In case some of you haven't seen it, we posted in our section but some one you may find it interesting

We are always looking to test our products against other products on the market, this time I decided to go head to head against one of the best clay bars on the market we will call it X, so here is my take on the exercise.

First, what is a Clay Bar- a General description

Clay is a mixture of clay base and various mild abrasives. Clay along with a clay lubricant is used to remove paint contamination. Spray wax, window cleaner or water can work as a clay lubricant. Road grime, tar, bugs, rust, tree sap and even paint overspray can be removed with a clay bar.

Clay bars differ in color and density but what is most important is the type and amount of abrasive particles they contain. All clay bars will be labeled from "mild" to "strong" abrasive quality. Claying does not remove the clear coat of the paint but can cause marring or dullness if used incorrectly. When using a clay bar sufficient lubrication must be present to avoid scratching the paint.

It takes a few passes of clay to feel the difference on the surface of the paint. To evaluate the effectiveness of claying dry the area and assess the paint and the bar. The paint should become slick to touch. The clay bar used should be turning gray. If the clay bar is dropped it must be discarded. The clay bar should be folded over frequently to expose clean surface. Claying does not replace polishing. It is a process that should be used before polishing compound is used.

One huge misconception is that all of them are the same they are not, period.

General Comparison

Other brands Price $ 12.50- $16.00- Ours $14.99

Limited Life - Ours 25 Uses

Wrong use could bring problems - Ours, easy to use not intended to use under the heavy sun or hot surfaces

Dropped and is garbage- Ours just rinse it and re use it

Works Properly at times, extremely difficult to remove bugs- Ours will remove bugs easy

Some of them to be effective a specific lubricant is needed (only some products) ours use Water.

Most of them are too big and difficult to handle- Ours easy to use

Some of them can cause dullness- Ours, not one single case reported

Removal of Overspray- may need different grades- Ours tested with extreme overspray 98% came out

Low quality clay bar will damage the paint- Ours award wining product in 2007

Depending on condition you may need different grades- With ours if you don’t get great results you must move to a heavier product, compound or such, we haven’t found that to be the case yet

Test Mule, our 2003 Ford Excursion, in all fairness the truck has been expose to bad weather the last 3 weeks.


Overhaul condition on surface same on both sides ( you can click on image for a larger view)





Conventional Clay vs. Turbo Wax Oxidation Block (right side vs. left side)



First prepare the car shampoo,Nothing more than One spoon of car shampoo!!







Left side using conventional clay bar



Contaminants from surface on left side



Right side TW Oxidation block



Work in progress



Right side- Things that make you go Hummmmmmm,





Right side work in progress



Good Bye Bugs!!



Left Side



Left side I really had to work hard to get all of the bugs out, in some places I had re-do the work 4 or 5 times, eventually I got them out



After 2 passes with the conventional clay bar



After right side was washed and the TW Oxidation block used, I clay the surface with the conventional clay, the results, no one single trace of contaminants , this proof once again that our oxidation block does work, a superb job ! Not one single trace!





Stains on side skirt from the exhaust fumes from the turbo diesel

As found



End result



And finally the finished product that is with a little help of Mr. Porter Cable, Pre wax with a white pad, Wax with a finishing pad







Another test with great results

 

looks good man!

 

im saving up to buy your whole kit i have only heard great things about your company and cant wait to get your products on my car!

 

hattrickstu....would you recommend this as an alternative to claying???

 

i had no problems with it on the some pretty hardcore stuff, so yes it is def. worth a shot. just make sure you pay attention to the bar and if there is stuff sticking to it, spray the bar and rub them off. i did not have any problems with that though

 

alright thanks man...

 

don't trust me ?

 

nevar!!!! i am the spokesman now!!!! jk man

 

lol you do a better job than me

 

Stu is deff. one of the premier detailers on here.... but we'll see I'm moving up in the world now (been using everything by hand for years and just bought a PC D/A)...

 

see i told you a long time ago M!

 

Haha, I'll be buying one of these real soon, 2 attempts at claying my front bumper basically did nothing, the rest of the car was great, but the bra area is real bad, might as well give this a try.

 

videos! videos! videos!!!! i love watching detailer work! how about it turbowax?..hell i would love to watch hatrickstu do his thing!

 

I have been thinking about short videos which we can host on You Tube, also I could love to make a 'Detailing Basic 101 Book" maybe one day

 

yes be one with youtub! you need to!
also, i m surprised as long as we've been on ss.net, nobody has started a thread dedicated to detailing and washing vehicles. hint hint hint ( might be good for business turbo wax)
on a side note. the more i see turbo wax products in use, the more i m tempted to buy!

 

yea as a matter of fact i had some peeps request a clay bar video. but if you are going to do it ill leave it to you!

 

ok, so what we should have on the video ? I dont want it to be like a cheap advertising infomercial, should we talk about the use ? time frame of video ? I dont want people to get bore, any tips will be greatly appreciated, before we make a fool off ourselves

 

i honestly dont think some people understand how to simply clay bar a car bro. i would just show you doing that on a cobalt trunk (because im sure youve seen how **** builds up on there) and the video should show how hard it is for you to slide the bar, then how easy it is after some work. sound good?

 

well not just a video on how to use a clay bar. but videos on how you work and using your work methods.
Turbo Wax, if it will sell more of your product and we learn how to use your product with videos, what harm could come out of it!
on Maguires web site, they have a few videos on how to use their products

 

I would have to agree, most people are either intimidated by it or just plain do not know how to clay bar...

it's very easy and very beneficial to your cars paint... I'll be doing a before and after on my brother in laws 2002 Mustang GT once I get my other goodies (and some turbo wax stuff )

It's black with some very neglected paint!

 

i ve had my car over a years now so i plan to clay bar and wax before the fall sets in.

 

Give the Turbo Wax Oxidation Bar a try, you'll find it easier to use than a clay bar.