Vid - I used to wax with Blitz and found it really only lasts for 10-20 games. Then the surface is back to normal (i.e. the ball isn't flying around at 400mph and gliding a finger on it feels like it's not waxed). Is waxing really necessary? I'm asking you specifically because you're a minimalist when it comes to cleaning (vacuum + naphta) so needing to wax seems unusual.

Also, maybe this is a better ? for the playfield restoration thread, but wtf is up with the clear coats on JJP and CGC games? It's super thick, super shiny, but chips like a can of Pringles. Meanwhile Sterns don't chip and seem to only exhibit the same issues WMS playfields did (i.e. insert clear coat lifting). As the expert, what are CGC and JJP (Mirco) doing wrong? I put PPG on my restored PFs and they don't chip for nothing so it can't be that all the no-chip formulas are banned for environmental reasons. What's your take?

I'm using Ball Baron Ninja balls...finest balls you can buy. Same situation, every game. The wax provides no benefit to me. Makes the ball way too fast and only seems to protect for a handful of games before it wears off. Another reason is:

Couple options - for areas that need some elbow grease, a relatively thin microfiber cloth w/naptha + a long PLASTIC (nothing than can scratch) wand or other long pointy tool that you can push up and down along the hard to reach areas like orbits.

For areas that don't require elbow grease and/or applying wax, a foam brush (pictured) works great. Awesome for inlanes/outlanes too so you don't get wax/cleaner everywhere.

For just vacuuming, that awesome mini vac attachment set on Amazon can't be beat and can reach practically anywhere in most games.

jen-paint-brushes-4251-64_300 (resized).jpg

Vid will hate this but I do not wax my machines. I keep them clean religiously with vacuuming and naphta but because naphta removes wax, it would be a huge burden to have to keep waxing them. Plus waxing makes the ball travel way too fast.

You're saying Steve Ritchie designed his games for environments (i.e. route operation with nicely waxed pfs) that would never actually exist? Not sure that's entirely true:

Looks like he recommended it to keep the playfield nice, and nothing more. God, I hope no designer actually designs a game expecting the pf to be waxed.

Not going to go on and on with this so I'm cutting out after this but "like new" and "waxed" are not the same thing. "Dirty or worn out" is not the opposite of "not waxed". Every machine in my collection has a PF that is "like new" but none of them are waxed. I've purchased NIB games from JJP, CGC, and Stern. None of them arrived with waxed playfields. Look, you want to wax your PF in a home environment where it's totally unnecessary, have at it. But to imply that designers craft the game with this is mind is ludicrous.

Totally agree with you my man! No arguments there. Clean machines get played. But I think this conversation revolved around waxing for home use, which having done it in the past, I realized was unnecessary. If you're putting your machine up at TPF or Pintastic, hell yeah you should wax it - armor the crap out of it. But for home use, ESPECIALLY on machines with a nice thick clear coat, I found the ball speed makes it an overall negative. My TAF clearcoated with PPG is so friggin' fast w/o wax it would be nearly unplayable with a coat on. But you've mentioned scenarios where this makes sense - older games especially. No qualms there.

That's the other problem I had with waxing. Wax with Blitz exactly as Vid has instructed. Run your finger. Smooth as butter. After 10-20 games the playfield feels like it did before you waxed. Your results may vary.

Wait....let's first address the main issue here....are you playing Woz on 5-ball?

I'm a collector...but I play my games constantly....but I clean them constantly, and change the balls constantly. If you're not engaging in activity that will wear the clear coat any significant amount - i.e. allowing dirt to build and balls to scratch, I think you'll be OK w/o wax. But everyone is different. I got a Tesla Model 3 and I'm reading all this stuff about people wrapping their whole car with protective film. Seems a bit overkill. But kudos to them....and all the home playfield waxers.

It's pretty simple....

You can get away with just vacuuming if you do it at the first sign of dust/dirt.

If you waited too long and the dust is adhered to the playfield, you'll need naphta.

If you waited even longer and the dust is dug into the clear coat, you'll need Novus 2.

I don't believe Novus 1 serves any real purpose.