The pros also make a bit of money selling it

It's fair enough in that they could also sell a jar of Dodo Juice if they were on the DAD scheme and make some pocket money, but some of them really ham it up saying how much 'better' SV products are, when they are merely likely to be as good - and often not even as good - as comparable and cheaper products. If they didn't sell SV or pay to be on the scheme, maybe some independence could be assured.

All the super premium priced stuff is something I am very cynical about as I know how easily we could launch a nicely packaged 2000 GBP wax made from 'ultra rare golden carnauba oil' (that's molten carnauba wax found in all our waxes BTW) and buy myself a Lamborghini. But I'd feel like a worthless contemptible human being afterwards, like some fraudster or con artist. It's not doing anyone a favour or advancing the wax industry. It would be profiteering out of people's ignorance - ignorance that they don't even know they possess as they have 'some' knowledge being a one eyed man in a kingdom of the blind, where they know a little about carnauba and detailing and their Turtle Waxing neighbour doesn't. It would be peddling products to gullible people who are SEMI-informed, and that's like taking advantage of a kid by swapping all the small pound coins out of their purse for some nice big 2p pieces, because they have learned that bigger things tend to be worth more than smaller things.

You guys are good.

Yes, our karma is our choice. It depends a lot on how we see our self. You can rationalise feelings like that but it means fooling yourself so much and that must eventually catch up with you.

I should also point out that whilst I do think - on a personal level - that some products are overpriced (we are a small company and understand R&D costs, labtime, small vol production etc), they often aren't BS in terms of what they do or how they work. They can be very good. But there is perhaps a little comment here and there in the SV marketing that I do feel is pretty silly - one SV ad says how cleaner fluid MUST be used for the wax to bond. And that is really poor. We have some SV wax and some cleaner fluid and I promise all SV customers now that you can bond Saphir (the test wax we have) to freshly IPA'd paint without anything underneath, let alone cleaner fluid, and it bonds fine - just like a typical paste wax. Maybe it bonds better with cleaner fluid or better with Lime Prime. We'd always recommend thorough cleaning and polishing before any wax or sealant goes on. But the tone in the ad (with all its references to paint protection 'systems' as if it was absolute rocket science) did make you feel you had to buy in to everything to get a result. And the truth is that a lot of products can be mixed and matched with adequate - or even superlative - results, if you know how they work.

When it comes to BS, there are far worse offenders out there in our market. Not that I condone some of the comments/tone that are made by SV, but maybe the mystique is part of the sell... at what point does fantasy and romance give way to utter BS and misinformation? When we see a beautiful girl using Dove is it overselling it to the housewife with HRT... she'll never have skin as nice. Is it just permissible advertising 'licence'.

Whatever it is, we'll always try and steer a true and clear path. That may include some daft products, product names and questionable merchandise, but please remind us of this statement if you feel we stray in the future.

Now I must get that Golden Carnauba Oil off the stove...

I was lucky enough to use sv at Audi for a while i will put my hand up and admit i feel for alot of the speach from the rep who showed how to get best results,I was young then since useing dodo juice i have found it easyer to get the results i want at a price that won't hurt the wallet at every chance.

you are right dom, but i don't think anyone would see the difference between an 1000 euro pot of SV and a 90 euro pot of SN.
the price makes it exclusive and most people think exclusive products are better than mainstream products.
sometimes they are better, but if you have a good recipe and great ingredients you get a great product.
maybe the one smells a little nicer than the other but we are talking car-waxes here! after you put it on the smell is gone.
and you don't go smelling your car do you?
good products don't have to come at such a steep price in my humble opinion

I concur, I'm out too.... The few I've got for customers that request it, will not be replaced....

it still has its place and irrespective of the 20% hike some will still want, no, need it...cant really see me buying anymore of it so the next best thing for me would be Glasur or something along those lines....

Glasur is arguably the pick of the Zedmol range. I have tried Vintage, Royale and Glasur and most users would be hard pressed to pick one out over the others - unless counting the noughts on the retail price list!!! Glasur is a good wax at a sensiblish price. Beyond that, you'd need to be a detailer charging for a 'layer' of a silly priced wax and making money from it as a marketing tool. Even then, Vintage would do that for you... or just buy a ceremonial urn and pour some wax in it and make up your own price and back story!

I have a clienty who provides me with his Divine on all 3 of his cars and his mam and dads and to be honest one of the hardest waxes i have used to apply but a breeze to remove....certainly not worth the hike due to application let alone its as is now price...

I had a go with Divine and it is almost impossible to apply, especially by hand... but in terms of true carnauba content I bet it beats the rest of the Zedvax ranges hands down (not that carnauba actually means much in overall performance terms, as stuff lioke GTechniq C1 has nil carnauba in it, but you get my drift).

There is allways a lot of BS around exchange rates.

Okay, the GBP has become less worth against the CHF.
So the UK branch of SV have to raise their prices.

However when a currency gets more worth, you usually won't notice the effects.

We have it overhere in Holland/Europe with Dodo Juice.

A SN Woody cost overhere a bit more as 160 euro's which is nowadays around 140 GBP.
A while back the Euro was around 0,65 GBP, which means the 160 euro's was quite a normal price at that exchange rate.
At the moment it's around 0,85 however the prices are still the same.