Graphene & Traditional Ceramic Coatings (5min read)
We get asked this often. Graphene Coating is the new thing, or is it?
Let it be titanium, graphene, carbon etc, if at the end of the day it doesn't benefit us, doesn't provide added durability, increased water beading, protection etc., then there really isn't a point. Formulation change needs to be for the better.
In theory, graphene additives help with water spotting and temperature dissipation. But it commonly still uses sio2 as the base.
We're no scientists here, just enthusiasts, like you we're excited to try new stuff and constantly looking for the best products out there. 'Best' in terms of durability, ease of use and the finish ultimately needs to look good afterwards.
If you blindfold us and simply label the different coatings as A, B & C's and let us comment on them unbiasedly, well, that's what we did and here's what we like to share...
Doesn't matter what it is, we just want the best protection and the yummiest water beads, it could be wax, detailer, whichever. This is not to knock on anything or anyone, it's just to share our thoughts after playing with so many things. So, can we tell the difference?
Not really, we can't even tell between different brands of traditional SiO2 coatings! Sample A looks and feels like B that appears to be C and all the way to Z. The only thing we can tell is different coatings have different tinting effects and slickness, for example, Carpro's CQUK doesn't feel as slick as Carpro SiC, but CQUK looks more tinted and richer than SiC, and that's all we could tell. Water beading? All about the same. Water spotting? Some spots less than others, but with our local water of ~200 mg/L (it's high), can't really tell the difference on a day to day basis.
Perhaps we'll leave it to folks like APEX Detailing to test these products side by side to really find out, in terms of durability, chemical tolerance etc., but for the rest of us, not sure if we can tell the difference from everyday experiences.
Maybe some coatings do last longer than others, but a snow day can change that, or you happen to drive through a really salty puddle of water.
End of the day, go with a brand that you trust, we carry them all because we love them all, graphene or not!
ArtDeShine has been around for quite some time now with their graphene coatings, it's just till recently the internet has discovered them and thus the trend. The tech has already been around for some time, and it's proven to work, but just like any sio2 ceramic coatings.
So, we love them all and are happy that the industry is pushing the boundaries with new fluorene, sio2 mixtures etc, and we can't wait to try more new products!
Modern coatings have evolved to a point that everyone can pick one up and apply them at home, below are some 'pro' tier coatings for the average humans.
