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If anyone has had any experience with these two products, it would be great to hear.

I am working in light woods for a while and have these objectives for a finish:
1. Preserve the innate luster qualities of the wood while keeping the woods as light as possible
2. Bring out some detail and character of the quarter sawing and not yellow or amber the wood.
3. Protect it against table, chair, and desktop environments.
4. Hand application, though I am considering HVLP investment
5. Either semi or gloss ok
6. Can’t raise grain.

I am considering a wiping varnish with a tung oil base; after full curing I would level with steel wool and paste wax and buff. I would need a finish I could rub down if necessary. I’ve tried water base poly sold in Home Depot, both gloss and semi, and have not been pleased with the muddy effect. I am specifically looking for a varnish or perhaps a polymerized tung oil, not an oil/varnish blend, as I believe that oil will necessarily yellow the wood.

My search led me to WoodFinishingSupplies.com’s Duralesce two part acrylic-urethane system recommended by the owner. The website description is:

“The Duralesce system for coating wood is designed to produce the best possible results, and therefore is a two-product system. Sealers have a different job than do protective top coatings. A sealer must penetrate into the wood surface and effectively prevent further penetration by anything else, including the protective topcoat. A sealer must also be easy to sand and have no recoat window. As a result, you benefit in terms of saved time and effort. For spray applications, the sealer and topcoat are compatible enough that you can literally change materials in the gun cup without cleaning the cup or the gun in-between steps. The sealer has a 6-hour recoat window without sanding, and no recoat window with sanding. The protective topcoat of the system is designed to add the protection and the beauty to the final result. This self cross-linking urethane coating produces a rock hard film that resists scratches, mars, and common household chemicals. The topcoat has no recoat window and imparts a slightly amber cast to the surface. Instructions are provided with both Duralesce products.”

The other option is Waterlox Original Sealer/Finish (Formerly known as Waterlox Transparent)
From the site: “Clear, penetrating sealer and finish, available in Medium Sheen. Hand-made from tung oil and phenolic resin. Use as a sealer or in multiple coats as a finish. Use on all interior wood surfaces, including wood floors, cabinetry, doors, furniture and more. Great for restoring antiques, furniture, fly fishing rods and gunstocks. Use also on flagstone and split slate, brick and concrete (internal use only). Excellent for use on oily exotic woods such as teak, rosewood, and other dense-grained woods. Excellent as a paint additive. Eliminates dusting of concrete floors. To achieve a satin or gloss finish, use our Waterlox Original Satin or Gloss Finish as the final 1-2 coats.”

I tend to think the Duralesce might be the way to go, but it sure is pricey-2x the Waterlox. Thanks much for reading all this, but I thought the background was worth the space.