Do I need to worry about shelf life if opened products are properly stored?

[ryeguy]

I'd like to buy opti products in gallon size to save money, but at my use rate it could take years to work through them. Once opened, if I keep them stored inside will they last indefinitely or could they go bad? Not including gloss coat, since I know that one has a shelf life.

[Ron@Optimum]

the products with shelf life concerns are the Hyper line (Compound, Intensive Polish, Polish) and GPS.  They can separate over time and be difficult to remix.  Washes, sealants, and waxes have extremely long shelf life (years).  You're correct, ceramic coatings and products like Gel Coat Restorer/Clear Coat Restorer have short shelf lives and may require refrigeration.

[Setec Astronomy]

Ron, I think the Gel-Coat Restorer is pretty stable, it's nothing like the CCR.

[Ron@Optimum]

I think you're right Setec, got my samples of Clear Coat Restorer and GCR at the same time and because I knew CCR was sensitive, I refrigerated both. 

[bcwang]

How do you know when hyper polish is no good?  If it doesn’t mix back together?  I guess it would help if the bottle was transparent so you can tell. 
 

I thought the coatings have an indefinite shelf life even if opened as long as sealed so water can’t get to it. 
 

How do you know if optiseal has gone bad?

I’ve got optibond which separates in the bottle quickly. It used to be homogeneous. Is it still good if shaking it up gets it temporarily mixed or has it degraded and no longer performs like it should?

[Ron@Optimum]

I've never seen Hyper Polish go bad, but if it won't reconstitute even when water is added, it's gone.  Coatings definitely have a shelf life (probably most sensitive of OPT products) and it's not water but air that needs to be expunged.  There's no such thing as "never" but I've never seen Opti-Seal go bad.  Opti-Bond separates but again, I've always gotten it to remix and work. 

[A&J]

Lol Opti-seal wont go bad...I have one from 2014 and it still works the same as my 2019 version...maybe with slightly less performance but it still works.

 

One thing that did go bad was poli-seal...I have 2 bottles of them...both bottles separated...Ive shaked both of them...one remixed but the other "older" bottle sadly diddnt and I can now throw it away.

 

Coatings do go bad if moisture gets into the syringe. It gels up if that happens and you can throw it away!

 

[bcwang]

For the coatings, as long as it's liquid will it perform like new?  Even after 5-10 years old and opened and recapped multiple times?  Just want to make sure it isn't subject to degradation making it perform worse than a new syringe unless it has obviously gelled or hardened which I've had happen.

[Ron@Optimum]

as long as the coating is liquid, it will work as advertised.  I doubt any coating, after 5+ years opened or not, will still be liquid. 

[bcwang]

On 9/10/2021 at 7:04 AM, Ron@Optimum said:

as long as the coating is liquid, it will work as advertised.  I doubt any coating, after 5+ years opened or not, will still be liquid. 

I’ve heard it mentioned multiple times By Dr G too, that optimum coatings have an indefinite shelf life if not exposed to moisture from the air.  I’m just concerned how long a syringe will last if it’s used for little things frequently getting more exposure to air each time. It also seems impossible to cap tight enough to prevent air bubbles from forming inside eventually. 
 

But if it performs the same regardless of age or color as long as it’s a liquid, then I can trust it for protecting like a brand new syringe. 

[Ron@Optimum]

I've had both Opti-Coat Pro and Gloss-Coat, never opened and kept refrigerated, go gel (but they were several years old)...indefinite shelf life means unpredictable.