What's In DFB's Cabinet?

[kilobravo]

My level of usage doesn't really warrant anything better

In the same boat here, WD.

Not that it makes a difference, but I'm on Megs bottles

Honestly, I don't really care about the container as long as it doesn't tip over in a light breeze. Consequently, I have a couple dozen clean bottles of previous chemicals to use but I'm down to my last spare spray head.

I unscrew the head, pull the pickup type out of the chemical, point the nozzle into the bottle neck and spray it empty.

Excellent tip, (no pun intended,) Brian. Now let's see if there are enough brain cells left to remember to do this in the future. <grin>

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[WD Pro]

Honestly, I don't really care about the container as long as it doesn't tip over in a light breeze.

All my bottles tip over in a light breeze

Have you seen my drive ? I have to be selective with my bottle placement - some cobbles are flatter than others ...

WD

 

[skinnyb]

I forgot to do that with my bottle of Ghost. Went to reapply last weekend and the nozzle is all funked up from the last time I used it. I ended up with more Ghost on me than my tire applicator

I use the "pop up squirt" top. I don't spray but squirt into a MF applicator.

 

[MAGS1]

I use the "pop up squirt" top. I don't spray but squirt into a MF applicator.

Good idea, I should try that. Usually with stuff like ceramic sprays and protectants, I’ll take the sprayer off and spray some regular water through it to get all that stuff out of the sprayer. Forgot to do that last go around with Ghost. Luckily I’ve got plenty of ADS sprayers laying around

 

[DFB5.0]

Wanna make heads last longer, empty them after each use. I unscrew the head, pull the pickup type out of the chemical, point the nozzle into the bottle neck and spray it empty. Reinstall head and back on the shelf it goes.

This is what I'm doing with Brake Buster and Undressed, both of which I have in Pressol bottles. Those products destroy the seals in the spray head, be that a cheap or expensive one. I go one step further and flush clean water through them as well, which has drastically changed the failure rate on either the standard Pressol or the Industrial head. Realistically, that's not practical for everyone.

 

[DFB5.0]

Spray bottles and spray heads are a very subjective choice, one that is going to be different for different users. An everyday professional user is going to have different requirements to that of a weekender. And even then, you have those who just want something to do a job and nothing more, and others who pursue a certain functional and visual aesthetic.

- A professional user is going to want something reliable and inexpensive. A sprayer is simply a tool to do a job, which in turn earns money. Visual appeal counts for nothing, whereas comfort and ergonomics does. If you look at the likes of the Megs, P&S, Shine Supply, and McKee’s branded bottles, they all carry a certain shape, certain height and width. This helps maximize the bottle volume without it being cumbersome to use. They then use either Canyon or Tolco spray heads which are chemical resistant, decently durable and very affordable to replace as needed.

- A pro-sumer on the other hand is spending money to enjoy doing a certain task, rather than it being a necessary running cost. Quite often, this user will tolerate a certain amount of “quirk” in pursuit of a more visually pleasing product and a nicer overall user experience. And pay more to get it without seeing it as a resentful purchase. The actual use of these higher priced bottles is a mixed bag. Which is where I can provide some commentary having used them back to back with the basic bottle and sprayer, and its not a straightforward cut and dry process…………………..

- Products come to me and are used in the supplied bottle and sprayer. This will usually be a generic 16-oz or 500ml bottle with a basic spray head think (Carpro, P&S, ADS), or those RTU bottles from the mainstream brands (think Megs, Bowden sect). ect. Quite often, you can form clues as to where the smaller brands have their products made by the bottle shape and sprayer type.

- If a product passes the initial DFB test, as in it impresses and becomes a multiple time purchase, it will more than likely transition into a better bottle and sprayer. Depending on the product, product type and even the brand, that will determine where things go from here…………………

- For heavy use products, and ones that are known to be hard on sprayers, these go into a generic bottle with a Tolco or Canyon spray head. For example, Koch Chemie TEA tar remover or Mineral Spirits, both solvents, I have these in Kwazar Knix and a Canyon spray head. Or Shine Supply Wise Guy, which I’ve had kill a variety of spray heads cheap or expensive. For that reason, I have this is a generic P&S bottle and a Tolco sprayer. Quite often a lot of products come with a Tolco spray head, and because they end up in other bottles, I have a healthy supply of spares to swap out as needed.

From here, things go two ways, Pressol or Kwazar. Both of these cater to my eye for visual appeal, which I know quite often doesn’t translate into functional superiority, although you may be surprised……………………

Kwazar Mercury Pro 360 –

Pros –

- I first came across these bottles after a supplier sent me a promotional flyer, at time I dismissed them as a pointless expense. But, something kept drawing me back, most likely the way these things look, like no other sprayer on the market. So, I bought a couple, and well, it was like a drug!

- I love how they offer them in different colours, which helps me assign different product groups a colour. For example, green for interior (to match my green interior towels), blue for glass (to match my blue glass towels), yellow for detail sprays/paint enhancement, red for wheel and tyre products.

- That form factor then translates into a more stable bottle, be that the thicker plastic used, or how the coloured plastic base provides resistance to tipping over, even when nearing empty.

- The spray head shape fits nicely into my hand with no pinch points (hello Canyon sprayers), has a longer trigger for more leverage and smoother movements, and the dimpled spray tip is easier to adjust.

- The double action movement of the trigger means you double your productivity.

- The soft rubber pickup tube and weighted filter permit 360-degree spraying. But who uses a sprayer upside down? True, but this setup continues to output chemical even when the bottle is nearing empty, permitted by the weighted pickup moving rather than staying static.

Overall, it’s the spray head design and function that contributes to my opinion that the Kwazar’s are superior to the Pressol. The tip also has more finite adjustability, from a mist to a pin-point shot.

Cons –

- The 1-litre versions are quite bulky, and heavy when full. I feel like this would affect the original 1-litre iK TR1 spray bottles as well. For this reason, I’ve stuck with the 500ml versions.

- The 500ml size does need more frequent replenishment.

- Expensive, although I do have access to replacement heads in Australia, something it would seem difficult to obtain in the US.

- Occasionally the spray head loosens its grip on the bottle mid use.

- Certain products tend to kill the spray head, for example, heavy alkaline chemicals, even interior products such as KCx Guf and Fresh Up. For that reason, I keep solvents and alkaline products out of these bottles.

Pressol -

Pros –

- Again, the visual appeal with these is a major reason why I have them. The tall and slender design and the short stubby spray head looks visually balanced, whereas with the 500ml Kwazar’s, the spray head looks out of proportion to the bottle.

- I love the look of the matching OG labels, which ADS have followed on with. I’d say the form factor here outweighs the practicality benefit here.

- I really like the click-click sound when using the spray head. Again, probably not a practical benefit. Like the Kwazar’s, they are double action sprayers.

- The clear bottles make filling easier. While the Kwazar’s have a sight line, it can be hard to see with clear liquids.

Cons –

- Expensive

- The bottle is made from thinner plastic. In some cases, usually from extended use on something like an iron remover, the bottle will panel in.

- Both standard and industrial spray heads have an inferior pickup arrangement.

- The plastic tips have less adjustability and need to be cranked down hard to finely atomize product (which is where the tip splitting comes from). To be fair, I haven’t had to replace a single tip.

- The spray head is not quite as ergonomic, even if it looks better. Also, the plastic is cheaper/more brittle feeling.

- Like the Kwazar’s, I’ve also had the spray head back out of the bottle thread during use.

- Also like the 500ml Kwazar’s, you have to refill the often. For that reason I should have gone with the 700ml versions, which bring extra volume without the drawbacks of the larger Kwazar and iK sprayers.

The Wildcards –

For extended spraying periods, I run an iK Multi sprayer, or the battery powered Solo sprayers. These reduce fatigue on your hands.

I’d say if you were a professional user and wanted to have a higher quality set of spray bottles, I’d be looking at the iK TR1 (1-litre) or TR Mini (500ml). I’d don’t personally love how they look, and the spray heads are not as ergonomic as the Kwazar’s, but they have a super strong bottle design and can be kept in service with cheap Tolco or Canyon spray head replacements.

 

[m3incorp]

I"'ve had a couple of wheels a little worse than that. I have a guy who does the wheel repair for Mercedes, BMW, and Audi. He charges me $100 per wheel for repair and repaint. I have two that were done this week that I am letting cure for 4-6 weeks before ceramic coating them.

Agree with Hoosier, sand it down and use touch up paint. Depending on what brand your wheel is, reach out to the manufacturer to see if you can get a small bottle so the color matches. All black paints are not the same unfortunately.

 

[m3incorp]

When I had my first curb incident. I reached out to Velgen, and they sent me the black paint for $35. It was a small nick that I sanded down as much as possible and touched up. The problem is you can see the difference in new paint versus old paint. The next time I curbed that same wheel, I ended up getting the repair guy to fix. The chances are there will be another curb incident. Bad luck is you buy a new wheel and then curb one of a different size if you are staggered.

I sent a message to the Velgen Representative. They gave me a great price when I bought them so probably will buy 1 wheel and keep that one jic.

Also contacted a few people that repairs wheels. Waiting for those quotes.

 

[Free Spirit]

Super excited. Just applied the stickers and I'm ready to start washing.

 

[Free Spirit]

Quick question, is a drying towel ruined if it's run through with high heat for a long time? One of my brand new gauntlet towels was taken by a family member (who knew not to touch my stuff) and used for a water spill and they tried to wash it and hide it but I found it in the dryer. It's safe to assume it was washed in hot water with a tide pods and then put in a dryer on high heat with normal clothes. It feels about as soft as the other ones maybe a bit for grabby on the skin. Safe to use on the car or is it an interior towel now? It was part of the 3 pack mini ones I was going to use for my wheels. But will 2 small ones be enough for 4 wheels and use the messed up one for applying quick detailer to the interior or what it? It is it still paint safe?

 

[skinnyb]

Quick question, is a drying towel ruined if it's run through with high heat for a long time? One of my brand new gauntlet towels was taken by a family member (who knew not to touch my stuff) and used for a water spill and they tried to wash it and hide it but I found it in the dryer. It's safe to assume it was washed in hot water with a tide pods and then put in a dryer on high heat with normal clothes. It feels about as soft as the other ones maybe a bit for grabby on the skin. Safe to use on the car or is it an interior towel now? It was part of the 3 pack mini ones I was going to use for my wheels. But will 2 small ones be enough for 4 wheels and use the messed up one for applying quick detailer to the interior or what it? It is it still paint safe?

Once it may be fine, if it doesn't absorb good and just smears the water around it might be good to just use for interior. I had the same thing happen to me this past week. Went to the beach and took 4 drying towels to do rinseless wash while I was gone. Washed them and come to find out they had the water lines backward at the new condo I was at and the towels were washed and rinsed in hot water. I haven't tried to use them yet but I might have to buy new ones... BUT, I have like 10 others so not a huge deal at the moment but it sucks cause they were my favorite towels..

 

[Free Spirit]

Once it may be fine, if it doesn't absorb good and just smears the water around it might be good to just use for interior. I had the same thing happen to me this past week. Went to the beach and took 4 drying towels to do rinseless wash while I was gone. Washed them and come to find out they had the water lines backward at the new condo I was at and the towels were washed and rinsed in hot water. I haven't tried to use them yet but I might have to buy new ones... BUT, I have like 10 others so not a huge deal at the moment but it sucks cause they were my favorite towels..

From my digging I figured the 2 pack of 15-24 are enough to dry the entire car plus the 3 pack of 12x12 for the wheels, will 2 12x12 be fine to do 4 wheels? Also when drying do people actually do it like the videos show and spread the towel out and drag it slowly across the surface in 1 big go. Or is that just media stuff for attention? I figured circular motions or side to side would be faster and more effective?

 

[Evolvd]

From my digging I figured the 2 pack of 15-24 are enough to dry the entire car plus the 3 pack of 12x12 for the wheels, will 2 12x12 be fine to do 4 wheels? Also when drying do people actually do it like the videos show and spread the towel out and drag it slowly across the surface in 1 big go. Or is that just media stuff for attention? I figured circular motions or side to side would be faster and more effective?

You can do all wheels with one towel. You’ll be fine. Dragging the towel is better than using pressure to wipe the panels. Always wash and dry in straight lines…it helps prevent swirls if there happens to be some contaminates on the towel or wash media.

BTW, all these questions you’re asking are covered well in about three dozen different YouTube channels. I would suggest watching a few of them while waiting for answers on here. You’ll learn a lot more and much faster.

 

[m3incorp]

That towel should still be fine for drying wheels.

 

[Free Spirit]

You can do all wheels with one towel. You’ll be fine. Dragging the towel is better than using pressure to wipe the panels. Always wash and dry in straight lines…it helps prevent swirls if there happens to be some contaminates on the towel or wash media.

BTW, all these questions you’re asking are covered well in about three dozen different YouTube channels. I would suggest watching a few of them while waiting for answers on here. You’ll learn a lot more and much faster.

I've watched alot of videos but most seem to directly constradict each other which makes it hard to know what's good and what's not. 1 video will sya wash in straight lines while one says circles. It's also seems to be 50/50 in weather the people making videos think grit guard even worth buying or using. It's easier to ask here and ask people who do this stuff than watch a YouTube video where you know atleast one company has sponsored them and then the affiliate links and B's so instead of good things being mentioned it's just stuff they want to sell you to make money.

As for dragging the towel, how does that spread out the drying aid? Or do I need to mist 100% of each panel with drying aid, drag the towel and then come back and buff it off with a microfiber. And when I buff it off stick to straight lines or do circles? Circles seems to work better but I can do straight lines or semi straight arcs. Probably going to do circles for the rims since I'll just go along the outside edge of the rims which is a circle

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