If you have not read the first part of this test (seen here), you should
do so before proceeding any further.
ONE-WEEK FOLLOW-UP:
I returned a week later to skate the curbs again, and rerun the tests. Unfortunately,
my friend Joe was not with me to compare results. I did not add any additional
wax or spray to the curbs. I wanted to see how weathering, etc. impacted their
performance. As a reminder, the enamel and lacquer were applied about one week
prior to the very first test. So, keep in mind that they had two weeks of
exposure compared to the waxed curbs. How did everything hold up?
(1) DIY
WAX: Wax on top of curb was mostly gone. Could still see some on the grinding
edge, but not much. The vertical surface still had a bit. I expected this to
happen. This is the wax I’ve been using/making for a few years now. It is soft,
melts off in the Sun, and is subject to weathering. One the flip side, it is
very cheap, and easy to make. How did it grind? It didn’t. At all. Tail slides
were a no-go. Too much of the wax had weathered away. I know from previous
experience with this wax, that a quick reapply would have made things
grind/slide again.
DIY waxed curb, 1 week later. |
(2) Shorty’s
Curb Candy Wax: Visibly, it was the same as the DIY wax (e.g. mostly gone).
However, its 50/50s were a go from the first attempt. This surprised me. It
wasn’t as fast as last week, but no question, it was grinding. Tail slides were
a little sticky, and didn’t go far, but they went. Curb no longer smelled like
a Martha Stewart Christmas Holiday Project. Thank God.
Curb waxed with Shorty's Curb Candy, 1 week later. |
(3) ENAMEL:
The curb appeared just as it had last week, maybe with a little less sheen. It
did not grind, at all. Likewise with tail slides. I was surprised by this.
Enamel, 1 week later (well, 2 actually). |
(4) LACQUER:
This also appeared just it had last week. It was still slick, and
grinded/tail slid right from the start. It wasn’t AS slick as it was last week,
but it was still the best of the four.
Lacquer, 1 week later (well, 2 actually). |
FINAL CONCLUSIONS
& TEST WINNER
1st Place: Lacquer, hands down winner.
2nd place: Shorty’s Wax.
Tied for 3rd/4th Place: DIY wax and
Enamel.
Notes: It seems that for best results, use lacquer for
initial priming, and then touch-up with Shorty’s if/when needed. Since these posts have gone public, a few others have
mentioned bar soap and Gulf Wax (paraffin) as other good options. As result of
this test, I now have a lot of extra enamel, lacquer, Shorty’s Wax, and DIY
wax. I will replicate these tests on different type curbs, and throw soap and
Gulf Wax into the mix. A long-term follow-up will be posted at some point in
the future.
Thank you for following up! I’m getting myself some lacquer today!
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