#16 and CMW in a head to head competition

S

Scottwax

New member
I had two identical Escalades this week. Both 2003 standard versions and both were pearl. One was a full detail and the other a wash/polish/wax job. Both were in excellent condition and I see them regularly (one each week, the other every two weeks) and am normally the only one who washes them.



I prepped both the same exact way, QEW wash and polished both with Poorboy's Polish w/carnauba using the Cyclo and green polishing pads. On one, I topped with #16, the other with Carnauba Moose.



First impressions:



Both products seem to work best applying and removing a section at a time. #16 is more clear and wet, CMW deepens the color slightly and seems a bit richer looking-even on a horribly orange peeled factory paint. Personally, I like the look of CMW a bit more. Seems to have more depth, even on light colors. Both are reasonably slick, decent for carnaubas but nothing like Wolfgang or UPP, of course.



Anyway, this really isn't about appearance since both look nice and both owners were very happy with how their vehicles looked. What I am interested in is the durability of the products. I have had good luck with CMW and #16 is pretty solid in that department too. Both get washed with QEW which is a wax friendly wash, so neither gets an unfair advantage.



Scorecard:



Ease of use-even

Appearance-slight edge to CMW

Slickness-even

Durability-to be determined. :xyxthumbs



Oh yeah, I should have pics by late this week. Don't expect to see much of a difference, it isn't huge so it probably won't show on the pics.
 
Doesn't CMW have cleaners in it? Would this have any effect on why it looked better than #16?
 
JDookie said:
Doesn't CMW have cleaners in it? Would this have any effect on why it looked better than #16?
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CMW is a pure wax. The only cleaning properties it may have are the solvent carriers in it. I polished both exactly the same way.



I'm not saying you would necessarily think CMW looks better, but to my eye it does. Again, the difference isn't huge, just a slightly deeper color and more depth.
 
Actually, I'm just realizing something. You said Carnauba Moose Wax. Is that different than just regular Moose Wax?
 
JDookie said:
Actually, I'm just realizing something. You said Carnauba Moose Wax. Is that different than just regular Moose Wax?
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Moose Wax = strong cleaner wax

Carnauba Moose Wax = pure wax
 
JDookie said:
Actually, I'm just realizing something. You said Carnauba Moose Wax. Is that different than just regular Moose Wax?
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Yes, and that is exactly the reason Carnauba Moose Wax is a horrible name. Too easy to confuse. It should have been called Clearkote Carnauba or something similar. I guess Mr. Glass wanted to stick with the Moose theme. :nixweiss
 
I'm curious to the durability of CMW, since the person's car I did washed it off, only 2 weeks in.
 
2-weeks. Wow that is short. Even S100/P21S lasts longer than that.



What did the person wash the car with and how many times? I doubt highly that CMW would only have a couple of weeks of durability; if that was the case, very few people here would ever use it.



Paco
 
ScottWAx- Sounds like a good comparo! One of these days you oughta try using the Cyclo with finishing pads to apply the wax. I just love doing #16 with that thing. It's not like you'll save any time, but it just seems to work a little differently by machine.
 
John Styrnol said:
I'm curious to the durability of CMW, since the person's car I did washed it off, only 2 weeks in.
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Don't use beading as a gauge for durability. CMW does not bead very well at all...in fact, its sheeting sorta reminds me of EX/EX-P.
 
Hmm, Scott...very interesting :)



I have CMW, but no #16...I'll have to give it a shot on my dad's Caddy...And yes, the OP is yucky!
 
Accumulator said:
ScottWAx- Sounds like a good comparo! One of these days you oughta try using the Cyclo with finishing pads to apply the wax. I just love doing #16 with that thing. It's not like you'll save any time, but it just seems to work a little differently by machine.
Click to expand...



Not trying to hijack this thread or anything but do the pads on a cyclo oscillate or spin?
 
That was the first time I used it. So, when I washed it I saw not much beading and she told me she took it to a car wash, I figure the stuff was basically gone. Nice to know that it was still there. Well, this weekend I put some Tropi-Care TC-3 on her car, so I guess the CMW is gone now, maybe not. She's happier with the way the car looks now.
 
I use and really enjoy both products.



Appearance and ease of use IMHO go to CMW and durability to #16 up here in the acid rain NorthEast.



I find CMW REALLY darkens the paint. It's amazing at its ability to do so.



I find its ease of use to be far superior to #16. I apply CMW to the whole car, let sit and then buff off. It comes off with zero effort even if you over apply. I liken it to EX-P in removal. Plus you can use it in the sun. #16 can be a bit of a pain if you let it dry especially if you accidentily use too much.



I'm curious about the durability by you, especially since you wash them frequently.
 
I know none of you will believe this, but the Escalade I used CMW on was last waxed in October of 2003, when he first got it....VM/CMW was what I used. It has beaded the entire time. Reasonable slickness too. Always washed with QEW and I think in all that time, it went through a conveyer car wash once, right after we had snow and I was buried in work. I QDed it a few times, maybe every two months or so. The Escalade was a demo with about 2000 miles on it and the customer specified no dealer prep be done since he was having me wax it immediately, so as far as both he and I know, it wasn't treated with a sealant either.



The main problem with it beading so long, for whatever reason, is that is why he waited a full year to have it waxed again. Every time I would ask him, he'd say "It beads when it rains and looks great, we can wait a while longer."



However, I have noticed that Tahoes, Suburbans and Escalades seem to bead for a very long time, much longer than you would expect. I am in no way ready to say CMW will protect for a full year, so please don't think I am suggesting it does. All I know is this particular Escalade was not waxed for slightly more than a year and beaded the entire time.



:nixweiss
 
I used CMW on a Vette for a co-worker and it looked GORGEOUS. The car looked stunning and was very slick to the touch. Durability is not an issue with him since I will be detailing it once a month anyway.
 
JDookie said:
Not trying to hijack this thread or anything but do the pads on a cyclo oscillate or spin?
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That's a good question...and one that we've discussed before on other threads without reaching an absolute conclusion. Someday, somebody will have to ask Steve at CycloToolMakers about it and get the *real* answer.



The heads don't move in a truly "random" manner quite like the PC, they are directly gear driven (as per the diagram of the machine's innards, I haven't actually pulled one apart to see this first-hand). But the heads also spin freely in their mounting bosses, so it's sorta like you have two different spins going on simultaneously which end up making for a fairly random polishing action.



I know that's a pretty lousy explanation, so if anybody has a better one feel free to post it.
 
George-while the cyclo heads to seem to spin and oscillate at the same time, they do lay down a pattern very similar to the PC.
 
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