In case anyone was wondering how this test went, here is the final installment.
Last weekend it actually warmed up enough to do a hand wash, so I took the opportunity to get the cars truly clean and see how the LSP's were holding up.
Going into this wash I didn't really know what to expect, we'd had snow and ice, but no real rain to get an indication of how the beading was doing. Once the cars were clean, I hit them with a light shower from the hose, just to see what would happen. The pictures were taken in late day sun with a cell phone. I was in a hurry to beat the sunset and didn't have time to break out the SLR. I apologize in advance for the picture quality. Now on to the results.
First the Klasse SG car:
The beading was almost not existent. This was a shot of the roof and you can see the beads are not holding together very well. The hood had even less bead action and there was none on the vertical surfaces at all by this point.
Now the Collinite 845 car:
The wind was blowing pretty hard so the beads were moving around when the picture was taken, but you can see there is still beading going on. Its not the perfect beads you normally get, but after 5.5 months you can't expect it to be perfect.
After all of this, I'd still say both products held up very well. The Klasse SG lasted 6 months and the 845 around 5.5. The Klasse was on a car that sits out 24/7, but the 845 car was subjected to more touchless washes and the harsh soaps they use. Another important note, is both of these cars only recieved
ONE COAT of product. Just to provide a comparison, here is my other car which recieved two coats of the SG.
Lessons learned:
- Double coat when going into winter. This winter proved to be far longer and worse than any in this area for 40 years. It's still not warm enough to do a full detail yet. To ensure either LSP will go the distance, double them up
Final observations:
- Both products are equally durable, and if done in two coats, will easily get you six months of protection
- Appearance. I like the look of the 845 on darker colors better than the SG. The SG is too glassy and reflective in that situation, but it looks great on lighter colors with high flake content.
- Ease of use. 845 is the winner. Even having now learned a good technique from KlasseAct here, I think I'd still vote for the 845. Once shaken well it simply a couple of drops on the DA pad and go for it. SG is better applied by hand, and therefore slower. I also find the SG to be a little more temperature sensative to apply/buff out in hot or cooler conditions
- "Slickness". The 845 is almost slippery on a freshly polished surface where the SG is slick.
- Beading. No real winner. SG sheets more whereas the 845 has small tight beads.
Conclusion:
I'm now a Collinite convert, and that product is now the starting player when doing my cars. Klasse has been a great product. I've used the twins for 9 years and I'll never speak poorly of the product, but when my supply runs out I'll probably not replace it with more.
.S anyone thinking about Collinite 845 try it, don't waste your money on those over priced products.
