[bellguy]

Myself i am a beading guy, my buddy is a sheeter

After a machine polish and Zymol wax in 3 layers. click on pic for hi res.

Black Sapphire 440i trunk lid

[VipinLJ]

Beading looks pretty but apparently sheeting is a better indicator of how good the product is since water sheets off and isn't supposed to stay on.

PS: I'm a beading guy too fwiw.

[Desertnate]

Those are some nice wax beads, but I too am a sheeting person.

I've noticed with the coatings I use, the beads I do get are really small and they seem to just barely rest on the surface. When the car starts to move, they blow off at a fairly low speed.

I've noticed products with sheeting properties are easier to wash/keep clean. A good rain on a product with sheeting will rinse off a lot of dust and the water will roll right off the surface. A product with stronger beading tends to lead to more water spotting...at least in my experience.

[rjd598]

Beading for me. Favorite part of it raining

[Billfitz]

Originally Posted by Desertnate

A good rain on a product with sheeting will rinse off a lot of dust and the water will roll right off the surface. A product with stronger beading tends to lead to more water spotting...at least in my experience.

Spots are dust in the rain water that's left behind when the water evaporates. If the water sheets the dust is evenly distributed on the paint, so it's less noticeable than concentrated spots of dust. What makes spotting better is that the material that makes the water spot also acts as a lubricant, reducing friction between that dust and the paint, so when you wash you'll get less micro-scratching that leads to spider webbing of the paint.