OSMO vs FW vs Fiddes - hardwax oils. I did another test

[scottbr]

Another test that would not hold up to any rigorous scrutiny, I might add.

So in a previous post I compared OSMO to Fiddes and found OSMO was less permeable to water when both were applied the same way.

But Fiddes worked better against standing water when applied more thickly so it sort of formed a coating, which is not the finish I like for hardwax oil - I want some protection, but I want the timber to look and feel natural.

Anyway, with my OSMO and Fiddes supplies running low, I needed some more.

I was in Bunnings and thought I might as well try the Feast Watson version. They call it Timber Floor Wax and underneath in smaller type Hardwax Oil.

I did a test on some blackwood with OSMO and the FW. Applied two coats with the pad I use to apply that stuff - I put it on thinly and rub it hard and then wipe off the excess and then the next day do it a second time. Gives a great finish.

I could not tell the difference between the feel of the finishes or the permeability to water - both absorbed their pool of water overnight.

But I could tell the difference in price - the FW product is less than half the cost of the other two and of of course available everywhere.

Maybe OSMO and Fiddes are longer wearing? Or they may have other benefits I'm not aware of. To determine that would require more rigorous testing than I'm prepared to do being just a DIY bloke.



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[jack620]

Another comparison here https://www.youtube.com/watch?si=H9ttkYOT755aBXBM&v=6zpJJri1XOM&feature=youtu.be (https://youtu.be/6zpJJri1XOM?si=H9ttkYOT755aBXBM)

[scottbr]

Thanks Jack.
A lot more rigorous.
And brands I have never heard of, which is to be expected.
For my DIY purposes, I can't see a reason to look beyond the FW product for now. Cost and the availability are significant factors to me. And I can't detect a difference in the finish between the three I looked at.
But if I did woodwork more seriously, I might look further afield.
Scott

[AnthonySeiver]

I find all of these tests of hard wax finishes very interesting.

It is no surprise that a liquid of the same chemical composition gives the same results regardless of what colour tin it came from. I don't say that to mock your testing. Rather, it takes your testing (and the testing of you toobers) for users to come to that conclusion because they are so shrouded in marketing guff. Yes, some products that have different ingredients but I am yet to be convinced that they radically change the results to justify the price difference.

Because of a want to find a distinction (where there is little to no difference) it often comes down to subjective criteria like appearance. The stuff that is only somewhat visible at certain angles during the right phases of the moon. The criteria of 'does it look good to you and others?' is sufficient, and the rest is like art appreciation amongst arts snobs or a Coke v Pepsi taste test.

There is of course the alternative rabbit hole of shop made wax finishes...

[scottbr]

I find all of these tests of hard wax finishes very interesting.

It is no surprise that a liquid of the same chemical composition gives the same results regardless of what colour tin it came from. I don't say that to mock your testing. Rather, it takes your testing (and the testing of you toobers) for users to come to that conclusion because they are so shrouded in marketing guff. Yes, some products that have different ingredients but I am yet to be convinced that they radically change the results to justify the price difference.

Because of a want to find a distinction (where there is little to no difference) it often comes down to subjective criteria like appearance. The stuff that is only somewhat visible at certain angles during the right phases of the moon. The criteria of 'does it look good to you and others?' is sufficient, and the rest is like art appreciation amongst arts snobs or a Coke v Pepsi taste test.

There is of course the alternative rabbit hole of shop made wax finishes...

Yes, most of us are suckers for marketing - if we weren't, it wouldn't exist. For a long time I worked in it, inventing and promoting benefits of no real consequence and making them seem essential and worth paying a premium for.

There would be some subtle differences in recoat time, or hardness or goodness knows what between hardwax oil brands, but none of those would be discernible to a DIY bloke.

[qwertyu]

I just looked up the FW product and then bought some myself to test. How long are you waiting until you are doing your test? Something to note is that most HWOs take a long time to fully cure, the FW is 7 days, Fiddes 7 days, osmo closer to 2 weeks. From my understanding timber finished in HWOs should not come into contact with water until theyre fully cured

https://assets.ctfassets.net/j75nnos4mln8/39rpxx2AKCVTLMSPwRAhle/6999dab76805f571ff0e258a31d45e20/Feast_Watson_Timber_Floor_Wax.pdf

The FW product is a purple colour liquid! Which I thought was surprising