Zaino

[pj_rage]

Why do most of you that seem to know your stuff hate zaino so much? I've never used it because I always thought it was super expensive and just not worth it. Also, alot of you seem to feel the same way, so I never even looked into it.

But I just looked at their site a little, and the prices aren't bad at all?

What, specifically, makes you all not want to use it? Does it not look as good as, say, poorboy's/clearkote, which seem to be comparable in price?

I know that they mismarket some of their polishes as waxes and stuff, but once you figure out what they all actually are, is there a place to work them in?

 

[HISSMAN]

Ease of use, and durrability was my turn off. But I have not used it for a couple years.

-Jeff

 

[trance_in_miami]

I supose that it is because there are so many fans that think Zaino is the cream of the Crop. WHen infact you can get better results with other brand names for a cheaper price. Zaino is quite pricey and so it Pinnacle. Autopia is loaded with ZAINO freaks and DetailCity is loaded with Poorboy's Fans. Svt ShowNshine is loaded with alot of everything. But Im not 100% sure why people hate ZAINO.

 

[DARKSTI]

Zanio is my top 5. I use it during the winter on our outdoor cars. The look is good. But after about 4 months, it looks dull and plasticy. Not to mention having the whole Z lineup pretty much. i give it a 3/5

 

[Scott P]

I don't see anyone on here that "hates" Zaino. There is no reason to feel that way. Zaino is a quality product and one of the best sealants out there. Durability-wise, I don't think you'll find anything else that can top it.

Zaino is not difficult to use at all. With the addition of Z-PC and Z-8 to the lineup, they have truly become a one-stop package. Sure, on a per ouce basis, it is expensive. But, with some experience, you can easily get two coats out of an ounce or so.

The problem that Zaino has is in the many of the users themselves. The term "Zaino Zealout" refers to people that will trumpet Zaino as the one cure all for all paints and finishes. The stories of people adding layer upon layer turned many potential users off because they thought it was required, not optional, for a great finish. It is one of those rare products that lives up to the hype.

It may not be the smartest sales technique of mine to talk positively about another company's product. The fact is that Zaino is a great product. I'm not going to come here and state that the stuff I sell is the best and that nothing compares. In a market as subjective as waxes, statements like that lend nothing to credibility. People should simply use what they like and not worry about what everyone else says is a good product or not.

 

[Juiced-03]

Reasons why I dislike Zaino:

1) Availability
2) Dawn wash?!
3) You have to use Z1 or ZFX, which costs more money
4) Not compatible with most other products
5) The look leaves MUCH to be desired
6) Not difficult to remove, but almost every other sealant I own is by far easier
7) Requires PERFECT prep
8) Prices are not too bad until you realize that most places charge at least $7-8 just for shipping, plus you have to buy Z1/ZFX
9) Their Z5 SMR is a glaze, and a horrible one at that
10) Sal Zaino is an asshole in his replies (at least when I had questions)
11) Has way too much internet hype
12) Is not as slick as some sealants I have used
13) The glass polish dusted like crazy, and was difficult to remove
14) The bottles are small for what you pay
15) Zaino can be very difficult to dry in cold weather, and streaky in the heat
16) The $20 ZFX has been known to dry out QUICKLY over a few months


Now with all of that said, I do appreciate the Zaino durability. That and the smell is all I like about it. I almost thought about buying some Z2 for my winter combo, but then I came to my senses lol

 

[03venum]

i have used the zanio system on 2 cars and one just this saturday and i loved the results after using other polishes and waxes zanio has them beat hands down great product and i think u get what u pay for if its a cheap pice so is the product. just my 2 cents i have saw the before and after in person and if done right theres to much out there thats going to be any better than zanio and its not a wax its a polish none of the products i have saw them sell is wax its all polish and it really is a polish.

 

[03venum]

u use dawn to prep the car it takes off any wax that u may have on it what is wrong with that. dish soap is one of the worse thing to was your car with because it does clear the wax off of your car but when u use it in the correct steps to prep the car u have better results

 

[HISSMAN]

Dawn will destroy the plastics on your car over time.

 

[Big_Torch]

Dawn will destroy the plastics on your car over time.

what do you use ?

 

[HISSMAN]

If it is the beginning of the season, and I am starting out bare. I wash the car, use a clay bar, then I use my PC with some Tropi-care swirl remover, then I use 3M 5990 Hand glaze (may not be needed, but the paint feels smooth as ice when done), then I use my PC with TC3 polish from Tropi-care, followed by a coat of a good quality carnuba to really make it shine and hide any swirls that may have escaped the previouse steps. This usually does the trick for me.


-Jeff

 

[trance_in_miami]

Reason why I dislike Zaino:

1) Availability
2) Dawn wash?!
3) You have to use Z1 or ZFX, which costs more money
4) Not compatible with most other products
5) The look leaves MUCH to be desired
6) Not difficult to remove, but almost every other sealant I own is by far easier
7) Requires PERFECT prep
8) Prices are not too bad until you realize that most places charge at least $7-8 just for shipping, plus you have to buy Z1/ZFX
9) Their Z5 SMR is a glaze, and a horrible one at that
10) Sal Zaino is an asshole in his replies (at least when I had questions)
11) Has way too much internet hype
12) Is not as slick as some sealants I have used
13) The glass polish dusted like crazy, and was difficult to remove
14) The bottles are small for what you pay
15) Zaino can be very difficult to dry in cold weather, and streaky in the heat


Now with all of that said, I do appreciate the Zaino durability. That and the smell is all I like about it. I almost thought about buying some Z2 for my winter combo, but then I came to my senses lol

:read: :read: :beer:

 

[Oh Three Cobra]

I'm happy with Zaino.

 

[Juiced-03]

and its not a wax its a polish

No one said it was a wax, but if you want to get technical, it's a sealant.

 

[Juiced-03]

I'm happy with Zaino.

Honestly, I was back in the day also. It wasn't until I actually learned about other products that I realized there were better products, even though they may not have the durability like Zaino.

I am an honest believer in finding something you like, and using it often! Doesn't matter if it's Zaino, Meguiar's, Tropi-Care, Adam's, Poorboy's, Clearkote, or even Turtle Wax. If you like, use it regularly! It is the people who choose to use NOTHING that I disagree with :beer:

 

[03venum]

Why do most of you that seem to know your stuff hate zaino so much? I've never used it because I always thought it was super expensive and just not worth it. Also, alot of you seem to feel the same way, so I never even looked into it.

But I just looked at their site a little, and the prices aren't bad at all?

What, specifically, makes you all not want to use it? Does it not look as good as, say, poorboy's/clearkote, which seem to be comparable in price?

I know that they mismarket some of their polishes as waxes and stuff, but once you figure out what they all actually are, is there a place to work them in?

look at his last line

 

[pj_rage]

look at his last line

I specifically said it was not a wax, I said that some of what zaino calls "waxes" are actually polishes (from what I have heard). I may still be wrong, but I didn't say it was a wax :beer:

At any rate, I see your points on zaino.

So, to break it down:

Pluses for zaino:
Durability
Everyone on the net will think your car looks amazing, because you use zaino!

Negatives for zaino:
Cost
Not the best shine

I'm still not sure I understand how the cost is such a factor? I don't know which zainos are comparable to which poorboy's, but on average it is like $2 more per bottle. Not significant IMO?

The biggest factor has to be the fact that people just don't like the results? I mean, cost can be a factor, but if the results are worth it, people will buy it (pinnacle souveran, apparently, which is 5x more expensive, not a couple dollars per bottle).

Thanks for the info anyway guys! With all the apparent mismarketing, I'm not sure which product to use for what haha. But with its durability, I am very tempted to use it for the winter! Can I prep with some optimum polish for swirls, glaze with clearkote RMG, and then seal with some zaino? Can I carnuba over zaino with something like natty's blue? What stuff would I need to try it for the winter?

 

[Scott P]

Can I prep with some optimum polish for swirls, glaze with clearkote RMG, and then seal with some zaino? Can I carnuba over zaino with something like natty's blue? What stuff would I need to try it for the winter?

Zaino will not work over a glaze or wax. The surface must be free of oils, hence the Dawn Wash. You could put a wax over Zaino, but you would need to remove teh wax if you wanted to use additional layers of Z.

Optimum Polish would work fine to remove swirls and act as surface prep before you coats of Zaino. Optimum does use carrier oils, but it should be just fine as long as you use Z-1 or Zfx with your first coat.

 

[pj_rage]

Zaino will not work over a glaze or wax. The surface must be free of oils, hence the Dawn Wash. You could put a wax over Zaino, but you would need to remove teh wax if you wanted to use additional layers of Z.

Optimum Polish would work fine to remove swirls and act as surface prep before you coats of Zaino. Optimum does use carrier oils, but it should be just fine as long as you use Z-1 or Zfx with your first coat.

Scott, would you mind sharing your favorite winter prep procedure? I'm about to let my black daily driver grand prix gtp (which I also like to keep clean) go through the winter, and I would like to protect it best as possible! I'm in VA (around DC) and southern MD, so we see a little bit of snow (not ALOT) and also some salt on the roads during the winter months. How can I best protect?

 

[Juiced-03]

I'm still not sure I understand how the cost is such a factor? I don't know which zainos are comparable to which poorboy's, but on average it is like $2 more per bottle. Not significant IMO?

The price of Z2 Pro isn't so bad by itself, even though it is a much smaller bottle than most other sealants. The reason it gets expensive is due to having to buy a bottle of Z1 or the ZFX kit (which most people opt for). The ZFX is another $20 if I recall.

So you have:

Z2 Pro = $14.95 (for an 8 once bottle, HALF the size of other sealants)
ZFX= $19.95 (required for the Z2 to work properly!)
Shipping = $8.95 (about $3-$4 more than most other detail suppliers)
----------------
=$43.85 for essentially one bottle of sealant.

That does not include their Z8 or Z6 spray which is recommended. If you add that in there, we are now talking around $80! If Scott is still doing his special on 4* products, you could get a bottle of UPP for about $20 shipped, less than HALF of what the Zaino would cost you. And the bottle is DOUBLE the size and you don't need a bullshit additive. And you will NEVER see Zaino having sales on their products. NEVER.

How can you argue that $44 for an 8 ounce supply is a good deal?