Handpresso Outdoor Set review

Verdict: + Handpresso makes great espresso! - Flask not overly good

Shop for the Handpresso Outdoor

The official description

Taken from the Handpresso website: ‘Discover Handpresso! The World’s first eco-friendly, non-electrical coffee machine designed to offer you outstanding espresso wherever you go, whenever you want. With Handpresso, coffee breaks are shared and enjoyed together. Make premium quality espresso anywhere! Perfect for holidays, camping, fishing, travelling, in the office at home or wherever else you prefer. Light, stylish, easy to use, clean and store the Handpresso is a trendy, practical and fun gadget every coffee lover must have.’

Design and build quality

We were sent the Handpresso Outdoor Set, which uses the E.S.E espresso pods, rather than ground coffee. A Hybrid version is available, which uses both pods and ground coffee. The kit itself is nicely presented in a quality carrying case, which has thick, padding walls to not only prevent damage to the items but also to keep the water in the flask warmer for longer. In the kit is the Handpresso unit itself, 4 ‘unbreakable’ espresso cups, 2 good-quality napkins, a small 300ml flask and pockets for your pods and the instructions.

We couldn’t fault the quality of the kit overall. The Handpresso espresso maker is made solidly and feels nicely weighted. The  little espresso cups and flask are equally decent in looks and build too.

Test time…

For the testing period, we gave the Handpresso kit to our resident coffee geek Nathan. Here are his thoughts; For espresso purist’s (shot glass timer at the ready, you know who you are!), pods of any kind are second-rate. Having said that the Handpresso has some features we really liked, and the espresso from the pods is easily good for coffee enthusiasts.

Build quality is excellent and pumping it up and watching the pressure build on the gauge is fun, though reaching the required 16 Bar pressure takes some effort, at around 40 strokes of the handle. The most difficult part is keeping the water hot enough to get a ‘proper’ espresso shot. Water for espresso needs to be in the 90 – 95˚C range. Pouring ‘off the boil’ water into the Handpresso and then loading the coffee pod takes a few seconds, by which time the temperature is well down, leading to pale crema/sour shot.

Water stored in the included 300ml flask will be far too cold (ed; for the purists)! We got the best results by pre-heating the bowl part and screw-on cap with boiling water, and by using the same to brew. Also, pumping the Handpresso up to pressure before putting in the pod and water will save quite a bit of time.

Using the espresso shots from the Handpresso, we made a couple of other drinks including a macchiato and a latte, both of which came out well and tasted great considering we were just using the e.s.e pods.

Plus Points

Machines like the Elektra Micro Casa a Leva are esteemed for their smooth, lever-delivered pressure, as opposed to a loud vibrating electronic pump – and the Handpresso is just that! A minute lever machine! Very cool.

Many high end coffee machines pre-infuse the coffee with water before pressure is applied (E61 Grouphead), and the Handpresso has this too. As it is inverted read-to-go, water contacts the coffee for as long or short a period as you like.

Overall

We really like the Handpresso Outdoor Set for its high quality items, attractive presentation and all-round handiness. We found the kit to be a little too pricy though at £135.00 for the pod version, and up to £164.00 for the Hybrid set (which can be used with E.S.E pods or ground coffee). Personally, we’d just buy the single Handpresso Hybrid unit.

Having said that, if you’ve got the money or want to make a gift of the kit, go for it – you won’t be disappointed.

Regarding the water not staying very hot for very long in the flask (60 minutes), it’s down to your preference as a person. A real coffee geek (Nathan) will definitely prefer the water used from boiling, but as a coffee lover you will be perfectly happy with the results (Ed: I was!).

Need-To-Know Info:

+ Superb quality kit, Handpresso makes great espresso! 

- Flask doesn’t keep water hot for very long

Shop for the Handpresso Outdoor

Kit weight: 1.4 kg  | Kit dimensions: 27 x 21 x 9 cm | Includes: 1 Handpresso unit, 4 cups, 2 napkins, 1 x 300ml flask | Website: (click) Handpresso.co.uk | RRP: Handpresso Outdoor Set £135 / Handpresso Hybrid Outdoor Set £164 (prices vary)

——————

Huge thanks to Fairfax Coffee  for supplying the Handpresso Outdoor Set!

Words: Nathan Fielder/Chris Davies | Photo’s/Films: Chris.D, Matt Davies | Testers: Nathan Fielder/Chris Davies

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Verdict: + Easy use, does work - Obvious in sunlight

What’s it for?

It’s as suspected Watson, we deduct from the name of the product that it’s for hiding and repairing scratches. No, it’s not actually magic before you ask.

What does the packaging promise?

‘Scratch Magic Pen has a clear formula, suitable for use on all paint colours and finishes, including metallics. It is quick and easy to use and masks scratches and stone chips in one quick application and protects paint from harsh weather conditions, rusting and oxidation.’

How do you use it?

It’s ridiculously simple – anyone can use it, and that’s the attraction of the Scratch Magic Pen. Simply find the light scratch you want to repair on your paintwork, clean and dry the area properly, take out the pen, shake it for around 60 seconds, push the nib down on a separate surface (we used paper) a few times to get the liquid flowing and apply to the scratch.

It’s just like using a felt-tip pen really, and is literally like drawing on the bodywork.

Does it work?

The T-CUT Scratch Magic Pen definitely works, and does cover up most light scratches. Anything deeper than that though, and it doesn’t make much difference visually. With stone chips, as they are literally that – a chunk out of the paintwork – it won’t disguise them as they’re usually down to the undercoat but we do like the way it’ll instantly seal that area, and stop water getting in which causes bubbling or rusting.

We tried it on both flat paint and metallic and it did make a big difference to obvious scratches, hiding the bulk of the ugly mark. Quite impressive stuff really, considering it’ll go with any paint colour.

Any drawbacks?

The Scratch Magic Pen is good, but we noticed that although from some angles the scratch is totally hidden, once you see it in bright sunlight the product from the Magic Pen is far more obvious, and can even look a little messy, even if you’re careful applying it. Still, we’d rather have that than a glaringly obvious scratch and it is noticeably less apparent on both metallic and non swirl-marked paintwork.

Overall opinion

We like it! Yes, it’s not the totally perfect answer to a scratch, but for that you’re looking at either a machine polish or a panel re-spray. For those that have neither the time, resources or money for these options, the T-CUT Scratch Magic Pen is certainly a decent solution.

Need-To-Know Info:

+ Simple to use, hides light scratches well, protects from rusting

- Product easily seen in sunlight 

Suitable for colours: Any shade of paint | Website: www.carplan-international.com | Price: £8.99

——————

Words: Chris Davies | Photo’s: Chris.D, Matt Davies

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Welcome to CarProductsTested.com Road Trip & Gear Guide – Reviews of all things cool in the world of road trips, travelling and the outdoors!

Here at CarProductsTested.com we all the above mentioned! The products and gear needed are an essential part of that – and we’re here to review it all!

What kind of stuff will be reviewed?

First off, let’s be clear – we most definitely aren’t about reviewing picnic sets, string driving gloves and tartan blankets – oh no! We’ll bring you guides to the coolest, most excellent gadgets and equipment around – and it’ll all be surrounding our ‘Trips, Travelling and the Outdoors’ theme. We’ll make sure you know which products actually work properly. We put everything through real-life tests to make sure it’s all up to scratch, so you don’t waste a penny on stuff that’ll only ever end up consigned to the loft.

We’ll test gear…

… that you actually want to read about – things you’ll drool over and desire so badly you’d contemplate selling granny, or the family pet! All CarProductsTested’s reviewed gear will look stunning, possibly involve bits of carbon fibre and shiny things and will, most of all, excite you.

What qualifies us to test and review products?

You don’t exactly get a certificate, a tip of the cap and a handshake in our line of work BUT, as well as many year’s worth of an absolute love of cars, motoring and travelling, we’ve been running CarProductsTested for over two years now, and have tested a massive amount of products from a variety of manufacturers.

We’ll take that testing experience and knowledge and put it into reviewing what we’ve always been passionate about – Trips, Travelling and the Outdoors!

Here’s a recent quote (which we’re darn well proud of!) from Will Charlton – Press & Communications Manager at Burton McCall - about one of our reviews ;

 ‘In terms of the reviews, these are some of the most in depth and accurate reviews of Maglite’s that I have read for a long time. It is much more than simply a re-hashed version of my press release, which a lot of reviewers seem to do… I thought the unbiased opinions and consumer focussed detail were excellent…The images are equally excellent.’

We hope you enjoy our Trip & Travel Gear Guide - Watch out for new products being reviewed on a regular basis, and if you want to see something particular reviewed, use our Contact Page and drop us a message.

All The Very Best,

CarProductsTested.com Review Team

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Firstly…

We ain’t some Dodo Juice fanboy club here on CarProductsTested. From the general high scores they get from us, it may seem like we are – but they just happen to make a great deal of, well, great products. We report it like it is, for your benefit people! Look at our photo’s for evidence of how well (or badly) a product works. We just receive a product, test it, and review it. If it’s good, we say, if it’s pants, we say. End of.

So, let’s get on with it.

Initial thoughts

Viewing the kit for the first time there’s patently a ‘Wow-Factor’ there, and this is certainly a unique product. Anyone else doing these? Not that we know of. The product in question is the Dodo Juice Home Brew Kit. For those of you that love their car wax (and if you’re into cleaning your car – you unquestionably should be), this kit is gonna make you salivate big time.

It is, no doubt about it, a completely and utterly brilliant idea. The best way to describe it is to use Dodo Juice’s own blurb, ‘… your very own chance to create a premium car wax, on your stove at home’. Yes people, you can now make your own wax! How very cool. You even get to personalise it by naming it whatever you want.

From the off, the kit exudes quality. The box is made of tin, but has an old wooden crate motif. On opening it, you have a foam mat and on top of that the instructions in print (even these are on high quality thick paper), your sticker kit and a wooden stirrer (like you get at coffee shops).

Underneath all this, place in thick foam cut-outs is your ‘Solid Phase’ 250ml heavy duty glass jar with what looks like Carnauba shavings and something else, and the plastic bottle of ‘Liquid Phase’, which smells beautifully of Bees Wax.

Using the kit

We aren’t going to go through all the instructions on here – buy the flipping kit if you want that – but the upshot is that making the wax is extremely easy, as long as you’re not a clumsy beggar. It involves using a pan, water, placing jar with Carnauba pieces in said water, then bringing water up to boiling, adding the Liquid Phase to jar, stirring and finally cooling.

A couple of tips here for when you do buy the kit. 1. Use a big pan to leave more room to work with. 2. When you’ve placed your jar in the empty pan, leave the lid on the jar while pouring the cold water into the pan. Even a small amount of water getting into the mixture can ruin it! Leaving the lid on stops this from happening. 3. Remove the jar lid before bringing water up to temperature.

This is clearly a big boys toy, and is all the better for it! Making the wax at home really does make it feel like your own brew, even though Dodo Juice has done most of the work for you. When we were mixing the solid and liquid phases, the whole kitchen smelled amazing, and the end result is a very cool-looking bright green wax.

Stickering the jar up, Dodo Juice left a space for you to name the wax whatever you like. We went with ‘Green With Envy’, as it’s green and the finish it gives will clearly make people jealous. Oy, before you even think of stealing our Home Brew name – go find your own!

How good is the Home Brew wax? 

Onto testing the wax itself. We tested in on a pretty chilly day (a 4˚C/39˚F), and although the instructions state to leave it 15 – 25 minutes to cure, we found that actually leaving it longer in this weather made it easier to remove. We applied it by sponge applicator, and after putting it on a little too thickly on a couple of panels and realising that when Dodo Juice instructing a ‘thin layer’ to be applied, they mean a Thin Layer. Thick Layer = Hard Removal.

You hardly need any of the Home Brew wax to cover a panel well, although applying it onto warmer bodywork will make it a much easier job, and it’ll go even further.

The finish to the paintwork was magnificent, with a superb depth and warmth added to what was wax-less and fairly lifeless paint. Beading and sheeting is superlative, even after just one thin layer of the Home Brew wax. Dodo Juice say the wax will last 2 – 3 months, but as always that’s dependant on how you maintain the car’s bodywork afterwards. We recommend using a pH-neutral wash/wax shampoo, and use a detailing spray afterwards too.

Is it worth the money?

We’d say Yes. You are getting the privilege of creating your own wax, which even on its own is an awesome idea. Add in the other elements, such as the all-round quality of the kit and the huge 250ml jar of long-lasting wax, and be assured, your cash will be well-spent.

As a gift or present for someone, there’s not a chance it’ll be anywhere near the dismayed sound of ‘oh great, a pair of socks’. It’s going to be more a case of ‘jump-around-the room-like-you’re-12-again‘.

Anything the kit could improve on?

The only thing we’d maybe like is to have other colour and scent options. Apart from this, it’s all good.

Score: 90%. Dodo Juice’s Home Brew Kit is ingenious. A ‘Big Boy’s Toy’ which is great for any true car-cleaning enthusiast!

Visit Dodo Juice.com

To Buy the Dodo Juice Home Brew Kit, visit either of our sponsor’s: Shinearama.com or i4Detailing.co.uk

Want to see more photo’s? View the slideshow below or click go to out Flickr Page 

Feel like supporting our reviews: Take a look at Dodo Juice Waxes from Amazon

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At last, the perfect weather to review the kit Black Diamond Car Care sent us. After what seemed like weeks of dull, overcast or rainy days, we finally get a break in the weather. Time to break out The Works Exterior Car Care Kit and get one filthy car gleaming again.

First off, the price. Normally around £38, it’s still very well priced for the amount of products you are getting. Take a look at the photo above (click to enlarge), and have a read on the side of the box to see what the contents are. As you’ll see, you’re getting a decent amount of products for your cash.

Overall, our thoughts are that the kit is definitely aimed at valeters, rather than detailers. The difference being, we think, that detailers are generally looked upon as using finer products on vehicles. For instance, a valeter may use a strong acidic wheel cleaner on a set of alloys, whereas a detailer would perhaps use a non-acicic, low-to-zero Alkali, pH-neutral wheel cleaner instead. You get the overall idea.

The products in general didn’t really have any smell to them, apart from the Alloy Shine wheel cleaner which had a powerful acidic odour. Talking of the wheel cleaner, it certainly did a good job and cleaned well, but we doubt that it would be suitable as a regular-use wheel cleaner, with it being so acidic, it would probably have a negative effect after a while. Also, although it didn’t say it on the bottle, as it is so acidic we’d definitely avoid using it on some types of wheels such as split-rims, or chrome or polished finishes.

The Black Diamond Wax Wash shampoo cleaned well enough, and there was plenty of foam there too (not that foam is overly important, remember folks), although there were no instruction on how to dilute it - ‘Add a generous squeeze’ was all that was mentioned. There was also no mention of whether the shampoo was wax-safe either – and some car wash products are known to actually strip off wax you’ve previously applied to paintwork, due to certain ingredients being used.

Moving onto the High Wax Car Polish, we think the ‘wax’ bit of the name refers to the shine it gives, rather than wax being included in it. It’s described as ‘An easy to apply polish which gives a long lasting, deep shine’. The polish was not overly easy to apply, and it took a fair amount of effort – however, removal was simple and the product left a good shine to the paintwork. Although water sheeting was slightly improved, beading was really non-existant. We’d follow this product up with a wax, as it actually gave a decent base for a layer or two of the good stuff!

Sliding over to the next product, Black Diamond Tyre & Trims, we’re split on this one. Okay, so the negative points first (we have to – we’re a review site). Whilst applying it, this product smells seriously strong, and is almost overpowering at times – headache territory in fact. We wouldn’t use this on a car’s interior, as the odour is just too powerful, even if it does fade after a while. If you did decide to use it on inside trim though, make sure all you car doors and windows are wide open. Another drawback was that if there is even a slight breeze, because the Tyre & Trims sprays out so finely, there tended to be quite a few places on the paint and glass where it had settled, meaning we had to re-go over the car checking for it afterwards.

Positive stuff now! The sprayer nozzle gave a good and even spread, and the finish we got on both tyres and exterior trim was actually pretty decent. It doesn’t look too slick or shiny, and didn’t leave behind any sticky or dirty residue. We checked a few days later after it had been raining and the Honda had been driven a few times, and the appearance was still the same as when we’d first applied it. There were no runs, and it was an even covering too. Thumbs up on those details!

Finally, and onto the last product we used – Black Diamond Glass Shine. Let us say from the off, we officially think this product is outstanding! Simply pout it onto a microfibre cloth, give the glass a quick wipe over, then wipe it off with a clean microfibre cloth and that’s it. A truly perfect finish on both interior and exterior glass. The Honda’s glass a real mess from months of not being cleaned – and it was filthy with smears and fine dust. the Glass Shine removed it all without fuss, and with real ease too. Definitely the best product out of The Works kit. In fact, it’s one of the top two glass cleaners we’ve ever used and deserves a good 9/10 score on that front!

Final Thoughts

Black Diamond’s The Works Exterior Car Care Kit’s pricing ensures you are getting a good deal of products for your cash. However, it is definitely aimed more at valeters rather than those into their vehicle detailing, and products such as the highly acidic Alloy Shine show this.

A bit of a surprise was how good the Tyre & Trims product’s finish and longevity was, and we did come across a really Diamond item (‘scuse the bad pun), namely the Glass Shine Cream Glass Polish, which genuinely worked and performed brilliantly – in fact, we think it’s one of the best glass cleaners we’ve ever tested!

To buy the Black Diamond The Works Exterior Car Care Kit, visit www.blackdiamondproducts.co.uk

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Winter’s a comin’ folks – and it look like it’s gonna be a harsh one!

First off, and as we are such nice people here at CarProductsTested, we’ve already done you a winter prep ‘How-To’, for the easiest way to get your car ready for the snow. How-To… Prepare Your Vehicle For Winter.

Okay, we aren’t the media, and we aren’t scaremongers either, but if the coming few months are anything like the last couple of years, your car will have the worst of the weather thrown at it – from freezing conditions to snow, ice, filthy slush and worst of all – road salt! Luckily for you (see, we’re always thinking of you guys), we’ve got the perfect detailing kit at a darn cheap price too.

Our Britemax Winter Preparation and Maintenance Pack will have your vehicle looking beautiful, both inside and out, whilst still protecting it from all the nasty elements that are about to (try) pound it out of existence.

We’ve got a degreaser and a shampoo in there, to rid your car of any really heavy grime, a polishing glaze to bring the life back to the paintwork, a product to keep your interior lookin’ sharp as can be, a sealant (fitting named Extreme Elements) to make washing your car a whole lot easier in winter, and finally, a Spray and Shine to make your paintwork gleam and bead like crazy!

All this, at a simply stupid price which works out at only 96 pence per sample before postage!

Simply click on the box below, and you’ll have your pack before you know it!

Enjoy!

CarProductsTested.com Admin Team.

Price: £0.00

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As with any new Dodo Juice product, the first thing we do when we’ve received anything from them is to unscrew the top and smell it. Ahhh. As per usual, Dodo Juice have well and truly delivered on the S-Factor (Scent Factor) front. Their new Basics of Bling Detailing Spray has the beautiful whiff of freshly-chopped Apple about it.

But we can’t get (too) sidetracked by the smell – on with the test!

This detailing spray, being part of Dodo Juice’s ‘Basics of Bling’ range, is labelled as a ‘Multi-purpose ‘Quick Detailer’ that cleans, shines and protects paintwork (and other surfaces)‘. It’s certainly priced well, at only around eight pounds sterling for 500ml of product. A bargain for starters then.

For our first section of the test we took a vehicle which was dirty, but normally well-maintained, and gave it a wash, rinse and dry-off before moving onto using the Detailing Spray. As we washed it when the weather was sunny and hot (25˚C), we did get the usual few watermarks, as seen in the photo’s below.

Using the Detailing Spray is easy, as it should be. Simply spray on and wipe off immediately with a soft microfibre cloth. The product removed 90% of the light watermarks from the paintwork and left behind a nice shine too- almost like a glow, where the metallics ‘popped’ straight out and were highly noticeable.

We also used the Detailing Spray on the side and rear glass of the vehicle, and also on any chrome and metal. It also worked well on these, but one thing we noticed was that on glass, it left a few greasy-looking smears behind. However, we worked out that if you put a tiny bit more spray onto the area and buff it hard again, the streaks are no longer visible in all but the brightest sunlight.

For our next test, we used the Detailing Spray on the same vehicle a few days later as it now had a fine layer of dust on the bodywork. Using it as a ‘waterless wash’, we applied a generous amount and lightly ‘brushed’ off the dirt with a fine microfibre cloth, before using another one to buff off the remainder of the product.

We did notice that a few streaks were left behind from the product but some ways to combat this are; 1. Concentrate on smaller areas when using the spray. 2. Go over area again with a small amount of product and buff off vigourously. 3. Literally as soon as you’ve applied the spray, wipe it off immediately.

Again, results were great and it left a deep shine behind. Incidentally, after the first application of Detailing Spray, a bird (no, not a Dodo – they were flightless and are now also dead, extinct, shuffled off their mortal coil, kicked the bucket etc.) happened to drop a rather gross amount of bird dirt onto the bonnet, which then set like concrete. However, after the first downpour of rain it nearly all came off with no help from ourselves. We put this down to the slippery-ness and protection on the paintwork after using the Detailing Spray.

On that note yes, the feel of the bodywork was left feeling slick and waxed, and water beading and sheeting qualities were definitely improved.

Overall, we still prefer the depth of shine and protection you get from Dodo Juice’s Red Mist Detailer, however, this Basics of Bling spray is very well priced and still gives a sufficient finish.

Visit the Dodo Juice website or one of our Sponsors (side of page) to buy Dodo Juice products.

8.5/10 A nice, decent-quality quick detailer which is easy to use on a variety of surfaces, and at a great price too!

+ Low price, smells excellent, leaves paintwork looking bright and fresh

- Having to go over some areas twice due to streaky marks

50/50 shot before (right) and after (left) results using Dodo Juice Basics of Bling Detailing Spray

Results after using the Dodo Juice Basics of Bling Detailing Spray. Decent water beading and sheeting abilities.

Results after using the Dodo Juice Basics of Bling Detailing Spray on glass.

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Britemax, although well established in America, is fairly new as a whole to the U.K. However, we’ve found that the products of theirs that we’ve tested up to now have been great. No mega-hyping goes on on their labels – just a clear and concise ‘this product will do this job‘- type of description. And we like that.

Black Max is described as an ‘Ultra fine polishing glaze‘,which is designed to remove fine lines and swirls in paintwork. The label also states that ‘the depth and brilliance of shine is simply dazzling…leaves a non-oily mirror like surface ready to be sealed‘.

So, how did it stack up to the description? Actually, this product is pretty amazing. This is one where almost everyone that uses it or sees it being used – and the results that are achieved – absolutely love it. We tried it on numerous surfaces, including a car with a month-old fresh paint job, to a 16 year-old vehicle which had some nasty faded and bubbling patches on the bodywork. Whatever we used it on though, it never failed to leave us impressed. By the way, it’s good for any colour of paintwork, not just black.

A good example of this would be the front side window plastic wind deflectors of a Mazda Bongo (hilarious name, cool Japanese camper van). The defectors should be totally see-through with a slight tint, however, through years of washing the vehicle a million tiny scratches had appeared, and the deflectors had become misty and opaque. We applied the Black Max by hand with a soft sponge applicator, and the difference was astounding! They went from looking foggy to completely clear again with just a couple of minutes work.

We found that Black Max is perfect for things like light scratches around door handles, and those random light scuff marksyou find around bodywork from things like people pushing past your car in a supermarket car park. A positive point about Black Max is that it doesn’t leave behind any ugly white marks or residue either, so you can worry less when using it around plastic or rubber trim.

Using Black Max with a Machine Polisher

Another big plus with this product is that if you are into your machine polishing, as a final finish polish, this is up there with the best of them. After having to remove some seriously heavy and deep swirl marks (thanks to the bodyshop) from a month-old paint job on a Nissan Skyline GTST, we’d done the usual heavy and medium compound stages, and it was time for the final finish stage. At this point, and before you do the final finish stage, the paintwork usually looks pretty darn good, but once we started using the Black Max with a Dual Action machine polisher, it turned the paint from ‘gleaming’ to ‘so deep you could dive in and swim around’.

When using it on a DA, we found it really very easy to work with. It spreads well and works into the paintwork with no problems, and wiping the excess off afterwards is undemanding.

The scent of this product is super, especially when using it with a machine polisher, as the heat naturally brings out the smell more. By the time we’d finish polishing the Skyline, the entire garage smelled  of chocolate and vanilla, but then you may think otherwise (why not leave a comment at the bottom of the page).

Even if you can’t be bothered to do a three or four-stage polishing process, the Black Max is superb for a fast and deep shine. After just a quick claying and onto using the product with a DA polisher, results saw paintwork given a fresh and vibrant look, and it instantly deepens it and ‘pops’ out any metallic  in the paint.

With this product, we did find that anything much heaver than very fine polish marks, swirls or scratches and the product can’t get rid of them, although it will make them less obvious to a degree.

Regarding price, this stuff is worth every penny of your hard-earned cash, and it’ll take you a long time to get through even the half-litre bottle. Anyhow, the results are so cool that you’ll forget the price just as soon as you use it.

9/10 Black Max does as the label says and removed fine swirls and scratches with ease. As a final finish polish, it brings an unbelievable depth of shine to paintwork.

+ Nice product to work with, does exactly as it promises, and smells beautiful.

- We haven’t found any negatives yet

Visit the Britemax website

Price: £0.00

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Damaged paintwork on a Nissan Skyline GTST. We applied two stages of polishing compounds before moving onto the Black Max as a final finish polish

Results after a 3-stage machine polishing process, and using the Black Max as a Final Finish. Beautiful!

More superb results. After the 3-stage process, we used the Black Max as a final finish polish

The items used for the final polishing stage. Britemax Black Max and a Dual Action machine polisher

After applying the Black Max. Here, we remove the product.

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Car Shampoo Review: Valet PRO Wash and Protect Shampoo 1 Litre – £8.40 / 5 Litres – £21.95

Valet PRO’s new products have been impressive and innovative, coming on in leaps and bounds. Like many manufacturers they review and update their own current range too, and their latest for this is Wash and Protect Shampoo.
Having tried their old Wash and Protect we can safely say that this is a huge improvement. For a car shampoo its viscosity is surprisingly thin. We’d liken the consistency to a Robinsons juice drink. Talking of that, the Wash and Protect also smells great, with a cherry marzipan scent to it – just make sure you don’t drink this product!

According to the instructions, between 10 – 30ml of product is needed per 5 litres of water. For the test on the VW Golf (see pics below), we tried the thinnest mix, using 20ml with 10 litres of warm water. The product foamed really very well and a slippery feel was left behind on our skin when we’d given the water a good stir by hand.

As the product is kind of aimed at (according to the blurb on the bottle) maintaining cars at dealerships – that actually makes sense. 20ml per bucket of water is good economy, especially when you take into account the price. The 5 litre bottle is a total bargain! The Wash and Protect Shampoo includes ‘rust inhibitors’ for paintwork, so that 1993 Ford Fiesta sat on your lot which you can’t seem to sell, will at least be protected in the meantime. It’s a quick and easy product to use too, and that’s a big bonus if you’ve got 20 vehicles to wash in the space of a few hours.

The results we got were fine, and the Golf we washed went from un-maintained (no wax or polish applied since, well, ever) dirty rep-mobile to squeaky-clean in only a few minutes with no hassle. There’s actually something else this product does – you can use it as a maintenance wheel cleaner. As the viscosity is thin, simply pour it neat into a spray bottle, spray onto wheels, agitate with a wheel brush and leave for 5 minutes or so.

It actually worked fairly well like this too! Although some very ingrained and stubborn dirt refused to budge, it still cut through thick and baked-on brake and road grime – we didn’t even use a power washer on the wheels, just a common garden hose with a sprayer attachment. That, in our opinion, is a big plus if you’re in a hurry to get your vehicle clean.

We also used it for detailing around the badges and locks etc, and it performed well in these areas. Again, spray it on neat then use a soft brush to get into all the areas around the badges etc, leave to soak for a couple of minutes and then rinse the product off.

The finish on the bodywork was good, and bought back the metallic ‘pop’ in the paint. It also left behind a just-waxed feel. Although there was no water beading afterwards, it did help to sheet the water off more efficiently.

8/10 A quick and easy car shampoo which smells fantastic, and doubles as a maintenance wheel cleaner too

+ Leaves a decent shine behind, can be used as a wheel cleaner, well priced

- No beading abilities, shine not as deep as some other shampoo’s

Click to visit ValetPRO’s website

Price: £0.00

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Take one dirty VW Golf...

Wash it with Valet PRO Wash and Protect Shampoo...

...and see some good results quick-time.

For use as a wheel cleaner, spray the Wash and Protect on neat...

leave to soak for around 5 minutes...

...rinse off, and you have one decently clean wheel (Left side: Before / Right side: After)

As a wheel cleaner - it removed most dirt, but not the more ingrained grime

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Polish Review: Polish Angel Esclate Lotion Paint Cleaner 200ml – €17.45 (£15.60) / 500ml – €34.95 (£31.00)/ 1 Litre – €64.95 (£58.00)

Ever notice how sometimes you finish waxing your car, but the paintwork still looks flat and lifeless? Preparing paintwork beforehand can vastly help it to not only look better, but also give a better base for when you apply your wax or sealant.

Polish Angel’s Esclate Lotion can be used a couple of ways. Firstly, you can use it after you’ve used a heavier compound or polish beforehand as it’s a great final finish. If you just have light swirls and marks in your paintwork, you could simply apply this product to eliminate a lot of these.

We applied it by both hand and with a DA (Dual Action) machine polisher. Of course, the machine polisher gave a better finish, but we were also quite impressed when we applied it to a panel by hand.

When we applied it by DA, the surface was first prepared by washing, then clay-barring. For the final test, we did not use a heavier compound beforehand. We used the Esclate Lotion on a medium to hard pad, and did 3 ‘passes’ (went over the area 3 individual times), wiping the product off the paintwork each time before moving onto the next pass.

The product gave the paint far more definition, and the colour was bought back again. It instantly brought back a beautiful lustre and depth to the paintwork too. Although deeper scratches and swirl marks weren’t removed, this was not surprising as it’s clearly not made for that kind of job as it’s only a very, very fine polish after all.

We found that using it on hot bodywork in direct sunlight wasn’t a good way to do it, as the product quickly baked onto the paintwork and was difficult to remove.

Pricing is not excessively expensive, and it’s not overly cheap either. Use the product wisely though and you’ll get a lot if usage out of even the smallest 200ml version.

8.5/10 Using Esclate Lotion as a final finish, or on very light swirl marks works nicely. Great results. Paintwork was noticeably richer and deeper in colour.

+ A nice easy product to use. Excellent as a final finish and base for waxes or sealants.

- Doesn’t remove anything more than very light swirl marks

Visit PolishAngel.net

Try a sample of Esclate Lotion in our samples kit

Light swirl marks in paintwork

Application using a Dual Action machine polisher

Left - Before / Right - Results

Left - Before / Right - Results

Price: £0.00

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