Beware EnduroVar II

[jteneyck]

I loved the original EnduroVar.  It went on great with a brush, sprayed great, had the look of an oil based varnish, and was very durable.  Now there is the new but not improved EnduroVar II.  It cannot be brushed w/o forming bubbles that don't pop and the color looks neither like oil based varnish, nor a clear acrylic.  I bought a gallon for a project.  I couldn't make samples without getting dozens of bubbles, despite GF saying it can be applied with a foam or bristle brush.  I contacted GF, which no longer is easy.  They sent me a new gallon, along with a gallon of HP Poly which was a very nice gesture I must say.  

I received the new can of EnduroVar II, only to find the color and smell to be very different than the first can that I had purchased.  



This is what HP Poly looks like applied with a foam brush:



Here's what the yellow EV II looks like:



And here's the white one:



On maple, the yellow one:



And the white one:



I sprayed both of them on a piece of sycamore.  The yellow one after 3 coats, sanding with 320 grit between coats:



And the white one:



I don't know which can represents EnduroVar II, the yellow or the white, or neither.  Neither can be applied with a brush w/o forming bubbles that remain in the dried surface.  The yellow one has bubbles after spraying, too.  The white one sprays well and leaves a nice, uniform film after drying w/o defects.  

I can't think of a reason to buy more.  

John

[iublue]

I loved the original EnduroVar.  It went on great with a brush, sprayed great, had the look of an oil based varnish, and was very durable.  Now there is the new but not improved EnduroVar II.  It cannot be brushed w/o forming bubbles that don't pop and the color looks neither like oil based varnish, nor a clear acrylic.  I bought a gallon for a project.  I couldn't make samples without getting dozens of bubbles, despite GF saying it can be applied with a foam or bristle brush.  I contacted GF, which no longer is easy.  They sent me a new gallon, along with a gallon of HP Poly which was a very nice gesture I must say.  

I received the new can of EnduroVar II, only to find the color and smell to be very different than the first can that I had purchased.  



This is what HP Poly looks like applied with a foam brush:



Here's what the yellow EV II looks like:



And here's the white one:



On maple, the yellow one:



And the white one:



I sprayed both of them on a piece of sycamore.  The yellow one after 3 coats, sanding with 320 grit between coats:



And the white one:



I don't know which can represents EnduroVar II, the yellow or the white, or neither.  Neither can be applied with a brush w/o forming bubbles that remain in the dried surface.  The yellow one has bubbles after spraying, too.  The white one sprays well and leaves a nice, uniform film after drying w/o defects.  

I can't think of a reason to buy more.  

John

John, that is disturbing and quite a bummer.

Have you tried Enduro?  I have sprayed it a BUNCH and love how it sprays and looks.
I don't really brush anything anymore.

[jteneyck]

John, that is disturbing and quite a bummer.

Have you tried Enduro?  I have sprayed it a BUNCH and love how it sprays and looks.
I don't really brush anything anymore.

Enduro?  Do you mean Enduro Clear Poly?  It's my favorite all around finish.  Great product but the original EnduroVar was more durable and had more the look of an oil based varnish.  EnduroVar was my product of choice for tables and other applications that would get abused.  Now I'm leaning towards Minwax Oil Modified Poly.  Sprays great, looks like a light oil based varnish, initial durability testing looks encouraging, and is half the cost of the unusable EnduroVar II.  Target Coatings EM-8000CV is another very durable product, probably the most durable WB product I've ever tested after it's fully cured.  

John

[iublue]

Enduro?  Do you mean Enduro Clear Poly?  It's my favorite all around finish.  Great product but the original EnduroVar was more durable and had more the look of an oil based varnish.  EnduroVar was my product of choice for tables and other applications that would get abused.  Now I'm leaning towards Minwax Oil Modified Poly.  Sprays great, looks like a light oil based varnish, initial durability testing looks encouraging, and is half the cost of the unusable EnduroVar II.  Target Coatings EM-8000CV is another very durable product, probably the most durable WB product I've ever tested after it's fully cured.  

John

Yep, Enduro clear poly.  It is about all I use.
According to the GF website, Enduro tested very well against most other finishes in abrasion resistance, etc.
I really like the water clear finish of Enduro.

[jteneyck]

Yep, Enduro clear poly.  It is about all I use.
According to the GF website, Enduro tested very well against most other finishes in abrasion resistance, etc.
I really like the water clear finish of Enduro.

Enduro Clear Poly tested the best in my abrasion testing, too.  EnduroVar had higher chemical durability, however, although Clear Poly is still very good, good enough that I did my kitchen cabinets with it about 5 years ago and they have held up very well.  

John

[iublue]

Enduro Clear Poly tested the best in my abrasion testing, too.  EnduroVar had higher chemical durability, however, although Clear Poly is still very good, good enough that I did my kitchen cabinets with it about 5 years ago and they have held up very well.  

John

That is great news since I convinced my brother to let me use it on his set of cabinets!

Toney

[J-W-P]

That's too bad about the bad can.  I've never used EnduroVar II but like you, really liked the original EnduroVar.

Based on your comments here a while back, I tried the Minwax Oil Modified.  It sprays nicely, looks good, and I can find it locally.  The GF Clear Poly and the Minwax are all I spray now for top coats.  Haven't tried Target yet.