Opinions: Opti-coat or CQuartz

[IID]

we use cquartz on Japs cars in the east, as you all know very soft paint.. no problem at all! , the small suedes supplied are not for wipe off!! they are for applying the cquartz, for wipe off you need short loops mf, not plush, or terry cloth MF.
when wiping , you need to remember, this is not wax! , you dont strongly buff the surface!
wipe it off gently in straight lines, turn the MF to other side between each panel done.
another small tip from one of our pros is.. after first wipe off .. repeat again with another MF ("fresh") this will remove the rest of "clouds" if left. gentle wiping .

Avi,
I have tried several different "short loop" MF's (Paks,Cobras,CGs) and I found that the "Large" CQ blue suede MF's marr the least on soft paint.
I personally wait 50min/1Hour to take off the applied CQ,when the temp in my garage is 60/65deg. F
I buff very lightly until the smeared apperance is no longer visable.

 

[Sunstealer]

I ordered CQuartz, IronX, and Reload this weekend based on the reviews and postings on here. I know Optimum says theirs is easy to use, but I have seen so many different posts about how to prep, how to level it out, etc. The CQuartz to me seems more like a standard sealant/wax. Put on a thin layer, allow to haze, buff off. In the videos, it seems to sheet water better as well.

 

[Avi@CarPro]

Avi,
I have tried several different "short loop" MF's (Paks,Cobras,CGs) and I found that the "Large" CQ blue suede MF's marr the least on soft paint.
I personally wait 50min/1Hour to take off the applied CQ,when the temp in my garage is 60/65deg. F
I buff very lightly until the smeared apperance is no longer visable.

Yes, the Suedes are very fine for wiping and buffing , for the Reload as well.
the big one 40 x 40cm is very handy as well,
you done good application.. hope you are happy....

 

[Tom Weed]

the applicator should be warped with the small suedes on the black strip, then to pour on the suedes the cquartz, not to used the applicator itself!!
make sure you wait enough time until cquartz cure, if you wipe it off too early it could marr with the semi crystals particles. 15 min. is too short time! for any weather. only above 30 deg.C. its the right time to wipe off.

Hey Avi,
I'm just now getting around to replying to this, and thank you for the application and removal advice. I'm a little confused though by you saying 15 minutes is too short of a time for any weather, when the directions on the AG product website say 10-15 minutes at 68-86 degrees F? It was probably 70 degree's when I applied it and had no issues with it, I just to make sure I am doing it right...

AG description:

Wait 20-30 min. average. At 20-30° C. (68-86° F), wait 10-15 min. At 10~20° C (50-67° F), wait 20~40 min.

 

[Avi@CarPro]

Hi Tom

ill repeat !! :

15 Deg.C : 30~40 min wait for wipe off
20 Deg. C : 20~30 min. waiting
30 Deg. C : 10~15 min

these are the times you need to wait. ill ask AG maybe to write it better so all will understand
always follow my site page for cquartz user guide, its includes the latest tips and updates.

:xyxthumbs:

 

[IID]

Hi Tom

ill repeat !! :

15 Deg.C : 30~40 min wait for wipe off
20 Deg. C : 20~30 min. waiting
30 Deg. C : 10~15 min

these are the times you need to wait. ill ask AG maybe to write it better so all will understand
always follow my site page for cquartz user guide, its includes the latest tips and updates.

:xyxthumbs:

To All,FYI:
15 Deg.C = 59 Deg. F
20 Deg.C = 68 Deg. F
30 Deg.C = 86 Deg. F

rops:

 

[Chris Thomas]

Question: How long has Opti-Coat been around vs. CQuartz? oke:

Opti Coat was first only available to pros and began to be sold to pros about 4 years ago. Prior to that, there was about 3-4 years of testing and tweaking. Just last month was Opti Coat 2.0 released to the public. The only change was the carrier that takes longer to dehydrate/cure to allow for adjustments.

When applied correctly Opti Coat 2.0 and Opti Guard (new name for the pro version), does not need to be wiped at all...at the most a light single pass with a soft clean microfiber may be necessary if you apply it too thick. Transferring a small amount into a cheap disposable sprayer like I use in my application video will help to not get any thick spots.

YouTube - OptiCoatApp.AVI

On thick spots, I have been testing this since our introduction of the consumer version and I have found that you do not have to reapply Opti Coat after knocking down a high spot unless you strike through the coating. If you use a polish and keep check on when the haze disappears, you can simply stop there, remove any polishing oils, and check for beading. If you still have the beading properties of the surrounding areas, there is no need to recondition the panel or reapply the coating.

The reason we recommended redoing the panel to begin with is that Opti Coat adds measurable thickness to the paint and because of that there may be an application line with spot repairs.

 

[rwright]

According to your statement Chris, we can safely say that Opti-Coat has been around at least 7-8 years. That's a long time to field test a product. So with no worries about buffing Opti-Coat/Guard to remove product, most likely you haven't had any reports of it marring the paint? This would be real handy if someone were working a vehicle with known soft paint - Honda, Porsche, BMW, etc. Thanks for the in depth response Chris. rops:

 

[Chris Thomas]

According to your statement Chris, we can safely say that Opti-Coat has been around at least 7-8 years. That's a long time to field test a product. So with no worries about buffing Opti-Coat/Guard to remove product, most likely you haven't had any reports of it marring the paint? This would be real handy if someone were working a vehicle with known soft paint - Honda, Porsche, BMW, etc. Thanks for the in depth response Chris. rops:

That's exactly right, Richard. All you do is put it on the paint or applicator and with NO pressure: cover the paint. No buffing to apply and no residue to buff off as you can see in the video. Even the application is the opposite of tedious as you can see, I just use smooth overlapping passes until I get complete coverage, working the product and only applying more when the pad starts to grip.