Very good work:
Unfortunately there is so much misinformation on the internet it perpetuates this. 9H when used with regards to paint coatings is *not* as hard as diamonds. 9H and diamonds refer to the MOH scale of hardness. Coating hardness is based on the LEAD scale, so think number 1-10 pencils. 9H means a #9 pencil will scratch the surface, so it is not even in the same universe as diamond hardness. Some coating companies (not Optimum, thankfully) really perpetuate the 9H thing in an effort to mislead potential clients.I am going to have to disagree with some of what you said. First off I was wrong about the thickness. modern top clear coats are around 60-90u thick and Opticoat (it doesn't say if it's the pro or standard product) according to their website is around 2u. However because it resists scratching/swirls better than a standard clear coat, by nature it would have to be harder in the technical term. Hardness is measured by the ability to receive scratching. 9H being the hardest which is what the Opti products rate as, which is the same level as diamond. Unfortunately I can't find any actual data on the thickness of the pro product other than "It is believed to be a thicker coating than the consumer product."
The name it's self is weird because the original used to be Opti-coat, then when they released the consumer model Opti-coat 2.0 they changed the name of Opti-coat (pro) to Opti-Guard. It's referenced interchangeably throughout the internet which makes it difficult to discuss. To make matters worse they've added another product specifically for the interior called Opti-guard, and as such I've seen the professional exterior clear coat referred to as Opti-coat Pro, and Opti-Guard Pro. :headbonk: I believe what my guy used is listed on their website as Opti-Coat Pro Plus which has an added gloss coating, which he simply calls Opti-Guard. My guess is it's turned into the whole Q-Tip, Hoover, Google, ziplock situation where it's just the generic name for the exterior product for the car.
It is a permanent sealant, that repeals water, dirt, and oils. It resists scratching considerably better than a standard clear coat due to it's hardness. It provides UV protection which helps to prevent fading of plastics, oxidation of clear plastics, and loss of luster of standard paint.
I'm not trying to pitch the product as an alternative to the bra or anything lol, I said it offered -some- chip protection, as in better than nothing at all. That's just from having an extra coating on the car with different properties. That's just a hypothesis on my end though. Would still recommend the clear bra.
You can put waxes and sealants on top of the opti-guard, it just won't stay very well just due to the nature of the coating. He may have been confused with the 22ple though and I'll concede that. I haven't found anyone having applied it onto an Opti-guard/coat (2.0 or pro or whatever) yet, but they do offer a gloss application that you can apply onto the car after it's been treated. :cheers:
Clear bra is much better for this. Opti Coat will not help wth rock chips. Clear bra also costs way more.
I wasn't aware you could put an Expel or clear bra product over a ceramic coating...can anyone confirm this?
You wouldn't do a polymer coating and then do a clear bra over it. You would do one or the other. The clear bra probably won't stick to the coting anyway but confirm this with others to be sure.
