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Zymol Atomic Graphene Shield - Testing

87K views 342 replies 56 participants last post by  Woodsmoke 
#1 · (Edited)
Zymol Atomic Graphene Shield - Initial thoughts



As a bit of an early adopter for this product I thought it might be beneficial to offer some insight into how I find it. I've no experience of a Graphene product and previously on my R32 I've been very happy with 2 coats of Gyeon CanCoat topped with Polish Angel high Gloss or Zaino Grand Finale.

Before I consider stripping things back and applying to my car the test bed will be the Wife's White A Class! She does around 3/400 miles a week and depending on my shift pattern it can go from 1 week to 2 weeks between maintenance washes. I've used only the bonnet for now, which had no prior coating applied.

Washed with CarPro Reset (all future washes will be with this shampoo also)
Prepped with CarPro Eraser.
CanCoat applied to drivers side with a microfiber applicator
Zymol Atomic Graphene shield applied to passenger side with a microfiber applicator.

First thoughts. It definitely goes on easy. Not 'grabby' when buffing off like CanCoat can be and definitely more slickness on that half of the panel.

I've not told the Wife which side is which, so she can give an unbiased opinion. The car is daily driven so I'll see what water behaviour is like over the weekend after CanCoat is cured and I'll go from there.


Offside


Nearside, obviously neither showing too much, white car not helping much there either.

If there are any requests I'll be happy to take them. I was thinking for the first couple of weeks to observe and wash as normal. After that I do have products such as CarPro Multi X, Surfex, Bilt Hamber Auto Foam if chemical resistance would be helpful.

*Just to be clear this is not intended to be a scientific test. I look forward to watching those on YouTube :)

Hopefully this proves useful. I've not done anything like this before so please feel free to steer me if needed! I'll try to include plenty of images and short video clips to support. :)
 
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#36 ·
Bought it tried it on 2 cars not buying into it really disappointing when you have used Zymol waxs
This is an application method I used to stop me throwing the bottle over the fence
Assuming car is clean and prepared to your standard
1-Couple of sprays in the middle of the panel
2-Spray a microfibre applicator with Zymol and spread product over panel
should be wet not dripping
3-leave for 2 mins if you have the right amount on the panel with your original applicator pad re wetted it feels just a bit grabby as you reapply
4-Now Wipe with another Microfibre cloth this gets damp really quick , so have another microfibre to hand keep going until your happy panel is dry
5-wait about 5 mins recheck panel and it has become noticeably slicker and reflective
good on headlight plastics and shiny plastic trim
Really think Zymol America have done themselves no favours by not putting out an application video
 
#37 ·
Thank you for purchasing and posting this - very similar to the instructions on the bottle which I think are clear as day.

I cant see how an application video is at all necessary.

I didnt find it grabby at all tbh. Yes, cloth was wet, as I may have been trigger happy, but that is surely to ensure you have a fully even coat, as its not a product you need to reapply regularly (durability 18-24 months) so you cant make up for a missed patch next time really.

I also found the panel slick, smooth and having driven the car I applied it to into work today, the brightness caught my eye on the driveway.
 
#41 ·
Understand you defending a product you sell
Detailers World is a discussion forum and that is how i am using it
Giving my opinion
I have given honest and fair comments based on my own user experience of 2 vehicles 2017 Bentley Mulsanne and a 2004 Mini
Just for your information the client was more than happy with the finish of his vehicle (Bentley)
DW exists to be informative and a discussion site for enthusiasts and professionals thought that was how i was using it
 
#44 ·
I shall pass the requests for an application video over to Zymol.

My opinion posted on here as a user, in the same way as everyone elses, is in this context just that - as a user.
Yes, we are the importer, and are obviously going to promote the product and defend it if its unfairly criticised, which it hasnt been yet.

Pleased to hear customers are already seeing it on cars and that they like the results.

Its early days for usability testing, especially when we get to colder times which the US maybe has had less exposure to.
 
#49 ·
Bonding to the paint in not the issue, you can add Graphene, the capability is on the capacity of that chicken wire construct on the top surface with uniformity. Theoretically if as suggested you added Graphene to any product or would improve the performance, the technicality of how those bonded shaped can be made to combine in the top surface it never explained, rather the benefits of Graphene as an entity which nobody is denying.

Ethos suggest they have found a unique way, that in itself may well be a technical idea that any successful company would want to keep secret.

Chicago Auto Pro went to visit Dr Beasley's, he mentioned the challenge of getting the structure correct plus the challenges that entails.

I love my Zymöl products I wish you well in this valuable test. Thank you.

John Tht.
 
#53 ·
I have a number of issues with this review and posted same on the video.

1. Initially, the reviewer states the Corvette was 'properly prepped' - what does that mean ? The panel should have all residues of compound etc removed before application, I saw no evidence of a paint cleaner such as Zymols HD-Cleanse or careful use of panel wipe or similar being used on the 'vette nor the test panel later , so suggest the product wasn't properly bonding to the surface, hence the results later in the test.

2. What relevance is the heat test ? Who leaves a car outside in 220 degrees ? A cold weather test would be far more use.

3. The beading test - what a joke - that's a flat panel and the product rejected the water. How about some real world testing on a sloping panel ? If the objective a beading test is 'how much water is left on the panel' then within seconds much of it was dry !

4. To suggest it lasts only 1 wash is clearly showing that application was incorrect. Does the reviewer seriously think a company of Zymols stature and reputation would produce such a product ? Should the reviewer not have questioned his methodology at this point ?
 
#55 · (Edited)
I have a number of issues with this review and posted same on the video.

1. Initially, the reviewer states the Corvette was 'properly prepped' - what does that mean ? The panel should have all residues of compound etc removed before application, I saw no evidence of a paint cleaner such as Zymols HD-Cleanse or careful use of panel wipe or similar being used on the 'vette nor the test panel later , so suggest the product wasn't properly bonding to the surface, hence the results later in the test.

2. What relevance is the heat test ? Who leaves a car outside in 220 degrees ? A cold weather test would be far more use.

3. The beading test - what a joke - that's a flat panel and the product rejected the water. How about some real world testing on a sloping panel ? If the objective a beading test is 'how much water is left on the panel' then within seconds much of it was dry !

4. To suggest it lasts only 1 wash is clearly showing that application was incorrect. Does the reviewer seriously think a company of Zymols stature and reputation would produce such a product ? Should the reviewer not have questioned his methodology at this point ?
Again I can understand your defence of a product you stock but I think you're barking up the wrong tree when it comes to pointing the finger at a pro detailer's methodology, which as I see it is pretty much identical to what Zymol suggest.

He doesn't mention prep because it's kinda obvious. He tests hundreds of LSPs using the same panel and methodology - those tests, incl heat, the panel angle etc is all the same and this product performs poorly in comparison, those are feeble excuses. In some videos he includes the panel wipe stage in the footage, others he edits it out. Whether he used HD Cleanse or a regular IPA/Panel Prep not isn't important, if that's a required product to get an adequate bond then Zymol/resellers should sell them as part of a package...

If a pro detailer is doing something wrong, it's not a product for the masses as Zymol suggest - had my suspicions, it's uncommon to see something so 'hard' and 'durable' come in a cheap plastic QD bottle. Zymol describe themselves as "the worlds No. 1 in car care" - theme emerging....

I had watched the review and put this down to a faulty batch, but actually the OPs initial beading shots weren't much better than what Brian saw on first rinse - I'd just suggest it's an overhyped product and if that's it's initial performance I'd not be touching it with a barge pole at that price point. The above poster also seemed to be underwhelmed... answers required Zymol!
 
#56 ·
Apologies for the delay, life has got in the way a bit.

I am about as impressed as Brian was if I'm honest.

Probably 3 weeks ago as I was setting up to wash, giving a pre rinse and it looked like the product wasn't performing very well, at the time I imagined due to being dirty and some performance would return following a wash. CanCoat on the other hand, despite being under dirt/dust was easily noticeable and performing great!

Following a full wash (CarPro Reset) and rinse things just hadn't improved for the Zymol. Not quite like in Brian's testing above, but it was hardly showing any hydrophobicity and was no longer as slick to the touch as CanCoat. I'm quite gobsmacked by how poor it looked after Brian put two test coats on his test panel, I've never seen anything perform so poorly, has it been confirmed he had a faulty batch?

I knew at this point that this product wasn't for me. I think the complete lack of reviews, or finding much on the web has not helped it either. I'm aware that I didn't use HD Clense (neither did Brian by the looks of things) but that said, I would still expect more from this.

I went on to coat the car in Polish Angel RapidWax which I'm far, far happier with.

Perhaps as I have no intention of using the 95%+ that's left, to save it going to waste we could do some sort of pass around with it, let lots of people give it a try and see what they think too? Is that something we could arrange outside of the members market?
 
#66 ·
I don't see any reason to believe that Brian received a bad batch, I've not seen any evidence from anyone else that Zymol Atomic Graphene Shield is going to provide the kind of hydrophobics that most consumers and users are going to be satisfied with.

Zymol has to be the one to do their market research and product testing to either give the people what they want to see before they release it, or explain to everyone why what they're seeing is more beneficial compared to what they're accustomed to seeing when it comes to water behaviour. Which would be a tough argument to make in the case of this Atomic Graphene Shield, because as most people know, Zymol waxes have some of the absolute best hydrophobic reactions out of all products out there, at least for a few days when fresh. So you can't really position Graphene Shield with its much lower surface tension as being this incredible game changer while at the same time expecting to sell waxes that showcase extreme hydrophobics, unless your argument is really well articulated.

All that being said, I would seriously doubt that the product is being fully removed after one wash. Miller325ci reached out to me who bought Atomic Graphene Shield a few months ago and has been seeing a weird behaviour out of it, showing that it doesn't have a very durable short term surface tension at all, but it rebounds well after allowing it to sit for a bit. He's sprayed some water on it out of a mist bottle sprayer showing some decent beading, and then wiped dry with a towel, resprayed immediately and the water beads go much flatter. Wait a few hours or the next day, spray again and the beading comes back to life.

He sent me some pictures to showcase this below.

Spray bottle water mist:


Towel wipe dry, then immediate re-mist:


Next day, spray bottle mist:


So its water behaviour is very fragile, but rebounds to a noticeable degree in his results. Bring wash soap and a mitt into the mix with a touch wash and you're likely to get an even bigger hydrophobic hit out of it until allowing it to settle for some time. And as I've seen before, even if you're using a soap that's not really designed to leave anything behind during the rinse phase, the less hydrophobic a product becomes, usually the more impacted it becomes by the soap and wash process. Your crazy hydrophobic fresh waxes like Zymol Carbon/Glasur/Titanium will laugh a heavy Dawn dish soap off the paint super quick even though Dawn's surfactants can be difficult to "fully" rinse without a towel wipe, while bare style soaps like CarPro Reset can take a much less hydrophobic protectant and cause it to sheet and bead much flatter after a wash until you towel dry it and re-rinse. The chemistry that defines surface tension can be very tricky, especially when we're trying to use it to identify whether or not a protectant has been fully diminished or not.

After seeing Miller's results I've decided I'm going to grab this stuff and run some tests with it. Obviously this isn't the type of product that fits my preferences at all since I'm a hydrophobic maniac, but there's probably a lot to observe and learn from these less hydrophobic products that are showcasing a rebounding effect after sitting for a little bit.
 
#67 ·
I bought Zymol Atomic Graphene, mainly because it was being released at exactly the time I needed something to coat my car. I’d spent more hours than I can count polishing it during lockdown.

Sadly, I can’t offer an opinion as to it’s longevity yet because I coated over the top of the sealant with Zymol Vintage wax. Having seen Brian’s video, I’m really crestfallen. I’ve seen dozens of his reviews and even requested that he test the ZAG sealant.

When it was first put on my car, I have to echo the thoughts of the other posters in that it was crazy slick and the car looked great. Yes, the application is slightly strange but not enough to bother me or, in my opinion, factor into whether or not I purchased the product.

I took the car out and it rained all day on a motorway run. The car ran into a mechanical issue, so it’s now back in the garage and filthy after that day of driving, so I have no idea how well the ZAG/Vintage combo has held up. I’ve used Vintage before and it was pretty darned amazing but I hate to think what awaits me once it’s worn off.
 
#68 · (Edited)
As requested, I have raised this test with Chuck Bennet, the CEO of Zymol in the US and he responded last night and reiterates my comments. Simply, there were errors in the application.

I will cover these directly with the reviewer and post up later this week.

Update 15/10/20: I have now had e-mail discussion with Chuck and other Zymol HQ colleagues, there will be responses coming direct from them to clarify correct usage of the product, with more information to come and 'how to' instructions.
 
#69 ·
Its maintained by clients driver so quality of wash will not be good
On average client changes car maximum of six months so this will be a good real world test for product
Will post on cars return
Seen comments made by RaceGlazer he's only responding based on Zymols comments to him
In the US Zymol are held in a revered position read that as dont have to try too
hard
Think they dont understand us here in Uk we accept nothing except great results or a fair explanation
 
#71 ·
I will post them when I receive them, there is quite a lot going on, so i will try to signpost them

One thing is clear, other than the prep already mentioned, is that you do need to use a fair amount of product, a little spray onto a pad and wipe over is insufficient for the science to work. Hence the instructions on the bottle (which do need to be read and adhered to, even if you're famous YouTuber)
 
#76 ·
I will post them when I receive them, there is quite a lot going on, so i will try to signpost them

One thing is clear, other than the prep already mentioned, is that you do need to use a fair amount of product, a little spray onto a pad and wipe over is insufficient for the science to work. Hence the instructions on the bottle (which do need to be read and adhered to, even if you're famous YouTuber)
In all fairness, I wouldn't think to apply much more than this:


I think it's really time that Zymol bothered to make a proper application video since this product doesn't seem anywhere near as simple to apply as almost all the alternatives on the market.

It would probably be worth their time to communicate with their customers in here, too, since I'm willing to bet this will be shooting to the top of the Google rankings for the keywords in no time.
 
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