Serious Comparison: Daly's ProFin vs. Minwax Wipe On Poly

There’s an abundance of opinions about finishes on LJ, many of them sounding like this: “I’ve always used SchmidFarns Sleek Elite #2.” If there’s no comparison, there’s not much weight there.

I had the opportunity this week to do this comparo: Two bass bodies, identical woods (cherry/alder), prepped exactly the same, stained with the same product and shade, finished in the same room, same lighting over each. There are a lot of constants there, like humidiity, temperature (it stays at 70oF there with the lights on), same application techniques, same filter materials, same applicators (4” square of cotton).
The bass bodies are on rotisseries so there are no real vertical applications.

Both products are labeled “semi gloss.” Minwax recommends recoat in 2-3 hours; ProFin in 4 – 8.

Here are my observations:

Minwax:
Always ready to recoat in three hours
Easy to get a thin, even coat
Lower sheen

ProFin:
Wanted to go on thicker; if I tried to thin the application, it would get streaky.
Really cuts back into existing finish quickly, almost like a lacquer.
Sometimes took all of 8 hours to dry to recoat
Higher sheen
Apparently more build

I am at 6 coats of each. I’ll repost in a few days.

Rough costs: Minwax, $24/qt. (in pints); ProFin, $17/qt.

Have you ever done a head to – head like this with finishing products? Let us hear about it!

Kindly,

Lee

-- "...in his brain, which is as dry as the remainder biscuit after a voyage, he hath strange places cramm'd with observation, the which he vents in mangled forms." --Shakespeare, "As You Like It"