Product Impressions: Chemical Guys Black Light and Bouncer`s 22 Paste Wax

[umi000]

First off, apologies for not having any pictures - I was a bit pressed for time to get the car done during the weekend. I`ll try and get shots of the finish, as well as water beading, if I get the opportunity.

I had a chance to use Chemical Guy`s Black Light and Dodo Juice Independent Wax Label release Bouncer`s 22 during the past week. I though I`d share my impressions of these products below.

CG Black Light

Black Light is a very thick (almost like peanut butter) liquid, dirty violet in color with a fruity-candy scent. The product seems to soak somewhat into the foam - you can easily see where you placed it on your pad, even after spreading around with your finger. Nonetheless, I only needed a small amount of working product - I was using around two to three corn-grain sized drops per panel.

Application was both by hand, using a generic yellow foam applicator, and by DA, using a black finishing pad. It definitely seems to have cleaners in it - my applicator was picking up a bit of grime, particularly on the lower panels, even after washing and claying. It was also able to remove most of the water spots on the paint, though this required multiple passes and medium to heavy pressure by hand, and two passes on speed 5 by DA. It also seemed to diminish the appearance of some micro-swirling, though whether this was due to abrasives or fillers I can`t tell yet.

The product was left on the paint for at least the recommended fifteen minutes after application, though I did leave it on a few panels for a bit longer. There was very little residue left after application, and removal was very easy, with a light pass using a short-nap MF sufficient to remove this residue, even on the surfaces where Black Light had been left for over 30 minutes.

Finish left was reasonably slick and glossy, though not BFWD-slick, at least in my recollection. I did not notice any darkening of the paint, though I`ll test this further on a different car. I also noticed that the panels I left as-is for a few days seemed to accumulate less dust than other panels on which I had Bouncer`s 22 and Bilt Hamber Finis wax (both carnauba pastes).

when I did a wash a few days later, sheeting on the untopped panels was fairly good, though beading was not as round and tight as the areas with carnauba. Unfortunately, I topped the entire car with Bouncer`s 22 during the weekend, so I will not be able to give any updates on durability, at least on this particular car.

Bouncer`s 22

Bouncer`s 22 comes in a 100 ml hard clear plastic pot, with a black domed lid. The wax is very soft, white in color with a lemon scent. A little goes a long way, with this wax - a light dab is enough for two panels. Product was hard to wash off the applicator pad after use, even after using degreaser and soaking in a dishwashing soap mix.

Application, as with Black Light, was both by hand - using an SM Arnold`s yellow foam applicator - and by DA, on speed 3 using a 4" white ultra-finishing pad (Buff and Shine). To help ensure a thinner layer, I made two passes on each panel, which allowed the applicator to pick up any excess wax immediately. Application was pretty easy - the product spreads along quite well.

However, removal was a different story. For a number of panels, I removed after eight to ten minutes, as per recommendation. These panels were a little grabby, requiring some pressure to remove the wax residue, though nothing too bad. On other panels, I let the product sit for about twenty minutes. These panels were a nightmare to buff off; I eventually had to use chilled distilled water to aid in the removal, and had to flip the towel multiple times to keep it from getting too grabby. Even then, I was left with some residue behind that needed a second wipe an hour later to remove.

What seemed to be happening was that, even though the wax appeared to pass the swipe test, when you tried wiping the residue off, it would re-liquify, leaving a smeary mess that grabbed your towel as you attempted to wipe it off. The chilled water appeared to help the wax set, allowing for easier removal. This happened with both hand- and machine- application, and on different days - slightly mystifying, as most accounts I`ve read say the wax is easy to use. I`ll try testing it with an even longer drying time, and try to apply an even thinner layer (though it`ll admit to being a bit hard-pressed as to how I can apply it any thinner) to see if that will help.

Slickness of the finish seems to be on par with other paste waxes I`ve used (Supernatural Hybrid and Bilt Hamber Finis Wax). It doesn`t darken and deepen the paint to the extent that Finis Wax does, but reflections appear sharper, and the finish is glossier. I`ll keep this wax on the car for the next couple of weeks, and update this thread on durability - do note though, that I am likely to be doing mostly rinseless washes, which usually has a beneficial impact on LSP longevity. Even then, though, my durability results are likely to be (maybe shockingly) less impressive than what you`d normally expect - the incessant rain and tropical sun in our country is hard on any LSP (OCW lasts about three weeks, two layers of BFWD showed visible degradation after four weeks, and 845 was beginning to give after six).

[umi000]

Some shots of my pot of Bouncer`s 22 that I took when I first got it:

[Wax2aMax]

Thanks for the reviews. I really like Blacklight and top it with MS or 5050.

[Todd@RUPES]

Very cool review, thank you for sharing!

[mjlinane]

Very nice review!!

[umi000]

Thanks for the reviews. I really like Blacklight and top it with MS or 5050.

Thanks! I`m considering getting Black Light (was only using a sample) - not to use as an LSP, but more as a cleaner/glaze. I`m planning on doing a 50:50 on a car in poorer condition (beater car I haven`t gotten around to polishing yet ) to see how well it fills, and whether I can notice any darkening (navy blue car).

Very cool review, thank you for sharing!

Thanks Todd!

Very nice review!!

Thanks Michael!

[Pats300zx]

Great review !!!

[umi000]

I`ve gotten a PM over on Detailing World from Jay (Bouncer) - he`s clarified the recommended removal time (usually five to eight minutes, down to as low as three minutes in hotter temperatures), and given me a few suggestions to deal with the problems I had with removal. I`ll give the wax application another go, and report back on how I manage.

Great review !!!

Thanks Pat!