SCG Pro Line First Look

[CamaroDreams07]

So I've seen some other reviews around here regarding this line, but I figured I'd post my take as well. Dylan was nice enough to send me a sample of nearly everything in the line, plus I ordered a pretty hefty haul during the sale, so I'm well stocked!

My girlfriend agreed to let me use her beat up old G6 as a test subject so I could use a wider range of products than I would on my car. I then followed up detailing hers with a maintenance wash on my car and my mom's as well. Yes, I'm tired tonight!

I haven't had a chance to use everything yet, so I'll be adding more here as I do.

As a refresher, people who follow me know I care about 3 things: Effectiveness, versatility and value. I don't care what it smells like, what color the bottle is, cute windows for telling how much is left, or anything else. Does it work, how many ways can I use it, and does it make sense for the price?

You also will not see any 11s or 15s out of 10. Sorry Dylan, no extra credit

On to the reviews:

All Purpose Cleaner Concentrate 4.5/5 $34.99/gallon
Cleaning Power: 5/5
Versatility: 5/5
Value: 4/5
Bottom Line: Initial sticker shock fades away as you begin to digest the dilution ratios. I'm used to paying $15 for a gallon of D101, but the dilution ratios here make up for the difference. I use D101 at 2:1 for tires, SCG APC says 4:1. Cleaning power seems to be right on par even at the weaker dilutions. Blood red color is kind of cool if you care about that sort of thing. This is a really solid APC that I'd feel just as comfortable going to as I do my D101.

Now, my one concern with the color is will it stain on light colored textiles? I often use a light dilution of D101 to spot treat seats, carpets, headliners etc. I'll have to make sure to test an inconspicuous spot before I go rubbing maroon on beige Didn't get there today, but I'd have to assume this was tested and I'm not too worried.

Active Wheel Cleaner Plus 4/5 $74.99/gallon
Cleaning Power: 4/5
Versatility: 4/5
Value: 4/5
Bottom Line: $74.99/gallon seems steep, but it's actually identical to Sonax Full Effect, the classic ringleader of this category. They're all pricey, just a fact we have to deal with. Now, this is definitely in the same category in terms of effectiveness as SFE or Adam's DWC. I used it straight on the wheels and tires per the directions, but I usually dilute my other wheel cleaners 1:1 and would be interested to see if I can do that with this one too.

Thought the cleaning power was fine, exactly what I expected. Nothing revolutionary, but it didn't need to be. It stood right up with the existing champs.

Ok here's my quibble though. At $75/gallon, who in the HELL is going to be using this as a tire cleaner? You can make a gallon of tire cleaner from SCG APC for $7. It didn't clean my tires any better than my APC dilutions ever have. It's just pouring money down the drain to use it like that.

Even without the tire cleaning portion, it's still an excellent entry to this category.


Wheel/Tire Before:



Me doing my Casper impersonation





After:



Surface Prep Wash 5/5 $11.99/16 oz.
Stripping Effect: 5/5
Lubricity: 3/5
Foam Gun: 4/5
Value: 5/5
Bottom Line: This was by far the most exciting product to me when I saw this line unveiled. I'm a devout user of Dawn for the occasional strip wash, or even mixing in some APC, but to have a product specifically designed to strip waxes while being gentle to trim? I'm sold. This stuff worked great to take off tons of gunk all over the G6. Water stood perfectly flat after final rinse. I much prefer this to Dawn and will absolutely be purchasing more. Home run.

Extreme Suds Balanced Wash 3.5/5 $32.99/gallon
Foam Gun: 5/5
Suds: 5/5
Lubricity: 3.5/5
Final rinse: 2.5/5
Value: 4.5/5
Bottom Line: This soap belongs in the same league as Optimum or Adam's, but for different reasons. It depends what you're after. If you want a foam gun monster that's very good in the bucket as well, this is your soap. Suds on top of suds on top of suds. It's thick and viscous and the suds last through the entire wash. I don't find it nearly as slick as Optimum, which is what I want out of a soap. I'll probably end up keeping this as my foam gun soap but using Optimum in the bucket.

Oddly, this soap seemed to result in a lot more water being left on the surface than when I use Optimum. I don't know enough about chemistry to tell you why, but I've washed my Camaro at least once a week for the past 5 years and I know exactly how much water sits on it when I'm done. This was a lot more than I'm used to. That was weird to me as I'm very used to just dabbing up water with my Dry Me Crazy.

I think this is a very good soap for the right user, but for what I'm looking for, it's not going to unseat Optimum, at least in the bucket.







Bucket after wash



Polymer Detail Spray 2.5/5 $11.99/16 oz.
*I'm assuming this is what I got. It just said "Detail Spray" on the sample
Drying Agent: 3/5
Spot Treater: 4/5
Lubricity: 4/5
Value: 1/5
Bottom Line: To get me to buy a dedicated detail spray, you better absolutely bring it at least one category. Adam's does that for me with the drying agent. It makes drying pleasant, easier, and spot-free. SCG left me feeling flat for what I look for in a detail spray. YMMV. It didn't impress me as a drying agent. Coupled with the tons of water left in the wash, my towels were really dragging, not gliding as I'm used to.

As a spot treater, it worked. Just as good as anything else, but no better. I'm not going to sit here and debate the look of a detail spray versus another. It'll look shiny on shiny paint.

Here's my thing though, if you're not absolutely going to floor me with a DS, I'm just going to keep on making my own out of UWW+. It would cost me ~50 cents to make 16oz of detail spray that way, and honestly I prefer it.

I think this is a fine detail spray, but again, it's got to go to the right person, and it isn't for me. I used this on three cars today and just couldn't find a selling point for me personally.

Hydro-Seal ?/5 $19.99/16 oz.
Durability: ?/5
Longevity: ?/5
Ease of Use: 4/5
Value: ?/5
Bottom Line: A preliminary review of a sealant is about as useful as tits on a bull. You can't evaluate the purpose of a sealant until you've gotten weeks/months down the road. All I can talk about right now is the ease of application process.

I can totally get behind the idea. You get to combine two steps which should save you time. It went on really well and left no streaks or anything. I used a couple of Boas for application and my girlfriend followed with some Cobra 530s for final wipe down.

I need to play around with this some more as I think I would have had a hard time getting around the entire car applying and wiping before the car dried by myself. I think this will only get harder as it gets hotter out. Even in the garage, cars dry fast in the summer. I don't know how I feel about a product that might require me to rush. Maybe I can play with doing a few panels at a time then wetting the next few and so on.

That being said I think this is a great idea that absolutely has some value in the right situations. If I saw 2 months of protection out of this I'd consider it well worth it.

Clarifying Glass Cleaner 2/5 $34.99/gallon
Effectiveness: 5/5
Value: 1/5
Bottom Line: Good window cleaner, don't get me wrong. The problem is it isn't any better than D120 that costs me $1.82/gallon.


Some action/after shots:



Anything hotter than a girl claying her own car? I haven't found it








Stay Tuned, I still need to review Leather Cockpit Cream and I will update this thread as I learn new things about the things I've already used.

[CamaroDreams07]

Some thoughts about the line overall: Good, but with glaring flaws


I don't think any of the products they have brought to the table are bad. Not one of them is junk or inferior to 99% of what's out there. That being said, if you're going to call it a Pro Line, it needs to be a pro line, top to bottom.

I was very disappointed to see ready-made window cleaner and detail spray when we know that there are excellent options out there that keep the price down by selling concentrates.

With the exception of the Surface Prep Wash, nothing here knocked my socks off. But in a strange way, this might just be the most complete line on the market. Perfect, it isn't, but complete? Absolutely.

I tore some of the products up in the overall rankings, but you'll notice most of that had to do with price. If you get me that same stuff at a competitive price point, the whole outlooks changes. Quality isn't the issue here, but a true pro needs to keep his supply costs down. I can't do that at 22x my current price on DS and 15x my glass cleaner cost.

I think you have an excellent start but you're trying to straddle two markets almost.

Just my humble opinion.

[13lstuner]

I'm extremely surprised with your reaction to the detail spray. I do agree as a drying agent it isn't at a high value, but I thought it removed the hard water spots that happen at my house even easier than Adams.

You use the gilmour 95 model correct? What dilution ratio did you use that you liked best with the balance wash?

[CamaroDreams07]

Originally Posted by 13lstuner

I'm extremely surprised with your reaction to the detail spray. I do agree as a drying agent it isn't at a high value, but I thought it removed the hard water spots that happen at my house even easier than Adams.

You use the gilmour 95 model correct? What dilution ratio did you use that you liked best with the balance wash?

I used the directed dilution as I always do when testing product. I used setting E.

[FilibustaRhymes]

Great writeup, thanks for the insight

[Haole]

Im thinking of getting a few things after all. Good to see your reviews on some of the stuff I am planning on. I will be checking out your other reviews.

[ihaveacamaro]

Great review Matt, I actually read the whole thing :P

[CamaroDreams07]

Originally Posted by ihaveacamaro

Great review Matt, I actually read the whole thing :P

Appreciate that. We've been missing the videos. Quit dental school.

Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk

[viper1cobra]

Thanks for the Reviews.

[JTruck]

What surprised me the most is that you got your girlfriend to help you... Wife that up right now. I can't get my girlfriend to even begin to understand anything about car care.

[CamaroDreams07]

Originally Posted by JTruck

What surprised me the most is that you got your girlfriend to help you... Wife that up right now. I can't get my girlfriend to even begin to understand anything about car care.

She actually loved it. I was as shocked as you

Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk

[camaro2ssblack]

Good honest review.

You make a good point about how applying Hydro Seal could get tricky in the heat of the summer. I had a great experience with it working solo but I will admit it was ideal weather conditions on a forgiving color paint.

[CamaroDreams07]

Originally Posted by camaro2ssblack

Good honest review.

You make a good point about how applying Hydro Seal could get tricky in the heat of the summer. I had a great experience with it working solo but I will admit it was ideal weather conditions on a forgiving color paint.

I had a great experience too. No complaints whatsoever, just concerned about the future.

Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk

[DylanVK]

Originally Posted by CamaroDreams07

S
As a refresher, people who follow me know I care about 3 things: Effectiveness, versatility and value. I don't care what it smells like, what color the bottle is, cute windows for telling how much is left, or anything else. Does it work, how many ways can I use it, and does it make sense for the price?

You also will not see any 11s or 15s out of 10. Sorry Dylan, no extra credit

And thats why I tabbed you for reviews man - I know you'd take an honest hard look at everything, and from a slightly different perspective than a lot of people do. Like I always tell you when I PM you about this stuff -

"Just need honest reviews - Good, Bad, or Otherwise"

Originally Posted by CamaroDreams07

Now, my one concern with the color is will it stain on light colored textiles? I often use a light dilution of D101 to spot treat seats, carpets, headliners etc. I'll have to make sure to test an inconspicuous spot before I go rubbing maroon on beige Didn't get there today, but I'd have to assume this was tested and I'm not too worried.

Believe it or not, the color isn't much in terms of dye... its actually a little in the 'orangish' category just naturally, we added a little color to make it more red so theres no chance to confuse diluted APC for diluted Prep Wash (orange).

Because the color is mostly just the product and not a bunch of dyes or perfumes there should be no issues with staining, especially when diluted. I've used it on light colored leather, vinyl, and even a little on fabric without any issues. NOW - I will say b/c it foams extremely well its less than ideal for upholstery and carpets. It can be used for those, but I prefer a non-foaming cleaner for those uses as extraction of foam from upholstery takes for ever and SUCKS!

Originally Posted by CamaroDreams07

Ok here's my quibble though. At $75/gallon, who in the HELL is going to be using this as a tire cleaner? You can make a gallon of tire cleaner from SCG APC for $7. It didn't clean my tires any better than my APC dilutions ever have. It's just pouring money down the drain to use it like that.

Even without the tire cleaning portion, it's still an excellent entry to this category.

Honestly, the concept was never for this to be your "go to" tire cleaner... APC at 4:1 or even 8:1 is much more cost effective and more effective. The idea was simply to give you added degreasing power IF you were already using it on the wheels. If you already are saturating the wheel faces with AWC a few extra sprays gets the tires covered and you can knock them out at the same time.

Also, the alkalinity means it will cut light road tar and similar oil based contamination from the wheel faces should there be any - pretty much everything else in the category is pH neutral so aside from attacking metallics they don't do much else.

This just adds another dimension to the product that gives you an option that others don't should you choose to use it.

Originally Posted by CamaroDreams07

Bottom Line: This was by far the most exciting product to me when I saw this line unveiled. I'm a devout user of Dawn for the occasional strip wash, or even mixing in some APC, but to have a product specifically designed to strip waxes while being gentle to trim? I'm sold. This stuff worked great to take off tons of gunk all over the G6. Water stood perfectly flat after final rinse. I much prefer this to Dawn and will absolutely be purchasing more. Home run.

Glad you like this one - I get the feeling this was a product largely overlooked in the launch just b/c a lot of people don't understand the need.

Try diluting some into a spray bottle for light cleaning duty too! I keep a fairly strong mix in a sprayer for cleaning lightly dirty wheels on cars without metallic brake pads. Also makes a decent pre-treatment for bug guts and similar things.

Originally Posted by CamaroDreams07

Oddly, this soap seemed to result in a lot more water being left on the surface than when I use Optimum. I don't know enough about chemistry to tell you why, but I've washed my Camaro at least once a week for the past 5 years and I know exactly how much water sits on it when I'm done. This was a lot more than I'm used to. That was weird to me as I'm very used to just dabbing up water with my Dry Me Crazy.

I think this is a very good soap for the right user, but for what I'm looking for, it's not going to unseat Optimum, at least in the bucket.

Interesting... I'll have to pay closer attention to that next wash. Did you sheet rinse after? Also - just as an observation - would sitting water not equate to the soap leaving the LSP intact (If I'm understanding you correctly) by keeping beaded water on the paint?

Originally Posted by CamaroDreams07

I think this is a fine detail spray, but again, it's got to go to the right person, and it isn't for me. I used this on three cars today and just couldn't find a selling point for me personally.

Based on the feedback sounds like you're more of a wax based DS fan... no quams at all with that, but the virtues you're drawn to are typically more prototypical wax bases in my experience.

Input noted though.

Originally Posted by CamaroDreams07

I need to play around with this some more as I think I would have had a hard time getting around the entire car applying and wiping before the car dried by myself. I think this will only get harder as it gets hotter out. Even in the garage, cars dry fast in the summer. I don't know how I feel about a product that might require me to rush. Maybe I can play with doing a few panels at a time then wetting the next few and so on.

That being said I think this is a great idea that absolutely has some value in the right situations. If I saw 2 months of protection out of this I'd consider it well worth it.

Immediate removal isn't all that imperative - the residues buff off relatively easy even after setting up for awhile, so alternatively you can do your first pass spraying and spreading around the entire car to get the standing water off, then return with a separate towel and address the cured haze.

Another option too - which I intend to do a video on - is what I call wet-towel-on-dry-car application. Essentially you start with a dry, clean car. Take a wet towel, spray product onto it, spread over the surface, then buff away residues. This method would work best in situations where the car is already clean and you don't want to introduce water or, to your concern, where you might be dealing with higher heat situations.

Good input though!

Originally Posted by JTruck

What surprised me the most is that you got your girlfriend to help you... Wife that up right now. I can't get my girlfriend to even begin to understand anything about car care.

Other than "that smells good" my wife could care less... except if it means she can use it in the house. Glass Cleaner, Leather Cockpit Cream, and Poly Detail Spray - those 3 get quite a bit of use in our house.