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NXT 2.0 is the only over the counter product i use. i even use it on my dodge viper. it does a great job of filling in minor swirl marks and leaves your paint looking AMAZING. The only thing is that it dosn't last too long.
In my (few ) years of experience with meguiars products, I have found their tier 1 products in their lineups (purchased from factory/distributor/online) to be the only products they offer that are better than their OTC products (#26 is better than MGC, etc) but I also find that certain colors produce different effects with different waxes. FOr instance, on dark solid colors (BMW Black) I find that gold class makes the black look deeper. But on Lexus Pearl White (Think 05 RX330), i find that NXT 2.0 makes it POP! For medium metallic reds, blues and oranges, use one on one side of the hood, and one on the other and see which you prefer!
as far as OTC products go, Meguiars is one of the best you can get
I did not cast my vote for either since I've only used just one personally. I have the Gold Class in my arsenal that I received as a gift but I've using the NXT 2.0 and have been impressed with it and just haven't felt the need to use Gold Class.
i like NXT for its ease of removal... in my experience gold class is a little harder to remove. but i went paste nxt and liquid gold class. so that may be the difference right there.
ok so.. what if i dont want beading? what if i want water to just slick off? how do i obtain that slickness?
Pretty much all waxes/sealants will cause beading especially better higher end ones. Beading pretty much shows the finish is protected and repelling water from the clearcoat/finish. One thing I noticed is after applying coats of Zaino Z2 or Z8 there will be alot of beading when raining but when it stops raining and the car is driven for a little while the beaded drops slide right off and it looks like the car never got wet or rained on. Of course a properly polished surface will help with this effect. There is no product that I know of that just causes water to drip right off the surface when it hits it and pretty much retains no water drops when the car is stationary.
As for gold glass and nxt I have used both and was not impressed with gold glass, it did not last long or seem to protect all that well. NXT seemed better and looked a little better but not by much, neither really impressed me all that much compared to much better non over the counter products like Klass, Jeff Werkstatt, Zaino, Collinite 476.