I got my bottle of Black Wow back in May at the Dragon. I have applied it to many cars, and the bottle still looks almost full

Mark

 

Black Wow actually regenerates in the bottle. I poured half into a second bottle and both bottles were full in the morning. I then used some on an actual MINI and when I got back to the bottle, it was full again. I figure if I do this enough, I can resell the left over on eBay for the $13 I paid earlier this year.

Richard has created the greatest product ever for black plastic parts. Buy it. Live it. Love it!

 

really? cause i starting using it to apply ScratchX and it's pretty firm stuff
when polishing out swirls. maybe(?) equivalent to the orange pad..?

i've had great success with it going over polish stains with BW.
and keeps my fingers dry.

 

wth is kenchan doing over yonger in this forum??!

http://www.fitfreak.net/forums/fit-t...o-carwash.html

 

oh I was thinking this was soft like the black polishing pad, but come to think of it, it is pretty stiff. Still I don't think it has as much bite as the sewn edge of the skinny applicator pad. Does it? lol

 

i dont have a DP skinny pad so i can't say... but that kiwi foam pad
holds its shape real well so it's easy to apply on the MCS's arches.

imho, it's a must-have for BW.

 

I'm still using my "original" Meg's foam pad with good results... scrubbed some polish residue right off with no problem... I do have a good supply of Skinny's - maybe I'll sacrifice one for BW to try it...

 

Just thinking out loud here...

Would you consider producing two sizes of the product? This might make everyone happy. Keep the current one as-is, and sell a half-size bottle for $15. Since it apparently lasts so long, the small bottle buyers won't complain about having to pay a premium for the smaller size, and the hardcore/multicar users will get their volume discount by springing for the full-sized container.

Personally, I've been ambivalent on whether to pull the trigger on the product, with the main reason "why not" being price. IMHO, at $15, it's a much easier pill to swallow for the uninitiated (those people like me who have yet to see its effects in person). I'm not saying it's not worth it, but merely that I haven't observed it in action, and that causes me to hesitate.

By the way, thanks to OctaneGuy for making it available at places like Detailer's Paradise. The shipping charges don't hurt so badly when there are several products in the online store that I might need.

 

bonmot - a good idea - one concern I'd have about that is when I got my existing (normal sized) bottle, my initial reaction was "HOLY CARP!!! THAT'S ALL THERE IS?!?!?" - it's a pretty darn small looking bottle, compared with all my other detailing stuff. Only after I started using it did I understand how MUCH was REALLY in there...

That strategy could backfire and produce MORE sticker shock instead of LESS for a lot of folks... thimbleful of snake oil, only $15...

Even though WE know it's NOT snake oil... it's gila monster oil.

 

What are we talking about - $10?
Prorated over the year the bottle will last that's less than $0.03/day.
Heck Sally can't even feed kids in Africa for that little.
Get a grip, skip a latte or two and buy some BW!

 

From the pictures I have seen, I had assumed that it was the same size as a standard goo gone bottle (8oz). Looking more closely, I now see that BW comes in a 4 oz. bottle. So you may be right, 2oz. may not be perceived by the market as enough product to justify $15 (regardless of how long it lasts).

 

No doubt you are right about it being worth it, but the market is very sensitive to psychological price points. In particular, I was just giving my honest reaction to the current pricing model.

For the average consumer who is used to seeing trim care products for less than $10, seeing a sticker price that is 2.5 to 3x as much (for 1/4 the size of a bottle) is a little surprising. Not saying that it isn't worth it, but that a first time user would be taking a leap of faith.

I just thought that a lower-priced option that makes a little more money per oz., provided that a smaller bottle & labels can be found for a good price, would generate more sales.

bonmot

 

FWIW, I use a little Kiwi shoe polish applicator too. It's really perfect for it cuz it's so small.

 

Exactly - that's EXACTLY what I was expecting - a goo gone sized bottle - which made me go when I got it in my hand...

I guess Richard could have some "trick" bottles made up with a double wall and an air-filled core - and the product just fills the space between the walls - "OOOOOO... Look how BIG the bottle is! Bargain!".

 

At the rate I'm using BW, I think the bottle is going to last 2 years. I have done 6-8 applications to MINIs, one SUV, with acres of black plastic, plus the back of my seats, which take a beating, and the bottle is still almost full. Remember the more you use it, the less you need

Mark

 

from a manufacturing stand point this makes little sense...

why... more labor, inventory/maintenance control (another
product to watch after), and as OG already mentioned, it is not
the packaging that's driving the increase in price, it is the product.
Then you're asking him to absorb more cost in the labor for packaging.

There is a median where manufacturers can accept the benefits
and expenses. i think in the long run OG can probably entertain
such idea but in short-term (1-2yrs), it will be more cost he will
need to absorb if he offered a smaller bottle and makes little sense.

the bottle will be too small to fill in the allowable time and handling
will be just as hard to package it.

it would make more sense for him to sell it in a larger bottle (sell
volume to get to the next production price from his manufacturer)
at a mildly higher price rate.

otherwise, just get some poorman's garbage dressing locally and you
pay the cost by investing in the inconvenience. lol

 

cool! im glad you tried it. at $3 for a pair, it's worth a try.

im real glad I tried your recommendation for the Vroom tire
dressing applicator. that thing rocks!

 

Hmmmm.... I wonder if anyone has tried BACON GREASE yet... because I'm pretty sure I could sell that at $20/bottle and undercut OG and make a profit... and I eat a lot of bacon... Hmmmm.... we could abbreviate it "BG"...

And, unlike BW, in a pinch, you can DRINK BG... yummy.

 

As long as you didn't mind Blimey turning into a deer lick...or other wildlife, for that matter...

 

only you, blimey.

 

Yeah, I need to get a few more of those tire applicators. One is pretty much thrashed and the other I was using with BW until trying the Kiwi things so I had to toss it.

 

Sorry you can't do that. BG is already taken by Banana Gas. lol lol lol

Thanks for the feedback everybody. I have considered the "initial price shock" quite extensively, and I realize that at the current price point, that it does set a lot of the "uninitiated" people back.

Another thing I've thought about are mini 1/4OZ bottles---enough for 2 complete MINI applications. At each application lasting 2 to 4 months--I could bundle 3 of them in a bag, call it a years supply of BW, and charge $6 for the kit. If you figure that a BW bottle of 4OZ (it's actually more--the bottle says 4OZ but I overfill the bottles to between 5 and 6 OZ--but assume at 4OZ, then 16 of the 1/4oz bottles would equal one regular bottle. So thus $24.95 / 16 = $1.56 per bottle.

So $6 to $8 for 3 little bottles--would that be more palatable? I've also considered foil packets or towelette with BW--built in applicator in a sense, but since I'd have to run atleast 50,000 pcs, it's not exactly small change.

Richard

 

Yeah - wouldn't want anyone to drink their BananaGas by mistake - that would be BAAAADDDD.

 

The towelette idea is great. The problem with smaller packs is the uninitiated will not believe they have enough. I think the price suggests that BW is a superior product. Maybe advertise it with "equivalent use" costs emphasized?

 

you really mean cheap dogs and cats.