Are High End Products Worth The Money?

[artofdetailing]

The official price of POLISHANGEL GOLDFINGER is CND $53,715. Any takers?

haha sweet! I wonder how much it cost them to create?

 

[WantcarPerfect]

If the question is "Are High End Products Worth The Money?" The answer is yes, because people are willing to pay the price. The only thing that determines somethings value in money is what people are willing to pay.

If the question is are high end products that much better for the additional money? Then that is a question of personal preference.

I feel there is a diminishing return that for me makes many products not worth the money. What that amount is, maybe different for all of us.

The real question is do you like the product and are you willing to pay the price? and Do you perceive an intrinsic value, that goes beyond it's functional value?

 

[cardaddy]

Leatherique all the way.

THIS.... because I've used and seen it used on high-line vehicles with the owners just loving it all the way.
(Although to me it smells like old stinky feet.)

and.... THIS (below)

Wouldn't it be fun to have a blind trial of products where the labels are removed and you get to try each one out and at the end see if your opinions about certain products are justified or not?

Imagine a double blind test to actually work with and see/feel/touch these esoteric products in a 'real world' situation so you could experience how they actually work on REAL vehicles........

Being as you mentioned LV bags earlier, I have a story that may put that in perspective.

My younger brother (now deceased) and his ex-wife (read NOT his widow, but they were divorced before he died) used to work at a place that had contracts with airlines to repair damaged luggage and/or bags that were damaged sometime after check-in and before the owners received them at the 'wonderful luggage carousel'.

This company is a very small operation, but has two locations in the nation, one in Atlanta (because it's a MAJOR airport hub, and the other was somewhere out west, I'm thinking around Colorado). The reason they exist is because there is a TON of luggage damage each and every day that people file claims over and the airlines will send those bags out to be either repaired or considered as a total loss. It's amazing to see just how many bags they get, and even more amazing to see the dumpster out back at how many (so called) high end bags get tossed each and every day.

It is a very basic operation staffed by your typical high school dropouts and paying them all just barely minimum wage. They can literally BUILD ANY BAG from scratch however. They have all the wheels, buckles, straps, locks, inner linings and the factory material (fabric as it's called) whether it's vinyl, leather, cloth, or something in between. The LV material comes on a roll just like everything else.

The thing is, none of the high end, high priced material, locks buckles etc. was any different than your normal well constructed stuff. The weight (thickness) of the material was the same. The lining material was the same. The buckles were not gold plated and come from the same supply house as everything else.

What WAS different? The price! (And of course the owners, as they raised more living he!! about their beloved bags than the run of the mill owners did.)

Seen the Jay Leno bit where the guy makes ridiculous products up that are supposed to make food taste better, or make you see better (like see in 3D) and then has people telling him how much better 'xyz' product makes things when they try it. All the while it does N-O-T-H-I-N-G.

(I'm not saying that higher priced, higher quality products do nothing, but there is a point of no return.) It's up to you to decide if there are in fact tangible differences that'll make your product(s) a worth while investment to the point where you can continue to provide your services and maintain your existing profit structure. Short of that, stay with what you know works, and explain to your clients that you've been there, done that, and you want them to have the best possible product with the best possible performance WITHOUT having them dig into their children's college savings to do so. Remember, they ARE paying you for your experience and that means much more at the end of the day than the products you use. They'll appreciate you more for it that's a fact.

Bottom line; these esoteric products are more about per-ception than realization.

 

[jloha312]

I'm ordering the Discovery Kit with Onyx wax which is $199.

It states in their instructions that you should wax every 3 months and that 1 bottle is good for 15 waxes so 3 years worth. Which if you look at it that way is about $13 per wax application - pretty reasonable to me.

In looking further on their site they do recommend using their claybar system for initial prep on non-new cars which is what I want to do so I'll give that a try as well.

Also very interesting that they don't have a button for you to "like" them with Facebook on their site - I guess they're not into it.

 

[HateSwirls]

I use NXT most of the time and I can get three months too if taken care of.
Using a good car soap goes a long way in how long your wax holds up.
I bet I waxed at least 10 cars with one bottle.
Price, under $25.00.
Now we all know it's a sealant also but all the same you get a lot of protection for a lower cost than most.

 

[artofdetailing]

I'm ordering the Discovery Kit with Onyx wax which is $199.

It states in their instructions that you should wax every 3 months and that 1 bottle is good for 15 waxes so 3 years worth. Which if you look at it that way is about $13 per wax application - pretty reasonable to me.

In looking further on their site they do recommend using their claybar system for initial prep on non-new cars which is what I want to do so I'll give that a try as well.

Also very interesting that they don't have a button for you to "like" them with Facebook on their site - I guess they're not into it.

at $13 dollars an application, that doesn't seem unreasonable. my email is [email protected] ... id be interested in hearing about your experiences with the swissvax products. :dblthumb2:

 

[FUNX650]

at $13 dollars an application, that doesn't seem unreasonable.

YIKES!!!

Bob

 

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

One thing for sure... never skimp on your abrasive technology, it is the most important factor that will determine your end results.

I used Wolfgang Uber Compound followed by Wolfgang Finishing Glaze on this Porsche that's currently out in the garage, take a look at the before and after...



Here's how she started out...

Here's how she looked just about an hour ago...

I just wiped her down with Detailer's Paint Coating Prep and now I'm headed back out into the garage to wipe it off before I apply the Detailer's Paint Coating followed by Wolfgang Fuzion.

The paint looks simply amazing...

 

[sontakke]

Isn't it rather unfair to compare picture taken in sunlight vs under shop light? I believe you but those pictures just don't corroborate what you are saying.

 

[artofdetailing]

One thing for sure... never skimp on your abrasive technology, it is the most important factor that will determine your end results.

I used Wolfgang Uber Compound followed by Wolfgang Finishing Glaze on this Porsche that's currently out in the garage, take a look at the before and after...



Here's how she started out...

Here's how she looked just about an hour ago...

I just wiped her down with Detailer's Paint Coating Prep and now I'm headed back out into the garage to wipe it off before I apply the Detailer's Paint Coating followed by Wolfgang Fuzion.

The paint looks simply amazing...

Mike, I 100% agree with you. I have been using Menzerna Polishes & Megs 101 or 105. They have been nothing short of great. I have been using the flex 3401vrg orbital polisher and Im not sure it cuts as fast as a rotary would but it does the job. Would my paint correction time be shortened significantly with the flex rotary? Also, I have always used foam pads...should I consider the new microfiber pads? Feed back please

 

[tswitz]

I feel there is a diminishing return that for me makes many products not worth the money. What that amount is, maybe different for all of us.

The real question is do you like the product and are you willing to pay the price? and Do you perceive an intrinsic value, that goes beyond it's functional value?

You hit the nail right on the head IMO. :iagree:

 

[Desertnate]

Being as you mentioned LV bags earlier, I have a story that may put that in perspective.

Interesting to hear that they have all those materials to work from.

Any military member whose been stationed in South Korea can tell you about the "designer" leather products and "name brand" Gortex sports wear they have bought for family and friends.

I'm of the mind there is a point of diminishing returns on many products. The low end stuff most often doesn't perform all that well, but there are occasionally some real gems. Moving into the middle ground the quality moves up but there are some trade offs, usually to favor usability or reliability at the sacrifice of durability. High end seems to favor total performance at the sake of reliability or durability. In the end it comes down to what compromises the user is willing to make...cost, reliability, performance, or degrees in between.

Personally, I'd love to put some products my cars that would make them glow like they are having a nuclear melt-down. However the stuff that does that only lasts a few weeks and costs way more than I'm willing to spend. Instead I'm pretty happy with a really nice shine that lasts months on end.

 

[Marc Hufnagel]

Above $60? Some of the best products are around $10 in the case of Duragloss.

Meg's has great products in the under $20 bracket.

Throw in Collinite as well.

Most I've paid for a sealant was 55 for hydro2. Worth it but everything else is Meg's dg and collinite.

 

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

Isn't it rather unfair to compare picture taken in sunlight vs under shop light?

I believe you but those pictures just don't corroborate what you are saying.

Have no fear....

You know I have a pretty long history of doing write-ups. As long and in most cases longer than most that have been on forums since forums were invented. Joe Fernandez aka SuperiorShine gave me credit for being the guy that started detailing "write-ups" back in the early days of forums and I'll take that credit.

I even have articles on how to use your camera to get the sun shots. It's possible I might even have more before and after pictures with sun shots than anyone in the forum world.


As I type this it's 1:32pm. I just finished wiping off the Detailer's Paint Coating Prep. Next is to apply a coating.

Kind of hard to take the AFTER sun shots when,

A: I'm not done.
B: Currently it's not sunny outside.



But I hear what you're saying, I've seen it said since 2002 on forums.


Over the weekend I taught a class on how to detail cars and to your point, I took before and after shots in the sun... of course this isn't my work but the work of my class... just sayin...

Pictures: Detailing Boot Camp Class - September 28th & 29th 2013



The Flex 3401 Class Car



And here's how this car started out...


The lines you see are the tale-tale sign of holograms inflicted by the misuse of a rotary buffer.

You can see the hologram lines in this shot too...

While these look just like cobweb swirls, this section of paint was buffed the same way as the hood you just don't see the hologram lines but these swirls were caused by a rotary buffer also...

I took these shots of the 1959 Dodge this morning in full sun to show the show car results...

Hang tight... the sun shots of the Porsche will appear weather permitting...


:xyxthumbs:

 

[jamesalanb]

Wait a second! All this talk about Megs, Swiss, WG, Zymol and so forth... Does no one else notice how oddly shaped a small breast was in the 60's?!?! I'm sure glad I was hitting stride at the turn of the millennia as opposed to the 60's-70's!
Now, I've not bought the top of the line products, it's just not feasible for somebody like me. However, on exterior I've used WG Fuzion on my car, DP paint coat (just this weekend) and Meg's ULW. On family and friends I've used the DP and Meg's products. For my vehicle that gets cleaned twice weekly, the WG is fine, even great. I know it doesn't bead and repel as well as others but I enjoy the product and results. The DP may or may not be worth it's cost all depending on longevity. I hate the product during application and when buffing high spots and I hate having to polish the car for hours to eliminate a 10 minute IPA wipedown. But damn, do I love the slickness and shine! Time will make me a believer in the DP Paint Coating. The Meg's Ult line as of now blows everything else I've touched (again, a bit of a rookie and tight wad) out of the water when you factor in cost, ease, results and longevity. Like everybody else says, if you can justify the cost, as I have with my Fuzion, then yes, high line products are well worth the investment. It is all a matter of perspective...

 

[Andr3wilson]

haha sweet! I wonder how much it cost them to create?

I don't have a specific answer on that, but I know it's at least 10K. The case and raw contents alone would be that. That not counting the hours to make.

 

[TrKent]

I don't have a specific answer on that, but I know it's at least 10K. The case and raw contents alone would be that. That not counting the hours to make.

at least $2500 worth of real gold, right? And from the way it was explained to me the gold is not just there for name's sake, it is functional in the protection properties of the wax itself.

 

[swanicyouth]

at least $2500 worth of real gold, right? And from the way it was explained to me the gold is not just there for name's sake, it is functional in the protection properties of the wax itself.

Wouldn't metal (gold) in your wax mar paint?

 

[Andr3wilson]

The gold metal is actually too soft to mar the paint. Remember how people would bite gold to test the quality? The more pure, the softer it is.

Travis, from my estimations it's closer to $3500 of gold alone (depending on the trade price). Gold is on of the best UV protectants on the planet (NASA uses it on visors for astronauts). Not only that but it adds a gold metallic to the paint. Effectively sharpening and reversing the effects wax has on muting metallic. COSMIC can also be tinted gold metallic too!

 

[HateSwirls]

One thing for sure... never skimp on your abrasive technology, it is the most important factor that will determine your end results.

I used Wolfgang Uber Compound followed by Wolfgang Finishing Glaze on this Porsche that's currently out in the garage, take a look at the before and after...



Here's how she started out...

Here's how she looked just about an hour ago...

I just wiped her down with Detailer's Paint Coating Prep and now I'm headed back out into the garage to wipe it off before I apply the Detailer's Paint Coating followed by Wolfgang Fuzion.

The paint looks simply amazing...

Looks like great work Mike
You my friend are the master of detailing and as I told you on the phone I've learned so much from you and thank you for helping us out.
I'm sure it looks good in the sun, under lights or in the dark at a street light