What the Pros Say
Todd Cooperider part of the Detailed Image's Ask A Pro Team, received a bottle of Chemical Guys Black Light while it was still in its testing stages. Below is Todd's review...

Product Review: Chemical Guys Black Light

by Todd Cooperider

As a part of the Detailed Image Ask A Pro Team, I get the opportunity to try out a lot of different products long before they reach the market. The manufacturers look to us for everything from product development help to simple product feedback. Some of these products and opportunities are brilliant, some of them are “me-too”, and some need to go back to the lab for further refinement. Rewind to over a year ago and I received a bottle of Black Light from Chemical Guys that had been in development for a while in their Thailand offices. I was told that it was designed to meet the harsh environmental conditions of Thailand, and should do extremely well in the North American market as well. It was being marketed as a gloss-enhancing sealant, so I figured that I would give it a try...

Since I’ve worked with Black Light for so long, and have had discussions with the behind-the-scenes people in charge of designing this formula, I can tell you another use for this product that you won’t read on the label, or in other product reviews…it also makes a great All-In-One (cleaner, polish, sealant). Black Light contains very fine abrasives in the formula to help clean and lightly polish the surface while it’s adding gloss and protection. So if your car (or customer’s car) is a bit needy, but a major paint correction detail isn’t on the menu or budget, then you can reach for an incredibly easy to use product like Black Light for the job. I’ve taken worn-out cars and given them a quick application of Black Light, and have been stunned by the difference that it made in such a short amount of time. And to further define “short amount of time”, I mean just 30 minutes with a D/A polisher! Not only will you get light correction and color/gloss enhancement, but you’re completing it with a layer of durable protection at the same time.

While I didn’t take any “before” photos of this Bentley, it had what you’d expect from a 5 year old car with soft paint…a lot of haze and wash-induced marring. While you may think that a vehicle of this caliber would be a prime candidate for a several thousand dollar full paint correction detail, we agreed simply to make it better without turning it into a show car. Once again in a short amount of time and very little effort, we made a major transformation by using Black Light, and the owner of the vehicle was absolutely thrilled with the results.

How to use Chemical Guys Black Light?

While some products are very particular about the application and / or removal process, Black Light is as easy to use as it gets, which is pretty standard from Chemical Guys. Personally, I don’t like working with products that are finicky or are difficult to use unless their results far outweigh the obstacles. So for me, the ease of use factor of Black Light immediately makes it a go-to product. The preferred method for Black Light is with a dual-action polisher (D/A). Using a soft finishing pad (black or blue), put the speed on 3.5~4, and apply just a couple of pea-sized drops to the pad. Quickly spread it around with the machine on, and then slow down your arm movement a bit to work it in evenly. You don’t have to work it like you would a polish…you’re simply going over the area long enough to provide a cleaning of the paint and getting an even coverage. 2 small drops can do a working area of about a half of a door (a little goes a long way). It’s very similar to using Chemical Guys EZ Creme Glaze…goes on smooth, a little goes a long way, and there should be very little residue. If you see a lot of residue after your application, then you’ve used too much product.

Final Thoughts on Chemical Guys Black Light

As I said in my opening statement, I have been using Black Light for over a year now on just about every single car that has been detailed at the Esoteric studio. If I didn’t like it, I wouldn’t still be using it, right? This product does so many things well that I couldn’t imagine dropping it from my arsenal (unless something better comes out of course). I use it as a final sealant, and I use it as an all-in-one product. I even have a pre-set starter package that I offer where Black Light is the featured AIO (for you detailers out there…that type of service with this product is where the big profit is…it’s not in the full correction jobs). No one product is perfect for all types of paints and all conditions, and Black Light is no different. Because of the light abrasives in the formula, I have found a few finicky, ultra-soft paints where it would leave slight marring after finishing up a full correction detail. When using it as an all-in-one on neglected soft paint, this isn’t an issue. When working on perfected soft (dark) paints however, I’ve noticed slight marring (usually only seen under a bright LED light like the Brinkmann). This is not a deal-breaker by any means because these types of paints are rare. In my professional opinion, Chemical Guys Black Light is one of the great products available out there in the market, and it most definitely gets my seal of approval!

Also Available
The Black Light Hybrid Radiant Finish is also available in a gallon size. The Black Light is also available as part of the Detailer's Radiant Finish Kit which is the perfect kit to achieve the most vibrant and radiant of finishes.