The media could not be loaded.
This product continues to impress me every time I use it. I still love ONR and I will always have it around...but every time I go to do a wash I end up reaching for Absolute. The slickness, cleaning power and clean/easy wipe off just can't be beat. I'm seeing some negative reviews on here, and I can honestly say that I just don't understand where those people are coming from. Some complain about smearing/streaking while drying...that has not been my experience. I suspect that their towels may be dirty, or have been sealed with whatever they have used as a drying aid/topper. I maintain my towels religiously with Rags To Riches, and I have had zero problem with smearing/streaking. Even at 64:1 QD ratio, anything left after wiping flashes away within seconds. I even use 64:1 as a general household cleaner (windows, mirrors, stainless appliances, etc) and eyeglass cleaner and I have never had it streak yet. Other reviewers complain about the thickness. True...it takes more effort to mix (warm water helps immensely) but I've never had any issues getting it to mix with just a little bit of effort. Also, make sure to gently swish the bottle prior to pouring. If mixing up a gallon of solution in a jug, do not vigorously shake it. All it needs is maybe 30 seconds of gentle rocking back and forth (or gentle swirling in the bucket). If this product is shook too harshly it will create air bubbles that the polymers will cling to and not allow it to disperse properly. For me, a little extra mixing time is a worthwhile tradeoff for superior lubrication and results.
Original Review:
I've used Optimum No-Rinse for a very long time, and it has never let me down. I've tried a bunch of the other ones on the market too, and there are some decent ones, but none could make me change away from ONR. While some may have had stronger cleaning abilities, or felt slicker on the surface...they also had bigger shortcomings. Some are just a diluted soap or surfactant, others are just a concentrated detail spray. None of them could check all the boxes that ONR did...until now.
P&S Absolute takes all the positive attributes of ONR and matches or surpasses them. Things I've noticed immediately are the increased slickness (it also feels/looks more "substantial" in the bucket), and a noticeable increase in cleaning power. It breaks down and encapsulates dirt, bugs and grime even faster and more effectively than ONR. ONR was no slouch in either of those aspects, but Absolute takes it up another notch. The smell is also intoxicating, and it is a very pleasant and easy product to use. The wipe off while drying is excellent, and I don't even feel the need to spray an additional drying aid or topper. That can certainly be done as well, but it certainly is not required.
I know people are instantly going to compare this to McKee's N914 as well...as that is another rinseless wash that is very hyped up. I have tested N914 extensively, and while I did notice a slight edge in slickness and cleaning power as compared to (pre-2020/2021 reformulation) ONR, it also had two big drawbacks in my experience. First off, it held dirt in suspension instead of letting it fall to the bottom of the bucket. Because of this, I would only wash a car with N914 with a two bucket method (to remove dirt from my wash media) or with the multiple towel method. The other main drawback of N914 was the lack of water softening ability. If you use it with hard tap water, any solution that is left to dry on the surface will leave hard water spots and etch the paint if not removed quickly. For this reason, I will only use N914 with distilled or DI water.
P&S Absolute takes the cleaning power and slickness of N914 and bumps it up to another level, while retaining all of the positive ONR qualities...including pushing dirt to the bottom of the bucket and preventing hard water spots.
N914 advocates also like to talk about how it "leaves nothing behind." I would argue that it is leaving something behind (be it remnants of a surfactant/detergent or whatever else it is made of), but I would clarify that it leaves nothing behind that would interfere with what you're going to do with the surface afterwards (just like ONR or Absolute). Any product that is only wiped away (other than something that is an alcohol/solvent) is going to leave "something" behind...even N914. Whether you are going to polish and coat it (first using the prep spray recommended by the coating manufacturer), or just apply a sealant or wax...anything left behind by N914, ONR or Absolute is not going to impact that process. The tiny amount of polymers remaining from a "polymer" rinseless wash like ONR or Absolute is easily removed by any compound, polish, prep spray, or the carrier agents of any wax or sealant. As for those polymers being left behind on a coated car, that is a non-issue as well. Most coatings are designed to resist harsh acid and alkaline cleaners, a little pH neutral polymer wash solution isn't going to affect it in the slightest. Only SI02 type products can bind with coatings (or other polysiloxane type products that can quickly form a mesh over them) can really stick to coatings. Anything else "left behind" should be quickly shed by the coating.
I think P&S has really done their homework here and created a rinseless wash that meets or exceeds the standards set by the other popular products on the market...and they have done so from the ground up using completely new chemistry that is different than anything else. While I won't be throwing my ONR away, I will definitely be keeping P&S Absolute in my regular rotation.
EDIT: In response to reviewer "Power T" who is comparing the slickness left behind with products like EcH2O, Wolfgang SIO2 rinseless, and ONR Wash and Wax (green). That is an apples to oranges comparison. All three of those products are leaving substantial protection behind (in the form of SIO2 or carnauba wax) that Absolute is specifically designed not to do. Absolute can be used in ways where you specifically would not want to leave protection behind; claying before polishing, cleaning interiors, or washing after polishing in preparation of using a coating prep and applying a coating.
If you are using Absolute in the form of a maintenance wash and you want to leave additional protection and slickness behind, you can do so by spraying Bead Maker (or your topper of choice) onto the freshly cleaned panel prior to drying.
