22 replies to this topic

[gbackus]

Dr. G, know anything about these new rubber coated foam blocks being marketed as a clay substitute? Perhaps they could be evaluated as a possible replacement to the now discontinued Opti-clay?

[thesacrifice]

gbackus, on Mar 15 2007, 02:44 AM, said:

Dr. G, know anything about these new rubber coated foam blocks being marketed as a clay substitute? Perhaps they could be evaluated as a possible replacement to the now discontinued Opti-clay?

Looks like a black version of a Magic Eraser.

The new autopia line of detailing products called Autopia is going to be utilizing elastrofoam or a version of...

[thesacrifice]

Yes, I meant Ultima...hands were typing faster than the brain I guess

[Doctor G]

gbackus, on Mar 15 2007, 03:44 AM, said:

Dr. G, know anything about these new rubber coated foam blocks being marketed as a clay substitute? Perhaps they could be evaluated as a possible replacement to the now discontinued Opti-clay?

George,

Clay is still a touchy subject to us since the patents that AutoWax & Illinoise Tools have are invalid, however, this needs to be demonstrated in court. We do offer Opti-Clay outside of US and Japan at this time.

One of the factors that make Opti-Clay work better than Clay Magic is that it is based on crosslinked polybutene resin which is more durable, more elastic, and has a great deal more tack than the resin used in Clay Magic. In fact Clay Magic breaks down very easily and leaves residue behind since the resin has no intergrity.

As for the rubber coated foam, I have not had a chance to test this product yet, however, looking at the picture, it does look like about 1/4" of rubber glued to a piece of foam. The cushioning affect of foam can be beneficial since most clay bars, when pressed down, leave marring behind (these appear as straight lines vs. circular buffer marks). The smooth rubber surface on the other hand, will probably stick very hard to surfaces without lubrication, while it would probably glide over a liquid lubricant. It would be interesting to see how this works and what they offer as lubricant. I will try to get a sample and test it out against Opti-Clay. Thank you for sharing.

[ehall]

cool idea for a furum area! good idea Anthony!

[Eliot Ness]

Doctor G, on Mar 16 2007, 11:55 PM, said:

.....Clay is still a touchy subject to us since the patents that AutoWax & Illinoise Tools have are invalid, however, this needs to be demonstrated in court. We do offer Opti-Clay outside of US and Japan at this time........

So the clay is still being manufactured, but not sold in the US and Japan at this time? If so that's good news because it means it will be available when the patent runs out, but I don't that is until 2013 if I recall correctly. Are you selling the Opti-Clay in Canada?

I still have an unused bar of Opti-Clay and scored a few more bars of some other good yellow clay about a month ago (bought the last bars the vendor had in stock). If the courts had the judge clay his car with some Opti-Clay and then some of the CM perhaps there would have been a different judgment on those lawsuits.

[becks]

Eliot Ness, on Apr 4 2007, 09:13 PM, said:

Are you selling the Opti-Clay in Canada?

Nope I really want some Opti-Clay but can't get any, eventhough I'm not in the US

[Ron Harris]

Can any one recomend something close to the Opti Clay?
Im out now and need to order some but dont want to go through a bunc of different brands.

[Anthony Orosco]

Eliot Ness, on Apr 4 2007, 07:13 PM, said:

So the clay is still being manufactured, but not sold in the US and Japan at this time? If so that's good news because it means it will be available when the patent runs out, but I don't that is until 2013 if I recall correctly. Are you selling the Opti-Clay in Canada?

I still have an unused bar of Opti-Clay and scored a few more bars of some other good yellow clay about a month ago (bought the last bars the vendor had in stock). If the courts had the judge clay his car with some Opti-Clay and then some of the CM perhaps there would have been a different judgment on those lawsuits.

Umm, yep I would agree with that

I also need some clay....I have two small pieces of Opti-Clay left and I am fighting tooth and nail NOT to break down and buy any crap..opps, I meant "clay", from AM.

Anthony

[gbackus]

Doctor G, on Mar 16 2007, 08:55 PM, said:

As for the rubber coated foam, I have not had a chance to test this product yet, however, looking at the picture, it does look like about 1/4" of rubber glued to a piece of foam. The cushioning affect of foam can be beneficial since most clay bars, when pressed down, leave marring behind (these appear as straight lines vs. circular buffer marks). The smooth rubber surface on the other hand, will probably stick very hard to surfaces without lubrication, while it would probably glide over a liquid lubricant. It would be interesting to see how this works and what they offer as lubricant. I will try to get a sample and test it out against Opti-Clay. Thank you for sharing.

First reports that I've gotten so far is that the new rubber foam blocks work very well, and very quickly, however, they work very much like agressive clay, meaning it will marr the surface slightly. I'll report back if I find that it may be user error due to working with an unfamiliar product, but I doubt it. It also works amazingly well on overspray, and what I(and at least one other) think it may be, is a super fine sandpaper type coating(much like the 15000 and 30000 grit stuff you can get from micromesh and some other suppliers).

Also wondering if OPT is any closer to coming up with an alternative?

[Bence]

Seriously, what difficulties can Optimum encounter when Doctor G. would market the elastic clay as "fridge & microwave cleaner balls"?

[Anthony Orosco]

I'd buy it

[ehall]

Bence, on Jun 8 2007, 09:07 PM, said:

Seriously, what difficulties can Optimum encounter when Doctor G. would market the elastic clay as "fridge & microwave cleaner balls"?

He could call them Optimum Svetty Balls. "From the fridge to the Microwave in just 30 seconds!"

[beachy]

ehall, on Jun 10 2007, 01:47 AM, said:

He could call them Optimum Svetty Balls. "From the fridge to the Microwave in just 30 seconds!"

What if they were molded into the shape of a car? Wouldn't they be marketable as souvenirs?