Today was the first day of this year's SEMA Show. After nearly 30 years of attending I've got it down to a routine; what areas to cover on which days, what to focus on and what I can skip, how to get the most out of the limited time available over its four day schedule. So today I was primarily in the 'performance' area (central hall). But on my way out I crossed through some of the restoration product companies and happened to see the "303" booth. So I stopped and talked to some of the product development guys.
First, regarding the various versions of the "303 Protectant". As I speculated they are all IDENTICAL, just relabeled for different marketing targets. It's all 100% the same inside the bottle so just look for the best price per quantity.
Second, regarding the product formula. It is a water based mixture which is why it seems to 'soak into' the material it's being applied to. Being thinner than silicone based products it is better able to be trapped in the surface pores of the underlying material. That gives it the better looking finish. The tradeoff is it evaporates more quickly than silicone products and therefore must be reapplied much more frequently to maintain the same appearance.
Third, regarding its ability to 'restore' rubber. It cannot replenish any lost chemicals into any materials. Therefore it cannot restore anything. It will help to prolong the remaining life by reducing the UV exposure, but it cannot make anything 'better' than it was (as science dictates...you cannot put chemicals/elements back into something by applying a surface treatment). So sticking a rubber part in a sealed bag with some 303 and placing it in the microwave will not help anything. As for the rubber feeling softer after applying 303, that is just the coating (303) you are feeling - not the underlying material being any different. Unfortunately no miracles are happening.
They told me a interesting little story about the name. The originator was trying to create something to protect the leading edge of aircraft wings (or something like that), and kept failing. His three-hundred and third attempt at formulating something yielded this stuff...hence the name 303. It actually wasn't successful for the intended application but it was found to make the surface look great. However the 'aerospace' part of the name stuck. Well at least initially, until they decided to market it for other uses - which explains all of the various product names it now goes under.
This is all straight from the 303 product guys themselves. I admire their honesty and straightforward information about what their product is and isn't. It seems most companies will say anything to try and make more money, but they did not.
Honestly this is why I keep going to SEMA. Frankly the show cars do not attract me (with a very few exceptions now and then); for one thing you really cannot see them very well - it's simply too crowded (space and people), and for another most of them are American muscle car/hot rods (which I have no interest in). All of the products can be viewed on the internet, so not much advantage in seeing them in person unless you really must touch it to understand it. And there isn't enough time to cover the roughly 2.5 million square feet of the show in four days. But the ability to communicate face to face with the engineers, developers, testers, owners, technical types, etc, and get first hand information is invaluable to me. This is where I get most of my new product ideas to develop. And where I gauge the interest in those ideas. Plus hearing the backgrounds and back stories behind the companies, people and products fascinates me. It has become something of a annual reunion for countless great friends that I've developed over the years.