I used the original formula back in December '23 on a new car that I purchased. Did minimal prep work to it just basically clean and IPA wipe down. (I paid for the product, not a freebee.) Temp in my garage was about 65 degrees at the time. About a week later I purchased another batch to play with coating some other items, and had over a full bottle remaining. I reached out to Cerakote to see if a second coat could be applied without removing the first, and was told it was fine as long as the car was clean. I applied a second coat about two and a half weeks after the first. Temp was around 70 degrees. The stuff was amazing. I took the car to a local detail/window tint shop for tinting and when the car was finished, the owner called me back into the shop and asked me if the car was ceramic coated. The shine was unbelievable under his detail shop lights. We has a long discussion about coatings and PPF, and he said as soon as he saw the car, he could tell that it was coated. As a non professional doing my own coating for the first time ever, I gave myself a pat on the back. The car is hand washed weekly (now May 27th) and the shine and water beading is still 100% as good as when it was first applied. When the TH-cam controversy broke out over this stuff, I thought well, mine is still working, don't know why others are having issues. The slickness is not as good as when first applied, but I am happy with the shine and water beading. I receive a email from Cerakote when V2 was released a few weeks ago and I mentioned that I was very happy with the product, but the slickness is slowly fading. They just sent me 2 new kits to replace the 2 that I bought even though I did not request replacement. Super happy with this product. Highly recommend. (SheepStar - ignore the trolls. Seems you can't have a TH-cam channel without them. And they actually help boost your channel)
Thank you for your story, it seems like the initial coating not performing was inconsistent at best. I feel bad for anyone that didn’t have it perform, but I really want to know what the circumstances were for it to fail/work.
Im a huge fan of cerakote and how they handled the debacle. I have found this revised formula to work wonders. Its the best coating ive applied from spread to wipe off. Also would say there rapid ceramic sealant is probably one of the best spray sealants on the market.
I finally had some time to finish watching this as I had started it (and then forgot about it, whoops). Great test as always. Thanks for taking the time to do these tests and make video's on them! I'm looking forward to seeing how it holds up long term. I've had a few things coated with the cerakote 2 component bake on coatings, and they are phenomenal. I had purchased 2 of these kits, and they refunded me for them. Definitely can't complain about that. I applied it to my brother in laws truck on boxing day. It was about 19.5°C (67°F) while applying it and then turned it up to about 20.5°C to 21°C to let it cure. It stayed in the shop for roughly 30 hours or so iirc and then went outside at -20°C. He didn't wash it for 2 weeks. Either it was masked or clogged by salt and just winter gravel roads or whatever APC the local wand wash used was too strong for the coating. This spring I did a full decon wash on it with waterspot remover and it revived a bit on the upper portions but not much. It was super easy to install, though, and the slickness was crazy! Probably top 2 or 3 out of the coatings I've used. Blackbox automotive sold out of the coating so fast that the one kit just came in a regular cardboard box and contained frosted bottles instead of the black ones. We used those bottles. Where abouts in Canada are you?
I’m in BC! Yeah the frosted bottles are the new formula. I’ll be washing/filming the outdoor panel tonight, may have the video done tonight too if things line up.
@sheepstardetail I'm in northern BC. Yeah, these were ordered just a few days after the initial launch when Cerakote and Pan were just releasing everything, so they definitely weren't the new formula. My other kit is the typical Version 1 Cerakote in black bottles that got sent at the same time. I still have that kit with the black bottles. Would you want me to send it to you for testing? No pressure from me though, if you don't want to test it. If you do want it, just post up your email and I'll be in touch.
@@aaronolsen8787OMG YES! I’ve been trying to get my hands on the old version for months. Under my channel “about” is my channel email, email me there and we’ll sort it out!
I just put it in a test vehicle of a buddy of mine. I live in a tropical country with 92F ambient temps. So far so good at 2 weeks. Their customer service is to me, the best in the industry
You can save towels with coatings if you soak them right after use and wash them without letting them dry. I wouldn't use them on paint again but they'll work fine for junk towels still.
@@idealdetails it felt too rough to use on anything besides an engine block. And they soaked in APC before going through the laundry with 3D towel kleen and a HD cycle with extra rinse/spin.
Yeah I talked with another person that applied it to 2 cars and did a follow up and said it was working great. I’m almost excited for winter just to apply it again in the cold and show how it performs.
@@sheepstardetail One of the benefits in living in a 80F+ country 😊 Question for you, though. Outside of it not adhering fully, would there be an issue adding v2 on top of v1? (After using clay towel and IPA wipe). Cerakote has shipped me two new bottles, and I would like to increase gloss and I’m thinking another layer should do it.
The positive attributes make it appealing but the temperature issue kills it for a lot of potential customers. Me included. Appreciate the tests you're conducting.
Definitely tempting to try the new version out, still don’t necessarily love the company but seems like they’ve at least tried to make this right. I’ve mentioned I love C.Quartz lite as well it’s just hard to beat , but I did just grab a couple bottles from No Hype Coatings after they were on The Cleaner Cast. They’re a sub-brand under Black Rhino Shine. They offer a 1 year and 3 year in 30ml rebranded under that name and only offer 100ml bottles under the Black Rhino name. They’re definitely worth checking out being just $15 and $25. The 1yr is Fat Beads and the 3yr is Graph-X under the Black Rhino Brand.
That’s a good price for a coating that performs. Regarding cerakote, yeah the initial launch went about as bad as it could go, especially with the pan hype train roaring along with it, but they handled it about as well as you could handle something like that. You either received a refund (and got to keep the product) or were sent a replacement. Obviously time isn’t recuperated but that’s about all they could do.
In conversation with one of the Canadian Distributors "Black Box" somehow it came up that the coating only has about 30 days shelf life once opened.....just information if anyone is coating small parts that don't use a full bottle. My first application of the original coating last October never did sweat like the videos showed and definitely has deteriorated in performance over the winter while parked in the cold.
Is the ceramic formula and polymers different at all? Or did they just change the solvents involved in the curing process and left everything else the same?
I just started my test last week and we got the same result, well even on the first one i adjusted the temp of application and have similar result, it all boils down to prep covers 80/90% of the time, if youve been coating since way back you'll easily adjust to any coating. Been with this channel since and sheepstar is by far a good source of product testing without the bs because he calls it as it is regardless of the price or the brand, thats what i like about his videos.
Not sure why so many folks are negative with your video. This coating is not for me but appreciated the video. , I was leaning strongly on trying Kamikaze Collection coatings but have now decided to go with DQuartz. It is good that Cerakote are trying to improve their coating.
Eh I think the first go around left a lot of bad taste, but it seems not many people recognized how hard Cerakote tried to rectify the situation (delayed or otherwise).
I'm glad they improved the formula. Not thrilled that it's so temperature sensitive but ok. Hard in the NorthEast during the winter months. Good job! I ordered mine to try :)
@@sheepstardetail some months can be around 50's or less in some normal people garages. not everyone has luxury of climate controlled setup but i get it. i'll certainly be more cautious this time around.
@@talkingwithcars I literally use a space heater. The only difference is my garage is in a town home/row home, so it’s better insulated (still gets cold and hot in winter/summer). The main point isn’t “shame on you for not having a fancy workspace”, it’s don’t review or test a product you can’t apply properly, be it tools, conditions, etc. you can’t fault a company for not following the directions.
Nice one. You'd hope Cerakote would win by a huge margin, but who knows. Cquartz lite says it can handle up to ph12. So when its looking reasonably dead, you could fire some really strong stuff at it and see what happens, just for fun. According to my £3 litmus paper tests, BH AF 5% is 11, and Surfex 10% is 12. Thanks again
It looks like they have raised the price on the new formula if it is actually reformulated. I like old school coatings that dry rock hard as a base coat. 1 of my vehicles has really soft paint being the reason why. I might would use the new Cerakote as a topper but I doubt it's hydrophobics will be any better than NV Nova Jet I'm using as a topper now. I smiled when I saw the Fusso coat back there since I have it on the hood of a vehicle for testing. Good hydrophobics but not quite as good as Jet.
@@sheepstardetail Yeah, I think they handled it well but these products are too expensive to try a “new” version-fool me once…besides I’ve seen several tests and the site I like rated Nano Bond the best bang for the buck.
Well, you can trust my results. Down the road with some real world exposure if it holds up you’ll know that you should be able to count on this coating.
@@sheepstardetailI can't be so forgiving. They flooded the market with inferior product and didn't think anyone would notice. Only when they were called out did they offer refunds. Anyone who applied the original product and moved on with their life now has a crappy coating and doesn't even know it.
@@joeschmoe6908Inferior??? The only issue was curing time. I applied the 1st Gen coating to a black C7 Z06 and it looks amazing! Plus, Cerakote sent me 2 bottles of the new 2nd Gen formula. That’s more than stand-up in my opinion.
I purchased the old ones when they came out. I haven't received the replacement even after contacting them twice. So, no, I wouldn't recommend this product.
@@sheepstardetail I called their tech support and asked about PH range and the girl I talked to wasn’t sure. I wiped out the first formula with one go round with AF and descale. Since it held up to auto foam I bet they adjusted the formula vs re-badge. Great content, appreciate your work.
Did you ever try applying the old version under warmer ambient temps? And thanks for the kind words, I watched your content on this product too during my research phase.
@@sheepstardetail I don’t produce any content. And now that you mention it, it was cool out. Definitely no where near 65f. I did keep one of the old bottles. I may do a side by side and post it for the heck of it.
I wouldnt bother with Cerakote anymore. How can they reformulate that quickly and develop any sort of thoroughly vetted durability within a couple of months. Clearly they didnt thoroughly test and develop the previous version. Not wasting my time or money hoping they figured it out this time.
They have some serious R&D behind their products, and although they had a misstep in the automotive world, their coatings for industrial applications are good.
I think this guy got paid. He was impressed, but he didn't test if the coating can withstand cold weather, which was the major issue in the initial release.
It’s being tested outside, not my fault it arrived in spring instead of fall. I will keep one bottle for testing and keep on top of it next winter. And yeah, I don’t get paid.
@@asaholey I just put it through a 4% PIR chemical resistance test, Something it didn’t pass in previous videos by others. It’s on an outdoor test panel and temps are between 7*C/20*C high/low right now for the next week (7*C is 44*F). We’ll check back on that panel after a month.
I used the original formula back in December '23 on a new car that I purchased. Did minimal prep work to it just basically clean and IPA wipe down. (I paid for the product, not a freebee.) Temp in my garage was about 65 degrees at the time. About a week later I purchased another batch to play with coating some other items, and had over a full bottle remaining. I reached out to Cerakote to see if a second coat could be applied without removing the first, and was told it was fine as long as the car was clean. I applied a second coat about two and a half weeks after the first. Temp was around 70 degrees. The stuff was amazing. I took the car to a local detail/window tint shop for tinting and when the car was finished, the owner called me back into the shop and asked me if the car was ceramic coated. The shine was unbelievable under his detail shop lights. We has a long discussion about coatings and PPF, and he said as soon as he saw the car, he could tell that it was coated. As a non professional doing my own coating for the first time ever, I gave myself a pat on the back. The car is hand washed weekly (now May 27th) and the shine and water beading is still 100% as good as when it was first applied. When the TH-cam controversy broke out over this stuff, I thought well, mine is still working, don't know why others are having issues. The slickness is not as good as when first applied, but I am happy with the shine and water beading. I receive a email from Cerakote when V2 was released a few weeks ago and I mentioned that I was very happy with the product, but the slickness is slowly fading. They just sent me 2 new kits to replace the 2 that I bought even though I did not request replacement. Super happy with this product. Highly recommend.
(SheepStar - ignore the trolls. Seems you can't have a TH-cam channel without them. And they actually help boost your channel)
Thank you for your story, it seems like the initial coating not performing was inconsistent at best. I feel bad for anyone that didn’t have it perform, but I really want to know what the circumstances were for it to fail/work.
Im a huge fan of cerakote and how they handled the debacle. I have found this revised formula to work wonders. Its the best coating ive applied from spread to wipe off.
Also would say there rapid ceramic sealant is probably one of the best spray sealants on the market.
I finally had some time to finish watching this as I had started it (and then forgot about it, whoops). Great test as always. Thanks for taking the time to do these tests and make video's on them! I'm looking forward to seeing how it holds up long term. I've had a few things coated with the cerakote 2 component bake on coatings, and they are phenomenal. I had purchased 2 of these kits, and they refunded me for them. Definitely can't complain about that.
I applied it to my brother in laws truck on boxing day. It was about 19.5°C (67°F) while applying it and then turned it up to about 20.5°C to 21°C to let it cure. It stayed in the shop for roughly 30 hours or so iirc and then went outside at -20°C. He didn't wash it for 2 weeks. Either it was masked or clogged by salt and just winter gravel roads or whatever APC the local wand wash used was too strong for the coating. This spring I did a full decon wash on it with waterspot remover and it revived a bit on the upper portions but not much. It was super easy to install, though, and the slickness was crazy! Probably top 2 or 3 out of the coatings I've used.
Blackbox automotive sold out of the coating so fast that the one kit just came in a regular cardboard box and contained frosted bottles instead of the black ones. We used those bottles.
Where abouts in Canada are you?
I’m in BC! Yeah the frosted bottles are the new formula. I’ll be washing/filming the outdoor panel tonight, may have the video done tonight too if things line up.
@sheepstardetail I'm in northern BC. Yeah, these were ordered just a few days after the initial launch when Cerakote and Pan were just releasing everything, so they definitely weren't the new formula.
My other kit is the typical Version 1 Cerakote in black bottles that got sent at the same time. I still have that kit with the black bottles. Would you want me to send it to you for testing? No pressure from me though, if you don't want to test it. If you do want it, just post up your email and I'll be in touch.
@@aaronolsen8787OMG YES! I’ve been trying to get my hands on the old version for months.
Under my channel “about” is my channel email, email me there and we’ll sort it out!
Email sent. I'm not sure if it'll be in your spam folder or not.
@@aaronolsen8787 I’ll find it!
I just put it in a test vehicle of a buddy of mine. I live in a tropical country with 92F ambient temps. So far so good at 2 weeks. Their customer service is to me, the best in the industry
Yeah I was really impressed. So far I’m extremely happy with the product, but I will readily admit it’s early on.
@@sheepstardetail Yes but what makes me confident in using it is their after sales service. Kaitlin especially from Cerakote
You can save towels with coatings if you soak them right after use and wash them without letting them dry. I wouldn't use them on paint again but they'll work fine for junk towels still.
I tried that with my Cquartz lite towel and applicator, soaked it right away in APC and then in the wash, but came out rough.
@@sheepstardetail rough but still absorbent? Because just washing with an APC can do that if it isnt fully rinsed out, same with carpets.
@@idealdetails it felt too rough to use on anything besides an engine block. And they soaked in APC before going through the laundry with 3D towel kleen and a HD cycle with extra rinse/spin.
Applied the 1st version in tropical temps. Been doing great for 6 months now.
Yeah I talked with another person that applied it to 2 cars and did a follow up and said it was working great. I’m almost excited for winter just to apply it again in the cold and show how it performs.
@@sheepstardetail One of the benefits in living in a 80F+ country 😊
Question for you, though. Outside of it not adhering fully, would there be an issue adding v2 on top of v1? (After using clay towel and IPA wipe). Cerakote has shipped me two new bottles, and I would like to increase gloss and I’m thinking another layer should do it.
@@mar-qf5mibe I have no idea. I never received V1, just V2.
The positive attributes make it appealing but the temperature issue kills it for a lot of potential customers. Me included. Appreciate the tests you're conducting.
Yeah it’s tough for some users that can’t control the temperature variables. Still lots of coatings that will work for you out there though!
Definitely tempting to try the new version out, still don’t necessarily love the company but seems like they’ve at least tried to make this right.
I’ve mentioned I love C.Quartz lite as well it’s just hard to beat , but I did just grab a couple bottles from No Hype Coatings after they were on The Cleaner Cast. They’re a sub-brand under Black Rhino Shine. They offer a 1 year and 3 year in 30ml rebranded under that name and only offer 100ml bottles under the Black Rhino name. They’re definitely worth checking out being just $15 and $25. The 1yr is Fat Beads and the 3yr is Graph-X under the Black Rhino Brand.
That’s a good price for a coating that performs.
Regarding cerakote, yeah the initial launch went about as bad as it could go, especially with the pan hype train roaring along with it, but they handled it about as well as you could handle something like that. You either received a refund (and got to keep the product) or were sent a replacement. Obviously time isn’t recuperated but that’s about all they could do.
In conversation with one of the Canadian Distributors "Black Box" somehow it came up that the coating only has about 30 days shelf life once opened.....just information if anyone is coating small parts that don't use a full bottle. My first application of the original coating last October never did sweat like the videos showed and definitely has deteriorated in performance over the winter while parked in the cold.
I’ll wait for long term tests, but willing to try the new solution.
Is the ceramic formula and polymers different at all? Or did they just change the solvents involved in the curing process and left everything else the same?
I don’t know, o haven’t followed up with them yet (will do after I get some time on the panel).
The CEO was very clear that all they were going to adjust was the curing mechanism. Everything else remains the same.
@@mar-qf5mibe that’s what they said in all the interviews, if that’s the case however, no idea.
I just started my test last week and we got the same result, well even on the first one i adjusted the temp of application and have similar result, it all boils down to prep covers 80/90% of the time, if youve been coating since way back you'll easily adjust to any coating. Been with this channel since and sheepstar is by far a good source of product testing without the bs because he calls it as it is regardless of the price or the brand, thats what i like about his videos.
I live in Georgia where it's mainly 95° or higher in the day time and 75° to 80° at night. So I don't think I will have any issues.
So far this guy seems like a good option for you. Time will tell after some real world testing.
Not sure why so many folks are negative with your video. This coating is not for me but appreciated the video. , I was leaning strongly on trying Kamikaze Collection coatings but have now decided to go with DQuartz. It is good that Cerakote are trying to improve their coating.
Eh I think the first go around left a lot of bad taste, but it seems not many people recognized how hard Cerakote tried to rectify the situation (delayed or otherwise).
I was waiting for cercokes comeback. Im getting my hand on the new batch
I’ll have a real world panel update in a month or so. If you aren’t sure yet, I’d wait for that.
Would like to see a side by side test of the old version vs new version
I tried to get my hands on the old version but wasn’t successful.
LIttle follow up for you.... this test is in the works :)
Does that mean the Cerakote doesn't offer the same scratch resistance? Would be nice to see tests of that.
Scratch resistance on coatings is a myth. You may see the *slightest* decrease in swirling, but that’s a huge if, and realistically, doesn’t exist.
I applied it to a customer’s car and it🎉working well. New formula is good.
I'm glad they improved the formula. Not thrilled that it's so temperature sensitive but ok. Hard in the NorthEast during the winter months. Good job! I ordered mine to try :)
If 65*F is “temperature sensitive”, you might want to reconsider using or applying coatings. That’s 5*F below room temperature.
@@sheepstardetail some months can be around 50's or less in some normal people garages. not everyone has luxury of climate controlled setup but i get it. i'll certainly be more cautious this time around.
@@talkingwithcars I literally use a space heater. The only difference is my garage is in a town home/row home, so it’s better insulated (still gets cold and hot in winter/summer).
The main point isn’t “shame on you for not having a fancy workspace”, it’s don’t review or test a product you can’t apply properly, be it tools, conditions, etc. you can’t fault a company for not following the directions.
@@sheepstardetail fair enough. i'll wait for warmer conditions. thx
Nice one. You'd hope Cerakote would win by a huge margin, but who knows.
Cquartz lite says it can handle up to ph12. So when its looking reasonably dead, you could fire some really strong stuff at it and see what happens, just for fun.
According to my £3 litmus paper tests, BH AF 5% is 11, and Surfex 10% is 12.
Thanks again
It looks like they have raised the price on the new formula if it is actually reformulated. I like old school coatings that dry rock hard as a base coat. 1 of my vehicles has really soft paint being the reason why. I might would use the new Cerakote as a topper but I doubt it's hydrophobics will be any better than NV Nova Jet I'm using as a topper now. I smiled when I saw the Fusso coat back there since I have it on the hood of a vehicle for testing. Good hydrophobics but not quite as good as Jet.
Since I know they’ve had issues in the past, even though they came forward and talked about it, it’s still a hard pass for me.
I respect that, but they did refund anyone having issues or wanting one. Pretty great handling of it, all things considered
@@sheepstardetail Yeah, I think they handled it well but these products are too expensive to try a “new” version-fool me once…besides I’ve seen several tests and the site I like rated Nano Bond the best bang for the buck.
Well, you can trust my results. Down the road with some real world exposure if it holds up you’ll know that you should be able to count on this coating.
@@sheepstardetailI can't be so forgiving. They flooded the market with inferior product and didn't think anyone would notice. Only when they were called out did they offer refunds.
Anyone who applied the original product and moved on with their life now has a crappy coating and doesn't even know it.
@@joeschmoe6908Inferior??? The only issue was curing time. I applied the 1st Gen coating to a black C7 Z06 and it looks amazing! Plus, Cerakote sent me 2 bottles of the new 2nd Gen formula. That’s more than stand-up in my opinion.
I purchased the old ones when they came out. I haven't received the replacement even after contacting them twice. So, no, I wouldn't recommend this product.
Reach out again. They have been very responsive with me.
Got my replacements a couple of days ago. I feel it is going to be better, and eventually Cerakote will get it 100%. Maybe this is it.
It’s early to say, but so far so good.
@@sheepstardetail I called their tech support and asked about PH range and the girl I talked to wasn’t sure. I wiped out the first formula with one go round with AF and descale. Since it held up to auto foam I bet they adjusted the formula vs re-badge.
Great content, appreciate your work.
Did you ever try applying the old version under warmer ambient temps? And thanks for the kind words, I watched your content on this product too during my research phase.
@@sheepstardetail I don’t produce any content. And now that you mention it, it was cool out. Definitely no where near 65f.
I did keep one of the old bottles. I may do a side by side and post it for the heck of it.
I am confusing you with a different Mike Z then. My bad!
Added on my atlas this past weekend and hot damn it's good. The hydrophobics on it is nuts
Also, I just did the 2 hrs @ 65 and it did great. I wasn't able to do it for 24hrs but I'm hoping that's not a major issue. Time will tell!
Nice! Very excited to follow this through.
I wouldnt bother with Cerakote anymore. How can they reformulate that quickly and develop any sort of thoroughly vetted durability within a couple of months. Clearly they didnt thoroughly test and develop the previous version. Not wasting my time or money hoping they figured it out this time.
They have some serious R&D behind their products, and although they had a misstep in the automotive world, their coatings for industrial applications are good.
Get an actual test panel, with both clear coat and paint.....
These are factory painted panels. They will be on a hood competing against a bunch of other products soon.
Any chance you could clear your throat more times?
Don’t give me the allergy thing. Just don’t do the vid.
Yep, I could make a video of just throat clearing.
I like how you are the authority on my personal health, glad I have you looking out for me.
I think this guy got paid. He was impressed, but he didn't test if the coating can withstand cold weather, which was the major issue in the initial release.
It’s being tested outside, not my fault it arrived in spring instead of fall. I will keep one bottle for testing and keep on top of it next winter.
And yeah, I don’t get paid.
@@sheepstardetail so don't give your impression until tested
@@asaholey I just put it through a 4% PIR chemical resistance test, Something it didn’t pass in previous videos by others. It’s on an outdoor test panel and temps are between 7*C/20*C high/low right now for the next week (7*C is 44*F). We’ll check back on that panel after a month.
don’t be a jerk
@@clints8888 are you talking to me? Accusing me of taking money when I haven’t is okay?