The hybrid adhesive market is dominated by two brand names, each claiming to be the better product. Although less well known, the client’s product performs equally as well as both of them and the client wanted to prove this.

The end result was an honest assessment that shows the client’s product stands up well against the market dominators on actual performance, thus establishing the client as a trusted advisor for the construction industry.

The Best of 3 – Which Hybrid Adhesive Would you Choose?

What is a hybrid adhesive?

Tradesmen frequently use silicone sealants to finish joints, keep out moisture and fill seams and other gaps. Grab adhesives – probably the best-known brand is Gripfill – are widely used to fix building materials in place with an instant, high strength bond that doesn’t require close contact between surfaces and works on wood, brick, stone, concrete, metal and many hard plastics.

Hybrid adhesives more than combine the best of both products into one tube; they outperform them. Watch our demonstration video to find how versatile they are.

Hybrid adhesives also give tradesmen a single product with multiple uses; this is more convenient and money isn’t wasted by having to discard part-used tubes that have hardened with infrequent use.

Which is the best?

The construction industry now has a choice of hybrid adhesive/sealants. Most tradesmen have their favourite and most manufacturers are claiming their product is the best. But what is the truth?

We decided to cut through all the anecdotal evidence, powerful branding and aggressive selling, and look at what makes each product different.

To keep our research objective, we compared our DURA+ hybrid adhesive with two other mainstream products that most tradesmen would know and use: OB1 and CT1.

We should add a disclaimer here: we didn’t commission independent laboratory testing. All information has been gleaned from what each manufacturer says about their own product, on their own website.

How do they perform?

All products are solvent-free, isocyanate-free, environmentally compliant and food safe certified.

All offer high bond strength, zero shrinkage and resistance to vibration, fungus, mould and UV (while some manufacturers claim ‘moderate’ or ‘excellent’ resistance this isn’t backed by measurable data).

All are suitable for indoor and outdoor use, will seal and bond underwater and are suitable for use in saltwater applications. All can be painted with water-based formulations.

So what’s the difference?

We were starting to get desperate. Surely there must be something about these products that makes one or two stand out from the crowd and justify their brand popularity or price.

And then we found it. Choice of colour.

All three products offer the most popular colour choices – white, clear, grey, brown and black. CT1 offers four less popular, infrequently used colours – anthracite, beige, oak and silver.

Other than that, there appears to be little to choose between them. Apart from service quality.

At Maxam, we have built a reputation for personalised, friendly service that puts the customer first. We have been closely involved in public sector property repair and maintenance since 1971 and understand the requirements of local government, social housing, NHS and education sector contractors.