bit down on this product is that I compare everything (to my now-favorite) Wet Diamond and it just loses.

For me, Wet Diamond goes on as easy, comes off as easy (or easier), is WAY slicker, looks just as good and costs a fraction of the price.

There is also a bit of (possibly unfair) bias in what I just wrote. I generally DON'T like Nuba's and will probably find the same issues with Midnight Sun when I try it (which is still waiting). I don't know why I have a bias against Nuba's but they just don't feel as "user friendly" to me as sealants do (and I know I'm generalizing in a big way here).

Overall I would say this, if you are a Nuba guy (and I know Al and Mike both are), I can TOTALLY understand why you really like this product. Maybe if my eye was better trained to see the "depth" people write about, I'd get it, but I just can't see the difference and refuse to say I can see the difference because I would be lying if I said I did.

I think Z2Pro was the one and only product where I thought I could see "a bit" more shine and even then it was small.

Overall, Souveran is another great product and I will enjoy having it in my arsenal, but it will not unseat Wet Diamond as my number one. If you are interested in this product, I would ONLY recommend getting it as a BOGO because IMHO is not worth it's full price for only one tub.

**I did not include any pics because there would be NO reason to include them, there was NO discernable difference in how my car looked.
 
Interesting,

I think I have detailed the exact same color of your car on an LS460, nice color too, not exactly your traditional white.

Do you plan on leaving it on the car or are you taking it off?
 
CamoZ71 said:
Interesting,

I think I have detailed the exact same color of your car on an LS460, nice color too, not exactly your traditional white.

Do you plan on leaving it on the car or are you taking it off?
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No, I'm going to leave it and if Souveran doesn't last long, I'll probably just hit the car with another coat of Z2Pro or maybe Wet Diamond and that'll be it for the winter.
 
FWIW, I have used this combo in the past (several years ago) on a couple of Ferrari BBi's. I did not notice that Souveran made any improvement over the Zaino as well. However I should note that both cars (if I recall correctly) where red, perhaps on black I might have noticed?

I don't think it is because Pinnacle is a bad wax at all, in fact, as you noted it has many great qualities. I think it is more along the lines that Souveran really doesn't 'stick' well to Zaino, so most of it is rubbed off when you wipe it off.

If you have some Midnight Sun, you might want to do a small section with that wax. One of the benefits of being designed to work over the top of Wet Diamond is that we have not found a sealant yet that it will not lay down over.
 
th0001 said:
FWIW, I have used this combo in the past (several years ago) on a couple of Ferrari BBi's. I did not notice that Souveran made any improvement over the Zaino as well. However I should note that both cars (if I recall correctly) where red, perhaps on black I might have noticed?

I don't think it is because Pinnacle is a bad wax at all, in fact, as you noted it has many great qualities. I think it is more along the lines that Souveran really doesn't 'stick' well to Zaino, so most of it is rubbed off when you wipe it off.

If you have some Midnight Sun, you might want to do a small section with that wax. One of the benefits of being designed to work over the top of Wet Diamond is that we have not found a sealant yet that it will not lay down over.
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I may get my chance tomorrow on a black Audi i'm going to be working on. If I do, I will take comparison pics.
 
akimel said:
By all means try Souveran on your black car and see what you think. I'd love to get your thoughts about a Souveran/Midnight Sun comparison.
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Problem is, in the realm of "looks" I (admitedly) have a poor eye. Other than seeing a tiny difference with Zaino, I've never really noticed a difference between other products.

I'll still give it a shot though and report back.
 
th0001 said:
FWIW, I have used this combo in the past (several years ago) on a couple of Ferrari BBi's. I did not notice that Souveran made any improvement over the Zaino as well. However I should note that both cars (if I recall correctly) where red, perhaps on black I might have noticed?
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According to their creator:

Pinnacle waxes contain Brazilian Ivory Carnauba, the purest wax ever used in a car care product. Ivory Carnauba has a clarity and quality of shine that far exceeds ordinary carnauba waxes.

You can see the difference. Reds are brighter. Blacks are deeper. Even light colors look more vibrant. Wouldn't your car look better with a show-car shine?

I detect some shine might have been left on the table with this detail?:scared: :D
 
Also, this Lexus has "tri-coat" white paint and has a flake in it and I've read others talk about how Souveran really makes the flake "pop". Again, nothing I saw was different from what I've used before.

The Pinnicle Souveran is not really designed to make the flakes pop or enhance light colored paint. If that is what you are looking for from the Pinnicle line, you need to use the Sig Series II. That is much better for light colored or metalic paint.
 
David Fermani said:
Great thread BTW Username.
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Thank you.

The Pinnicle Souveran is not really designed to make the flakes pop or enhance light colored paint. If that is what you are looking for from the Pinnicle line, you need to use the Sig Series II. That is much better for light colored or metalic paint.
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Well, if you look at David's post two above, you'll see that they advertise that it is for light colors, although I will try it on black today and let you know what I think when I'm done.
 
User Name said:
Thank you.



Well, if you look at David's post two above, you'll see that they advertise that it is for light colors, although I will try it on black today and let you know what I think when I'm done.
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I hear you, but you know that they always say if a wax works on a dark colored car, it will work on a light color as well.

Honestly though, the Sig. Series II really is much better on light colored cars. They would tell you the same!
 
User Name said:
Thank you.



Well, if you look at David's post two above, you'll see that they advertise that it is for light colors, although I will try it on black today and let you know what I think when I'm done.
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I'm not sure I buy into waxes working better on different colors or not. On their website they say Souveran is best on black, red, and darker colors. Since I have only used in on my black Camry, I haven't seen Souveran on any other color.

It will be interesting to see if you think Souveran performs better on black or not.

Mike
 
Not surprised by the post. I've never seen any wax really enhance Zaino at all, Zaino just doesnt need topped really, except for Z6 or Z8. I will say this tho, you might see a difference if you apply the wax 2-3 weeks down the road from the time you originally put Zaino on.
 
Am I mistaken in my belief that synthetic sealants, as a rule, do better on white paint than carnauba waxes? I am not surprised than Souveran did not add anything to Zaino. I would have been surprised if it had, even in UN's eyes. ;)

But take a solid black car, with no other protectant, and add two coats of Souveran ... my guess that even UN will see a difference. UN may still prefer the Zaino look, but I suspect that he will see a difference between the Zaino look and the Souveran look. Just my speculation. :)
 
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