First, a little bit about Northern Labs, manufacturers of Kit.
In synopsis from the website, Northern Labs has been around about 60 years, manufacturing automotive and household cleaning products. In the '60s they developed Kit, the first "pre-softened" car wax. About 20 years ago they were purchased by the curent owners, and have expanded signifigantly into contract manufacturing of personal care and household products.
So what we have here is a small independent laboratory developing and manufacturing and marketing its product all under one roof.
Ugh! But you can get it at KMart!
Well, let's try and reason that through. Does where you purchase a product have anything to do with how good it is? If a company can produce a superior product by keeping development, manufacturing and marketing in-house, shouldn't it be beneficial to us to have it easily accessible? If YOU owned such a company, isn't that what you would want?
So, here goes. I like this product. A lot. I don't know how long it's going to last on the car, but at the point of application it's every bit as good as a lot of other "exclusive" stuff I've tried, and a dang sight better than some of them.
Temps were around 60*, bright sun. I worked in the shade. I washed the car with Kit's Carnauba Gold Wash & Wax, dried with a BBDT. This review is of both the paste (actually a cream) and the liquid versions. I used both.
First and foremost: THIS WAX CONTAINS NO CLEANERS!!!!! None! It is a "pure" wax that you can get OTC! Here are my applicators and removal towels after the job:
The product as I said is a cream. I dabbed the applicator (notice the cool shape)
in the product and applied it to the surface. It is very spreadable, and it is easy to get a super thin coat. The wax has a pronounced industrial smell in the jar, but upon application it is for all intents and purposes odorless. I did the entire car, allowed the product to haze, and removed it with 2 Meguiar's Ultimate Wipes. I used the cream and paste versions interchangeably; again, for all practical purposes there are no differences between them.
Removal required a bit more pressure than I'm used to from the sealants. My opinion is that this was because of the temperature. While the air was around 60*, the car had been in the shade all day and was certainly colder than that. In the picture you can see a little bit of streaking on the hood, in the upper right quadrant. That is pretty normal for this car. Most products streak on my hood. If it doesn't go away after a couple days the QD normally gets it. Removal was easier from the vertical panels.
The surface feels really, really smooth. The look is deep and wet. It doesn't seem to have any swirl hiding properties (yeah, I got 'em, even though you can't see them in the pictures). I took the pictures because I know that deep down we're all picture junkies:
In this last one you can get a nice sense of the wetness by the way the light and shadow play on the trunk. The red doesn't photgraph well when the sun gets lower in the sky, it doesn't pick up light and reflection.
I was going to ask if people were just kidding themselves when they get caught up in this "product of the month" mania, but to be honest I don't care about that. Have at it, the results you're getting are real. And I have no need or desire to talk anyone out of whatever it is they're happy with. But I bet that if anyone bought and tried this wax, and ALL these Kit products I tried today, they'd get the same results I got. It wasn't hard. I followed the instructions on the packages.
Does Kit make products for severe defect correction? Nope. For defect correction you're going to need specialized tools, products, and skill. But if you're looking for a high quality product to put the finishing touch on your hard work, Kit will do exactly that.
Tom
In synopsis from the website, Northern Labs has been around about 60 years, manufacturing automotive and household cleaning products. In the '60s they developed Kit, the first "pre-softened" car wax. About 20 years ago they were purchased by the curent owners, and have expanded signifigantly into contract manufacturing of personal care and household products.
So what we have here is a small independent laboratory developing and manufacturing and marketing its product all under one roof.
Ugh! But you can get it at KMart!
Well, let's try and reason that through. Does where you purchase a product have anything to do with how good it is? If a company can produce a superior product by keeping development, manufacturing and marketing in-house, shouldn't it be beneficial to us to have it easily accessible? If YOU owned such a company, isn't that what you would want?
So, here goes. I like this product. A lot. I don't know how long it's going to last on the car, but at the point of application it's every bit as good as a lot of other "exclusive" stuff I've tried, and a dang sight better than some of them.
Temps were around 60*, bright sun. I worked in the shade. I washed the car with Kit's Carnauba Gold Wash & Wax, dried with a BBDT. This review is of both the paste (actually a cream) and the liquid versions. I used both.
First and foremost: THIS WAX CONTAINS NO CLEANERS!!!!! None! It is a "pure" wax that you can get OTC! Here are my applicators and removal towels after the job:
The product as I said is a cream. I dabbed the applicator (notice the cool shape)
in the product and applied it to the surface. It is very spreadable, and it is easy to get a super thin coat. The wax has a pronounced industrial smell in the jar, but upon application it is for all intents and purposes odorless. I did the entire car, allowed the product to haze, and removed it with 2 Meguiar's Ultimate Wipes. I used the cream and paste versions interchangeably; again, for all practical purposes there are no differences between them.
Removal required a bit more pressure than I'm used to from the sealants. My opinion is that this was because of the temperature. While the air was around 60*, the car had been in the shade all day and was certainly colder than that. In the picture you can see a little bit of streaking on the hood, in the upper right quadrant. That is pretty normal for this car. Most products streak on my hood. If it doesn't go away after a couple days the QD normally gets it. Removal was easier from the vertical panels.
The surface feels really, really smooth. The look is deep and wet. It doesn't seem to have any swirl hiding properties (yeah, I got 'em, even though you can't see them in the pictures). I took the pictures because I know that deep down we're all picture junkies:
In this last one you can get a nice sense of the wetness by the way the light and shadow play on the trunk. The red doesn't photgraph well when the sun gets lower in the sky, it doesn't pick up light and reflection.
I was going to ask if people were just kidding themselves when they get caught up in this "product of the month" mania, but to be honest I don't care about that. Have at it, the results you're getting are real. And I have no need or desire to talk anyone out of whatever it is they're happy with. But I bet that if anyone bought and tried this wax, and ALL these Kit products I tried today, they'd get the same results I got. It wasn't hard. I followed the instructions on the packages.
Does Kit make products for severe defect correction? Nope. For defect correction you're going to need specialized tools, products, and skill. But if you're looking for a high quality product to put the finishing touch on your hard work, Kit will do exactly that.
Tom
I may have to try it again. Thanks for bringing it up.
!); I almost wish I picked up the new Kit, too. Nice review.
