Are all clays pretty much the same? I have used Zaino's Z-18 but have not tried any others such as Meg's. If some are different or better for one reason or another which one is the detailers choice?

Thanks!

 

There seems to be a little difference in one version of clay versus another when it comes to abrasiveness. The patent Claymagic holds however suggests more in common then difference currently.

 

I use claymagic...you can pick it up locally at an autozone and I have never marred any paint with it (5 vehicles done so far including my C6) and it is aggressive enough to pick up everything.

It's a great bar and I'll never use anything else.

 

I've clayed hundreds of cars and will share my observations with you.
Also to be noted, I use Meg's QD cut with water about 3/4 water and 1/4 QD as a lube and sometimes even the soapy water I'm washing the car with.

This is purely my opinion:

Mother's clay, Pinnicale clay; not very abrasive, too soft, sticks to my hands and fingers and is more of a mess to me. Does an okay job for new cars with little to no contamination. Not good against a heavily contaminated vehicle. Does not last long, maybe 2-3 cars at most.

Meg's white clay; by far my favorite, it's mildly abrasive and seems to do a great job at cleaning heavily contaminated and lightly contaminated surfaces. I would use it on a brand new car very lightly or a very old nasty car. Lasts a good while, 5-6 cars at most.

Blue Magic blue clay; much more abrasive and firm, good for heavily contaminated cars, I would not use it on a new finish or a very lightly contaminated car as it will leave marring behind. Seems to pick up every bit of contamination. Good for 2-3 cars at most.

Remember some clays can leave slight marring behind so be prepared to lightly polish out any noticable marring induced by claying. For as many cars as I've clayed I've only slightly marred a handful, not a problem for me as I typically polish the cars I'm detailing anyways.

My personal clay of choice is Meg's white clay.

Josh

 

There are only a couple manufactures of clay and patents protect the technology, with some subtle difference in consistency and firmness, a recent court hearing found components of the “elastic clay” to be a patent infringement and the judge ordered sale of the product to be halted. (In the United States, Auto Wax Company Inc. (now owned by Illinois Tool Works Inc.) owns the US patent rights (No. 5,727,993) and reads thus- "Conventional compounds comprising an elastomeric resin mixed with abrasives used to remove protrusions, projections, and/or strongly adhered foreign matter from vehicle surfaces"

Auto Wax owns six patents relating to clay products and provides private label clay too many of the detail industry’s leading companies - http://www.automagic.biz/specialt.htm As a result, all of the Polybutene (Polyisobutylene) or plastic clay being manufactured now comes from the same factory in Japan, which as the only patent holder has a monopoly on the market. Meguiar's, Mothers, Sonus, Zaino, et al get their clay either from Japan (Source Chem. Inc. one of Japan's biggest clay manufacturers) or from a US licensed manufacturer.

Clay - http://www.detailuniversity.com/foru...on-miller.html

 

The best clays I have used are Clay Magic, Zaino and Mother's.

 

Mothers is too mushy for my liking.

I'll never try the zaino claybar because it's way too expensive when you factor in shipping.

Clay Magic is great and local

 

Do you really need to clay a new car? I rub my hands on the paint and it is silky smooth. No feeling of any dimples or anything!

 

Rub the car through a plastic bag and I gurantee it will not feel silky smooth.

I clayed my C6 when it was only a couple months old and got TONS of crap out of it.

 

Claying is I've clayed and will never do it again. It's snake oil. But snake oil that can damage your car.
I defy anyone, expert or amateur, to be able to pick out a clayed car from a non clayed car after detailing.

My $.02

 

I've used Mother's yellow claybar and am in agreement that this stuff makes a royal mess. However, it seems to be rather mild. I don't like their clay lube either; the smell is intoxicating after a while.

My favorite though is Sonus SFX ultrafine clay (the green bar). I've also used Zaino Z-18 and that one is ok too. They're both soft and pliable and cleanup isn't too bad.

 

How is it snake oil? It does exactly what it's supposed to do. It removes all of the items imbedded into your clear coat and smoothes down the paint in preparation for your sealant/waxes.

You obviously had no idea what you were doing with it or were using a terrible clay if you damaged your car or didnt get incredible results...claying is the biggest improvement you can make to your paint with such little effort. After only claying the car will look INCREDIBLE before you even put a coat of wax on it.

Claying helps with durability because it allows the product to bond to the car better. If you dont think you can see the difference you can CERTAINLY feel the difference.

EVERYONE should put claybaring into their regiment...and like I said, I recommend the claymagic bar because I've never been able to marr paint with it.

 

Even new cars that have been setting on a car dealerships lot for a few weeks can accumulate contamination that bonds to the paint surface; don't assume a vehicle that looks good is contamination free. Do a ‘Bag Test’ place some saran wrap or a zip lock bag over your hand and rub across the finish lightly. Every snag you feel is a surface contaminant that the clay bar can remove but you may not be able to see, especially on white or light coloured vehicle surfaces.

Acid rain, road salt, tree sap and airborne contaminants are very detrimental to a vehicles paint film surface. Brake dust or rail dust is very small, almost microscopic particles of steel, iron or their alloys. These particles carry a positive charge (due to friction) while the vehicles they land on are carrying a negative charge. The vehicle surface becomes a magnet, attracting and bonding the ferrous metal particles to the vehicle surface.

 

When automotive clay was first introduced there were reports of paint damage due to improper use. With education on correct application methodology this is no longer a problem. It amazes me how many professional detailer’s do not know what detailing clay is capable of, let alone how or why they should use it. For the rest of us who have been using it for ten or more years, we can't imagine being without it

Clay - http://www.detailuniversity.com/foru...on-miller.html

 

I love claybars... best thing sinced sliced bread (and Corvettes of course!)

I go through several a year just trying to keep my DD clean during Alaska's slushy seasons. That crud eats through wax in no time flat and roughens the surface almost instantly.

I've used the Mothers bars, only because it seems to be the only one readily available in Anchorage; but now I always bring back a stack of Zaino claybars anytime I go to CA because after trying those... I like them a LOT better. Plus I get two for the price of one Mothers bar.

FYI... To avoid dropping the claybar accidentally while using it (We all know how they are fond of jumping out of hands), use a latex glove. It will grip the claybar incredibly well, even when covered in the soapy water you use the bar with.