Hard vs Soft waxes

Thanks!

do you have a username for the guys from dodo juice? Perhaps I will just Pm them with my question.
 
You can save yourelf the trouble by reading my last post but if you find something different please enlighten the rest of us.
 
CEE DOG said:
You can save yourelf the trouble by reading my last post but if you find something different please enlighten the rest of us.
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Did not see that post.

That does help a bit. i cant imagine smearing wax on my hands to put it on my car.

I may still contact them to see what they have to say.
 
AndrewBall said:
Did not see that post.

That does help a bit. i cant imagine smearing wax on my hands to put it on my car.

I may still contact them to see what they have to say.
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I haven't tried it yet but I am warming to the idea of it.

Let us know what they say.
 
AndrewBall said:
Ok, I have been doing some more research and decided to try out some new waxes for my cars. I currently use P21s and i feel like this stuff can barely hold up to a strong breeze let alone being washed once a week. I have heard others say the shine wasn't to impressive vs these other waxes so i need to find out for myself.

My issue is, one car is a deep metallic blue(LeMans Blue Metallic from a E39 BMW m5) and the other is my 2000 323 touring, done in Alpinewiess III or for anyone who isn't a bmw dork. White.

I decided i want to try Liquid Souveran. Perfect there is a free sample available with my order. So thats out of the way. Plus i hear its great on white. Even more perfect.

My next choices were from the Dodo juice line up. I wanted to try something that was good for my dark colored vehicle and my light colored one. So i got to looking at them and then i saw the hard and Soft. and being an indecisive person, I then came here to make a thread.

So what is the major difference and pros and cons of the different types?

Also, im open to other recommendations. I primarily am looking for samples at this point because i dont want to drop $100 on a wax and not like it.

I always use a few layers of Sealant first. currently I am using Klasse high Gloss sealant and i love it. (although im open to other options on this as well!)

I am primarily looking for a wax that gives me a jaw dropping appearance. I wax my cars pretty regularly, so durability isn't the most important to me. And as i said everything has a few coats of sealant on it first. Ease of application is nice but its not a selling point for me. I'm not a sissy. If its hard to put on and get off, so be it.

I have been using p21s concours and i was impressed with results. but i dont want to get to excited until i have compared it to others.

Thanks Guys
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Right, sorry for the delay in response, i try to follow as many threads in as many forums as possible but will inevitably miss some. but now i have seen it (thanks Mike) i will give you my best shot at an answer:

in the Core Eight there are 4 soft and 4 hard waxes. the difference in these waxes is simply the firmness of the waxes themselves. the main reason for creating a set of each is to cater for the different application methods; by finger/palm or by foam applicator. the finish of the like for like soft to hard wax will be much the same on the paint.

what i would say is that it is more difficult to apply a thin and consistant layer by finger/palm without practice, in comparison to by foam applicator. that is why we have always advised to put a hard wax on before a soft wax if both should be used. it is always recommended to put 2 layers on with at least an hour or two of curing between in order to get best coverage. with two layers on the car you will get 2-3 months of durability with a good maintenance regime.

as for the colour of your cars, it is important to know that any of our waxes can be put on any colour car. although specifically, Rainforest Rub (soft) and Hard Candy (hard) are made to suit any colours, the other colour charged waxes will not 'change the colour of your car once buffed'. however, there are slight differences in the colour of the ingredients and subtle formulaic changes which will subjectively enhance the colours they are developed for.

so for a dark car, if you wanted to go with finger/palm application i would go for Purple Haze or Blue Velvet, if you prefer to use a foam applicator. you can use the same waxes on the white car, will get good results but will not have quite the same gloss and shine as with Light Fantastic or Diamond White.

hope this makes sense. 8)
 
Mike.Phillips@Autogeek said:
See you at SEMA!
:dblthumb2:
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we can't make it to SEMA this your buddy. i took the Dodo to Automechanika in Frankfurt this year. but the Dodo Crew have plans to come see you there next year again. have a great time tho and try not to miss us too much.
 
thedodo said:
we can't make it to SEMA this your buddy. i took the Dodo to Automechanika in Frankfurt this year. but the Dodo Crew have plans to come see you there next year again. have a great time tho and try not to miss us too much.
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Thank you for clearing that up!

I will certainly give these products a try.
 
CEE DOG said:
My memory banks are being refreshed.

I asked PJ this exact question at DF. Hard or soft and why? The answer he gave me was as I mentioned above. The soft wax is easier for hand application. He said that in Europe a lot of people (including himself) like to apply wax with their hands rather then an applicator. I asked him why and he said that it was personal preference. There may be a few reasons including the following. You can feel the paint without any obstruction between you and the paint. Also for him it was enjoyable and he found it to be a reward after all the hard work up to that point.

I don't have the best memory so I hope I have this just as he said it to me.
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I had a conversation over the weekend about Zymol Carbon and Creme waxes which were meant to be applied with the hands (no applicator), after using Zymols HD-cleanse to clean and prepare the paint. I was laughing inside about massaging the paint of my car and feeling the "dry" areas of the paint where one could apply a little more product to those areas.

He was trained in Zymol's products so I guess he went paint massage school. :) I was also told that these two products are really enzyo-emollients formulated with carnauba and other natural oils that turned into a hard wax shell when heated with the hands and spread thinly across the paint. Hey, I shouldn't knock it unless I try it.

I have an open invitation to bring my car down to try the Zymol creme on a section of my car. Sensual massage of my car's paint? Hmmm... :cool:
 
In a conversation I had with a formulator/manufacturer of car care products, I was told that there are different ingredients that can be put into a carnauba wax that will affect the characteristics. As I recall some of the things he described were,
1. plastersizers, which he described as a type of filler.
2. surfactants, which he described as giving the wax a softer smoother consistency that will make the wax easier to apply and remove but will detract from durability.
3. emulsifiers, which he described as a thinning agent that will make a carnauba softer or even a liquid depending on the amount added to the mix.
4. clays, which I can't recall what the use or purpose was for.

He told me that Carnauba wax is the hardest wax known and that adding more or lees of these agents will make a wax softer,harder,slicker,glossier or easier to apply and remove.

He said that these differences are not good or bad but more of a preference of how you want the wax to behave.
 
It is my understanding that:
- A hard wax would dry more 'hard', and provide longer lasting protection vs a soft wax. However, a hard wax could be more like a sealant in how it might leave the paint 'bright' or 'shiny.' Also can be difficult to remove and/or work with in some cases.

- A soft wax may not have quite the protection that a hard wax has, however it has the ability to make the finish look dripping wet, enhancing the richness and depth of the color. These waxes can be easier to work with than 'hard' waxes.

Hence if you layer a soft wax on top of a hard wax, you would get the lasting benefits of a hard wax with the looks of the soft wax. I believe it to be much like layering a carnauba wax on top of a synthetic sealant.

Disclaimer: The above are only my thoughts. I anyone disagrees, feel free to speak up.
 
Thanks Everyone for the information! this really helped clear up some questions i had, and from that sound of it some that others had as well.

Thanks again!
 
aerogt01 said:
It is my understanding that:
- A hard wax would dry more 'hard', and provide longer lasting protection vs a soft wax. However, a hard wax could be more like a sealant in how it might leave the paint 'bright' or 'shiny.' Also can be difficult to remove and/or work with in some cases.

- A soft wax may not have quite the protection that a hard wax has, however it has the ability to make the finish look dripping wet, enhancing the richness and depth of the color. These waxes can be easier to work with than 'hard' waxes.

Hence if you layer a soft wax on top of a hard wax, you would get the lasting benefits of a hard wax with the looks of the soft wax. I believe it to be much like layering a carnauba wax on top of a synthetic sealant.

Disclaimer: The above are only my thoughts. I anyone disagrees, feel free to speak up.
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That was the best answer to the orig. question! I agree
 
thedodo said:
..... the difference in these waxes... is to cater for the different application methods; by finger/palm or by foam applicator. the finish... will be much the same on the paint.

... we have always advised to put a hard wax on before a soft wax if both should be used. .....2 layers.
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This make sense to me if I understand correctly: Both soft and hard will result in pretty much the same finish. Trying to do a KISS, so I can remember. Not sure if I did.
So I guess a hard wax makes it easier to apply a thin coat. Then a second soft/liquid coat will insure full coverage. Otherwise, why do it?

:confused::)
 
Jossy92 said:
This make sense to me if I understand correctly: Both soft and hard will result in pretty much the same finish. Trying to do a KISS, so I can remember. Not sure if I did.
So I guess a hard wax makes it easier to apply a thin coat. Then a second soft/liquid coat will insure full coverage. Otherwise, why do it?

:confused::)[/QUOT

The hard gives a glossy look and the soft a deep wet look. The hard has better protective abilities. Kinda similar to putting a carnuba on top of a sealant.
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Dr Oldz said:
Jossy92 said:
This make sense to me if I understand correctly: Both soft and hard will result in pretty much the same finish. Trying to do a KISS, so I can remember. Not sure if I did.
So I guess a hard wax makes it easier to apply a thin coat. Then a second soft/liquid coat will insure full coverage. Otherwise, why do it?

:confused::)[/QUOT

The hard gives a glossy look and the soft a deep wet look. The hard has better protective abilities. Kinda similar to putting a carnuba on top of a sealant.
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I am still learning. ;)
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