If you were to make a choice for me, should I get Radical or Retention , a short explanation would be cool.

Having now tried both, I would say Retention+. it seems to have a creamier consistency to work with though I may be biased because I trained with Retention+.
Not a very scientific answer I'm afraid but all I've got

Although I seldom use Radical and am more a Retention girl, I would recommend Radical for you as it is better to work with in hot conditions and hot countries as it doesn't set as quick.

I believe that Radical (haven't tried it myself) is recommended if you have clients that a prone to breakages and lifting, so if none of your clients have these problems then I recommend Retention, but in saying that I use moxie all the time.....love it. If you get a chance to try the moxie give it a go, it is fast set, so I would suggest trying it in the winter rather than the height of the hot aussie summers.

Carl - Having reconsidered your question, I don't think the product setting too quickly would be a problem for you personally, regardless of how hot your working conditions are, so I would be happy to recommend Retention+ merely because it is the one that I have had more experience in working with\ successfully and because you also don't need to use primer with this system.

Oh you do like to pose difficult questions!

The result is beautiful and long lasting with both Radical and Retention+ monomers and both are primerless (but for different reasons) IOW the way they bond is different.

Retention+ liquid is the most advanced.
They both handle exactly the same.. easy creamy ... both will set a little more slowly than you will work, after all the years of experience you have had which may take a little getting used to although in the heat of Sydney, they will set faster than they do in the UK!!

You won't go wrong with either choice, but I think I'd go for Retention+ simply as it is more advanced chemically.

Why you ask grasshopper ? You commin over to the dark side ? lol

I used retention when using CND cos not primer required

Luv
Tracey

Geeg Luvie, can you please explain why/how the bond is different?

I ask simply because when I was training I was informed that Radical had to be used with acid free primer if you wanted to avoid lifting.... and over the years I have also been told the same from my CND suppler....... but here you say radical is primer-less *rubs chin in thought*

I specifically use Radical on my own enhancements as I find I easily break Ret+ extensions, and I find the radical does make a harder enhancement (which is good for me) I have tried it without the primer on a few occasions and always come away with lifting a few days later - when none of my other enhancements (or clients nails) ever lift when using Ret+ or Radical +primer.


Oh and to answer Nailzoo's Q... I voted Retention+ it seems to be the most versatile

Retention+
WHAT IT IS:
A keratin bonding, cross-linking sculpting liquid for lift-prone clients.
WHAT IT DOES:
Covalently bonds, creating enhancements with superior adhesion to the natural nail.
WHY YOU NEED IT:
Use on clients with enhancements that are prone to lifting. Excellent adhesion makes primer use optional.



Radical

WHAT IT IS:
A reinforced, cross-linking sculpting liquid for tough enhancements.
WHAT IT DOES:
Creates tough, crack resistant enhancements.
WHY YOU NEED IT:
Use on clients with enhancements that are prone to cracking and chipping. Has full bodied consistency that is easy and fun to work with.



Got that from the CND site... Login - CND

Cheers for that

This is still the first time I have ever heard that it is primer optional thou - I was taught u wouldn't get a good result unless u use primer with the Radical.

If I remember rightly you weren't taught by Creative themselves but at a college???
I'm assuming (maybe wrongly) that the colleges aren't as up to date as being taught from source, I know that's the case in the UK.

If you get ratio right, you can go primerless with Radical. I use it on several of my clients who have rough jobs (one of them is a carpenter!), and they're all going primerless.

I'd like to know what the difference is in the bonding, though! I was always told, up until the show I went to this last May, that Radical should be used with acid-free primer. But Tiffany Greco said it could be used without--and it can!

Carl, I'd recommend trying both; but if you only want to go with one at a time, go with Retention+ first. For the reasons the other folks who recommended it gave.

I have NEVER used any primer with Radical sculpting monomer. Some teach to use Acid Free primer because it is easier than teaching you the correct thorough prep needed to go primerless. If you had trained with CND then you would have been taught how to use the product without primer. However if you are getting good results using primer then stick with it until you get some 121 training with a CND ambassador and learn how to go primerless. Primer use is optional.

I have never had any training to use Radical liquid, all my training has been with Ret+..... as others have said, I always thought you needed to use acid free primer with this monomer.....so I am guessing that Radical will covalently bond with the keratin in the nail plate to create a stronger covalent bond without the use of acid free primer (3 way bond) if your prep is spot on.

I wonder if the same scenario as in absolute perfect prep would apply to other systems requiring acid free primer (3 way covalent bonding).....apologies if I'm on a chemical bond thing at the moment xxx .