Strati Lucidi Ceramic-Carnauba Cream Wax (8.8 oz.)

Description

So, my friends and coworkers thought I was crazy for spending six years of my own time on this! And when I said I wanted to bring it to market, they said “who’s gonna buy this wax?” And “why use this on your Ford GT, when you make all these great ceramic coatings that make your paint envious?” “Plus, what about all the wax products already on the market?”

I said, look, after all these years of research and development, I know ceramics can excel at durability, mar-resistance, water beading and often shine. Everybody knows that. But did you forget, THIS?

Just a few years ago, up until we left Amazon.com, we had the #1 selling ceramic coating there?

And we had the top five coating on Amazon.com for over two years in a highly-competitive market, so we know coatings. But, here’s the deal:

Nothing beats Carnauba for depth of shine and warmth of glow – it’s a molecular thing, as you’ll see later.

What my friends and coworkers didn’t realize is this:

Over the past 5 years, people searched Google for Carnauba wax up to 9 ½ times more than ceramic paint coatings! I’ll show you the data a bit later. You won’t believe it!

So, I created this new Ceramic-Carnauba cream wax, Strati Lucidi Ceramic-Carnauba Cream Wax.

And right off the bat, you should know that I originally created this strictly for my own 2005 Ford GT with no intentions of selling it. So, I am not only extremely biased but, I am also its first customer!

My friends and coworkers thought I was crazy for spending six years developing a Carnauba wax, especially one I wasn’t planning on selling, considering how many options are available.

And this was especially so, after I said I would like to bring it to market. But, I knew a secret.

I knew from research and experience that once a detailing product (like ceramic coatings) hits the shelves of Walmart, it is already a commodity – not a boutique luxury, anymore.

What does this mean?

It means, the hype is over. Consumers got bored. Margins have shrunk due to an infinite number of international competitors and there is a rush to find the next greatest technology (or marketing gimmick, in some cases) to bolster margins. Now, here comes the amazing part!

You might not believe it but, Carnauba wax has up to 9 ½ times the search traffic of ceramic paint coatings over the last 5 years, according to Google trends. Take a look at this chart. I just ran this a few days ago, so it is current at the time of this writing:

As you can see, the Carnauba, in Blue, has way more search interest than ceramic paint coatings. I was as shocked as you! But, it does make sense, in some ways.

Let me explain.

Think of Carnauba vs Ceramics like the Analog vs Digital music debate. Analog music is smoother, to some ears, just like Carnauba is smoother and more lustrous to some. It is a matter of taste and also a matter of science, as you’ll see.

We all know there are thousands of waxes, polymer sealants, ceramic coatings, vinyl films and now “graphene infused” products on the market…

…and all available at your finger tips.

Everything nowadays is “infused with this” and “infused with that” and usually has some marketing gimmick attached to it. There are so many options, that our minds just can’t deal with all of them so…

…we subconsciously block out all but a few.

Usually the top 2 or 3 or so that are marketed the hardest and longest stick in our heads. That is the pure psychology of it. But, there’s more.

With all these options, choosing a product starts to become a chore rather than a pleasure. This should be fun – not frustrating trying to filter through all of the features and benefits claims! And here is how I solved all of this frustration, for myself at least.

Before I started working on Strati Lucidi Ceramic-Carnauba Cream Wax…

…I was using either our RAW product or P21S (a wonderful product but didn’t last long enough.)

I wanted the depth and glow of Carnauba and some of the durability and water beading of ceramics plus more gloss than either of them. Plus, I knew all of that waxing is rough on the finish, as the mechanical motion of applying and removing wax exacts a small toll on the paint.

So, out of curiosity, I went into the lab and after a week or so reproduced the look of P21S, almost exactly. But more work needed to be done.

Now, my next challenge was to make this experimental wax more glossy, more hydrophobic, and much more durable, so I wouldn’t have to wax my GT every 3 months or so. But how to do it?

This car is already over 18 years old and I need to keep the paint original to maintain its resale value, especially at auction. I don’t want a permanent paint coating that I would have to sand off (potentially harming the paint.) But, how was I to do it?…

After six years (off-and-on) of my own spare time and a whopping 972 different formulas…

I finally came up with what I think is the winning formula!

To put things into perspective, consider that it only took me about 10 tries to lock down our 2-year ceramic coating, MD Ceramic 240. I don’t think many realize how difficult it is to make a Carnauba-based product. It is sooo much harder to make than a ceramic coating, especially when trying to produce multiple properties!

Ultimately it’s for you to decide if I got it right! Waxes or any last-step products are very subjective. So, just because it works great on my GT, doesn’t mean it will work well for you.

Graphene

By the way, we did a lot of R&D with graphene and found no respectable, positive contribution to Strati Lucidi or any of our products. So, none of our products have any “graphene infusions,” for the foreseeable future. We may have some Silicon Carbide products, though, which can be more beneficial than Graphene.

Actually, I use the exact same nano-SiO₂ particles and ceramic resins that our top tier ceramic coatings use. Plus, I also put in an ultra-high refractive index polymer (among the highest refractive indices known) in addition to the premium Carnauba and a special, UV-blocking, elastomeric polymer to help bind it all together.

And do you know some of the nicest things about Strati Lucidi Ceramic-Carnauba Cream Wax?

1. It is water-based
2. Has no petroleum solvents
3. And no abrasives

There is only a few percent of natural citrus-based solvent and the rest of the solvent is water!!!

My Ford GT Owner’s manual says to use a quality wax that does not contain abrasives. So, that is what I made. So this is very gentle on yours and my paint.

BTW, since this is a pure, non-cleaning, non-abrasive top coat…

…you should get your paint clean and smooth, before applying, for best results.

After what I have said so far, you may still not be convinced that I shouldn’t be using one of our premium ceramic coatings on my GT.

Maybe this will help.

I like detailing my car. So, if I use our Intensity-7 or Taikyu products on my Ford GT, then I won’t have anything to do – they last a very long time (like 7 years or so), with minimal maintenance.

This is not unlike modern, low-maintenance engines. In college, I was a part-time car mechanic. Back then, we had to change the spark plugs and wires, clean the points, change the cap and rotor, adjust the timing and so on, on a regular basis.

Today, engines don’t need most of this maintenance until 100,000 miles! So, I kinda miss working on my vehicles, in that way. And detailing became one of the few things left to do. It is a source of pride, skill, exercise and a reason to get out of the house and in the Sun! That is one of the two main reasons I created the Strati Lucidi line of products.

Strati Lucidi is made for those who like detailing vehicles, either as a pastime or professionally.

1. There is the original Strati Lucidi Ceramic Coating.

2. Next came Strati Lucidi Ceramic-Carnauba Spray Wax.

3. And NOW, there is Strati Lucidi Ceramic-Carnauba Cream Wax! Something for everyone!

And…you can use them all in synergy to create the ultimate finish!

For example, if you want to extend the cream’s properties, just spray some Strati Lucidi Spray as a drying aide after washing.

Strati Lucidi Ceramic-Carnauba Cream Wax is so easy to apply and wipe off. And leaves a deep gloss shine that lasts months and months. Plus, it has this deep glow that only Carnauba

can create.

Carnauba has a unique molecular structure that hasn’t been be reproduced, either scientifically or in nature, that gives it its depth and glow.

So, Strati Lucidi Ceramic-Carnauba Cream Wax has Carnauba, which is said is as hard as concrete. And it has hydrophobically-modified ceramic nanoparticles, which, as you know, have the hardness of quartz. So, it definitely will help protect from wash marring, which is one of the most destructive enemies of paint.

I’ve used a lot of different waxes and sealants as a consumer and detailing products engineer. It is pure bragging, I know but to date, I have found NOTHING nearly as good as Strati Lucidi Ceramic-Carnauba Cream Wax for my Ford GT. It goes on so easy and comes off just as easy. It is beautiful how the water just rolls off and how easy the paint is to clean. Water beads up tightly and consistently. I could not be happier with this.

I personally think this is best wax you can buy at the moment, but I haven’t tried them all so it is just my opinion. Plus, it withstood over 100 hand washes.

This is how I used it:

After a wash and a light clay-barring, I applied Strati Lucidi cream, to a few panels at a time, using a back-and-forth motion, not in circles, to my Ford GT.

After buffing with multiple microfiber towels… man it turned out great! The reflections, the depth. It looks fantastic! It went on easy and came off with a small amount of effort. It is well worth the time and effort to achieve this look! A little goes a long way as well. I waxed my whole car and barely made a dent in it. I could do my car 30 more times easily!

BTW, here are 3 important side notes.

You probably already know these, but it is good to reinforce them:

1. Don’t rub the wash mitt in circles or rub the paint surface aggressively. Rubbing too hard in circles leaves permanent swirl marks in the paint finish.

2. Don’t apply any last step product, like waxes, sealants or coatings more than every six months, to help reduce damage like marring. If you towel-dry your vehicle, it’s better to use a quality after-wash drying aide between waxings to help maintain the wax, rather than waxing more often. If you use a touchless dryer, like a leaf blower, then you can use a polymer-fortified car soap in-between waxings.

3. When washing and waxing, park your vehicle in a shaded area out of direct sunlight. When a product states it can be applied in direct sunlight, that means it can be applied and removed easily in the Sun. But, that doesn’t mean that doing so is actually good for your paint.

As you can tell, I think this is an awesome wax!

So smooth to the touch and a deep, glowing shine! Now, it is smooth but not silky. Here is why.

Silky products generally use more silicone. We use less silicone and more Carnauba and SiO2, so it wont be very silky to the touch but man, will it shine and bead! In the sun you can see a crystal-like reflection! That’s the added, high-refractive-index polymer I put in.

Anyway, I should probably wrap-up this long monologue.

Strati Lucidi Ceramic-Carnauba Cream Wax comes in a large 8.8 oz container. Compare that with P21S, which is only 6.2 oz, and costs about the same per ounce.

So, put on your favorite tunes, grab an ice-cold beer or soda and enjoy some alone time. Or call up some friends and have a detailing party. And recharge your batteries waxing up your ride with Strati Lucidi Ceramic-Carnauba Cream Wax or for that matter, ANY WAX OF YOUR CHOOSING! The idea is to get out and do something to be proud of. I really hope you like it! Let me know what you think!

Sincerely,

Frank Lucidi

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