Adam's Brilliant Glaze Review

[ihaveacamaro]

I was recently asked by Dylan if I would be willing to do a few reviews. He said "If I send you a couple of products would you be willing to do a quick review? Good, bad, or otherwise... I have a couple of things I think you'd enjoy." How can you say no to that?

 

With that said, this is my honest review of Adam's Brilliant Glaze.

 

 

Product Observations:

 

1) Comes with easy to understand directions.

2) Liquid viscosity, slightly thicker than water

3) Smells "coconut-ey"... not exactly like a pina colada but it does smell really appetizing

4) Price = 16 oz for $25

 

Now before I get to the meat of the review, let me just point out a few things about glazes. Unfortunately, the industry is indecisive on what a glaze means. Some companies use glaze to mean a light polish, some use it to mean an all-in-one with protection, but the most common and traditional use of glaze is something that fills minor defects and is generally applied before a wax.

 

Adam's Brilliant Glaze falls into that latter category.

 

So, if it is supposed to fill defects, let's get to testing! This review will give you an idea on what you can expect from Brilliant Glaze.

 

 

 

 

Application:

 

I love the red foam applicator that you can get with this product. It is awesome and super soft. I found it to be the perfect size for me. It is a few inches in diameter. Even if the glaze sucked, I would be happy just with the applicator! Anyways, here's how the applicator looks and how much BG I needed to apply for a small 6 inch by 6 inch section.

 

 

 

 

When I get an applicator like this that is two sided, I often forget which side I applied product to. So to avoid this, I make it a one sided applicator and use a sharpie to mark which side my hand should hold like so:

 

 

 

With this product, the thinner the application the better. Here is how thin I applied it:

 

 

 

The directions state that you should wait for it to haze and then wipe it off. I tested this method and also wipe on, wipe off immediately and did not notice any appreciable difference. So I use this glaze as a wipe on wipe off type of product.

 

 

Application Conclusion: Spreads easily with no problems. There was no dusting in my application. I also tested waiting for five minutes after the glaze finished hazing, and I still got no dusting.

 

 

 

 

To test this glaze, I will use it in three areas:

1. Clear Coat Failure
   
2. Minor Scratch
   
3. Interesting shmear
   

 

 

Clear Coat Failure Testing:

 

 

A long time ago, around 3 years ago, I had no idea on how to care for my car. With such ignorance came a lack of care if bugs dried on my car for months at a time. Unfortunately, I have places on my car where there are the beginning signs of clear coat failure. So how will the glaze stand up to that? Look on for the results.

 

 

Before:

 

 

 

 

And after:

 

 

 

Conclusion: To my eye, there is little if any difference here. This product will not make clear coat failure look any better.

 

 

 

Now to minor scratch testing:

 

 

It is very hard to take a picture of a scratch this fine, so here is my attempt.

 

Before:

 

 

 

After:

 

 

 

 

Conclusion: Masking of small defects is clearly visible. The long approximately 3 inch scratch looked like two smaller scratches. This glaze is definitely working as advertised here. Note that this is one coat of Brilliant Glaze and no wax on top.

 

 

 

 

 

Now on to the interesting shmear:

 

 

I have a coating on my car. If you have never heard of this coating, it is essentially a "permanent" wax. The only way to remove it, once applied, is to either use a chemical that can strip paint, or to mechanically abrade the surface ie Machine Polishing or Wetsanding.

 

You are supposed to knock down any "high spots" during application, and if you don't you will get something that looks like the first picture below. Now that the coating has cured, the only way for me to remove it safely is via machine polishing. Well, I haven't gotten to that yet, so I decided to see what Brilliant Glaze will do to the high spot in the meantime.

 

Check it out.

 

Before:

 

 

 

 

 

After 1 coat:

 

 

 

 

 

After 2 coats:

 

It got very hard to take a picture of the high spot now, so I had to use my fingers to focus the camera.

 

 

 

 

 

Conclusion: I would say it did a great job at masking almost all of the high spot.

 

 

 

Bottom line:

 

I found this glaze to work well. It did a good job at masking defects, and not masking clear coat failure is hardly something I can fault it for. It is pricey at $25, but it did it's job and did it well. I think it is worth looking into if you are going to buy a glaze, and hey, if you find something that you like more, return it and get 10% more than you paid for it for your troubles

 

Product Page:

 

Adam's Brilliant Glaze for a hight gloss shine!

Edited January 17, 2013 by ihaveacamaro

[Team Adam's]

nice review! thanks for taking the time.

[SonicHD]

Just ordered some last night. Cant wait to use it.

 

Is this any different from the old Brilliant Spray Glaze other than not being in a spray bottle?

[Loop]

Nice review! Where the Brilliant Glaze REALLY shines is on dark colors in sunlight. WOW! Makes black look a mile deep. My TBSS loves this stuff.

[mjhpadi]

Can't say that I agree with your review, I've been using Brilliant before it was called a glaze and I have always found that it really helps the final look after the wax is applied. Since it does have some cleaning properties, it really helps prepare the finish for the application of the wax. I have always considered Brilliant as the final product to use before application of wax...I think it does a great job of this and will really add depth and clarity to the finish after applying wax. Also remember this product does do a bit of protection since it was the final product to be used in doing a detail with Adam's (at one time) and then it was called Brilliance. I don't think you should expect this product to be a cure all for defects in the finish, nor was it intended for that job. But as a product to prepare the surface for the wax coats, then Brilliant does an excellent job when used as for this job.

[ihaveacamaro]

Just ordered some last night. Cant wait to use it.

 

Is this any different from the old Brilliant Spray Glaze other than not being in a spray bottle?

 

I'm not sure if this was directed at me, but I don't know, I will let someone else answer that

 

Nice review! Where the Brilliant Glaze REALLY shines is on dark colors in sunlight. WOW! Makes black look a mile deep. My TBSS loves this stuff.

 

Thanks! My girlfriend's nissan altima is black, I will have to give it a try on that!

 

Can't say that I agree with your review, I've been using Brilliant before it was called a glaze and I have always found that it really helps the final look after the wax is applied. Since it does have some cleaning properties, it really helps prepare the finish for the application of the wax. I have always considered Brilliant as the final product to use before application of wax...I think it does a great job of this and will really add depth and clarity to the finish after applying wax. Also remember this product does do a bit of protection since it was the final product to be used in doing a detail with Adam's (at one time) and then it was called Brilliance. I don't think you should expect this product to be a cure all for defects in the finish, nor was it intended for that job. But as a product to prepare the surface for the wax coats, then Brilliant does an excellent job when used as for this job.

 

Everything in my review and everything you said can both be correct. You are talking about depth and clarity ie look, while I was simply testing the masking ability. While brilliant glaze adds to both depth and clarity, it does this by masking defects.

 

Adam's uses the word glaze in the traditional sense of the word... meaning it has no abrasives and is solely used for filling purposes and yes, as you mentioned, cleaning the surface prior to waxing.

 

To see the true nature of how much filling you can get with this product, you have to apply the glaze by itself. With one coat, the glaze filled well. With two coats, it filled even better!

 

I'm confused as to why you think that I believe this product is a "cure all" for defects. I certainly don't think it is but it does a pretty good job at masking defects. I tested in different scenarios just to see what would happen. As I suspected, it didn't improve the look of clear coat failure (nothing I have tried has), but it did fill in a light scratch and masked a high spot on my car... which is precisely what I would expect out of glaze. I'm sure the look of the paint would be better after applying Americana, but this was a review on Brilliant Glaze on its own merit.

[mjhpadi]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Everything in my review and everything you said can both be correct. You are talking about depth and clarity ie look, while I was simply testing the masking ability. While brilliant glaze adds to both depth and clarity, it does this by masking defects.

 

Adam's uses the word glaze in the traditional sense of the word... meaning it has no abrasives and is solely used for filling purposes and yes, as you mentioned, cleaning the surface prior to waxing.

 

To see the true nature of how much filling you can get with this product, you have to apply the glaze by itself. With one coat, the glaze filled well. With two coats, it filled even better!

 

I'm confused as to why you think that I believe this product is a "cure all" for defects. I certainly don't think it is but it does a pretty good job at masking defects. I tested in different scenarios just to see what would happen. As I suspected, it didn't improve the look of clear coat failure (nothing I have tried has), but it did fill in a light scratch and masked a high spot on my car... which is precisely what I would expect out of glaze. I'm sure the look of the paint would be better after applying Americana, but this was a review on Brilliant Glaze on its own merit.

 

First let me apologize to you for my misunderstanding...I thought you thought that the Brilliant should improve the failures in the clearcoat, so it was me misunderstanding of your review. I really do like the results obtained when using Brilliant Glaze, I think it just makes the final results look better. Again, sorry for misunderstanding...maybe I should have taken a little more time reading your post....instead of rushing through it! Again, sorry.

[ihaveacamaro]

First let me apologize to you for my misunderstanding...I thought you thought that the Brilliant should improve the failures in the clearcoat, so it was me misunderstanding of your review. I really do like the results obtained when using Brilliant Glaze, I think it just makes the final results look better. Again, sorry for misunderstanding...maybe I should have taken a little more time reading your post....instead of rushing through it! Again, sorry.

 

No worries, I'm guilty of skimming through long reviews as well

[THE Mook]

Nice review Roshan.

 

Mook

[FarbeyondDriven]

yeah great review. But you didnt even touch on the topic of it making your paint POP. The brillant glaze makes your paint look so deep and wet its ridiculous. I thought that was the whole reason for applying the glaze, not for hiding imperfections like your whole review was about.

[ihaveacamaro]

yeah great review. But you didnt even touch on the topic of it making your paint POP. The brillant glaze makes your paint look so deep and wet its ridiculous. I thought that was the whole reason for applying the glaze, not for hiding imperfections like your whole review was about.

 

Where do you think the wet dripping paint look comes from? Or that metallic "pop"?

 

These things come from light... which refracts off your painted surface. Each scratch, each imperfection distorts that refraction of light.

 

Something that masks (ie a glaze) will work by filling in any defects and leveling the paint surface, it will make it "seem" as if the painted surface is more level than it actually is. The more level the painted surface (either by a glaze or by actually polishing the surface defects out), the more gloss and POP you will get... because that light that hits your surface is being refracted in a less distorted fashion.

 

By testing masking ability, I am directly testing how well the glaze will add to the paint depth, clarity, and yes the "paint pop" everyone strives so hard to achieve!

 

 

 

 

To illustrate this point, I will use two pictures from my review:

 

Notice how the high spot on this paint is clearly distinguishable. This is due to the light refraction being very distorted compared to the surrounding paint .

 

 

 

Now notice how the paint looks flush, and once again looks reflective and shiny, without most of the distortion. This is after two coats of the glaze. The reason this happened is the glaze leveled the high spot and light refracted off this area with less distortion than before. Thus, it looks like the high spot is removed, even though it is just "masked."

 

Edited January 18, 2013 by ihaveacamaro

[ihaveacamaro]

Nice review Roshan.

 

Mook

 

Thanks Mook!

[sluggoZ]

Nice write-up & Thanks for sharing.

So to get the best effect.....I should go with 2 coats of Brillant Glaze & one coat of wax?

[ihaveacamaro]

Nice write-up & Thanks for sharing.

So to get the best effect.....I should go with 2 coats of Brillant Glaze & one coat of wax?

 

Thanks for looking, I'm sure doing that will yield great results. Me personally, I wouldn't do more than one coat of glaze and one coat of wax. That's not for any specific reason other than I don't want to spend hours glazing and waxing my car. Plus the wax also has filling characteristics so it's not like you are getting much more results by doing two layers of glaze and one layer of wax instead of one and one.

Edited January 20, 2013 by ihaveacamaro

[randyfox]

Nice review. I especially enjoyed your explaination of how scratches and their effects on light refraction play a role in the overall appearance of a finish.

[Mongosg8]

Great review! Thanks for the detailed explanation.

I seen the same differences ..after applying the wax on top of the glaze is when I seen the full results. I also noticed its a lot easier removing the wax when you glaze before waxing.

[ihaveacamaro]

Great review! Thanks for the detailed explanation.

I seen the same differences ..after applying the wax on top of the glaze is when I seen the full results. I also noticed its a lot easier removing the wax when you glaze before waxing.

 

Thanks for looking

 

I am working on an Americana review right now as well I will make a point to try it without the glaze on part of the car and with the glaze on the other part... and report my results. Thanks for the info!

[2002 SS #476]

I have both a red and black car and this is by far my favorite product for them.

[Brandon Lutz]

Thanks for looking

 

I am working on an Americana review right now as well I will make a point to try it without the glaze on part of the car and with the glaze on the other part... and report my results. Thanks for the info!

 

I used Americana for the first time this past weekend and it definitely rocks. Looking forward to your review!

[fito]

I am working on an Americana review right now as well I will make a point to try it without the glaze on part of the car and with the glaze on the other part... and report my results. Thanks for the info!

 

Did you ever get a chance to do this? I've always wondered about the unique qualities of BG. I've tried doing a panel with glaze vs. glaze + wax and its hard to tell the difference to me. Maybe because I have a silver car. The problem is also compounded because I use Adam's exclusively and after using just the shampoo and detail spray the car is already shiny.

[Green Machine]

Nice but how do you get all those pictures in there????? I wanna do a write up on the DWC and I have about 40 or so shots. I plan on whittling them down but I can't post them. I have them in photobucket. One question when you insert pictures do you preview post first? And if so can you see all your pictures?

[mjhpadi]

People seem to think of Brilliant as a protection layer, and it really isn't. It's more of a cleaning and prep step and I really believe that it does add depth to the paint if it is used before the wax. If I am not doing any paint correction, I would use Revive to remove clay bar residue and additional paint cleaning, follow that with Brilliant, and only one coat to really prepare the finish for wax and then finally wax. I think that it is fairly easy to see the difference in the finally result if using Brilliant before the wax, it just seems to add more depth, clarity, and shine in the final result.

[mc2hill]

One question when you insert pictures do you preview post first? And if so can you see all your pictures?

 

I preview them when I am posting pictures and yes you can see the pictures by using "Preview". I make sure the captions match the pictures and I don't have 2 of the same.

BTW, Photobucket's recent upgrades were not all positive! They have made it more difficult to quickly copy am image for posting in a thread.

[ihaveacamaro]

 

Did you ever get a chance to do this? I've always wondered about the unique qualities of BG. I've tried doing a panel with glaze vs. glaze + wax and its hard to tell the difference to me. Maybe because I have a silver car. The problem is also compounded because I use Adam's exclusively and after using just the shampoo and detail spray the car is already shiny.

 

I haven't, I have a lot of things I'm doing and even more products on my "to-review" list. But americana is up there and I'll see if I can squeeze it in somehow.

 

Nice but how do you get all those pictures in there????? I wanna do a write up on the DWC and I have about 40 or so shots. I plan on whittling them down but I can't post them. I have them in photobucket. One question when you insert pictures do you preview post first? And if so can you see all your pictures?

 

You know that postcard button when you a writing a post? It's the one right next to the world and the paperclip icon. Click that, insert the file url, and then bam, the picture is there.

 

When you preview post, you can see it yes.

Edited April 5, 2013 by ihaveacamaro

[EPHIOS]

Brilliant Glaze is like a beauty product. All looks, but not much protection.