Carpro Essence first time use???

Ronin47 said:
I use Essence exclusively with Rupes Yellow, BnS Green or Orange pads and on all types of paints and colours results has been phenomenal. Its not as oily as all other types of finishing polishes, it requires less product and fewer passes not forgetting the easiest wipe off ever.

I have put it up against:

Menzerna SF4000/3500
Menzerna Power Protect Ultra
Scholl Concepts S30+
Rupes Keramik
Rupes Diamond
Chemical Guys V38
Meguiars M205
Meguiars Ultimate Polish
Wolfgang Finishing Glaze
Poorboy’s Blackhole and White Diamond
HD Speed
Pinnacle XMT Carnauba Glaze
CarPro Reflect
Angelwax Redemption
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I completely disagree. IMO M205 is a far superior finishing polish.

Try doing this with Essence and I think we can all agree that it'll be an epic fail. [this was done with a HF DA using LC Flat Foam White Polishing Pad]

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Not only does Essence lack the punching power, [which is a pleasant surprise for those times when you need it] but it lets you down x2 because even if it did, it's working time is so dang short that it'd be near impossible to use unless of course you don't mind the fact that it becomes a PITA to wipe off if you actually work it long enough to actually do anything...

On the other hand, M205 isn't all finicky, nor does it require you to buff for a mandatory amount of time like a DAT polish.. It's very user friendly, works great short buffing cycle or even long buffing cycle if that's your style and wipes off very easy either ways + finishes off pretty damn great.

Has Essence ever finished off looking better than this for me? Heck no!

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Less product? It's ok, M205 costs $20 per quart vs. $70 per quart that Essence costs...

M205 = Versatile.
Essence = Works on near perfect paint, anything beyond that may be asking too much.
 
I don't mean to try and turn anyone off to Essence nor do I intend to sound like I'm completely hating on it. I suppose it's good for its intended purpose which is prep near perfect paint for coatings...

Comparing it a robust finishing polish such as M205 is like comparing apples to oranges. But I stand by by beliefs that Essence isn't anywhere near on the level of that or any "real" finishing polish with actual capabilities.
 
It's definitely different. I don't think you can compare it something like 205. Based on it's properties it seems like a combination of a glaze (fillers) and very light cutting aio.
 
My toughts about essence is that it's not a finishing polish or an aio. Then I don't compare it to those kind of products. It's a Primer for cquarts coatings and reload etc. But you can use it as a finishing polish but have in mind it's have a light cuting ability. And use a sio2 or ti based lsp on it. That's just my opinion.
 
Eldorado2k said:
I completely disagree. IMO M205 is a far superior finishing polish.

M205 = Versatile.
Essence = Works on near perfect paint, anything beyond that may be asking too much.

Comparing it a robust finishing polish such as M205 is like comparing apples to oranges. But I stand by by beliefs that Essence isn't anywhere near on the level of that or any "real" finishing polish with actual capabilities.
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IME Essence produces a glossier finish and finishes down significantly better than M205. This is especially evident on softer finicky paints like on gloss black b-pillars. But you're right, comparing these two products is not a fair comparison because they are designed for completely different purposes. I've never felt that Essence has any heavy correction abilities like M205 coupled w/ a microfiber pad can offer. But who cares? Even though M205 can offer pretty amazing correction abilities I'd still rather just make one pass w/ something like M101 and then finish out w/ Essence which would be faster and produce better results than trying to do 4-6 passes w/ M205.
 
SWETM said:
My toughts about essence is that it's not a finishing polish or an aio. Then I don't compare it to those kind of products. It's a Primer for cquarts coatings and reload etc. But you can use it as a finishing polish but have in mind it's have a light cuting ability. And use a sio2 or ti based lsp on it. That's just my opinion.
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I agree, essence is a about the most over-hyped product of the past few years. It's not versatile and even though I like the thought of semi-permanent fillers, I have not seen any additional gloss or any filling even on VERY light towel marks. If you are expecting gloss similar to a product like HD Speed, you'll be seriously disappointed. HD Speed adds FAR more gloss and the montan wax in HD Speed actually fills better. Even though durability and water behavior isn't the most important factor for me when using an AIO, Essence is by far the worst durability of any AIO I've used and nearly zero hydrophobic properties.

When preparing for applying my preferred coating "Optimum Gloss Coat".... HD Polish+ is my go-to polish. It doesn't leave a bunch of residual oils, it wipes off easy, it's SMAT so you can work the polish for as much or as little as you want, and the added lubricants used in polish+ stay wet even on hot panels, which makes it fantastic for using with a long-throw polisher or a rotary or when dealing with porous "sticky" paints.
 
I've never found Essence to be hard to remove. I just spray on some Eraser and off it comes, and I've worked it for pretty long. Granted, if you are working on a Japanese car, Essence will give you better results than 205. 205 will not finish LSP ready on softer paint, period. Nothing wrong with 205 though, just two different products. Some people hate it, some people love it. I like using Essence with a MF cutting pad, it works for me.
 
WillSports3 said:
I've never found Essence to be hard to remove. I just spray on some Eraser and off it comes.
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That's like saying store brand whiskey isn't rough... Just chase it down with some cola and you won't taste a thing! lol.
 
I’ve gotten a dozen detailers onto Essence and everyone of them has thanked me and sung praises around it. The only complaint they had was now they don’t know what to do with their other finishing polishes and AIO’s.
 
mwoywod said:
I agree, essence is a about the most over-hyped product of the past few years. It's not versatile and even though I like the thought of semi-permanent fillers, I have not seen any additional gloss or any filling even on VERY light towel marks. If you are expecting gloss similar to a product like HD Speed, you'll be seriously disappointed. HD Speed adds FAR more gloss and the montan wax in HD Speed actually fills better. Even though durability and water behavior isn't the most important factor for me when using an AIO, Essence is by far the worst durability of any AIO I've used and nearly zero hydrophobic properties.

When preparing for applying my preferred coating "Optimum Gloss Coat".... HD Polish+ is my go-to polish. It doesn't leave a bunch of residual oils, it wipes off easy, it's SMAT so you can work the polish for as much or as little as you want, and the added lubricants used in polish+ stay wet even on hot panels, which makes it fantastic for using with a long-throw polisher or a rotary or when dealing with porous "sticky" paints.
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This is the direction of use for essence and I think it's important to follow these to get the resins activated and get the cut that it's possible in the beginning. And I think it's important to work in a garage or under very good wheather in the shade. They say you would get up to 12 months of protection on it's own. But to get the most out of essence it's finicky to do and time consuming. So for fulltime detailers I see why they would go for a polish with great finishing ability and then apply coatings or sealants.
Have you tried carpro reflect and how is that compare to HD Polish +?
And how do you others apply essence and what are you following up it with or do you use as a stand alone? How is it versatile for you?
Nothing is right or wrong in my book as long it's working for you. I think it's very interesting to discuss the inspirence others have.
 
^Ive done those directions to the T with lackluster results. The word is Essence is best used with a firmer pad, unlike the Gloss Pad they recommend. I tried the Gloss Pad with terrible results.

Carpro’s Reflect is a great polish too, but can be finicky as well. IMO, it doesn’t compare to HD Polish+. However, I haven’t found many that do.
 
MikeC78 said:
^Ive done those directions to the T with lackluster results. The word is Essence is best used with a firmer pad, unlike the Gloss Pad they recommend. I tried the Gloss Pad with terrible results.

Carpro’s Reflect is a great polish too, but can be finicky as well. IMO, it doesn’t compare to HD Polish+. However, I haven’t found many that do.
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Agree on not using Essence with the Gloss pad, thats why I mentioned the pads I use in a previous response.
 
This is great information on which pad to use. That comes from experience to dial in what works. Would you recommend the op to go with essence and then 845 or with essence as a stand alone? Maybe he already have the 845 will it be better to go with HD Polish + and then apply 845? I think if I would go with essence I would use a carpro coating or sealant to get the most out of essence. And before essence go with a compound or polish that cuts more than essence do to get a good corrected surface when starting with essence and go with a rupes yellow pad to max the gloss. But in the end it depends on what kind of car and what kind of defects that wants to be removed. If it's a hard clearcoat and some swirls to correct and he wants to do an one step maybe it would be to go with HD Speed? There are many ways to go with this and it depends on the expectations of the final result.
 
SWETM said:
This is great information on which pad to use. That comes from experience to dial in what works. Would you recommend the op to go with essence and then 845 or with essence as a stand alone? Maybe he already have the 845 will it be better to go with HD Polish + and then apply 845? I think if I would go with essence I would use a carpro coating or sealant to get the most out of essence. And before essence go with a compound or polish that cuts more than essence do to get a good corrected surface when starting with essence and go with a rupes yellow pad to max the gloss. But in the end it depends on what kind of car and what kind of defects that wants to be removed. If it's a hard clearcoat and some swirls to correct and he wants to do an one step maybe it would be to go with HD Speed? There are many ways to go with this and it depends on the expectations of the final result.
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Essence with a Rupes Yellow pad is absolute magic. As for topping Essence, Reload works best. Theres no harm in topping Essence with 845 as a very good pal of mines swears by that combo where I personally prefer Reload to 845. I haven’t used HD Polish+ so cant comment there but I have used HD Speed, its okay-ish I guess, prefer Menzerna 3-1 to Speed for cut and gloss but its very oily and doesn’t wipe off as easy as Speed.
 
All my pads are LC Hybrids for the 3401. How do you think it would work with the white pad or should I order some black hybrids??
I imagine the B&S green would work on 3401!as well.


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Bicycle said:
All my pads are LC Hybrids for the 3401. How do you think it would work with the white pad or should I order some black hybrids??
I imagine the B&S green would work on 3401!as well.


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Works fine with orange and white hybrid, as well as BnS green. Soft pads like the black pads or gloss pads doesn’t break down the abrasives as well wrt Essence.
 
I used an Orange Lake County CCS on my Subaru and just yesterday tried Buff & Shine Uro-Fibre on my Audi (7424XP).

Both seemed to work fine with no issues - Subaru has Hydro Blue over it - Audi has Mckees Sio2 full Coating.

I feel like the Uro-Fibre is a good choice for Essence - the Orange Pad left less depth - although it did seem to get better over time (and I just did the Audi yesterday - so short term review - but appears deeper (could be a color as well - Silver vs Dark Blue):drool:)

I also had no issues with sticking or stiff rub off:
- 4 Pea Size drops to prime pad initially / 3 Pea Size for each 2x2 section
- Spread on 1 / Polish 3 section passes on 5.5 (7424XP - so flex might be lower)
- Wipe off was super easy - no sticky issues

I wouldn't hesitate to use it with Hydo Blue for summer / non-snow climates = super easy and provides excellent beading / depth - for more protection I'm now trying it with Mckees full Sio2 Coating.:props:
 
Hey it works for me, and I have no issues with adding an extra spraying of IPA/Eraser. I like Essence for what it is.
 
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