CIL DULUX Exterior
Stucco, Masonry, & Siding, Flat Tinted "Veil"
~vs~
Black Widow (AAA) Valspar Ultra Premium Interior Flat Enamel

Initially I had used this CIL-Dulux paint tinted Veil as a reference gray to compare to the Black Widow (AAA) versions I had implemented using base paints from Home Depot. As it turns out the Behr 1050 and CIL Matte base paints are not suitable to implement the Black Widow (AAA) mix. As a result my first impressions of the Black Widow were not favorable. This comparison is more inline with the results that the developers of the Black Widow mix were observing and presenting.

Room Lights:

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While the CIL-Dulux "Veil" is slightly darker than the BW-AAA it is reasonably close.

Camera Flash:

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The camera flash reveals there is something different about the BW-AAA.


The following images were all taken with a bare 25 watt bulb providing ambient light.

Projected White Light On Axis:

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Finally I get to see some of that Black Widow magic!


Projected White Light Off Axis (~45 degrees):

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The two panels appear to have identical off axis drop off with the CIL-DULUX "Veil" having a slight edge.


Black & White Bars:

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No question here the BW-AAA has whiter whites and similar blacks. If the CIL-DULUX was tinted the more usual "Universal Gray" the BW-AAA would live up to the claim of whiter whites and blacker blacks.


Dark Scene:

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The CIL_DULUX "Veil" is naturally darker, being less reflective.


Medium Flesh Tones:

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Light Flesh Tones:

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Dark Flesh Tones:

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Bright Colors:

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So this one was for mech. Black Widow (AAA) when implemented correctly is much better than an exterior off the shelf neutral gray. BUT! That is only true when the proper base paint is used. So in the end we were both right. No big surprise to me as I suspected there were significant differences in the sheen of the various "FLAT" base paints. Of course I have been saying this from the beginning and recommending the Black Widow (AAA) to people but with the caution that they use the exact same ingredients as mech. I went further to recommend that if you want to see the same degree of difference, as mech presented, between your new screen and a sample panel then be sure to paint the sample panel with a very flat neutral gray such as True Value "Winter Mountain". So nothing has changed in my opinion but now I have confirmed it.

CIL-DULUX Exterior
Stucco, Masonry, & Siding, Flat Tinted "Veil"
~vs~
Black Widow (AAA) Valspar Flat

Just to show that the choice of the base paint can make or break the Black Widow mix I compared the CIL-Dulux Exterior Flat to the BW-AAA-Valspar-Flat. If I had only tried this Valspar base I would still be somewhat skeptical about the merits of the Black Widow mix.

Room Lights:

Click image to enlarge.

The CIL-DULUX "Veil" is slightly darker in shade than the BW-AAA-Valspar-Flat. Keep this in mind when you observe that the BW-AAA-Valspar_Flat appears to be slightly brighter. Is it brighter or just a lighter shade of gray? You be the judge.

Camera Flash:

Click image to enlarge.

The following images were all taken with a bare 25 watt bulb providing ambient light.

Projected White Light On Axis:

Click image to enlarge.

Projected White Light Off Axis (~45 degrees):

Click image to enlarge.

A distinct advantage of the BW-AAA-Valspar-Flat over this neutral gray paint with some sheen is clearly demonstrated when you move off axis. Not that the BW-AAA is brighter. It is not brighter than the Behr 1850 that are in the outside positions though. Again choice of brand and base can make a big difference in OTS neutral grays as well as BW-AAA mixes.

Black & White Bars:

Click image to enlarge.

Dark Scene:

Click image to enlarge.

Medium Flesh Tones:

Click image to enlarge.

Light Flesh Tones:

Click image to enlarge.

Dark Flesh Tones:

Click image to enlarge.

Bright Colors:

Click image to enlarge.

The BW-AAA-Valspar-Flat does demonstrate a slight advantage over an off-the-shelf neutral gray of the same shade. I would select the BW-AAA-Valspar-Flat over the CIL-DULUX but possible not over the Behr 1850.

I don't particularly like the Behr 1850 because it does not level out as well as some other paints. On the other hand if you review the texture photos for the BW-AAA-Valspar-Flat it also does not level out very well. Six of one, half a dozen of the other.

One for the results from my water dilution experiment.

One for the 4:1:1 mix of BW-AAA-Valspar-Duramax-Flat and Kilz2.

I also have quite a stack of sample cards to send out to some people and get spectrometer readings, spectral reflectance curves, and possibly some gain curve plots. Any volunteers?