Collinite 845 - the "Rocky Balboa" of waxes

Shane731

Shane731

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Yes, I know what you're thinking. You're thinking, "Rocky Balboa? Why does he call it the 'Rocky Balboa' of waxes?" Well, if you are familiar with the Rocky movies, then you will recall that Rocky (played by Sylvester Stallone) was an underdog, little known or respected until his big fight with Apollo Creed, and after that fight he became a legend almost overnight. But he had to fight for his place - he had to show that once he stepped into the ring, even an underdog can take on the big dogs. And that's what Collinite 845 is - an underdog. It doesn't get mentioned a whole lot, it doesn't get praised a whole lot, and at such a low price, it very quickly and easily gets brushed aside in favor of prettier, more expensive waxes/sealants.

I washed, clayed, and applied two coats of Collinite 845 to our 2000 Honda Accord right around the end of November/first of December. Since that time, it has received no QD wipedowns, no waterless washes, no rinseless washes, no regular washes, no DIY washes, no automatic washes, no touchless washes, nothing. Nada, zip, zilch, zero. Part of the reason for this is that we have had some just plain nasty weather the past couple months, and I have no space to work in. Also, I work 6 days a week at two part-time jobs (45+ hours a week), so my time spent detailing is quite limited. Well, low and behold, it was in the upper 50's today, and it was a Sunday, so I didn't have to work. Perfect time to wash this car and see how my previously applied coats of 845 were faring. Truth be told, I was fully expecting to have to clay and wax the car. I didn't think Collinite 845 could possibly have held up to the rain, snow, ice, and dirt that had accumulated from regular driving and sitting outside 24/7. I thought my notions were confirmed when I did my initial rinse. As it was, after washing the dirt off, I was very pleasantly surprised and downright amazed. My wash solution was about 3 ounces of Duragloss 901 and 2 ounces of ONR. Check it out (sorry there is no sound - my camera does not have a microphone to record sound):

[video=youtube_share;cVmHvkdgdQ0] - Collinite 845 durability test horizontal surface[/video]

After wash beading


Let's see how well the side panels fared:

[video=youtube_share;t01fd7HOBkk] - Collinite 845 durability test vertical panel[/video]

after washing pic


Let's see how well Aquapel is holding up - applied at the same time as the Collinite:

[video=youtube_share;hrHb48Ifq8Q] - Aquapel durability test[/video]

Some pics after washing and drying with a Cobra Guzzler using DP Final Gloss as a drying aid:








There was even still some slickness to the paint afterwards (although this may have been partially due to the Final Gloss). A quick application of Aquawax and it was good to go! Truly amazing that an underdog could stand up to that kind of abuse and still come out ahead. If you're a skeptic who's been wondering whether or not you should buy this, I don't know what you're still waiting for. You need to just plain buy it! Hope you liked my review. Comments, suggestions, and criticisms welcome! Thanks for looking. :xyxthumbs:
 
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Shane, I could not have said it better and the proof is indisputable!

Collinite 845 is The Eye of The Tiger......:props:
 
Looks like there is a turning tide towards the underdogs of late. The review of the Megs UQW and now this news.

Nice write up and thanks for putting this together. :props:
 
CieraSL said:
And that's what Collinite 845 is - an underdog. It doesn't get mentioned a whole lot, it doesn't get praised a whole lot, and at such a low price, it very quickly and easily gets brushed aside in favor of prettier, more expensive waxes/sealants.
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Only by those that haven't tried it. I've been on the 845 bandwagon for over 30 years. Doesn't make any sense to me to use anything else. :xyxthumbs:

TL
 
It really is a nice wax. We just put 2 coats on my wife's Volvo this weekend and she was amazed how easy it was to remove and how good it looks.

This is another product that I will not be without in the future.
 
To say it doesn't get mentioned is highly misleading. I think it is mentioned in any thread about wax. Everyone who mentions it praises it. I have not tried it, but it is in my shopping cart for my next order because of all the mention on this and other sites.
 
About 30 years ago I was having a beer with a co-worker. We had just started stocking the Meguiar's line at the dealership and were discussing our favorite waxes and polishes. An old man leaned over and said "Collinite, kid-that's all you need". I just blew it off. I had seen the stuff at my local hardware store. Plain bottles with names like Insulator Wax, Metal Wax and Sapphire, no advertising in the car mags, certainly couldn't be any good.
Fast forward to 2010. After joining up here, the name Collinite appeared again. I went back to the same hardware store, dropped 15 bucks for a bottle of 845, and laid a couple coats on my winter driver. Great stuff! Applied in early December, it's still beading in late January. I use it on glass too. Windows stay cleaner and I do less ice scraping than I've ever done before. We've had 25 days of snow in January and I've never had a window refuse to open because of ice.
I know the old guy has long since passed, but if I ever see him again, I owe him a cold one.

Bill
 
Has anyone had any experience with their Sapphire Cleaner Wax paste? If it's anything like 845, it ought to be a good choice for the times when you need a bit of cleaning action.

Bill
 
M.P. Cobra Fan said:
To say it doesn't get mentioned is highly misleading. I think it is mentioned in any thread about wax. Everyone who mentions it praises it. I have not tried it, but it is in my shopping cart for my next order because of all the mention on this and other sites.
Click to expand...

Perhaps I phrased that wrong - particularly on "wax wars" threads, at least the ones I have seen, when somebody asks, "What is the best wax," I usually see the big dogs get the most mention - Zaino, Swissvax, Zymol, Wolfgang Fuzion, Souveran, Victoria's Wax, Chemical Guys, Dodo Juice, BFWD, DGPS, Power Lock, etc. Collinite 845 only seems to get mentioned by the "Collinite faithful". Any time an underdog gets mentioned, somebody gets all sore and snooty about it. It just doesn't command the same respect that, say, Swissvax or Souveran do - the "waxes with a rep". That is why, in my mind, I perceive Collinite 845 to be a less-mentioned underdog.
 
I think that the reason Collinite 845 always appears as an underdog is the lack of fanfare and advertising. The bottle or packaging is very plane and indicates Insulator Wax and mentions can be used as an automotive and marine wax.

Collinite845.jpg


Collinite 845 was developed in 1912 as an Insulator Wax and automotive protection seems to be a byproduct or second thought.

It's notoriety among detailing enthusiasts is almost legendary however we make up a very small segment of car care. In general it's not found for sale where most detailing supplies are sold; department or parts stores.

Collinite 845 is one of the best kept secrets in automotive waxes today.
 
Even though Mothers and Meguiars make great stuff, I think that Collinite and Duragloss make the best.
 
BillyJack said:
Has anyone had any experience with their Sapphire Cleaner Wax paste? If it's anything like 845, it ought to be a good choice for the times when you need a bit of cleaning action.
Click to expand...

30+ years ago the Commuter guys used to use our hangers at night for maintenance. The planes never got washed, they just whacked 'em with a rotary and wool with liquid #126 Sapphire they used by the gallon to remove the crud. Actually worked quite well. Took off the grime, even the exhaust stains on the underside of the wings, and left a nice shine and some protection.

I gave it a whirl on a neglected car and thought it cut well. Too well... next day in the sun it was induced-swirl city. :eek:

On the hard Imron on the planes it was fine but I found it to be a lot stouter than I expected a cleaner-wax to be. I used to use it by hand for spot application and it almost resembled a compound in it's cut. I used it on oxidized fiberglass boats with good results as well. Dunno how today's formula might compare. YMMV.

TL
 
I'm glad you like Collinite, but calling it an underdog is very misleading. This wax has been around for a LONG time and is available OTC in many locations. A lot of detailers, professional and hobbyist, have been using this wax for years. Also there have been a ton of threads about it both on this site and other forums.

Just b/c it doesn't have a flashy label and isn't on the front page of the store doesn't mean it's an underdog. There are a lot of people that only use collinite due to it's great looks, easy use, and absolutely amazing durability.
 
Spicy McHaggis said:
Just b/c it doesn't have a flashy label and isn't on the front page of the store doesn't mean it's an underdog. There are a lot of people that only use collinite due to it's great looks, easy use, and absolutely amazing durability.
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Maybe that's exactly why I feel it is an underdog. Looking at the sealants on my shelf, Collinite is the least flashy of all of them. It stinks, it's runny, it's not as nicely packaged as my other sealants. If I were a customer and didn't know anything about sealants and was asked to pick one to be used on my car based on looks, I can tell you right now that Collinite would not be the first one I personally would pick. As BillyJack stated earlier:

BillyJack said:
About 30 years ago I was having a beer with a co-worker. We had just started stocking the Meguiar's line at the dealership and were discussing our favorite waxes and polishes. An old man leaned over and said "Collinite, kid-that's all you need". I just blew it off. I had seen the stuff at my local hardware store. Plain bottles with names like Insulator Wax, Metal Wax and Sapphire, no advertising in the car mags, certainly couldn't be any good.
Fast forward to 2010. After joining up here, the name Collinite appeared again. I went back to the same hardware store, dropped 15 bucks for a bottle of 845, and laid a couple coats on my winter driver. Great stuff! Applied in early December, it's still beading in late January. I use it on glass too. Windows stay cleaner and I do less ice scraping than I've ever done before. We've had 25 days of snow in January and I've never had a window refuse to open because of ice.
I know the old guy has long since passed, but if I ever see him again, I owe him a cold one.

Bill
Click to expand...

Only those who have used it know its true value and have experienced what a great product it is firsthand. Since this is my review based on my personal experience with this product, I stand by my original statement that I feel Collinite 845 is an underdog. Nuff said. :cool:
 
I wouldn't put Zaino in the "big dogs" category. If you're going to do this then put Duragloss in with it. :D

On a positive note, nice video. I too took advantage of the weather and used almost the same soap mix, except I used 1oz. ONR with 3oz. DG 901. I don't know about you buddy but I'm ready for more days like this weekend (well warmer)!
 
I also should add that Collinite 845 does an amazing job at repelling dirt - the car was nowhere as dirty as it "should have been" with 2 months of dirt on it. Solid stuff, fo' sho'. :dblthumb2:
 
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