I remember 20 years back Zaino was all the rage. It was like a 5 step system that promised all kinds of magic. I bought it and gave it a fair shake, putting in an entire weekend worth of work on the car. In the end it, in my opinion anyway, didn't perform any differently than more commodity products of its day.
I go back a lot further with Zaino so I can speak from experience and detail about that product line. I have also spoken in depth with Sal Zaino, the creator of the product.
Here's the deal with Zaino, as I remember the hype that you speak of. In the detailing arena, Zaino is actually a glaze, although it was often refereed to as a polish (even Sal calls it a polish). It is VERY important that people understand the difference between the two chemicals.
A TRUE glaze is a product that is used TO HIDE imperfections in paint and contains NO abrasives. It doesn't actually "repair" any damage, it just gives the illusion of fixed paint by using "filling properties" to HIDE the damage. As you wash the car, those filling properties wash away and the damage (which was never removed in the first place), returns. For someone not willing to take the time and actually REPAIR the damage in their paint (or for someone who doesn't want to use a machine in their detailing regiment), Zaino's main line of products is a reputable option. The only problem is, you can't put lipstick on a pig and expect everyone to want to kiss it. Glazes have their limitations and a lot of people were trying to put lipstick on a pig, when they should have been doing a face-lift.
A POLISH is a chemical that contains abrasives. Abrasive will actually REMOVE layers of paint and/or clear coat. The layers are where the damage resides.
As long as the damage is not too deep into the paint or clear coat, that damage can be removed. If the damage is too deep, then attempting to COMPLETELY remove that damage will result in clear coat failure or strike through, which is what happens when you remove too much of either substance (depending on what stage paint job you have on your car). This is the mistake that is OFTEN experienced by novices who pick up a ROTARY polisher and start working on their paint, without having one ounce of experience with that tool. Novices can't tell you the difference between a
rotary, dual-action or orbital polisher, which is why they end up buying the WRONG tool and destroying their paint. They are
3 different tools with 3 different levels of performance. This is why I started making detailing videos because the level of education in this field among people who want to do it themselves is abysmal, and more BAD information get spread online than good. I cringe at some of the stuff I've read in detailing forums. Also, the detailing industry expels so many untruths that a novice could easily get lost in all the lies and half-speak.
Now Zaino DOES make two different polishes. The Zaino Z-AIO (ALL-IN-ONE) is a one step product that detailers use when the when they want to fix and protect paint in ONE STEP. This product is supposed to repair and protect paint in one step, which is why it is called an AIO (all in one) It is like having a compound, polish, glaze and wax in one bottle. It is not something that I would use because I don't detail cars for a living so I don't have a need to rush through a job but it does have its use in the detailing arena. Not all people have the level of anal that I have when it comes to fixing paint so for some folks, an AIO is all they need. Also, it depends on how ugly the pig is you're working on. If you start with thoroughly ugly, you are not going to end up with anything much better than that. However, starting with only slightly ugly may give you the results you want in a shorter amount of time, with a lot less work. Zaino also makes a polish called "Zaino Fusion Dual Action Paint Cleaner Swirl Remover" or Z-PC for short. It is just a straight polish, which actually works and finishes down very well. It is similar to all polishes that you see me use in my videos.
So getting through all the hype that you see online is a big problem for novices because you don't know who to believe when you read all of the opinions out there.
That is why I make videos. You cannot doubt your lying eyes. I don't make my videos fancy, and I seldom work on anything pretty in my videos. I LOVE WORKING ON PIGS. If I can make a pig look pretty, you KNOW that The Junkman is the real deal.