swanicyouth
New member
- Mar 3, 2011
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I just completed a 2 day detail on my daily driver. I thought I would share my thoughts on some of the products I used, as some of them are new to me. This isn't really just a review of one product, but my opinions on new (to me) stuff from Dodo Juice and Poor Boys. Again, all of this is just my opinion and my experience.
Basically the procedure was 2 BM wash with Dodo's Basics of Bling Wax Safe Shampoo, followed by polishing with Poor Boys Pro Polish. Then I wiped everything down with Eraser. I'm not convinced Eraser was even necessary, but I thought I would use it since I had it. The glaze was going to be Black Hole, followed by Dodo Juice's Blue Velvet Pro, topped with their Purple Haze Pro as my LSP(s). Then, the car was wiped down with Poor Boys Spray and Gloss.
Basics of Bling Shampoo by Dodo Juice:
I guess this is supposed to be Dodo's entry level shampoo. Honestly, I wasn't expecting much. However, I ended up really liking it. The dilution is 400:1, which comes out to about 1.5 oz for 5 gallons, so that's how much I used. There were hints going around the internet that the recommended dilution isn't enough to get the job done. But I found 400:1 just fine and the suds went strong throughout the whole wash.
I found this stuff fairly slick, and it surprisingly foamed up well at that dilution. Rinsing was no problem. I actually rinsed with DI water and let the car air dry 90%. Then I blew out the cracks with a Metro Blaster. No residue or streaks were left at all.
It didn't have a real strong smell of anything, unlike a lot of Dodo Juice products. It just had a faint soap like smell, with maybe a hint of some indistinguishable scent. There is something fun about the packaging and the fact that the shampoo is blue. The round bottle it comes in is the perfect bottle to package 500 mls / 16 oz of shampoo in my opinion - as it doesn't tip over if bumped. It may cost a buck or two more than other shampoos, but the dilution is good.
To me this product / line screams "boutique detailing product", so dollar for dollar it's just not going to compete with gallon style shampoos. Even the little safety wrap on the lid has Dodo Juice printed all over it in their logo:
So, little details like that make it kind of interesting for the weekend warrior. This probably isn't a bulk product that would make dollar sense for someone detailing for cash. I plan on trying their gloss shampoo after trying this. It may be their entry level shampoo, but it doesn't feel "entry level" to me.
Pro Polish by Poor Boys:
I picked this up directly from PB's headquarters in Nyack NY. This product is a bit unique among polishes. It's considered a "pure polish", meaning it has no abrasives. This also means it's safe to use on pretty much any surface. Any "cut" you get from the product is completely pad dependent. It contains chemical cleaners.
This is sort of unique, because if you have ever noticed, most (all?) pre-wax cleaners have a glaze component and/or fillers in them that they leave behind. This product is perfect to be used as a pre-wax cleaner when you don't want fillers left behind, and it contains no glaze - just cleaners.
My plan was to use a glaze (Black Hole) after polishing, but the vehicle has no swirls or marring. So, this product fit my needs well. First, I don't really have any experience with PB's polishes and wasn't sure what to expect. I used this product on a GG6, speed 4-4.5, black CCS cool wave pads - with about 5-10 lbs of downward pressure. I made 4 section passes. I wasn't going after any defects really, I was just cleaning off the old LSP and any dirt off the paint. I did a baggy test, the paint was very smooth and didn't need clay.
This stuff buffed awesome! First, PB's states you can use this (all their) product(s) in the sun or shade. I wasn't outside, but I was in my garage and it was about 80 degrees and very humid. I've tried other non abrasive pre-wax cleaners on a DA before, and the work time on most of them is very short. They tend to dry and haze up fast.
With this stuff, less is more. It had a very long work time and did not seem affected at all my the humidity. Wipe off was super easy, and this stuff almost disappears as you use it. Once the pad is primed, it took very little product to keep polishing. The formula just seems right. Like all PB's stuff, it has added scent. It seemed to smell like lemon to me.
Just out if curiosity, I used it to buff my rear wiper arm, which was a matte/faded single stage black paint. I used a 3" polishing pad. This stuff removed the haze / oxidation and made the wiper arm shiny jet black. This was pretty impressive from a product that contains no abrasives. This product buffed just as good or better as any Menzerna or Optimum polish for me.
It makes zero dust. Its "cut" is 100% pad dependent, so using it with a polishing pad should take away some light defects, like on the wiper arm. Its inexpensive, but doesn't feel inexpensive when you are using it. Best of all, it leaves no glaze behind. I can't say enough how much I like this polish, and it's lack of abrasives / pad dependent cut means its pretty safe to use to polish anything, including: plastic, glass, etc...
Black Hole by Poor Boys:
This is a glaze that is worth using, as I've used it prior. It's actually PB's top selling product. I applied two layers of this after the Pro Polish. I don't use it to hide swirls, but to add a bit more depth and darkness to the paint. It's so effortless and enjoyable to use, I kind of just "throw it in there". I have played around with this on black metal pieces under the hood and it does seem the mask defects well. BH is effortless to use. I applied it by hand. I basically applied it thin like a sealant, it hazes in a few minutes, then wipes off with ease.
I believe (don't know for sure) this is an acrylic based glaze, so it has some durability. Its not "oily" at all. One thing that leads me to believe this, is that PB's states it can be topped with sealants as well as waxes. It leaves the surface slick and slightly darker, almost like your applying a black sealant. Basically, to me, it makes dark paint just look better.
I wish PB's made a combo paint cleaner / Black Hole product like Amigo - but they're not asking me for suggestions. That would allow to to remove your old LSP and apply BH in 1 step. PB's says this can "clean dirt out of swirls", but it's not a "paint cleaner". Go figure... That doesn't make much sense to me. I've applied this by both hand and machine. Either method is fine, but I prefer to do it by hand because its just so easy to apply and remove.
This is another product that is top notch by Poor Boys. Sells for around $15 for 16 oz, it probably would sell almost as well if priced $7-$10 more. I can't really find anything wrong with this product, and it likely will always be on my shelf. Its so easy to use it's kind of fun. Like Pro Polish, the formula just seems tight. Like all PB's products, it has it's own signature scent. This one smells like grape soda.
Hood peaking out of garage with only 2 layers of Black Hole (no LSP):
Blue Velvet Pro and Purple Haze Pro by Dodo Juice:
These two were going to be layered on top of the Black Hole. My intent was to try and "darken" the paint, but more on that later. Like a lot of Dodo's stuff, these 2 waxes are unique in a couple of ways.
First, they are color charged. For those that say "all waxes look the same", I stole these images from Dodo's website
Naked panel:
Right side of panel waxed with Blue Velvet (ignore shadow marked in pic):
You can see the wax "darkened" / changed the look of the right side of the panel it was applied to (thanks Dodo). They have done similar tests on white panels that demonstrate this phenomena as well. Yes, it's subtle. But it does exist and it is noticeable. So using a Dodo wax that is color charged can add a subtle twist to the look of your paint.
Secondly, they are available in super affordable sample sizes. Ounce per ounce, the sample sizes are really not much more expensive than the full pots. For example, a 200 ml pot of Purple Haze Pro goes for $80. That's about $12.12 an ounce. Or, you can buy a 1 ounce panel pot for $16 - a very reasonable amount. Others are charging significantly more for their "samples" based on the size of full pots. This allows the user to experiment with some fairly high dollar waxes for not too much of an investment. Props to Dodo for making these sample sizes readily available to the public.
Some have mentioned Dodo's waxes are slightly different in the panel pots compared to the full size tubs. You may (will) notice a "grainy" texture to the panel pots that is not seen in the full size pots. I believe this is from the panel pots cooling faster when the hot wax is poured. It doesn't affect the use of the wax at all. As the "grains" of wax melt as soon as they are spread on paint.
Thirdly, Dodo makes "hard" and "soft" type waxes, and "pro" and "regular" versions of Blue Velvet and Purple Haze. Blue Velvet (+/- Pro) is considered a "hard wax", and Purple Haze (+/- Pro) a "soft wax". The "soft waxes" can be applied via bare hand technique (per Dodo), and Dodo recommends an applicator for the hard waxes.
I believe the soft waxes are supposed to give a bit more gloss, but sacrifice a tiny amount of durability. The "pro" versions of these waxes I'm using here contain "a touch" of sealant for increased durability, and a bit more carnauba, compared to the regular versions. The "pro" versions seem to have durability measured in months, non-pro versions ("regular") in weeks.
One thing that may not be obvious is, the "pro" version's full size tubs (200 ml) are smaller than Dodo's other core waxes full size tubs (250 ml) - they also cost more. Dodo's regular waxes are not known for their durability - so investment in the Pro versions is well worth it in my opinion.
So, now you have some background info, let me give you my opinion on the waxes. I have been layering them sandwich style for the past few days. Both waxes seem to have a "special" quality that's hard to describe. They are just fun, easy, and enjoyable to work with. It just doesn't see like "work".
I'm going to talk about "both waxes", because the Purple Haze Pro (PHP) physically (texture / application) didn't seem significantly different from the Blue Velvet Pro (BVP). While one is a "soft wax" and one "hard wax" - application almost seemed identical. I'm not sure if this is because they are the Pro versions, or if it has to do with them being panel pots - but they seem close to me (hard vrs soft).
The scents are different, and some thought went into them for sure. PHP has a chocolate/black licorice smell to me. BVP smells a bit like sweet lavender. I'm sure others will smell something completely different.
That being said, I found these waxes can work any way you want to. I started out applying the first coat of BVP with my bare hands on paint. I was working on a big SUV, but it wasn't bad at all. I normally don't like this method. But with these waxes it just works. They seem to stay "tacky" and not haze up fast, so spreading them with your fingers isn't difficult.
I found the best method was to rub 2 fingers across the top of the wax, spread it on the paint in a 2 finger line about a foot long, then spread it out in little circles with 3 or 4 fingers. It took a bit longer to lay down a coat this way (compared to using an applicator), but not as long as you would think (compared to other waxes by "hand").
I have tried this method with other waxes, but find it just doesn't work well. The problem always is the wax starts to haze before you can spread it out and your left with uneven application. So, you go for more wax. I end up using way too much wax. Not with the Dodos. In fact, these waxes I used the same amount or less by hand application compared to applying via applicator. I ended up initially applying a layer of each wax by this method (hand / fingers), BVP first.
After a layer of each, I decided to use an applicator. I started out using a Polishin' Pal with a 3.5" Lake Country red beveled edge pad. This worked Ok at first, but once the panel pot wore down a bit, it became harder to load the pad face with wax - since the pad was on the Polishin' Pal and didn't flex. This is just a fact or using a 1 oz pot of wax, and had nothing to do with the wax itself.
I then switched to a good ol' Chemical Guy's UFO style red applicator. I quickly realized this was the way to go when using such a small wax pot. I found these waxes still applied super easy. Only issue I had, was it was a bit hard to actually see the wax on a blue painted car. At first it was a bit of an issue, but the wax gives you enough feedback to easily apply it.
I kept up with my alternating wax layering plan for a few days. Sometime I was in a hurry, sometimes not. I found the waxes could be spread out super fast, or you could take your time. Dodo definitely got the formulas right here. You feel like a lot of care went into designing these waxes.
This shows how easy they are to apply (PHP) thinly and how it's hard to see them on the blue paint:
http://youtu.be/vM_x2hr4NKo
This shows just how easy they are to remove (wax cured for 5 mins or so - PHP):
http://youtu.be/rU0tV2GgMk0
These waxes tend to "stain" applicators (PHP below):
You could just designate your applicator to each particular product, or just throw your applicator in the garbage. Me, I'm to OCD to put a stained applicator back and too cheap to trash it. So, I found with the right stuff it is possible to get the applicators 100% clean and stain free.
Same applicator clean:
These waxes will also turn your towels blue or purple when you go to buff them off. This washes out completely in the washing machine with microfiber wash and the "warm" or "hot" setting. Buffing these waxes off was a breeze. You get the feel that your buffing of a high carnauba wax. But it doesn't fight you in the least. I used a few different towels and found I liked a slightly fluffier towel best - MicroFiber Tech's 450 gsm Korean towel or AG's 530 gsm grey/black Cobra towel. Neither wax stained trim for me.
I finished out with 3 layers of each wax on my SUV (6 total layers) applied over a few days. The car was washed once in between, and wiped down with UWW+ the other times. The beading was pretty intense. The beads weren't super small, but they were unusually round.
At night after 1 layer of each:
Daytime:
Dodo states these waxes have "a touch of sealant" in them. They say its the same ingredient that's in their Tropical Red Mist spray sealant (I just ordered this from AG to maintain). I think that's accurate. These waxes don't work or act like heavy polymer waxes. They seems more like high carnauba content waxes with a touch of sealant, just as described. They don't leave a "super slick" feeling on the paint, but a slightly slick waxy type feeling.
Both these waxes impressed me much. I previously had used PHP on my black BMW. Everything I wrote here impressed me about it at the time - except the look. After a few layers, it definitely added a purple tint. Maybe my eyes are especially sharp, but I saw it and it wasn't a look I liked on black. No fault of the wax, as it's meant to do that. But this car is blue, and I thought I would like it much better. Also, the purple would be toned down by the BVP.
Talk about a great bargain. I believe Dodo states you can get 3 to 4 applications on a normal size car with each panel pot. These waxes spread so well, I'm able to get more out of them then that. On my last round with PHP, I think I got 8 or 9 layers on my M Roadster out of a single panel pot of PHP.
This is what the pots look like after apply 3 layers of each on a large SUV. There was no "skimping" on the roof. The roof was treated the same way as the hood:
I'm guessing I used 40-45% of the wax out of each pot. So, I'm guessing I could get another 4 coats of each. That means 7 total coats on a large SUV out of each panel pot. While some people have an issue applying a product thin enough, I tend to have the opposite issue. I tend to apply everything super thin - sometime too thin. I made sure I applied the wax thick enough here. I think this is a testament to how well these waxes spread. I recently read a post someplace where a guy used a whole panel pot for a single coat on a truck. I'm not sure what happened there, but realistically you can get quite a lot out of these pots.
If you figure 7 (SUV) to 9 (small car) coats out of a panel pot (1 oz); a single full size tub of either Pro wax (200 ml) should yield on average over 50 coats !!! At 80 bucks for a full size pot ( assuming no sales), that comes out to about $1.60 a layer. If you go with the panel pot, the cost jumps to a whopping 2 bucks. Not bad for what I consider a "boutique wax". Others may cost less, but few waxes I've used go so far with so little wax.
Spray & Gloss by Poor Boys:
This is what I used to do a final wipe down after the last layer of PHP. I picked this up for the summer, because I wanted a QD I could use in the sun, and not have to worry about any issues. This product doesn't disappoint. Its a bit thinner than some QDs, almost like a waterless wash. However, this stuff just works great in the sun and heat.
PB's S & G is one of the least finicky QDs out there. Streaking, hazing, or ghosting is just non-existent. Because this is a thinner QD, it tends to work well with a fluffy towel like a Chinchilla. Thicker products I use a waffle weave towel. You basically spray it on, and wipe it off. No fuss - no headaches. It starts to flash after the first wipe. It leaves a noticeable bright gloss on the paint.
This reminds me of a workhorse product, something you could use on every paint, with every LSP, in every condition with phenomenal results. It has a Glade Air Freshener Apple smell that's very pronounced and kind of addicting. If you use it inside, your garage will smell like apples. While using it I kept sticking the Chinchilla towel up to my nose to smell it.
To me, if you need more than one towel to "QD a car" there is nothing "quick" about it. When I QD a clean car, I grab one towel and that's it. If I can't complete the car with that one towel, its not a great product IMO. You should not need to "buff off" a good QD IMO - that's not quick. That's no problem at all with this product.
This is another PB's product that a great bargain - $14.99 for 32 oz. Thats around what most are charging for 16oz of QD! There is no compromise with this product. It's one of the best QDs around IMO, and also turns out to be one of the cheapest. You can get a gallon for $33 before any discounts.
PB S & G leaves the paint noticeably slick. Not quite as slick as FK 425 though, but its sort of splitting hairs. Some have said FK 425 has had a learning curve or has been a bit finicky for them. I have never experienced that, but this is the product I will always grab when its hot, humid, or I'm working in direct sun. I also makes a great drying aid, as it seems to commingle with other rinseless washes and LSPs without issue.
So finally I was done after taking my time and driving and re-waterless washing the car after several days. Just to re-cap; the process was:
2BM wash (Dodo Basics of Bling Wax Safe Wash) -> Polish (PB's Pro Polish) -> Glaze (PB's Black Hole / 2 layers) -> Wax (Dodo's BVP & PHP; 3 alternating layers of each [6 total layers]) -> Wipe Down (PB's S & G).
Here are some finished pics:
Tire have one month old Tuff Shine (wheels washed conventionally about 6 times):
In layering these waxes and PB's Black Hole, I was trying to change the "look" of the paint - just for something different. What I was going after was a darkening affect. Since I look at this paint everyday, I'm pretty accustomed to what it looks like. I may have got a slight darkening effect, but what I really noticed is that is seemed to "electrify" the blue. The blue just looks "more blue" in person, if that makes any sense.
The blue on this vehicle is called BayShore Blue. Its a light blue with some light flake to it. The paint is all original (except for plastic bumpers and plastic fender flairs) and wasn't maintained very well for the first 11 years of its life. However, the paint is in pretty good shape for its age and mileage (106k). These waxes seemed to add sort of a 3D look to the paint. What I mean by that is, the color seems to "shift" more depending on the lighting or the angle its viewed under.
The pictures I took are unaltered by me and taken with an IPhone 5. Its the only camera I own and I wouldn't even know how to alter pics. So, unless the phone's camera alters them somehow (I'm not sure) that's what I got. You can sort of see the effect I'm describing in the last 2 pictures. In one picture (angle), it looks like a darker richer blue - another much lighter. This is the effect I got when layering these color charged waxes over a dark glaze. Yes, it's very subtle. But it does exist.
Well that's all. Thanks for looking!
Basically the procedure was 2 BM wash with Dodo's Basics of Bling Wax Safe Shampoo, followed by polishing with Poor Boys Pro Polish. Then I wiped everything down with Eraser. I'm not convinced Eraser was even necessary, but I thought I would use it since I had it. The glaze was going to be Black Hole, followed by Dodo Juice's Blue Velvet Pro, topped with their Purple Haze Pro as my LSP(s). Then, the car was wiped down with Poor Boys Spray and Gloss.
Basics of Bling Shampoo by Dodo Juice:
I guess this is supposed to be Dodo's entry level shampoo. Honestly, I wasn't expecting much. However, I ended up really liking it. The dilution is 400:1, which comes out to about 1.5 oz for 5 gallons, so that's how much I used. There were hints going around the internet that the recommended dilution isn't enough to get the job done. But I found 400:1 just fine and the suds went strong throughout the whole wash.
I found this stuff fairly slick, and it surprisingly foamed up well at that dilution. Rinsing was no problem. I actually rinsed with DI water and let the car air dry 90%. Then I blew out the cracks with a Metro Blaster. No residue or streaks were left at all.
It didn't have a real strong smell of anything, unlike a lot of Dodo Juice products. It just had a faint soap like smell, with maybe a hint of some indistinguishable scent. There is something fun about the packaging and the fact that the shampoo is blue. The round bottle it comes in is the perfect bottle to package 500 mls / 16 oz of shampoo in my opinion - as it doesn't tip over if bumped. It may cost a buck or two more than other shampoos, but the dilution is good.
To me this product / line screams "boutique detailing product", so dollar for dollar it's just not going to compete with gallon style shampoos. Even the little safety wrap on the lid has Dodo Juice printed all over it in their logo:
So, little details like that make it kind of interesting for the weekend warrior. This probably isn't a bulk product that would make dollar sense for someone detailing for cash. I plan on trying their gloss shampoo after trying this. It may be their entry level shampoo, but it doesn't feel "entry level" to me.
Pro Polish by Poor Boys:
I picked this up directly from PB's headquarters in Nyack NY. This product is a bit unique among polishes. It's considered a "pure polish", meaning it has no abrasives. This also means it's safe to use on pretty much any surface. Any "cut" you get from the product is completely pad dependent. It contains chemical cleaners.
This is sort of unique, because if you have ever noticed, most (all?) pre-wax cleaners have a glaze component and/or fillers in them that they leave behind. This product is perfect to be used as a pre-wax cleaner when you don't want fillers left behind, and it contains no glaze - just cleaners.
My plan was to use a glaze (Black Hole) after polishing, but the vehicle has no swirls or marring. So, this product fit my needs well. First, I don't really have any experience with PB's polishes and wasn't sure what to expect. I used this product on a GG6, speed 4-4.5, black CCS cool wave pads - with about 5-10 lbs of downward pressure. I made 4 section passes. I wasn't going after any defects really, I was just cleaning off the old LSP and any dirt off the paint. I did a baggy test, the paint was very smooth and didn't need clay.
This stuff buffed awesome! First, PB's states you can use this (all their) product(s) in the sun or shade. I wasn't outside, but I was in my garage and it was about 80 degrees and very humid. I've tried other non abrasive pre-wax cleaners on a DA before, and the work time on most of them is very short. They tend to dry and haze up fast.
With this stuff, less is more. It had a very long work time and did not seem affected at all my the humidity. Wipe off was super easy, and this stuff almost disappears as you use it. Once the pad is primed, it took very little product to keep polishing. The formula just seems right. Like all PB's stuff, it has added scent. It seemed to smell like lemon to me.
Just out if curiosity, I used it to buff my rear wiper arm, which was a matte/faded single stage black paint. I used a 3" polishing pad. This stuff removed the haze / oxidation and made the wiper arm shiny jet black. This was pretty impressive from a product that contains no abrasives. This product buffed just as good or better as any Menzerna or Optimum polish for me.
It makes zero dust. Its "cut" is 100% pad dependent, so using it with a polishing pad should take away some light defects, like on the wiper arm. Its inexpensive, but doesn't feel inexpensive when you are using it. Best of all, it leaves no glaze behind. I can't say enough how much I like this polish, and it's lack of abrasives / pad dependent cut means its pretty safe to use to polish anything, including: plastic, glass, etc...
Black Hole by Poor Boys:
This is a glaze that is worth using, as I've used it prior. It's actually PB's top selling product. I applied two layers of this after the Pro Polish. I don't use it to hide swirls, but to add a bit more depth and darkness to the paint. It's so effortless and enjoyable to use, I kind of just "throw it in there". I have played around with this on black metal pieces under the hood and it does seem the mask defects well. BH is effortless to use. I applied it by hand. I basically applied it thin like a sealant, it hazes in a few minutes, then wipes off with ease.
I believe (don't know for sure) this is an acrylic based glaze, so it has some durability. Its not "oily" at all. One thing that leads me to believe this, is that PB's states it can be topped with sealants as well as waxes. It leaves the surface slick and slightly darker, almost like your applying a black sealant. Basically, to me, it makes dark paint just look better.
I wish PB's made a combo paint cleaner / Black Hole product like Amigo - but they're not asking me for suggestions. That would allow to to remove your old LSP and apply BH in 1 step. PB's says this can "clean dirt out of swirls", but it's not a "paint cleaner". Go figure... That doesn't make much sense to me. I've applied this by both hand and machine. Either method is fine, but I prefer to do it by hand because its just so easy to apply and remove.
This is another product that is top notch by Poor Boys. Sells for around $15 for 16 oz, it probably would sell almost as well if priced $7-$10 more. I can't really find anything wrong with this product, and it likely will always be on my shelf. Its so easy to use it's kind of fun. Like Pro Polish, the formula just seems tight. Like all PB's products, it has it's own signature scent. This one smells like grape soda.
Hood peaking out of garage with only 2 layers of Black Hole (no LSP):
Blue Velvet Pro and Purple Haze Pro by Dodo Juice:
These two were going to be layered on top of the Black Hole. My intent was to try and "darken" the paint, but more on that later. Like a lot of Dodo's stuff, these 2 waxes are unique in a couple of ways.
First, they are color charged. For those that say "all waxes look the same", I stole these images from Dodo's website
Naked panel:
Right side of panel waxed with Blue Velvet (ignore shadow marked in pic):
You can see the wax "darkened" / changed the look of the right side of the panel it was applied to (thanks Dodo). They have done similar tests on white panels that demonstrate this phenomena as well. Yes, it's subtle. But it does exist and it is noticeable. So using a Dodo wax that is color charged can add a subtle twist to the look of your paint.
Secondly, they are available in super affordable sample sizes. Ounce per ounce, the sample sizes are really not much more expensive than the full pots. For example, a 200 ml pot of Purple Haze Pro goes for $80. That's about $12.12 an ounce. Or, you can buy a 1 ounce panel pot for $16 - a very reasonable amount. Others are charging significantly more for their "samples" based on the size of full pots. This allows the user to experiment with some fairly high dollar waxes for not too much of an investment. Props to Dodo for making these sample sizes readily available to the public.
Some have mentioned Dodo's waxes are slightly different in the panel pots compared to the full size tubs. You may (will) notice a "grainy" texture to the panel pots that is not seen in the full size pots. I believe this is from the panel pots cooling faster when the hot wax is poured. It doesn't affect the use of the wax at all. As the "grains" of wax melt as soon as they are spread on paint.
Thirdly, Dodo makes "hard" and "soft" type waxes, and "pro" and "regular" versions of Blue Velvet and Purple Haze. Blue Velvet (+/- Pro) is considered a "hard wax", and Purple Haze (+/- Pro) a "soft wax". The "soft waxes" can be applied via bare hand technique (per Dodo), and Dodo recommends an applicator for the hard waxes.
I believe the soft waxes are supposed to give a bit more gloss, but sacrifice a tiny amount of durability. The "pro" versions of these waxes I'm using here contain "a touch" of sealant for increased durability, and a bit more carnauba, compared to the regular versions. The "pro" versions seem to have durability measured in months, non-pro versions ("regular") in weeks.
One thing that may not be obvious is, the "pro" version's full size tubs (200 ml) are smaller than Dodo's other core waxes full size tubs (250 ml) - they also cost more. Dodo's regular waxes are not known for their durability - so investment in the Pro versions is well worth it in my opinion.
So, now you have some background info, let me give you my opinion on the waxes. I have been layering them sandwich style for the past few days. Both waxes seem to have a "special" quality that's hard to describe. They are just fun, easy, and enjoyable to work with. It just doesn't see like "work".
I'm going to talk about "both waxes", because the Purple Haze Pro (PHP) physically (texture / application) didn't seem significantly different from the Blue Velvet Pro (BVP). While one is a "soft wax" and one "hard wax" - application almost seemed identical. I'm not sure if this is because they are the Pro versions, or if it has to do with them being panel pots - but they seem close to me (hard vrs soft).
The scents are different, and some thought went into them for sure. PHP has a chocolate/black licorice smell to me. BVP smells a bit like sweet lavender. I'm sure others will smell something completely different.
That being said, I found these waxes can work any way you want to. I started out applying the first coat of BVP with my bare hands on paint. I was working on a big SUV, but it wasn't bad at all. I normally don't like this method. But with these waxes it just works. They seem to stay "tacky" and not haze up fast, so spreading them with your fingers isn't difficult.
I found the best method was to rub 2 fingers across the top of the wax, spread it on the paint in a 2 finger line about a foot long, then spread it out in little circles with 3 or 4 fingers. It took a bit longer to lay down a coat this way (compared to using an applicator), but not as long as you would think (compared to other waxes by "hand").
I have tried this method with other waxes, but find it just doesn't work well. The problem always is the wax starts to haze before you can spread it out and your left with uneven application. So, you go for more wax. I end up using way too much wax. Not with the Dodos. In fact, these waxes I used the same amount or less by hand application compared to applying via applicator. I ended up initially applying a layer of each wax by this method (hand / fingers), BVP first.
After a layer of each, I decided to use an applicator. I started out using a Polishin' Pal with a 3.5" Lake Country red beveled edge pad. This worked Ok at first, but once the panel pot wore down a bit, it became harder to load the pad face with wax - since the pad was on the Polishin' Pal and didn't flex. This is just a fact or using a 1 oz pot of wax, and had nothing to do with the wax itself.
I then switched to a good ol' Chemical Guy's UFO style red applicator. I quickly realized this was the way to go when using such a small wax pot. I found these waxes still applied super easy. Only issue I had, was it was a bit hard to actually see the wax on a blue painted car. At first it was a bit of an issue, but the wax gives you enough feedback to easily apply it.
I kept up with my alternating wax layering plan for a few days. Sometime I was in a hurry, sometimes not. I found the waxes could be spread out super fast, or you could take your time. Dodo definitely got the formulas right here. You feel like a lot of care went into designing these waxes.
This shows how easy they are to apply (PHP) thinly and how it's hard to see them on the blue paint:
http://youtu.be/vM_x2hr4NKo
This shows just how easy they are to remove (wax cured for 5 mins or so - PHP):
http://youtu.be/rU0tV2GgMk0
These waxes tend to "stain" applicators (PHP below):
You could just designate your applicator to each particular product, or just throw your applicator in the garbage. Me, I'm to OCD to put a stained applicator back and too cheap to trash it. So, I found with the right stuff it is possible to get the applicators 100% clean and stain free.
Same applicator clean:
These waxes will also turn your towels blue or purple when you go to buff them off. This washes out completely in the washing machine with microfiber wash and the "warm" or "hot" setting. Buffing these waxes off was a breeze. You get the feel that your buffing of a high carnauba wax. But it doesn't fight you in the least. I used a few different towels and found I liked a slightly fluffier towel best - MicroFiber Tech's 450 gsm Korean towel or AG's 530 gsm grey/black Cobra towel. Neither wax stained trim for me.
I finished out with 3 layers of each wax on my SUV (6 total layers) applied over a few days. The car was washed once in between, and wiped down with UWW+ the other times. The beading was pretty intense. The beads weren't super small, but they were unusually round.
At night after 1 layer of each:
Daytime:
Dodo states these waxes have "a touch of sealant" in them. They say its the same ingredient that's in their Tropical Red Mist spray sealant (I just ordered this from AG to maintain). I think that's accurate. These waxes don't work or act like heavy polymer waxes. They seems more like high carnauba content waxes with a touch of sealant, just as described. They don't leave a "super slick" feeling on the paint, but a slightly slick waxy type feeling.
Both these waxes impressed me much. I previously had used PHP on my black BMW. Everything I wrote here impressed me about it at the time - except the look. After a few layers, it definitely added a purple tint. Maybe my eyes are especially sharp, but I saw it and it wasn't a look I liked on black. No fault of the wax, as it's meant to do that. But this car is blue, and I thought I would like it much better. Also, the purple would be toned down by the BVP.
Talk about a great bargain. I believe Dodo states you can get 3 to 4 applications on a normal size car with each panel pot. These waxes spread so well, I'm able to get more out of them then that. On my last round with PHP, I think I got 8 or 9 layers on my M Roadster out of a single panel pot of PHP.
This is what the pots look like after apply 3 layers of each on a large SUV. There was no "skimping" on the roof. The roof was treated the same way as the hood:
I'm guessing I used 40-45% of the wax out of each pot. So, I'm guessing I could get another 4 coats of each. That means 7 total coats on a large SUV out of each panel pot. While some people have an issue applying a product thin enough, I tend to have the opposite issue. I tend to apply everything super thin - sometime too thin. I made sure I applied the wax thick enough here. I think this is a testament to how well these waxes spread. I recently read a post someplace where a guy used a whole panel pot for a single coat on a truck. I'm not sure what happened there, but realistically you can get quite a lot out of these pots.
If you figure 7 (SUV) to 9 (small car) coats out of a panel pot (1 oz); a single full size tub of either Pro wax (200 ml) should yield on average over 50 coats !!! At 80 bucks for a full size pot ( assuming no sales), that comes out to about $1.60 a layer. If you go with the panel pot, the cost jumps to a whopping 2 bucks. Not bad for what I consider a "boutique wax". Others may cost less, but few waxes I've used go so far with so little wax.
Spray & Gloss by Poor Boys:
This is what I used to do a final wipe down after the last layer of PHP. I picked this up for the summer, because I wanted a QD I could use in the sun, and not have to worry about any issues. This product doesn't disappoint. Its a bit thinner than some QDs, almost like a waterless wash. However, this stuff just works great in the sun and heat.
PB's S & G is one of the least finicky QDs out there. Streaking, hazing, or ghosting is just non-existent. Because this is a thinner QD, it tends to work well with a fluffy towel like a Chinchilla. Thicker products I use a waffle weave towel. You basically spray it on, and wipe it off. No fuss - no headaches. It starts to flash after the first wipe. It leaves a noticeable bright gloss on the paint.
This reminds me of a workhorse product, something you could use on every paint, with every LSP, in every condition with phenomenal results. It has a Glade Air Freshener Apple smell that's very pronounced and kind of addicting. If you use it inside, your garage will smell like apples. While using it I kept sticking the Chinchilla towel up to my nose to smell it.
To me, if you need more than one towel to "QD a car" there is nothing "quick" about it. When I QD a clean car, I grab one towel and that's it. If I can't complete the car with that one towel, its not a great product IMO. You should not need to "buff off" a good QD IMO - that's not quick. That's no problem at all with this product.
This is another PB's product that a great bargain - $14.99 for 32 oz. Thats around what most are charging for 16oz of QD! There is no compromise with this product. It's one of the best QDs around IMO, and also turns out to be one of the cheapest. You can get a gallon for $33 before any discounts.
PB S & G leaves the paint noticeably slick. Not quite as slick as FK 425 though, but its sort of splitting hairs. Some have said FK 425 has had a learning curve or has been a bit finicky for them. I have never experienced that, but this is the product I will always grab when its hot, humid, or I'm working in direct sun. I also makes a great drying aid, as it seems to commingle with other rinseless washes and LSPs without issue.
So finally I was done after taking my time and driving and re-waterless washing the car after several days. Just to re-cap; the process was:
2BM wash (Dodo Basics of Bling Wax Safe Wash) -> Polish (PB's Pro Polish) -> Glaze (PB's Black Hole / 2 layers) -> Wax (Dodo's BVP & PHP; 3 alternating layers of each [6 total layers]) -> Wipe Down (PB's S & G).
Here are some finished pics:
Tire have one month old Tuff Shine (wheels washed conventionally about 6 times):
In layering these waxes and PB's Black Hole, I was trying to change the "look" of the paint - just for something different. What I was going after was a darkening affect. Since I look at this paint everyday, I'm pretty accustomed to what it looks like. I may have got a slight darkening effect, but what I really noticed is that is seemed to "electrify" the blue. The blue just looks "more blue" in person, if that makes any sense.
The blue on this vehicle is called BayShore Blue. Its a light blue with some light flake to it. The paint is all original (except for plastic bumpers and plastic fender flairs) and wasn't maintained very well for the first 11 years of its life. However, the paint is in pretty good shape for its age and mileage (106k). These waxes seemed to add sort of a 3D look to the paint. What I mean by that is, the color seems to "shift" more depending on the lighting or the angle its viewed under.
The pictures I took are unaltered by me and taken with an IPhone 5. Its the only camera I own and I wouldn't even know how to alter pics. So, unless the phone's camera alters them somehow (I'm not sure) that's what I got. You can sort of see the effect I'm describing in the last 2 pictures. In one picture (angle), it looks like a darker richer blue - another much lighter. This is the effect I got when layering these color charged waxes over a dark glaze. Yes, it's very subtle. But it does exist.
Well that's all. Thanks for looking!
