Products Question: Microfibers and Foam Guns

abisson · 12-05-2009, 02:39 PM

Hey guys,

First question:

What is better the Uber Jumbo Waffle Weave Drying Towel Blue by DetailersDomain or The Absorber?

Second Question:
Is a foam gun really worth it?

Thanks!

Greg@DetailedImage · 12-05-2009, 03:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by abisson

Hey guys,

First question:

What is better the Uber Jumbo Waffle Weave Drying Towel Blue by DetailersDomain or The Absorber?

Second Question:
Is a foam gun really worth it?

Thanks!

I haven't used the Uber towel but the Absorber is not something I would typically recommend. A quality Waffle Weave Drying Towel is my top choice. They are very absorbent, paint safe, washable, etc. Our towel comes with a nice silk edge for added safety as well and it's 2ftx3ft.

A Gilmour Foamaster II Foam Gun is not a must have but it's a nice addition to a detailers routine. In my opinion it helps me wash faster and safer. I pre-soak the paint with my shampoo mix so it starts to break up build ups before I start using my wash mitt or sponge. It quickly sprays a nice lather of foam that helps me wash and I just need a rinse bucket. Just pour in your favorite shampoo and start washing. Again not a must have but it's a fun product to use and it does work well.

Greg @ DI

randomquickness · 12-05-2009, 03:20 PM

I recently started using the above mentioned foam gun and am happy with it. It makes for a good pre-wash. I also recently switched from using an Absorber to a waffle weave MF drying towel and it seems to do a better job and feels more gentle against the paint. I am by NO means a professional detailer but I'd recommend them!

TOGWT · 12-09-2009, 09:37 AM

[Second Question: Is a foam gun really worth it?] Yes for the following reasons-

Foam Gun

By pre-soaking your vehicle, the car wash concentrate can start working on lifting dirt and contamination prior to touching your paint with your wash media. This helps you minimize adding swirls and other imperfections in the paint. It also helps you clean hard to reach areas, such as wheel wells, parts of the under carriage, etc. The foam gun is a compliment to the traditional two bucket wash system, not a replacement.

Pre-soaking a paint surface is proven to be an efficient method to loosen surface oil, grease and road debris; along with proper washing technique, utilizing a two-bucket with Grit Guard™ system. The principle behind a foam gun is to minimize the amount of paint surface friction necessary to clean the vehicle by pre-soaking it with foam. The foam starts loosening the dirt and lubricating the paint surface immediately, thus gentle touch washing with a soft mitt substantially decreases the risk of micro-marring because the paint is covered in a layer of lubrication.

Using a Gilmour Foamaster II Foam Gun (Low Pressure) only requires a rinse bucket, because there is no need for a wash bucket. With this wash method you further minimize adding surface imperfections (scratches) to your paint. You foam the car, wipe it with your media, and rinse the media in the bucket, repeat. The main benefit is that you can pre-soak your vehicle with shampoo without the need to touch your paint. This allows the surfactants in the wash concentrate to lift contamination from the surface of your vehicle and hold it in suspension, which helps the foam stick to the surface longer for a deeper clean. The soils can then be safely rinsed away

The multi-ratio injector offers five settings to adjust the dilution rate from 128:1 to 10:1 (injecting the flow from the hose to the reservoir to provide the dilution ratio selected) built-in filters ensure any sediment in the water supply is removed before it reaches your car. An anti-siphon valve protects the water supply by preventing soapy water from siphoning back into the hose (when the water supply is turned off, you may notice a slight discharge of water at the base of the handle - this is normal and indicates that the anti-siphon valve is functioning properly).

Specification
• Water Pressure - 40 to 90 psi (for maximum accuracy 40 to 60 psi)
• Output - 1-1.5 gallons per minute
• Spray Pattern - Foaming attachment provides a fan spray or removes for a solid stream. Deflector attachment for non foaming fan spray pattern.
• Anti-siphon - Protects potable water supply.
• Standard Single Ratio - (b) 4fl oz per gallon of solution sprayed.
• Customized Ratios - Can be set from 0.25oz per gallon to 14oz per gallon. (Note: this range is affected by the viscosity of the chemical.)
• The multi-ratio injector offers five settings to adjust the dilution rate from 1 oz. / gal. (a) 2 oz. / gal. (b) 4 oz. / gal.(c) 6 oz. / gal (d) 12 oz. / gal (e) and a built-in filters ensure any sediment in the water supply is removed before it reaches your vehicle
• After each use, rinse the nozzle and foaming mechanism with clean water to remove any soap residue. This will prevent soapy build-up inside the nozzle and on the brass mechanisms. With regular cleaning, it will give you years of trouble-free performance
• Available in two sizes: 75QGFMR - Quart Foam Gun - 95HGFMR - Half Gallon Foam Gun, both with multi-ratio stem to adjust mix ratios and deflector.
• Purchase the unit with brass fittings ( not plastic) as they will last longer

Filling the Foam Gun

Pour the appropriate amount of wash concentrate (Chemical Guy’s Citrus Based High-Performance Wash or DP Xtreme Foam Formula Auto Shampoo)
5. Pour some wash concentrate into the foam gun tank and fill the remainder with clean water.
6. Adjust the dial to the appropriate dilution setting
7. Shake the foam gun tank to mix the shampoo and water.
8. Attach the foam gun tank to the foam gun nozzle

Note:
a) Always flush the gun thoroughly with clean water after foaming as this cleans out the internals and prolongs its workable life
b) To avoid hard water ‘spots’ try adding 2-capfuls of Optimum No Rinse (ONR) to the foam gun solution. This really helps to eliminate water spots as it’s formulated with a water softener (note this addition will reduce the amount of thick foam available)

Fitting quick disconnect system to a Foam gun
• There's a quick disconnect (with a black ring on its female half) that connects the pistol grip
• Pull back on the black plastic ring, which will separate the pistol grip
• The shutoff replaces the pistol grip. If you're careful, you can use a pair of Channel lock pliers to unscrew the female quick d from the pistol grip and you can use that on the shutoff.
• Hose end screws into the shutoff, with a female quick disconnect screwed onto the one end of it; then the male quick disconnect that's attached to the body of the foam gun fits into this.
• So the male quick disconnect from the foam gun is connected to the female quick disconnect on the end of the shutoff.

An extract from one of a series of unbiased “Detailing Technical Papers” © TOGWT ™ Ltd Copyright 2002-2009, all rights reserved

smpeck · 12-09-2009, 10:23 AM

I REALLY like my Waffle Weave Drying Towel from detailedimage.com and highly recommend it.

I only ordered one and need to order another. I think having two would be perfect for completely drying a car the size of the 1 series.

vanbmw · 12-09-2009, 03:58 PM

I have a few of the Waffle weave towels from Detailed image and they are very very good. I highly recommend them.
I have a foam gun and it is a "nice to have" item but not a "must have" item. If my car is dusty or only a little dirty I don't use my foam gun. If my car is a little more dirty then I give it a good soak in hopes of floating off the dirt. It does the job as advertised. If you soap it up and rinse it off it has removed the heavy deposits. In the winter I drive my BMW up to Whistler to go skiing. After a trip up my car is usually dirty and covered in salt. Then I give it a good soak on the paint as well as the wheel wells/under carriage.

BlackjackMulligan · 12-10-2009, 07:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vanbmw

I have a few of the Waffle weave towels from Detailed image and they are very very good. I highly recommend them.
I have a foam gun and it is a "nice to have" item but not a "must have" item. If my car is dusty or only a little dirty I don't use my foam gun. If my car is a little more dirty then I give it a good soak in hopes of floating off the dirt. It does the job as advertised. If you soap it up and rinse it off it has removed the heavy deposits. In the winter I drive my BMW up to Whistler to go skiing. After a trip up my car is usually dirty and covered in salt. Then I give it a good soak on the paint as well as the wheel wells/under carriage.

The baby blue ones? I have those too and they are AWESOME. My wife laughs at me saying they're like my baby blankets for my car

jabwind51 · 12-10-2009, 09:52 AM

Last case scenario would be to use a Snuggie.

Detailers Domain · 12-14-2009, 09:29 PM

i would pass on the absorber as well and get the waffle weaves.

15% off last day

the foam guns work extremely well and with a small learning curve should cut your time washing your car.

TOGWT · 12-19-2009, 08:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by phil@detailersdomain

i would pass on the absorber as well and get the waffle weaves.

15% off last day

the foam guns work extremely well and with a small learning curve should cut your time washing your car.

+1

Waffle Weave Towel
A waffle (Piqué) weave towel is a synthetic micro fibre woven with a dimpled pattern, which provides thousands of small pockets to trap dirt or grit. The absorbency of these towels is quite remarkable; they are able to hold seven or eight times their weight in water. The reason I advice against the use of natural or synthetic chamois or flat surface synthetic sponges is that grit or dirt can become trapped between its flat surface and the paint causing scratches.

Drying methodology- lay the waffle weave towel on the surface and gently pull it across, provided the paint finish has been rinsed adequately (remove the water nozzle to produce water ‘sheeting’) there should be no dirt residue, check and rinse the towel often

04Enthusiast · 12-19-2009, 04:26 PM

I have a Jet Black 128i and was cursed with swirls from day one. I thought I didn't know what I was doing as I detailed my car. Switched over to microfiber and I continued to have more and more swirls.

I decided to switched back to The Absorber and honestly have less swirls vs anything microfiber.

stevenc · 12-23-2009, 10:55 AM

I have a foam gun, and i liked the way it worked but i am shocked by the amount of soap it uses compared to a bucket of suds...

Detailers Domain · 12-23-2009, 01:13 PM

how much soap are you using?

what type of soap are you using?

stevenc · 12-23-2009, 02:02 PM

^ Chemical Guys Citrus wash. To get a nice foam, i had to crank up the volumn of soap delivered. I probably used 1/2 of a the foam gun container to foam up the car.

TOGWT · 12-24-2009, 10:37 AM

I would suggest a purpose formulated soap for foam gun / cannon's. A citrus-based soap used at a weak dilution will strip the LSP.

DP Xtreme Foam Formula Auto Shampoo

why_me · 12-26-2009, 07:48 PM

I have been looking at the low pressure vs high pressure foam guns and their results on youtube. It seems as though the low pressure one stated above has more of a soapy water thing going on, where as the high pressure is more of a thick coating of foam. Is this true? Are the video's I am seeing just using the wrong soap and pressure? Any info would help as I am interested in the product.

TOGWT · 12-27-2009, 08:57 AM

Hard water, which is any water that contains high concentrations of calcium, iron, magnesium and other minerals, thwarts the cleaning ability of a chemical. This is because the cleaner reacts to the minerals in hard water as soil, which uses up the cleaning agents. To counteract this, foams used for foam canons contain chelating agents to bind the minerals, allowing cleaning agents to remove the soil unhindered. This is why some foam concentrates seem to foam better than others. The amount of foam produced has very little to do with how much concentrate you use.

When using foam cannon, the viscosity of the product plays a huge part in how much foam is obtained and how much product is used. The foam starts loosening and lubricating the paint immediately, thus gentle touch washing with a soft mitt substantially decreases the risk of micro-marring because the paint is covered in a layer of lubrication. Its other advantage is that the surface isn't 'touched' as much as in hand washing

That's why it is recommended you use specificlly formulated products for foam

12-05-2009, 02:39 PM	#1
abisson Canada FTW. 184 Rep 519 Posts Drives: 2016 VW R - Stg 2 Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Maple Syrup Country iTrader: (0)	Products Question: Microfibers and Foam Guns Hey guys, First question: What is better the Uber Jumbo Waffle Weave Drying Towel Blue by DetailersDomain or The Absorber? Second Question: Is a foam gun really worth it? Thanks!
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12-05-2009, 03:20 PM	#3
randomquickness Brigadier General 219 Rep 3,668 Posts Drives: 996tt Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Georgetown, TX iTrader: (13)	I recently started using the above mentioned foam gun and am happy with it. It makes for a good pre-wash. I also recently switched from using an Absorber to a waffle weave MF drying towel and it seems to do a better job and feels more gentle against the paint. I am by NO means a professional detailer but I'd recommend them! __________________
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12-09-2009, 09:37 AM	#4
TOGWT Captain 11 Rep 770 Posts Drives: 630i Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Ponte Vedra Beach, FL / London, UK iTrader: (0)	[Second Question: Is a foam gun really worth it?] Yes for the following reasons- Foam Gun By pre-soaking your vehicle, the car wash concentrate can start working on lifting dirt and contamination prior to touching your paint with your wash media. This helps you minimize adding swirls and other imperfections in the paint. It also helps you clean hard to reach areas, such as wheel wells, parts of the under carriage, etc. The foam gun is a compliment to the traditional two bucket wash system, not a replacement. Pre-soaking a paint surface is proven to be an efficient method to loosen surface oil, grease and road debris; along with proper washing technique, utilizing a two-bucket with Grit Guard™ system. The principle behind a foam gun is to minimize the amount of paint surface friction necessary to clean the vehicle by pre-soaking it with foam. The foam starts loosening the dirt and lubricating the paint surface immediately, thus gentle touch washing with a soft mitt substantially decreases the risk of micro-marring because the paint is covered in a layer of lubrication. Using a Gilmour Foamaster II Foam Gun (Low Pressure) only requires a rinse bucket, because there is no need for a wash bucket. With this wash method you further minimize adding surface imperfections (scratches) to your paint. You foam the car, wipe it with your media, and rinse the media in the bucket, repeat. The main benefit is that you can pre-soak your vehicle with shampoo without the need to touch your paint. This allows the surfactants in the wash concentrate to lift contamination from the surface of your vehicle and hold it in suspension, which helps the foam stick to the surface longer for a deeper clean. The soils can then be safely rinsed away The multi-ratio injector offers five settings to adjust the dilution rate from 128:1 to 10:1 (injecting the flow from the hose to the reservoir to provide the dilution ratio selected) built-in filters ensure any sediment in the water supply is removed before it reaches your car. An anti-siphon valve protects the water supply by preventing soapy water from siphoning back into the hose (when the water supply is turned off, you may notice a slight discharge of water at the base of the handle - this is normal and indicates that the anti-siphon valve is functioning properly). *Specification* • Water Pressure - 40 to 90 psi (for maximum accuracy 40 to 60 psi) • Output - 1-1.5 gallons per minute • Spray Pattern - Foaming attachment provides a fan spray or removes for a solid stream. Deflector attachment for non foaming fan spray pattern. • Anti-siphon - Protects potable water supply. • Standard Single Ratio - (b) 4fl oz per gallon of solution sprayed. • Customized Ratios - Can be set from 0.25oz per gallon to 14oz per gallon. (Note: this range is affected by the viscosity of the chemical.) • The multi-ratio injector offers five settings to adjust the dilution rate from 1 oz. / gal. (a) 2 oz. / gal. (b) 4 oz. / gal.(c) 6 oz. / gal (d) 12 oz. / gal (e) and a built-in filters ensure any sediment in the water supply is removed before it reaches your vehicle • After each use, rinse the nozzle and foaming mechanism with clean water to remove any soap residue. This will prevent soapy build-up inside the nozzle and on the brass mechanisms. With regular cleaning, it will give you years of trouble-free performance • Available in two sizes: 75QGFMR - Quart Foam Gun - 95HGFMR - Half Gallon Foam Gun, both with multi-ratio stem to adjust mix ratios and deflector. • Purchase the unit with brass fittings ( not plastic) as they will last longer Filling the Foam Gun Pour the appropriate amount of wash concentrate (Chemical Guy’s Citrus Based High-Performance Wash or DP Xtreme Foam Formula Auto Shampoo) 5. Pour some wash concentrate into the foam gun tank and fill the remainder with clean water. 6. Adjust the dial to the appropriate dilution setting 7. Shake the foam gun tank to mix the shampoo and water. 8. Attach the foam gun tank to the foam gun nozzle Note: a) Always flush the gun thoroughly with clean water after foaming as this cleans out the internals and prolongs its workable life b) To avoid hard water ‘spots’ try adding 2-capfuls of Optimum No Rinse (ONR) to the foam gun solution. This really helps to eliminate water spots as it’s formulated with a water softener (note this addition will reduce the amount of thick foam available) Fitting quick disconnect system to a Foam gun • There's a quick disconnect (with a black ring on its female half) that connects the pistol grip • Pull back on the black plastic ring, which will separate the pistol grip • The shutoff replaces the pistol grip. If you're careful, you can use a pair of Channel lock pliers to unscrew the female quick d from the pistol grip and you can use that on the shutoff. • Hose end screws into the shutoff, with a female quick disconnect screwed onto the one end of it; then the male quick disconnect that's attached to the body of the foam gun fits into this. • So the male quick disconnect from the foam gun is connected to the female quick disconnect on the end of the shutoff. An extract from one of a series of unbiased “Detailing Technical Papers” © TOGWT ™ Ltd Copyright 2002-2009, all rights reserved
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12-09-2009, 10:23 AM	#5
smpeck Private First Class 14 Rep 160 Posts Drives: 2012 328i Coupe (E92) Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: FL iTrader: (0)	I REALLY like my Waffle Weave Drying Towel from detailedimage.com and highly recommend it. I only ordered one and need to order another. I think having two would be perfect for completely drying a car the size of the 1 series.
	Appreciate 0 Quote

12-09-2009, 03:58 PM	#6
vanbmw Major 130 Rep 1,101 Posts Drives: 2015 Black 335i Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Vancouver iTrader: (0)	I have a few of the Waffle weave towels from Detailed image and they are very very good. I highly recommend them. I have a foam gun and it is a "nice to have" item but not a "must have" item. If my car is dusty or only a little dirty I don't use my foam gun. If my car is a little more dirty then I give it a good soak in hopes of floating off the dirt. It does the job as advertised. If you soap it up and rinse it off it has removed the heavy deposits. In the winter I drive my BMW up to Whistler to go skiing. After a trip up my car is usually dirty and covered in salt. Then I give it a good soak on the paint as well as the wheel wells/under carriage.
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12-10-2009, 09:52 AM	#8
jabwind51 Second Lieutenant 10 Rep 224 Posts Drives: '10 BMW 130is, '97 BMW M3/4/5 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: NJ iTrader: (0)	Last case scenario would be to use a Snuggie.
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12-14-2009, 09:29 PM	#9
Detailers Domain Major General 1998 Rep 6,916 Posts Drives: 20 M2C / 22 X3MC Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: New Jersey iTrader: (24)	i would pass on the absorber as well and get the waffle weaves. 15% off last day the foam guns work extremely well and with a small learning curve should cut your time washing your car.
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12-19-2009, 04:26 PM	#11
04Enthusiast Second Lieutenant 3 Rep 216 Posts Drives: BMW 128i Cpe Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Omaha Nebraska iTrader: (1)	I have a Jet Black 128i and was cursed with swirls from day one. I thought I didn't know what I was doing as I detailed my car. Switched over to microfiber and I continued to have more and more swirls. I decided to switched back to The Absorber and honestly have less swirls vs anything microfiber.
	Appreciate 0 Quote

12-23-2009, 10:55 AM	#12
stevenc Coming Soon 254 Rep 960 Posts Drives: 2015 BMW M4 Alphine White MT Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Houston, TX iTrader: (0)	I have a foam gun, and i liked the way it worked but i am shocked by the amount of soap it uses compared to a bucket of suds...
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12-23-2009, 01:13 PM	#13
Detailers Domain Major General 1998 Rep 6,916 Posts Drives: 20 M2C / 22 X3MC Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: New Jersey iTrader: (24)	how much soap are you using? what type of soap are you using?
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12-23-2009, 02:02 PM	#14
stevenc Coming Soon 254 Rep 960 Posts Drives: 2015 BMW M4 Alphine White MT Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Houston, TX iTrader: (0)	^ Chemical Guys Citrus wash. To get a nice foam, i had to crank up the volumn of soap delivered. I probably used 1/2 of a the foam gun container to foam up the car.
	Appreciate 0 Quote

12-24-2009, 10:37 AM	#15
TOGWT Captain 11 Rep 770 Posts Drives: 630i Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Ponte Vedra Beach, FL / London, UK iTrader: (0)	I would suggest a purpose formulated soap for foam gun / cannon's. A citrus-based soap used at a weak dilution will strip the LSP. DP Xtreme Foam Formula Auto Shampoo
	Appreciate 0 Quote

12-26-2009, 07:48 PM	#16
why_me Registered 0 Rep 3 Posts Drives: 135i white Join Date: May 2009 Location: Austin iTrader: (0)	I have been looking at the low pressure vs high pressure foam guns and their results on youtube. It seems as though the low pressure one stated above has more of a soapy water thing going on, where as the high pressure is more of a thick coating of foam. Is this true? Are the video's I am seeing just using the wrong soap and pressure? Any info would help as I am interested in the product.
	Appreciate 0 Quote

12-27-2009, 08:57 AM	#17
TOGWT Captain 11 Rep 770 Posts Drives: 630i Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Ponte Vedra Beach, FL / London, UK iTrader: (0)	Hard water, which is any water that contains high concentrations of calcium, iron, magnesium and other minerals, thwarts the cleaning ability of a chemical. This is because the cleaner reacts to the minerals in hard water as soil, which uses up the cleaning agents. To counteract this, foams used for foam canons contain chelating agents to bind the minerals, allowing cleaning agents to remove the soil unhindered. This is why some foam concentrates seem to foam better than others. The amount of foam produced has very little to do with how much concentrate you use. When using foam cannon, the viscosity of the product plays a huge part in how much foam is obtained and how much product is used. The foam starts loosening and lubricating the paint immediately, thus gentle touch washing with a soft mitt substantially decreases the risk of micro-marring because the paint is covered in a layer of lubrication. Its other advantage is that the surface isn't 'touched' as much as in hand washing That's why it is recommended you use specificlly formulated products for foam
	Appreciate 0 Quote