Water is a powerful element that can cause serious damage to your vehicle, motorcycle, or vessel. One of the first parts that gets in direct contact with water is the coat of paint. On top of the paint, there is a protective clear coating which deteriorates over time. Apart from water, UV sun rays, bird droppings, dirt, and chemical contaminants also damage this surface layer making the color lose its glow and, worst-case scenario, lead to oxidation and rust. Car care products that can help with these common problems are hydrophobic coatings that use state-of-the-art water-repellent technology to keep these issues at bay.
It would be an understatement to say that there are dozens of coatings with hydrophobic properties. What’s more, deciding which product to choose can be a serious pain in the neck for someone looking for a solution fast.
That’s why we decided to create a list of the best hydrophobic coating solutions for consumer and/or professional application for 2020.
Top 10 Hydrophobic Coating For 2020 Reviews
Explaining the Ranking System
What are the factors of our ranking system equation? There are four things we paid attention to from both consumer and detailing professional standpoints. Those are product quality, customer reviews, price, and online presence.
1. Product quality
First, we paid attention to the quality of the formulation of the hydrophobic coating, or in other words, the chemical composition of the coating. The percentage of certain elements has a huge impact on product quality, such as the amount of silicon dioxide or SiO2.
2. Customer reviews
Positive or negative customer experiences with the product have a serious impact on our decision whether to purchase the product or not. They speak volumes about the product itself, as well as contain important info about the company’s customer service, shipping, return policies, and more.
3. Price
Price also plays an important role when we’re deciding to buy a specialized product such as a superhydrophobic coating. The most expensive products are not necessarily the best ones but don’t fall into the trap of thinking that the $5 ceramic coating you just bought is going to do miracles.
The prices in our 2020 Buyer’s Guide are the ones we found at the time of writing the review. To be absolutely sure about the product’s latest price and company offers, please check individual product pages.
4. Online presence
Serious brands are always on the pulse of their customers’ demands and being present online is a must. This also gives out a message about brand identity and how the company engages with its community and prospective customers.
What Are the Benefits of a Hydrophobic Coating?
The formulation of hydrophobic coatings is a prime example of protective product technology. Hydrophobic means that it repels water and doesn’t allow it to stay on the surface of your car or motorcycle. Depending on the coating, it can have water beading or water sheeting properties. Water beading means that the coating makes the water form into beads and stay on top of the surface, while water sheeting means that the water practically sheets off or runs off the car surface.
In addition to protecting your vehicle against the harmful effects of water, there are additional benefits of applying a hydrophobic coating.
1. Exceptional Protection
When the coating chemically bonds to the clear coat, it creates a protective layer. It then blocks harmful UV sun rays which can cause oxidation and ultimately rust. Moreover, coatings are typically engineered to be used on any porous surface which means that they provide the same level of protection to metal, plastic, and other porous surfaces.
Although these products are exceptionally effective, they don’t provide nor guarantee protection from serious mechanical damage or scratches. So when you see descriptions like protected from scratches, this doesn’t mean that ceramic coatings will act as surefire safeguards against flying rocks and pebbles for instance.
2. Longer Lasting and Cost-Effective
Hydrophobic coatings offer lasting protection from six months to several years if the coating is maintained properly, of course. So, when you look at the coating price, the price of the coating maintenance products, and the amount of money and time you would typically spend on maintaining the car, these coatings are definitely worth your while and money.
3. An Exceptional Finish
One special characteristic of these coatings is that they make the car paint pop. Their formulation adds that special glow and finish and makes your car look like you’ve just picked it up from a car showroom. Who doesn’t love it when they’re rolling down the street or countryside in their shiny and clean car?
4. Self-cleaning
An insanely amazing feature of superhydrophobic coatings is that they don’t allow either water or dirt to cling around. When the water hits the surface and starts to glide down the vehicle, it gathers all the surrounding dirt which runs off together with it. This so-called self-cleaning effect prevents damaging chemicals from accumulating and affecting the paintwork and other surfaces of your car or motorcycle. Plus, they make maintenance and cleaning way, way easier and faster.
Are There Different Types of Hydrophobic Coatings?
Absolutely! The difference is in the chemicals used to make the coating which is directly connected to the lifespan of the hydrophobic coating. Coating or paint protective technology is always improving and currently, the most effective solutions are polymer-based, SiO2-infused, and hybrid hydrophobic coatings. Also, you can find them in different forms like liquid coatings, hydrophobic spray paint sealants, and paste-like coatings.
1. Polymer-Based
Polymer-based coatings are the paint protectants that were created after car wax. They are actually a synthetic version of waxes, so to speak, specially engineered to last longer than traditional waxes. These synthetic paint sealants as they are also called have excellent water resistance properties and come in different formats – paste, liquid, and spray.
2. SiO2 Infused
SiO2 infused paint protectants are hydrophobic coatings or ceramic coatings that offer the highest level of protection against water, UV rays, and environmental impacts. Thanks to the high amount of SiO2, it’s also said that they have superhydrophobic and self-cleaning properties which altogether makes car cleaning and maintenance even easier. The additional advantage of hydrophobic ceramic coatings is that they give outstanding gloss.
3. Hybrid Solutions
Now, there’s a third category of hydrophobic coatings which bridges the gap between the polymer-based and ceramic coatings. It has the qualities of both products and that’s why they call them hybrids. Typically, these ceramic paint sealants come in spray liquid form and are very easy to apply. Detailing pros use these coatings to maintain and additionally extend the effects of nano ceramic coatings.
Now that we’ve covered the basics, here are the 10 best hydrophobic coatings for 2020.
Armor Shield IX Nano Ceramic Coating
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Nasiol ZR53
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EXOv4 Ultra Durable Hydrophobic Coating
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9H Car Ceramic Coating
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Nano Bond PRO Ceramic Coating
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CQuartz TiO2
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Ceramic Spray Coating
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Ceramic Wax PRO
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CC36 Ceramic Coating
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Adam’s UV Ceramic Paint Coating
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Final Thoughts
We hope that our 2020 Best Hydrophobic Coating review and buyer’s guide will help you choose the best ceramic coating for your machine. Choosing the top 10 was not an easy task because all brands that made it on our list are fully dedicated to providing the best quality superhydrophobic coating solutions. Now it’s up to you to decide which of these product descriptions meets your expectations, fits into your budget, and matches the time and effort you want to invest in protecting your car. One thing is certain though – getting a hydrophobic coating is a smart investment that can preserve the value of your vehicle.