Reflectology "One" Product Review

[R2D2]

First of all get a cup of tea and a chair as this will be long thread but hopefully a useful one!

Russ of Reflectology very kindly sent me some samples of his new products which I am going to review below. I should first of state that I don't know Russ or his company at all and have no axe to grind. I shall therefore say and show you what I found. You can decide from the photos what you think.

First of all, this may come as a shock but my car is allowed to get dirty and goes out in rain!

Three samples of these new products. The first tub is an experimental wax not on sale yet and is made of 100% Carnuaba yellow grade 1 wax (35% by volume), the red product is Reflectology "One" multi purpose product, and finally the atomiser is a detailer which adds a seal to the wax.

I added 12.5ml of R1, as I'll refer to it rather than type Reflectology "one", to my bucket of lukewarm water and made up the foam wash you see. The wash acted like a lubricant on my paint. It was lovely to apply and cleaned very well. I then washed the wheels applying the wash with a sponge and leaving it to dwell for 10 minutes.

This photo is the car washed in R1 but not rinsed. It sort of coated the car with this amazing finish that didn't just run off.

A bucket of water over the bonnet and another over the wheels left this finish.

If I'm honest the coating the wash applies made it harder to dry (with a microfibre cloth) as this photo shows. This could be that my car has 15 coats of wax on it already!

When I got the car dry this was the roof and bonnet after simply washing with R1.

Next step was the experimental Carnauba Wax.

Applying it.

This photo shows that the new wax layered on top of my previous 2 coats of black wax without removing any of the black wax!! This was impressive and confirms to me that layering wax is possible.

This photo shows the drivers side with the new wax and the passenger side just with my normal coats.

Having wax just the drivers side of the car for durability testings sake, I then moved on to testing the "Quick detailer" and again only on the drivers side of the car.

When I had wiped on the detailer it bloomed and then I buffed it off with a clean cloth. The cloth I applied the detailer did show signs of removing some black wax.

The next 10 photos show the shine achieved after buffing R1 (Reflectology one) but only on the drivers side.

 

[R2D2]

I then applied Gtechniq C2 to the passenger side, note that it didn't remove any black wax.

The next photos show the finished result of Reflectology and my normal regime side by side.

A bug daring to walk on my bonnet (the Reflectology side )

I then took the car out to take longer shots in the same light for comparison purposes. Look at each side carefully.

 

[R2D2]

CONCLUSIONS

Firstly I think it was very kind and a bit brave of Russ to let an amateur try out his new products. A BIG thank you to Russ for the opportunity!

The wash is not your average wash, I have no idea what is in it but it cleans very well. It left the paint very clean and after a buff to get it properly dry, the finish as shown in the tree reflections, is excellent.

I also used it on the wheels and forgot that all I did was wash on, dwell, and rinse off. I didn’t agitate the dirt or wipe them down or dry them, in fact I was so busy on the paint that I forgot the wheels. Yet in the photos you can see that the wheels are gleaming! So Reflectology “One” is a good cleaner and a good paint preparation product. Would I buy it/use it again-YES. I’d love to know what is in it as it as smells most distinctive!

The experimental Carnuaba wax, is a luxurious product and I suspect it may be a dear product. The wax is harder to apply than the bottle waxes I’ve used but it buffs off well and the result is a very deep shine that adds to the depth of the colour. The result between the 15 coats and the side with the posh wax is not as marked as you’d see if it were on a normal car BUT I’m convinced that if I’d used the posh wax I wouldn’t have needed 15 coats. It requires a little more effort to apply, being a hard wax, but you can’t argue with the result. Would I buy or use again-Yes.

Detailing spray. The results in the photos show that the Reflectology detailing spray achieves a similar shine to Gtechniq C2. If you know how good C2 is then you’ll know that is some statement. The photos don’t lie. It takes a bit more buffing than the clear C2, however, the results are excellent. The thing I like best about the spray is the finish on the paint – it is silky smooth.

Russ you are developing some interesting and good products of good quality and I'm sure each will be very successful.

I hope these thoughts and photos help. Please ask away with questions on all that I haven’t written or said. Russ will doubtless answer technical questions.

I count the wash as a coating, the wax as a coating and the finishing spray as a coating so after coat 18, I think my cars paint is nearly there!

 

[DSM10000]

Hmmmm.

So you started with a wet and dirty car, you then cleaned it and the end result was a (temporarily )clean and shiny car!

 

[russb]

Hi Greg thanks for the review....much appreciated....Just a few things to point out or explain about the R1 and the Detailer....

Reflectology 1NE can be used as a shampoo/snow foam etc etc and as it is probably the most concentrate product on the market(76% active content) you can do with it as you please...it is the base for many different types of uses and the reason is one of cost efficiency on the part of the end user....but as is the potency and probably I should have explained prior to you testing it it really should be rinsed under pressure with either a pressure washer or garden hose, that way no residue would be left behind but again I will take the hit on that for not adding that to the enclosed notes....

The spray detailer is one of those where you have to shake it to activate the contents but wipe on and wipe off really is a piece of cake but the black wax transfer you see will probably have been transfer from the wax beneath the sample wax you applied....as you applied what is essentially completely bare materials like carnauba and additional oils and propolis this could have blended with the black wax and left a film on the surface which is what the QD has no doubt picked up....I may stick my neck on the block by saying that from a previous thread you applied a wax over C2 and vice versa....the fricton created during application and removal could well have disturbed the lower layer of C2 due to its insufficient bond to the wax beneath it....that would be my thoughts on the colour transfer....

But overall the products you have will last quite a while and all i can do is thankyou for your honest and in depth write up and may your detailing days be fulfilled (or maybe not in your case as i fear more coats imminently)

 

[russb]

IMO the top picture looks a lot wetter and deeper than the lower picture but maybe that is slightly bias....

 

[R2D2]

Cheers Russ. The wash is excellent and effective. I take the point about power rinsing it off not just a hand rinse! If anyone wants to see the car or the products then PM me if you are in Kent.

 

[Superspec]

IMO the top picture looks a lot wetter and deeper than the lower picture but maybe that is slightly bias....

I think the top pic just has brighter lighting Russ, look at the shadows on the eves of the building. Either that or it has been exposed differently, there's definitely a colour cast on one of the pics.

I'm surprised there was any colour transfer when using the QD. How long had the wax been on before you applied the QD? I suspect the wax wasn't properly cured, had picked up some of the black liquid wax layer and the QD has taken some of the new layer off.

You might have been better off using a paint cleaner on the bodywork before trying the paste wax. In fact, you would have been better doing that but I understand what you were doing.

It'll be interesting to see how the wax behaves and lasts.

The reason it was harder to dry is probably due to the lower temperatures (cars are almost impossible to dry when it's cold especially in the early morning and late evening) and the fact you rinsed with a bucket rather than a hose (or ideally a PW)

 

[russb]

same time of day mate...car was just turned round i reckon.....

 

[whitenemesis]

All the colours in the top picture are more saturated...

 

[R2D2]

All I did was take a photo with the car turned around. I left the camera in Auto so the photos are what they are. For what its worth I can barely see any difference in the metal, both sides are excellent.

 

[JohnEclass]

OMG what did that stuff do to your hand!!

 

[Superspec]

same time of day mate...car was just turned round i reckon.....

Russ, look at the bricks!! Look at the shadows!! The light is completely different.

 

[fatdazza]

All I did was take a photo with the car turned around. I left the camera in Auto so the photos are what they are. For what its worth I can barely see any difference in the metal, both sides are excellent.

A common problem with taking pictures in the "auto" function.

Two photos taken immediately after each other can have wildly different appearences. For a comparison shot it it best to use a camera with manual settings.

 

[grumpyoldgit]

Have to agree about the difference in the two pictures, just check the tyres, which obviously haven't received any attention.

Mighty fine finish on your motor R2D2 and thanks for the review.

 

[mikec32]

R2D2 you are fully loving the wonderful world of obscene car washing. Love your passion, love your work so hats off to you.

Great review and products look good. Cant wait to see sheeting elements between this and the other lsp's on your car as well as all there durability's.

Great ork R2D2 and thanks Russ for letting a member try them out

 

[russb]

Russ, look at the bricks!! Look at the shadows!! The light is completely different.

Yeah i can see the pics but dont knock the lad for taking pictures of his car....now i am no photography student and tbh point shoot and thats what you get from my pictures....no messing no adjusting what you see is what you get....unlike other detailers i could mention.....lol

R2D2 you are fully loving the wonderful world of obscene car washing. Love your passion, love your work so hats off to you.

Great review and products look good. Cant wait to see sheeting elements between this and the other lsp's on your car as well as all there durability's.

Great ork R2D2 and thanks Russ for letting a member try them out

No worries mate I cant even remember how it came about to send them down to him to be honest....just wish i had the sealant in place prior to sending these or he would have got some of that instead of the wax....

 

[R2D2]

Washed again with reflectology no1 yesterday. Looking good but will spare the photos of coat 19