flitcroft

Here's my opinion on Zaino vs. NXT. I wrote it out for a post in the Photo Gallery but decided to put it here too to hear other's opinions. My choice is NXT hands down, but I am waiting eagerly for the non-solvent paint-shop-friendly professional product to come out.


Zaino - high end product for exacting detailers:

+ incredible plasticy shine, like glass
+ looks great on light to medium colored cars
+ can be safely layered up to 10+ coats
+ incredible protection

- hard to apply and remove and takes hours and hours of curing to build up product
- expensive ($70+ to get started)
- attracts dust like a magnet (a top coat of PS21 takes care of this)
- does not look deep and rich enough on red or black, IMO

Meguiar's NXT Tech Wax - fantastic, but not perfect, consumer product:
+ incredible deep shine, like glass
+ easy to apply
+ looks great on all colored cars
+ cheap! cheap! cheap! (<$15)
+ better than Zaino with dust
- requires good prep work for a concours shine*
- can not be layered
- has mild cleansers so it probably shouldn't be used in sandwiching (it removes Zanio slightly)

* Because you can't layer NXT like Zaino you can't build a layer of polymer to cover spiderweb swirl marks. To combat this, Meguiar's chemists went with a different vehicle for the wax (creamy vs. Zaino's clear liquid-like look when applied) and added mild solvents to make the product more of a one step product than a last step product (you can see this when you apply NXT - it dissolves minor water spots right before your eyes). So, you have two options:

1) more grunt work removing all swirls prior to the final step of NXT
2) saying 'screw it' and let the one step magic wow you to a 95% level of swirl masking and 100% of the shine.


Do you agree? Disagree? Have anything to add? Am I on the crack pipe?

wanabe

good review... the only thing i would add is nxt is too new to rate its lasting ability (how long it lasts- not that many of us wait until its worn off to reapply!!)

flitcroft

Oh, people on detail forums have completed durability tests on it. Looks like for meticulous detailers the perfect shine remains for 4 weeks on daily drivers, 6 weeks on more protected cars.

Not great compared to other waxes (and especially polymers), but fine for me. It only takes 45 minutes for a wash/wax with NXT so there's no reason not to rewax with every wash...

6speed8

Great comparo, but I am confused as to why you write Zaino is hard to apply/remove. Zaino is very easy to apply, and requires very little effort to remove.

Ubetit

Good review but...

1. I don't think Zaino is hard to remove or apply
2. With ZFX it cures quickly. 30-40 minutes for me.
3. Doesn't attract dust for me any faster than any other product. I've done side by side comparisons with other waxes.

I like NXT I'm just not sure I trust it yet.

samjabori

i'm sorry, but, what is "can not be layered"?
does it mean that i have to take off the old wax before i apply a new one?
when people say dawn, do they refer to the product labeled "dawn" or any dishwashing liquid?

Ubetit

Zaino, unlike a lot of polishes, waxes and sealants, has no solvents in it. You can put multiple coats on it and not have Zaino remove the previous layers.

When he says it can't be layered he means that applying a second coat has no real benefit because the solvents in NXT remove the first coat while applying the second. So you really end up with just one coat in the long run. Some are debating whether NXT has solvents in it but it does appear to have some in my usage.

Some people do literally mean Dawn while others use "Dawn" to refer to any grease cutting dishwashing liquid.

samjabori

thanks.
i have just been to tsx forum and heard that dawn is harmful to the paint. what is the alternative to dawn?
is there any claybar to avoid? i read somewhere it has like two colors, blue and red (someting like that).

Ubetit

I guess if you used Dawn as your regular 2 x week carwash for 5 years it might dull your clearcoat but no one here is suggesting that. Use it to strip old wax, oils or grease off your car. After your prep work is completed and your waxing is done, use a good car wash shampoo 99% of the time.
Once a year I use dawn and a clay bar.

If you are going to be using a traditional polish (#82, VM) then you don't need to use Dawn at all. Wash the car with a car shampoo, clay it, wash again, polish, apply wax or polymer.

flitcroft

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Ubetit
Good review but...