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 cocktail 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 ass. 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 glass 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.
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