A true unbiased & honest opinion, How is Detailers Coating vs. Pinnacle "Black Label" Coating?

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JoeHotRod

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To start, I first have been looking into testing sealers (such as the Wolfgang 3.0) in comparison to the polymer waxes such as the optimum spray wax.
Now however, after much reading... and reading... and reading so much here at autogeek, I recently started contemplating the idea of exploring into the world of coatings.

So, real quick... considering "coatings" & "sealers," does Wolgang even compare or have a chance now against the easier to apply coatings, or does it still hold a solid place in a professional detail persons arsenal?

I have heard great things about the "opti-coat" paint coating, however I also heard this product comes in a small (expensive tube) and is much harder to apply and you can really make a nice detail look bad if not applied or wiped correctly???

So lately I've been reading more and watching Mike Phillips videos on the Detailers brand Coating. Looks like something I would like to purchase and try, but now I ALSO saw that Pinnacle makes a coating that applies as a spray on just like the Detailers brand.

I understand each product is different and both are great companies
(I do in fact use both brands in my arsenal) but really, with an unbiased opinion, which outperforms the other, where does a good sealer (like Wolfgang) stand in this lineup?

Ok so after my many questions, lets hear some honest opinions please...
 
JoeHotRod said:
I have heard great things about the "opti-coat" paint coating, however I also heard this product comes in a small (expensive tube) and is much harder to apply and you can really make a nice detail look bad if not applied or wiped correctly???
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Opti-Coat 2.0 is no longer available. While it is true that OC 2.0 could leave high spots that could be tough to remove, the replacement, Gloss-Coat has been reviewed as being as easy to apply as Opti-Seal, so that should alleviate that worry (I haven't used Gloss-Coat yet myself).
 
Ok thanks Setec. Just looked it up right now.

Optimum Paint Coating

For the price though of $59.99 you only get 10cc?
How many cars can you get out of only 10cc?

I noticed for $10 cheaper the Detailers brand coating is 4 oz.

Detailer’s Paint Coating, nano paint sealant, ceramic paint coating, nano paint coating

That doesn't make too much sense right??? Why would they give you so little product to work with?

One guy on his review of the optimum said he actually ran short before getting to do the entire car... I like Optimum products, but man if thats really true... that SUCKS!
 
They now have a 20cc syringe of Gloss-Coat, exclusively here at Autogeek. I understand that Gloss-Coat goes further than OC 2.0 did.

One of the problems with the Optimum coatings is that a lot can get absorbed into the applicator (like the yellow foam that comes with it) which can be quite wasteful. I like to use some variant of the blue shop towel method.

I'm sorry I'm not helping you with your main Detailer's vs. PBL question, but I haven't used either of them.
 
I used the DP PAINT COAT over my last vacation. This was my first coating. I used the DP COATING POLISH prior to application. Got to say it was very user friendly. The xterra is still beading like mad of course. And is so easy to dry off now after a wash. I used this for my winter protection. Guess the real test will see how it looks in the spring.

http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/show-n-shine/84292-2012-xterra-dp-paint-coat.html

So far i have not altered the coating in any way. Just straight washes and megs quik detailer.
 
Even though some of the newer coatings are easier to apply than previous coatings, they can't match the ease of application of a sealant like WG 3.0. Apply a thin coat to the paint, let it haze for 30-45 minutes while you work on interior, tires, or something else, and buff off. You will only use 1/2 ounce or 1 ounce of product to seal a vehicle. I have never actually purchased a bottle of WG 3.0, as the free samples I acquire through my AG purchases have fulfilled my sealant needs.

As far as durability goes, I have personally had 3.0 do well through harsh winters and it can easily last 6 months or more in normal weather.

Out of the two coatings you mentioned, I have only used the DP paint coating, but I have been impressed by it. Two of my vehicles are now coated with it, and are topped with Sonax Polymer Net Shield for addition hydrophobic properties and help keep water spotting away. The downside to a coating is that it takes much longer to install properly, as you have to do small sections to ensure proper coverage without leaving streaks and excess product. There is definitely a learning curve to applying a coating. After looking at a lot of threads where professional detailers used a coating, I would say that the average application time is 1 1/2 hours or longer, depending on factors such as vehicle size, temperature, humidity, etc.

A professional detailer definitely still has need of a sealant like WG 3.0 as most customers don't want to pay the additional $100-$400 that many detailers charge for a coating. Meguiars M21 is also an excellent sealant at a better price point, and there are other options out there.
 
JoeHotRod said:
To start, I first have been looking into testing sealers (such as the Wolfgang 3.0) in comparison to the polymer waxes such as the optimum spray wax.
Now however, after much reading... and reading... and reading so much here at autogeek, I recently started contemplating the idea of exploring into the world of coatings.

So, real quick... considering "coatings" & "sealers," does Wolgang even compare or have a chance now against the easier to apply coatings, or does it still hold a solid place in a professional detail persons arsenal?

I have heard great things about the "opti-coat" paint coating, however I also heard this product comes in a small (expensive tube) and is much harder to apply and you can really make a nice detail look bad if not applied or wiped correctly???

So lately I've been reading more and watching Mike Phillips videos on the Detailers brand Coating. Looks like something I would like to purchase and try, but now I ALSO saw that Pinnacle makes a coating that applies as a spray on just like the Detailers brand.

I understand each product is different and both are great companies
(I do in fact use both brands in my arsenal) but really, with an unbiased opinion, which outperforms the other, where does a good sealer (like Wolfgang) stand in this lineup?

Ok so after my many questions, lets hear some honest opinions please...
Click to expand...

I understand your concern. I have thought about this as well.

My conclusion: There are far too many variables to deduce conclusively, for any one person or application, which product will be "the best," or outperform the competition. Each product has its own benefits and drawbacks, so it's really about finding what you like and going from there. Like Mike Phillips says......

Find something you like, and use it often.

And about things being hard to apply, don't sweat it. You can do it. Anything in life worth doing is worth overdoing, moderation is for cowards.
 
I have so far tried 3 paint coatings. DP, Pinnacle, and Carpro CQuartz UK. And I have tried quite a few sealants over the years, WG, Menz Powerlock, Zaino, Duragloss, Megs, etc etc.

As a plus for DP Paint Coating, I found it to be about the slickest, most slippery product I've ever applied to paint bar none. It even seemed slicker-more slippery than Pinnacle Paint Coating.

Now some downsides I've found with both Pinnacle and DP Coatings.

The flash time with both is pretty much instantaneous, it appears not easy to spread, and since they flash so quickly, it can cause IMO over-application of product. When applying either, they are fairly "draggy", meaning it is sometimes not all that easy to know or feel where you've ended an application, and to complete any given panel on a vehicle. Sight is usually not much help either.

By both DP-Pinnacle being spray on products, directly applying onto the paint can be tricky, and I've found they can be especially testy to apply outdoors, particularly if there's even the slightest amount of winds-breezes.

They are no doubt better applied inside a garage. I know Mike Phillips has demoed the application process and has shown one method to apply these two, and perhaps another method might be to use something like a Carpro Sponge Block Applicator with the Carpro Suede MF Sheets, and spray product to the Applicator, then wipe across the paint.

Although draggy when first applied, when then later coming behind with a soft MF Towel to level-smooth-even the application (important), you will then feel the insane slickness of finish. This may offer some help in knowing where the product has been applied, and where it hasn't.

If under less than ideal conditions like I've encountered, one will more than likely have a tendency to over apply, thus IMO I think one will commonly be hard pressed to attain 12 or 15 applications per bottle.

Now after application of either DP-Pinnacle Coatings, here's what I've observed, and experienced.

Both seem to offer a very nice glassy candy-like sterile look to the paint.
Quite similar to what one would see with a good Sealant like WG, Zaino, or one of the WOWA types.

IMO, it appears the film build-thickness of these two Coatings seems thin. Perhaps they can be layered for additional film thickness, and that one would achieve longer durability, and mar resistance. An additional coat will most likely insure one also has complete coverage.

What I didn't seem to like about either DP-Pinnacle Coatings, and this could be due to my personal useage, or for some other reason, but it seemed that the two did not offer as much mar resistance as I would've liked.

Now trust, I was not doing two-bucket washes, foam guns-cannons, metro blasters-etc to blow off waters when dryng, etc, but did seem to note micro-marring and swirling returning quite quickly, in just a matter of a couple of washes. In other words, I noted this within just a couple short weeks.

With a fingernail test against the paint, again, I noted a seemingly easy ability to damage the finish.

Now about Carpro CQ UK Coating:
Very nice looking, IMO was easier to apply, particularly since I'm always outdoors and only have a Carport with overhead sun protection.

By dribbling the product onto the MF Suede Applicator, this seemed easier, as I was not so much affected by any slight breezes outdoors.

The work time seems a good deal longer, that one will be able to better spread the product in repeated cross-hatch patterns across a panel area, and have less tendency to miss any areas. Yes, again a slight dragginess to feel upon application, but doesn't seem as draggy as either Pinnacle-DP. Perhaps the longer work time has an influence?

My experience applying CQuartz went very well, no issues of streaking, or any unevenness, simply came behind after each panel was coated, about 2-3 minutes, and smoothed with a clean soft MF Towel, then moved on.
A simple walk back around had shown no high spots, or any other anomalies. Easy!

The film build-thickness seems thicker with CQ UK both while applying, and after application.

The paint felt fairly slick after I was done, and even a bit slicker after a Capro Reload Application, but still not as slick IMO as DP Paint Coating.

After a couple hours cure time, the fingernail scratch test was performed with CQ UK, like I had done with the other Coatings. Absolutely rock hard, like a coat of hard glass, I could not compromise the coating with such light scratching to the finish.

Hope this helps some.

CQ UK seems much more durable in this regard to resist marring-swirling.

Too early to tell, but I am guessing that CQuartz will prove to be the more durable coating versus DP-Pinnacle Coatings.
 
I'm just going to throw in another two cents, which is these coating are touted at having a life measured in years...Detailer's coating has been out for 15 months, PBL for a year, Gloss-Coat for a couple of months...so I'm not sure there really is any idea yet of how these coatings stand up, relative to their claims or each other.
 
Setec Astronomy said:
One of the problems with the Optimum coatings is that a lot can get absorbed into the applicator (like the yellow foam that comes with it) which can be quite wasteful. I like to use some variant of the blue shop towel method.

QUOTE]

I just bought a 10cc sample of CQuartz which is only supposed to cover a panel. Will at Wills and Windows says to use the CarPro applicator. That should help.
Click to expand...
 
Setec Astronomy said:
I'm just going to throw in another two cents, which is these coating are touted at having a life measured in years...Detailer's coating has been out for 15 months, PBL for a year, Gloss-Coat for a couple of months...so I'm not sure there really is any idea yet of how these coatings stand up, relative to their claims or each other.
Click to expand...

With that being said Setec, other personal unknowns to myself, and perhaps all others, is their durability to withstand harsh cleaners, either acidic-alkaninic, bird droppings, road salts, UV degradation, mar resistance etc.

I certainly have no lab on hand, nor the time or knowledge to do highly controlled testing of such products to accurately say which one of all products available would prove to be winner?

There's no argument that nothing made can protect against flying debris, stone chips, eventual marring-swirling.

I doubt any would be able to shrug and fend off what I once went through about 7 years ago traveling south from Albuquerque-Belen, NM in the Kia , and that was a "major tumbleweed storm".

Imagine if you will, these literal tens of thousands of huge rolling balls of barb-wire like nastiness, many 1/2 the size of small cars blowing across the highway at 40-45mph speeds.
 
I heard about a coating that is designed to last years that makes your paint look better and protects it from harm.

It's called clear coat.

It's paint.
 
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