After hearing so much about SPI products on this and other boards, I decided I would give them a shot. Let me first say that I have used PPG and Dupont clears as well as the cheap off brand stuff (Transtar, Omni, Nason, etc..). I used a lot of 2021 before switching to Dupont's 72200 and 72500 as my present clears of choice. I talked to Barry at SPI and gave him my background and told him what I wanted to do with his clear. I was shooting a $80k muscle car for a customer. He suggested I use the universal clear, which is a high solids clear. I ordered a gallon of clear and 4 quarts of the activator. It mixes 1:1. I got 2 quarts of normal activator and 2 qts of slow activator. You can ****tail the activators for somewhere in between if you choose. The total was $206 shipped to my door for 2 sprayable gallons. I was told not to spray a tack coat. "Blow it on, how you want it to look". I was a little hesitant. It was about 70 degrees in the shop, so I used the normal activator for the first coat. I bombed the first coat on and stood back and waited for it to sag or run on the floor. It didn't, so I waited for it to tack up before applying the second coat. I decided I would use a little of the slow activator. I blew the second coat on, I really didn't want to blow a 3rd coat on, it looked to good. I slowed the 3rd coat down a little more and shot it. You know how sometimes when your spraying nothing goes right and other times things work out just fine? I don't know if the moon and the stars were aligned perfectly or what?? I opened the fan on my SATA RP all the way open and this clear flowed awesome !! It was probably the slickest clear I ever laid down. Clarity is great and already looks a mile deep. Now i did get some minor trash in it, so I will be sanding and buffing on it next week. I'll report back on the sanding and buffing characteristics. I'll wait till I do a little cuttin and buffin on it before I declare it my new top choice.
Thanks for the report!! SPI is on the list of clears to try and I think you sold me. I too use mostly PPG and HOK, but after seeing another $80K muscle car shot in SPI high solids, I was very very interested. Keep us posted on the buffing! Thanks.
Bill I was skeptical myself. I've wanted to try it for awhile now, just couldn't bring myself to change. Usually when you try to save a buck in this business it comes back to bite you in the ***. That is why I try and avoid off brand materials. I'm not saying they are all bad or inferior products, but there is a reason they are cheaper. It's not worth my time and effort to use 2nd rate products to save minimally. At this point I am impressed with the SPI clear.
Wait til ya buff it !!! You think yer impressed now? Been usin Barrys Universial for 4 years now and by far the best I've used in the 40 + years I've been @ the squirtin game.
So far so good.....I'm so glad to see an unbiased opinion of a paint product from someone with your experience/expertise. Good sprayability, nice laydown, after a report on cutting and buffing...the only thing left is longevity (but that's pretty important, in my book!). Keep us informed!
I switched to SPI clears about 3 years ago.......I'm a firm believer in thier products now. They have an awesome product at a excellent price. The only bad part is, I have to order it in....instead to driving down the road and picking it up. It's worth it though.
Regarding the longevity of it. I saw this car 2 1/2 years after I sold it ( paint was about 3 years old by then. Still looked like the day I buffed it.
Wow, it's nice to hear POSITIVE reports on a product instead of a long thread that just trashes a company. Thanks for that refreshing change of pace. Now all I need is a car that's worth painting...
I am not a painter but I had great results when I shot it on some personal projects. It is very forgiving to a novice. I use their epoxy primers almost exclusively in my daily blasting operations. I have found that it covers better in one coat and repels the elements better than some of the big brands.
I just finished color sanding and buffing out SPI universal clear that I shot over HC black base on my shoebox, it looks fantastic. The fact that Barry is always available to answer questions is definately a bonus.
I finished buffing it today. I actually think it sands comparable to 2021 or 2002 PPG. I did find it to buff easier than the PPG clears as they tend to get hard as a rock if you don't get on them right away. I would say it is a toss up between SPI and the Dupont 72200 or 72500 clears when buffing. I believe what really helped the buffing was being able to lay the product out slick. Final Grades: Value (cost): A Spray ability: A+ Sanding : C+ Buffing : B+ Durability : Yet to be determined Conclusion: I will most likely use the SPI clear on my next job. The value can not be beat. It lays down like gl*** and the clarity is great. It is comparable to my current clears in buffing and sanding characteristics. Durability is an unknown at this point. I did not ask Barry about UV protection, I really should have. If anyone knows about this, please chime in.
Does anybody have any new news on this product. I am wondering how the durability and uv protection is.
The Jalopy Journal
