In February of this year, we decided to offer Tropi-Care sample kits to future users to get a taste of our three main products, TC-3 Polish /Sealant xP, TC-5 Detail Spray and TC-6 Car Wash. As everyone knows, this typically leads to a Tropi-Care vs. competitor test. While all tests can be realistically conducted without bias, we know beta testers are conducting these comparisons for other companies. Think about this analogy: You have a “Coca Cola” engineer testing the equivalent “Pepsi” product. Do you have any reservations about the ensuing test results?

Using the products correctly and understanding their properties is extremely important in determining accurate testing results. Simply put, follow the directions we supply with the samples.

I expected that the recent comparison thread could become quite involved and controversial. However, I maintained a safe distance during the entire testing process allowing any and all statements to be made. I feel that I have a right to respond to comments since I am the “lightning rod” in this entire ordeal. I was the zaino distributor for North Texas from mid 1999 to late 2003. I aggressively market everything that I strongly believe in and this venture was no exception. I poured my heart out only to get the eye-opening realization of e-commerce swooping away my client base.

As a result of my departure from zaino, in the fall of 2003 we started Tropi-Care. It was and is our goal to create and offer a complete product line that would provide for all aspects of detailing. Tropi-Care has since evolved into a one stop shop for additional items such as detail brushes, micro-fiber products, and our highly popular Porter-Cable buffer kits. As we grow, we will offer new products to our line so check our site frequently. www.tropi-care.com

We have shipped thousands of products to customers as part of a bucket kit or individual orders around the US without a single phone call, PM or email expressing concern for diminished or lost durability. We constantly strive to provide the finest quality materials, professional customer service and advice for your detail experience. Please keep testing our products, we value your opinions. Give us a try, we have something for you.

Sincerely from the Tropi-Care team,

 

Awesome dude, by looking at post made by people who have detailed cars with your product, it seems like you have one hell of a product. I cannot comment from personal experience, yet, but once I get the sample pack and try it out, I will most certainly post comments without bias.

 

as cooltc2004 said i cant say from experience yet but the pics of cars detailed with tropicare it looks great

ps cant wait for my sample.

 

guys this stuff realy works you will be total amazed by the tropi care line

 

Here is a little test I did the other night to show the performance of our TC-3 polish. At just after 6pm I washed the hood of my car with TC-6 car wash and a TC-M2 microfiber wash mitt and then I left the car outside over night (not something I like to do!!!) because we had some heavy storms rolling our way. Well the storms rolled in at just after midnight and stuck around for awhile. The same storm even produced quite a few tornados a couple hours west of here. Which if I would've known at the time that they were that strong I would've said screw this and put my car in the garage! LOL

The last coat of polish was put on the car on March 9th, 2007 and the car has since been parked outside for over a week at my parents house in Dallas, rained on a few times, driven in the rain twice, and then driven 400 miles back to Lubbock where it was again driven in the rain a couple days before this test. By far the biggest beating this car has seen in quite some time.

But anyway here are the pictures to show how the polish sheets water, NOT beads water, after being washed

The first two pictures are immediately after I rinsed the hood after it was washed...





1 minute later...





3 more minutes later you can see that almost all of the water has sheeted off of the hood without being touched...



I did not touch the car again after this and here is what I walked out to at 8:52 AM Saturday morning (time wasn't set right on my camera but you can see the time difference on the timestamp on the pictures) But as you can see the product still beads water after rain.







and then just over an hour later at 10:09 AM ...

 

So, you polished the car without a following coat of any sealant or wax? I don't understand what this proves.

 

The TC-3 polish is the sealant

And it shows the performance of the product under those conditions

 

Used My Sample Kit Today!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

You can use my car(s) as a test vehicle anytime!

 

There's the missing link. Got it now. Very nice.

 

hey jason i was wondering about how long should it take for the sample to ship out?

 

ggk:

Steve is actually the one that did all of the shipping of the samples. But when I spoke to him a couple days ago he said that last group of samples had just been shipped out So if you haven't received yours yet it should be there soon or you can get in touch with Steve if for some reason it has not shown up!

 

I received my samples yesterday. I don't really have time during the week to try them out so, I plan to do just that this weekend (if it doesn't rain). I have some areas on my SS, being that it's a Daily Driver, that have some serious swirls marks. I have a Porter Cable and have been intending to try some Menzerna products this spring. Thanks to your sample offer, I'll be trying your products first. If I achieve the results I want, you will have a new loyal customer. So, prepare for some Q&A.

 

We accepted the last requests by midnight on March 21. The last of the sample packages were mailed out on Friday afternoon by first class mail.

If you haven't received it by the end of this week, contact me at steve@tropi-care.com and we'll check on your transaction.

 

first off .. I took before pictures, but due to a trip to the Emergency room with the wife, I was unable to get any after shots, but I wanted to post this anyway.

Originally, I planned on testing the following Tropi-care products that I rceived in my sample pack last week:

TC-6 Car Wash
TC-8 Swirl Cutter
TC-3 Polish/Sealant
TC-5 Detail Spray

I didn't use the car wash simply because I forgot, lol .. force of habit .. I got all set up to wash the car, and did my normal process using Meg's Gold Class Shampoo, and didn’t realize it until half way through, and didn't want to dump the buckets and start over.

I spent Friday detailing my Father in Law's 2005 Buick LeSabre with about 16k on the clock. The car was pretty dirty, and had never been waxed, but all in all not in that bad of shape .. my father in law doesn't wash it much, but it is garaged, only sees a hundred miles or so a week, so it doesn't live a bad life. No major paint defects, just some light swirling from the tunnel wash he uses.

TC-8 Swirl Cutter:


directions say this product can be applied by hand or machine. I used my pc.

Very nice smell to this product. applies easily, and a little goes a long way. My sample bottle had 2 ounces in it, and I did the whole car, and still have a about 2/3 an ounce left.

Product had a little bit of sling to it, but nothing that troubled me. Created a little more dust than I expected, but nothing major. I used a Meg's 8006 pad, and the PC set on 5. It did a very nice job of removing the majority of the defects on the first pass. I would say it has slightly less cut than Meg's #80, as I had one trouble spot that it couldn't handle in two passes, and the #80 knocked it out first pass. I also played with it on a single spot on my truck, and it did a very nice job on the F-150 Screw. I was pleased with the results on the car, and was extremely impressed with the results on the Truck.


TC-3 Polish/Sealant

Directions say this product can be applied by hand or machine. I chose both. I did the trunk by hand, using a Meguiar's Microfiber Even Coat Applicator. I applied a very thin coat, and the application was smooth and easy. I applied it to the rest of the car using a Meg's 9006 pad and the PC set on 3.

Absolutely no sling with this product, and it applied evenly, and very thinly.

Directions say to allow about thirty minutes for curing. I did, but the product was dry, and ready for removal in less than 15 minutes. It removed effortlessly using a microfiber towel. The resulting finish is smooth as glass, and has a very nice pop on the gold metallic paint. I was very pleased with what I saw.

I was pleasantly surprised with this product. I was expecting it to have the typical saran wrap look that most sealants do, yet it seems to have a more subtle finish, with a little more depth than some of the other sealants that I have used.


TC-5 Detail Spray

I used this on the hood after I was done removing the TC-3 .. it seemed to add a little bit of additional shine to the finish. The smell on this product is very strong, almost a perfume, hair spray type smell. It was over powering to me in my garage, and for that reason, I doubt I will use it again. It worked very well, but the smell bothered me.


It is hard to get a feel for a product with a single use, but based on what I saw with the TC-8 and the TC-3, I will be adding both to my arsenal (ordered some yesterday), and will continue to experiment on additional cars.

I will be interested to see how durable the TC-3 is, and my FIL's car will be a good platform for that, as it will probably not be washed again until they visit in the middle of the summer. I will take some pics and document the status at that time.

Tropi-care says the TC-3 can be topped with a carnauba. I am giving some serious thought to trying that with my truck hood, just to see what it looks like.

I am doing a C5 Easter weekend, and I will be giving the Tc-3 and TC-8 another spin. I will make sure I fully document that one with the camera.

So far, I am very pleased with what I have seen.

.

 

For best results when using the Swirl Cutter by PC, apply a thin ribbon of the product from the center of the pad to just inside the outer edge. Less product is better and will prevent slinging. You will learn its characteristics very quickly when using it. Lightly mist your orange foam pad prior to product application. The best cutting action is between 5-6 on your PC dial. Work across the surface at the rate of 1"/second. Moving any faster and you're just moving product around on the surface. Work in an area of 2' x 2' until almost clear. Inspect your work for results. Once you are satisfied, then you can move on to the TC-3 Sealant.

Its ability is designed to remove holograms, ultra-fine scratches from towels and wash mitts down to 2500 grit. On 10-point aggression scale, it is about a 4.5-5.3. You will get a cutting more action using a high speed rotary polisher equipped with a black or white foam polishing set at 1500 RPM. (experienced users only)

If your serious swirls marks are comparable to the picture below, it may be necessary to use a mild rubbing compound and yellow cutting pad. These are more stubborn to remove and thus require a more aggressive method.



Feel free to contact us with any questions.

 

Doug:

Excellent review. Thanks for the feedback. Glad you like the early returns on the performance of our products. Your order has been processed and sent out today.

I couldn't tell if you misted your foam pad with water prior to using the Swirl Cutter. That would help to cut down on a potential dusting issue and prevent product loading up in the foam pad. Check out my response earlier in this thread regarding the characteristics of the TC-8 Swirl Cutter.

For the TC-3, we offer 2 versions of the blue final finishing foam by Lake Country for both hand and machine application.

When I use the TC-5 Detail Spray, I will mist one detail towel and lightly wipe on the surface (as compared to spraying directly on the surface) and then use a second clean dry detail towel to buff to a crystal clear anti-static shine. Less than 1 ounce will be sufficient to complete the entire vehicle.

We look forward to your continued feedback and feel free to contact us anytime.

 

where can I get a sample kit?