Menzerna
One-step Acrylic Jacket
AJ16 - 16 oz.
  The next generation in 1-step,
car care.
Product Review by Terry Freiberg This is the most significant
new product we've introduced in a decade. It is, in my opinion, the best
one-step car care product available in the world today. For our existing
customers, think of Menzerna One Step Acrylic Jacket as Klasse All-In-One
on steroids. It cleans, burnishes the surface to a mirror-like shine and seals
the shine under a vibrant, durable, acrylic jacket. And it does all this in one
application!
If you're a car care
enthusiast, I beg your indulgence for just a moment as I go back to Car Care 101
for our new readers. While enthusiasts recognize the advantage of separate
compounding, polishing, glazing and finishing steps, the sad fact is that most
people in the world do not take care of their car's finish and those that do,
want to do it with a one-step "wax". These one-step products, even the
best of them, are primarily strong, petroleum solvent cleaners combined with a
small amount of natural or synthetic "waxes". The solvents remove old
wax, pollution and imbedded road grime that normal washing doesn't remove. This
reveals a clean layer of paint which is then sealed under a layer of
"wax". It works. Everyone agrees that their car looks better after it
is "waxed".
One-step products have gotten
better over the last few years but they still suffer from two problems. First,
they really do not increase surface "shine" and secondly, the strong
solvents needed for cleaning limit the durability of the product. Let me
explain. Shine is a function of light reflection which is a function of surface
smoothness. To increase light reflection, be it on your car's paint or the
Hubble telescope, you need to burnish the surface smoother and smoother by
polishing with smaller and smaller polishing agents. One-step products use
solvents to clean the paint but rarely contain any polishing agents to actually
increase surface shine. Secondly, the solvents in these one-step products, which can be up to 90%
by volume, severely limit the product's durability. That's why a paste
cleaner/wax will protect for about 90 days while a liquid cleaner/wax will only
last 20 to 30 days!
A better way to clean, polish
and really increase shine.
The other, and arguably
better, way to polish a surface is to use a polishing agent, literally a mildly
abrasive talc. These agents polish or burnish the surface to a mirror-like shine
and can be suspended in a water-based emulsion eliminating entirely the need for
strong petroleum solvents. Polishing using micro-fine abrasives is a technology
in which Menzerna of Germany is a world leader. Menzerna has over a 100 year
history of making the finest, in size, consistency and quality, polishing
powders in the world and their polishing products are used by many of the
world's automakers.
Marrying a polishing powder
with the world's best acrylic sealant.
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Menzerna
One Step, Acrylic
Jacket is a combination of Menzerna's famous acrylic paint sealant, FMJ (Full
Molecular Jacket), lubricating oils and micro-fine polishing powders. If you're
an existing Menzerna customer, think of this product as 40% Final Polish
II and 60% FMJ sealant.
In one
wipe-on/buff-off application One Step Acrylic Jacket removes existing wax or
sealants, burnishes the surface to a mirror-like shine and protects the finish
for 6 months or more with a jacket of acrylic polymers. |
Think of One Step Acrylic
Jacket as
40% Final Polish II and
60% FMJ sealant. |
Trade-offs.
Like all polishes, One
Step Acrylic Jacket leaves a light film of polishing residues. These
residues, while minimal, are enough to collect in body seams and stain
trim moldings. After final buffing, we recommend opening all doors, the
hood and trunk and wiping all body panel edges. You can also mist a
detailing brush with a quick-detail spray or residue remove (Black Baron
Foam Pad Lubricant & Residue Remover works great) and run the brush
around emblems and body seams. Larger moldings and wheel arch moldings can
also be cleaned with a residue remover or do what body shops do, mask off
these moldings before you polish the vehicle.
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| Mask off black trim
moldings and wheel arches. |
After buffing, open doors,
hood & trunk and wipe edges. |
A detail brush and residue
remover cleans emblems & body seams. |
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True polishing involves
mechanically moving polishing agents over the paint. While One Step Acrylic Jacket
can be applied by hand, you will always obtain better results (greater shine) by
applying with a dual-action, machine polisher like the Porter Cable 7424.
Applying One Step Acrylic Jacket
by hand.
- Mist a Microfiber Applicator Pad just once
with lubricant (Black Baron Foam Pad Lubricant and Residue Remover works
great) or water. Note: Our Power Scrubber applicator pads work best because
of their extra scrubbing power.
- Apply a Quarter size amount of product on the
pad and wipe over the surface in shorter strokes using moderate pressure.
Remember your goal is to work the polish into the paint to increase shine.
- Add product as necessary to keep pad moist.
- Allow a slight film to form.
- Buff off residues by hand using a Microfiber
Buffing Cloth.
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| Apply a dab of product to a Power
Scrubber Microfiber Applicator Pad. |
Wipe on in short overlapping strokes
until a haze forms. |
Buff off residues by hand with a
Microfiber Buffing Cloth. |
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Applying One Step Acrylic Jacket
by dual-action machine.
- One Step Acrylic Jacket applies best with our
6-1/2 inch, CCS, Green Polishing Pad, #CCS-65GRN but can also be applied
with a standard white foam polishing pad such as our 6-1/2 inch, CCS, White Polishing Pad,
#CCS-65W.
- Place the polishing pad on your machine and
mist pad once with lubricant (Black Baron Foam Pad Lubricant and Residue
Remover) or water.
- Apply two 8 inch lines of product to the
paint's surface.
- Spread polish with machine off using the foam
pad. This coats the surface of the pad with product.
- If using the Porter Cable 7424, set the speed
control between 3-1/2 and 4.
- Place foam pad on the paint and turn the power
on.
- Work on areas of about three square ft. Go
over the area in a side-to-side and up-and-down motion until the polish
starts to dry. A light haze will form. Add product as needed and continue
polishing in three ft sections until entire vehicle is done.
- Buff off all residues by hand using a
Microfiber Buffing Cloth.
Maintenance Products.
One Step Acrylic Jacket contains
an acrylic polymer sealant. Nothing else is required. That said, enthusiasts
desiring even more shine or extended durability can add one or more coats of
High Gloss Acrylic Shield. Simply mist High Gloss Acrylic Shield on top of One
Step Acrylic Jacket and buff residues to a brilliant shine. No curing time is
required. The first coat of High Gloss Acrylic Shield can be applied immediately.
Allow eight hours between additional coats of High Gloss Acrylic Shield. I
recommend applying one coat of 1-Step Acrylic Jacket and following with a mist
and wipe of High Gloss Acrylic Shield for the very best shine. Wash vehicle every
week with Menzerna Auto Shampoo and after drying, mist and wipe with High Gloss
Acrylic Shield. This extra step only takes a few minutes and the extra layers of
High Gloss Acrylic Shield will add to the depth of shine.
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At
a Glance:
- A true polish increases surface shine
- Cleans, polishes & protects in one
step
- Deep,
acrylic shine
lasts 6 months or more
- Non-abrasive & clear coat safe
- Can be topped with High Gloss Acrylic
Shield to increase shine and durability
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Mist, wipe & buff
after washing or anytime
with High Gloss Acrylic Shield to increase
shine and durability.
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Customer Comments:
I finally got the opportunity to apply the Menzerna products I ordered.
Here's a photo of my 2006 Mazda MX-5 after 2 coats of One-step Acrylic
Jacket, a coat of High Gloss Acrylic Shield and Gel 7.5 Tire and Wheel
Cleaner. I must say that all you people said of these products was 100%
true. I hope the picture gives you a good idea of how the finished car
came out. I can tell you that I am extremely happy. I also applied the
same products to my 2005 Pontiac Gran Prix but, being silver, it doesn't
show up in pictures as great as it really looks. Thanks.
Lou S., Pittsford, N.Y.
P.S. Part of the hood and all of the front end has the 3M plastic shield
and I checked with 3M and they highly recommend Menzerna and gave the OK
to apply One Step Acrylic Jacket over their plastic shield. |
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Summary:
Hats
off to Menzerna! One Step Acrylic Jacket is a remarkable achievement. Instead of
coming out with a me-too, one-step, polish/sealant with a high solvent content,
Menzerna took the tougher approach of using micro-fine polishing powders to
really increase surface reflection, shine, by legitimately "polishing"
the finish. They have some how managed to create a product that is almost as
effortless to apply as Klasse All-In-One, creates a deeper shine, does not
create swirl marks and keeps polishing residues to an absolute minimum.
Two side-by-side tests.
If you're a car care enthusiast,
you'll probably have two questions. First how does One Step Acrylic Jacket compare
to Klasse All-In-One and second, how does it compare to Menzerna's own Final
Polish II and FMJ?
Menzerna Acrylic Jacket vs.
Klasse All-In-One
To answer the first question I did one half of my wife's,
1-year old, Mini
Cooper with All-In-One and the other half with One Step Acrylic Jacket. Both
products were applied with a Porter Cable 7424 polisher using a green, German
Polishing Pad and buffed by hand with a Microfiber Buffing Cloth. Separate pads
and buffing cloths were used to prevent any cross contamination. Based on having
used both products separately, I would have put money on:
- Menzerna Acrylic Jacket having a slipperier
finish.
- Acrylic Jacket leaving a residue build-up
along the edge of the hood stripe
- Not being able to see any difference in shine.
The Results:
All-In-One still holds the
record for of ease of application. It buffed on and wiped off the left side of the
hood with absolute ease. I also buffed over the black vinyl hood stripe. It
brightened the stripe and there was no evidence of product build-up on the edge
of the vinyl stripe. Acrylic Jacket was also a breeze to apply and while the
remaining film was heavier than All-In-One, it buffed off easily by hand. I
backed the car out into direct sunlight and looked closely at the edge of the
vinyl, hood stripe. No residue build-up on either side! Acrylic Jacket wiped off
as residue free as All-In-One even around emblems and over the hood stripe. Next
I took a new, clean, Microfiber cloth and ran it over both sides. No difference
in slipperiness! I even peeled back the masking tape, closed my eyes and wiped
from side to side. I absolutely could not tell where one product stopped and the
other product began. Lastly I looked at the shine from various angles. At first
glance, both sides appeared to have an excellent shine. The clouds in the sky
were visible on both sides of the hood. Upon further observation, and I'm being
picky, I was able to discern a noticeable difference in the shine. The shine on
the All-In-One side was "softer". The reflection of the clouds
on the Acrylic Jacket side were crisp and sharp, almost laser-etched in the
finish. The tendrils and wisps of cloud were clearly delineated. The All-In-One
side displayed the cloud but lacked the edge detail. There's no way I would have
caught this difference without a side-by-side comparison. The Klasse side of the
hood looked like a standard TV while the Menzerna side of the hood looked like a
high definition TV.
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| The web's low resolution photos just
can not reproduce the crispness of Acrylic Jacket's shine. While both
sides looked great, the Menzerna side was noticeably more defined. |
Acrylic Jacket vs. Final Polish II and FMJ
I applied Final Polish
II to the left side of the hood of my 1-year old, pewter, Mercedes using a
white, High Gloss, Constant Pressure Polishing Pad on my Porter Cable
7424. I buffed off residues by hand with a Microfiber Buffing Cloth. I
then applied FMJ on the left side of the hood using a Red, Concours
Finishing Pad on my 7424. Again I did the final buffing by hand. On the
right side of the hood I applied One Step Acrylic Jacket using a Green,
German Polishing Pad on my 7424 polisher. I buffed off residues by hand
using a Microfiber Buffing Cloth. Obviously it took twice as long to
detail the left side of the hood because I performed two separate
steps. Final Polish II, being a true polish, also left more residues in
body seams than One Step Acrylic Jacket. I'm in the habit of opening all
doors, the hood and trunk when detailing and wiping down the edge to
remove residues but I probably could have gotten by without doing this had
I just used Acrylic Jacket.
The Results:
I ran a fresh Microfiber cloth
over both sides. Big difference! The FMJ side was noticeably "slipperier"
than the Acrylic Jacket side. My cloth whizzed over the FMJ but
encountered noticeably more friction when it hit the Acrylic Jacket side.
This means that FMJ is going to provide better water sheeting, producing
fewer water spots over time. I then backed the car into direct sunlight
and looked at the car from different angles. I could not detect any
difference in shine between the two sides. Both sides gave me a crisp,
sharp reflection of the clouds in the sky.
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I couldn't tell any
difference between the two sides. |
Conclusion:
I remain a car care
fanatic and will continue to take the time and effort to perform separate
polishing and waxing steps. That said, as I become more time and age
challenged, Menzerna has demonstrated that I can create a world-class
shine in one step. To the vast majority of people that want to take care
of their car with a 1-step product, I can't think of a better product than
One Step Acrylic Jacket.
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Pro: Best
polishing ability of any 1-step product
Pro: Very crisp, sharp shine - like
looking at an HD TV!
Pro: Proven acrylic polymer protection
Pro: Creates
a shine equal to two-step products
Con: Some
polish dusting around emblems and in seams.
Con: Can white stain trim if allowed to
dry on moldings.
Available in a 16 oz.
bottle with instructions and a 32
oz. refill. |
Boost This Product With
Polycharger.
If you want to boost
the shine and create even more protection than what this product already
offers, you should consider adding Polycharger®.
Polycharger is the world's first Wax Booster™ supercharging your
liquid wax, sealant, quick detail spray ,
tire dressing or interior protectant
to provide more shine and
longer durability with just a few drops.
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