Opti-Coat VS. all others
The similarities and differences in coatings available on the market are quite striking. All true coatings are ceramic based, ceramic being a term meaning inorganic. Organics such as sealants are carbon based and as such wear away over time, ceramic in itself is permanent, being as it’s inorganic.
Coatings can be characterized by their silicon content (not silicone), and 2 principal variations of silicon are used. Silicon Carbide, SiC, and the most common is Silicon Dioxide (others such as Titanium Dioxide are also used, but not regularly) Opti-Coat Pro (OCP) is the only coating available that harnesses the strengths of Silicon Carbide (sometimes referred to as ceramic, industrial diamonds and carborundum). Unlike SiO2 based ceramic sealants the SiC based coating actually bonds to the paint and the SiC is formed as a chemical reaction in that process, not by having Nano particles of the ceramic floating in a resin. SiC is superior to SiO2 ceramic sealants in terms of chemical resistance and has a melting point of 2,730 °C (4,950 °F; 3,000 K.
Sometimes marketed as glass, quartz or ceramic and in all cases that’s true. SiO2 is suspended in a resin in the form of Nano particles of Silicon Dioxide, and the resins suspend this in a film over the paint. SiO2 has a melting point of 1,600 °C (2,910 °F; 1,870 K). Since these “coatings” are resin based, they are more accurately termed Ceramic Sealants, and unlike a true coating, they are not permanent.
Opti-Coat Pro is unique in many ways because of this fundamental difference in chemistry. Opti-Coat–Pro becomes one with the paint instead of suspending nano particles of a harder substance in a resin. This gives Opti-Coat Pro far superior chemical resistance, as the chemical must break down the SiC, and not break down a resin holding SiO2 nano particles. OCP is harder than ceramic sealants, but no coating is scratch proof. To obtain maximum strength many ceramic sealants require heat curing and multiple layers, with OCP that’s not required. SiO2 ceramic sealants obtain their maximum gloss immediately, and that gloss drops off over time, Opti-Coat Pro obtains it’s maximum gloss once the polymerization process is completed (roughly 7 days). Opti-Coat Pro will maintain its gloss over time, SiO2 laced ceramic sealants start losing their gloss through oxidation and it continues to drop, requiring the need to add periodically some form of resin to maintain or restore the gloss and protection. Many of these ceramic sealants that call themselves coatings require re-application of their product, or a weaker variation of it as part of their maintenance to keep the warranty valid.