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Why is Ideal Industries trying to displace its own flagship product, Yellow 77®, with ClearGlide™? Well, 666 may be the mark of the beast--as we learned in Gregory Peck's 1976 movie The Omen--but 77 is the mark of the least ... unless we're talking stain potential; then it's the mark of the most. Comedian Chris Farley supposedly once saw Yellow 77 used on a carpeted inside job, and was heard to exclaim "That's gonna leave a mark." Ideal introduced ClearGlide as a non-staining lube in response to years of complaints about their yellow wax. But while they've been modestly successful in cannibalizing their own sales, the reality is that ClearGlide is a mediocre lubricant. We wouldn't go so far as to claim it's the anti-lube, but Ideal's own literature clearly shows that it's the worst performing lubricant in their line, with a 75-foot pull limit--way too short for most commercial applications. ClearGlide is the exclusive lube at Lowe's DIY stores (a fact your distributors may not appreciate), and yet--at our local store--it has a definite yellow tinge. Could it be that Ideal makes both lubes in the same vat and 77 is staining ClearGlide too? Clear lube is essentially an aesthetic buy, but customers expect to get a lube that performs and isn't yellowy. That's why you can sell Polywater CLR over ClearGlide with confidence. CLR easily outperforms ClearGlide in friction reduction, and can be safely used on much longer pulls. CLR is truly clear and offers lower friction, longer shelf life, and much more. |
