MACHtobers Very Own
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skinnyb
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I must say I do use the CG VRP on occasion. I bought into the hype and got a bottle quite a bit back. I use mainly as a tire dressing. I can knock it back quite nicely once applied and it isn't too shiny. I also use bead maker as my go to drying agent. Very slick once applied. Great reviews. Thanks for the insight...
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DFB5.0
Well-Known Member
- Thread starter
- #21
AMMO Hydrate
From the outset, I need to say this product was a big disappointment for me personally, but not because it’s a dud product. I love what Larry has done with his brand and range of products. I really wanted to love Hydrate, but it just did not suit my needs and preferences.
Having read many good things about Hydrate, I was super keen to give it a try. To get this delivered in Australia was not a cheap exercise, so I had a lot riding on this product.
First, a little about this product. Hydrate is described as a thick lubricating moisturizer for your paint, glass and trim. The concept here being this product helps to minimize “love marks” when towel drying the car after a wash, in other words, a drying aid. Compared to a watery liquid like all other such products, Hydrate is much thicker and more like a cream or moisturizer.
Application is a different too. Your towel needs to be damp before starting, then apply Hydrate to the towel or directly into the paint. Work the product over the surface, following up with a secondary towel if required. Because of the thicker consistency, you will find that Hydrate doesn’t really atomize through the sprayer, this is even more pronounced with the updated formula launched late last year.
It’s the thick consistency that I struggled with, and the application process was just too far away from what I am used to or prefer for this task. Overall, it just did not wow me like I had hoped. That doesn’t mean Hydrate is a bad product! The gloss and slickness are certainly pleasing, and with greater use, I would likely get my head around it better. But with so many other products that I gravitate towards, Hydrate sadly sits at the back of the cabinet.
From the outset, I need to say this product was a big disappointment for me personally, but not because it’s a dud product. I love what Larry has done with his brand and range of products. I really wanted to love Hydrate, but it just did not suit my needs and preferences.
Having read many good things about Hydrate, I was super keen to give it a try. To get this delivered in Australia was not a cheap exercise, so I had a lot riding on this product.
First, a little about this product. Hydrate is described as a thick lubricating moisturizer for your paint, glass and trim. The concept here being this product helps to minimize “love marks” when towel drying the car after a wash, in other words, a drying aid. Compared to a watery liquid like all other such products, Hydrate is much thicker and more like a cream or moisturizer.
Application is a different too. Your towel needs to be damp before starting, then apply Hydrate to the towel or directly into the paint. Work the product over the surface, following up with a secondary towel if required. Because of the thicker consistency, you will find that Hydrate doesn’t really atomize through the sprayer, this is even more pronounced with the updated formula launched late last year.
It’s the thick consistency that I struggled with, and the application process was just too far away from what I am used to or prefer for this task. Overall, it just did not wow me like I had hoped. That doesn’t mean Hydrate is a bad product! The gloss and slickness are certainly pleasing, and with greater use, I would likely get my head around it better. But with so many other products that I gravitate towards, Hydrate sadly sits at the back of the cabinet.
kilobravo
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Thanks for the info on Hydrate, D. I used to watch Larry's channel regularly but haven't for some time because...
WE HAVE YOU!
All kidding aside, I did try a few of his products that were OK but nothing floated my bote although Hydrate wasn't one of them. From what you told us above, I am certain that the consistency would have turned me off as well.
Completely off topic, but right from the start, I wondered where he came up with the channel name? Did he start out selling ammunition in New York? Anyone know?
WE HAVE YOU!
All kidding aside, I did try a few of his products that were OK but nothing floated my bote although Hydrate wasn't one of them. From what you told us above, I am certain that the consistency would have turned me off as well.
Completely off topic, but right from the start, I wondered where he came up with the channel name? Did he start out selling ammunition in New York? Anyone know?
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OP
DFB5.0
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- Thread starter
- #23
Dud Lug Nut Brushes
Wheel cleaning! A laborious task that generally requires an assortment of different tools to do so properly. A boars hair detailing brush is one of them, an item that helps with cleaning lug nuts, and for some, the wheel face as well.
The first two brushes I selected for this role turned sour quickly.
The first was a Braun Wheel Woolies Premium Boars Hair Brush. Key features of this brush include 100% boars hair bristles, a plastic construction and no metal parts to potentially scratch your car. This brush can be used for interior and exterior detailing, wheels included. Braun also state that this brush is paint safe and that it’s “extremely durable” and chemical resistant.
All that was enough to convince me to spend the $35 on one. Except, after two uses, the bristle head fell off the handle. This of course was an annoyance, and after letting it dry out, I glued it back together. Again, two uses later and the same thing happened. Not impressed!
I think I still have the thing buried at the bottom of my brush drawer.
The second brush I tried was a cheaper Maxshine item with a wooden handle. In this case, the bristle head with its plastic retailer is secured to a wooden handle.
Within two uses, the plastic head cracked and fell off the handle. At the time, I was told by the supplier to use superglue to repair it.
Again, not impressed! You can see the cracks in the image below, pictured with a yellow Chemical Guys brush.
There is one underlying factor here that is the potential cause for these two failures, moisture. Being submerged in a bucket of water, combined with staying moist for hours after use means that the wooden handle swells and cracks the plastic retainer. Although, for the Braun version with it’s all plastic construction, I don’t really know how this happened. At the time, I was not using wheel cleaners all that much, so chemical interference was not to blame either.
In any case, my recommendation for a brush used for wheel cleaning is to stick to quality, all-plastic construction. Typically, boars hair brushes have been used for this task, mainly because they have a firmer bristle which cuts through wheel grime easier. Having said that, I recently tried a softer synthetic brush and was pleasantly surprised by it’s effectiveness.
I would recommend looking at any of the Detail Factory brushes, in either boars hair or synthetic. If you have gloss black wheels, the softer synthetic versions would be ideal.
Boars Hair -
Synthetic -
I love how these brushes have no sharp edges, the overall design has a rounded, smooth look and feel. I would also stick with long handle variants over the short versions for improved ergonomics. After use, rinse them with clean water and allow them to dry at room temperature, never store a wet brush in a sealed container as this will also lead to issues described above.
The Carpro brushes look like good options, and I really like the RaceGlaze XL as well.
RaceGlaze XL -
Carpro Brush Set -
Happy brushing!
Wheel cleaning! A laborious task that generally requires an assortment of different tools to do so properly. A boars hair detailing brush is one of them, an item that helps with cleaning lug nuts, and for some, the wheel face as well.
The first two brushes I selected for this role turned sour quickly.
The first was a Braun Wheel Woolies Premium Boars Hair Brush. Key features of this brush include 100% boars hair bristles, a plastic construction and no metal parts to potentially scratch your car. This brush can be used for interior and exterior detailing, wheels included. Braun also state that this brush is paint safe and that it’s “extremely durable” and chemical resistant.
All that was enough to convince me to spend the $35 on one. Except, after two uses, the bristle head fell off the handle. This of course was an annoyance, and after letting it dry out, I glued it back together. Again, two uses later and the same thing happened. Not impressed!
I think I still have the thing buried at the bottom of my brush drawer.The second brush I tried was a cheaper Maxshine item with a wooden handle. In this case, the bristle head with its plastic retailer is secured to a wooden handle.
Within two uses, the plastic head cracked and fell off the handle. At the time, I was told by the supplier to use superglue to repair it.
Again, not impressed! You can see the cracks in the image below, pictured with a yellow Chemical Guys brush.
There is one underlying factor here that is the potential cause for these two failures, moisture. Being submerged in a bucket of water, combined with staying moist for hours after use means that the wooden handle swells and cracks the plastic retainer. Although, for the Braun version with it’s all plastic construction, I don’t really know how this happened. At the time, I was not using wheel cleaners all that much, so chemical interference was not to blame either.
In any case, my recommendation for a brush used for wheel cleaning is to stick to quality, all-plastic construction. Typically, boars hair brushes have been used for this task, mainly because they have a firmer bristle which cuts through wheel grime easier. Having said that, I recently tried a softer synthetic brush and was pleasantly surprised by it’s effectiveness.
I would recommend looking at any of the Detail Factory brushes, in either boars hair or synthetic. If you have gloss black wheels, the softer synthetic versions would be ideal.
Boars Hair -
Synthetic -
I love how these brushes have no sharp edges, the overall design has a rounded, smooth look and feel. I would also stick with long handle variants over the short versions for improved ergonomics. After use, rinse them with clean water and allow them to dry at room temperature, never store a wet brush in a sealed container as this will also lead to issues described above.
The Carpro brushes look like good options, and I really like the RaceGlaze XL as well.
RaceGlaze XL -
Carpro Brush Set -
Happy brushing!
OP
OP
DFB5.0
Well-Known Member
- Thread starter
- #24
Auto Finesse Lather –
The beginnings of this brand started as JBS Valeting in 1999, a mobile valeting (detailing) company serving London area. In 2005, JBS was rebranded as Auto Finesse to better represent their range of car care services. In 2011, Auto Finesse launched their own line of detailing products, which would later expand to worldwide audience in 2013. In 2019, Auto Finesse further expanded into training for enthusiasts and professionals.
I have been using a small selection of products from Auto Finesse for a few years now. First off was Verso all-purpose cleaner, later joined by Spritz interior detailer, Satin tyre dressing, Aroma interior scent and Lather soap.
The subject of this post will focus on Lather.
Auto Finesse Lather is a pH neutral maintenance soap geared towards bucket washing. Lather is said to be a concentrated formula with powerful cleaning ability while remaining safe for use on waxes and sealants. It’s said to be dilutable up to 2000:1 with the formulation being designed to give a more intensified wash with a richer dilution.
In use, the tangerine scent is quite unique, slickness is pretty good and the free-rinsing properties make the rinse process quite pleasant. But it’s the foaming aspect that lands Lather in this thread, or to the be specific, a lack of foam in general. Reading the product description, Lather is described as being “super foamy” with “luxurious thick foam”. Liar’s!
Lather just doesn’t foam, be that the thick shaving cream type foam or the runnier, thinner foam. Bumping up the soap content in the foam cannon has little effect.
As many will know, I don’t prescribe to the notion of using different soaps for foaming and bucket washing. For me, a soap MUST do both. A lot of that comes down to my “one bucket method” of washing, using the foam cannon to apply soap to the whole vehicle, the bucket with a small amount of soap added is only used to rinse the wash mitt between panels. So, when a soap can’t do both, then it’s immediately written off.
Auto Finesse do offer Avalanche, a higher foaming soap which sits alongside Lather in their line-up. Avalanche is designed to be a pre-wash foam to soak contaminants prior to the contact wash. You then rinse that off, in theory taking the dirt with it before following up with Lather for a contact wash.
In theory, I could have simply selected Avalanche instead of Lather, but………………Auto Finesse don’t quote a pH reading for Avalanche. It’s also infused with citrus oils for stronger cleaning ability. Both of those factors when used for contact washing would likely cause degradation to waxes and sealants.
I do realise that in some cases, using two different soaps can be desirable, especially when trying to deal with baked on road film. But I see no reason why Auto Finesse couldn’t have made Lather foam better. Well, I do actually…………………..they want you to buy both soaps. When a product like Carpro Reset, NV Snow or Koch Chemie GSF can function in dual roles, splitting the functionality into two different soaps is pointless.
I probably should have known better when ordering this soap. However, when very specific wording and phrases were used to describe the foamability of Lather, it was certainly a disappointment to learn otherwise.
For Australian reader, ordinarily I would say don’t buy Auto Finesse Lather. However, it would appear Waxit have made that decision for you by discontinuing the brand in Australia, with the whole Auto Finesse range currently on clearance with up to 45% off.
Meanwhile, Lather becomes my next bin cleaner!
The beginnings of this brand started as JBS Valeting in 1999, a mobile valeting (detailing) company serving London area. In 2005, JBS was rebranded as Auto Finesse to better represent their range of car care services. In 2011, Auto Finesse launched their own line of detailing products, which would later expand to worldwide audience in 2013. In 2019, Auto Finesse further expanded into training for enthusiasts and professionals.
I have been using a small selection of products from Auto Finesse for a few years now. First off was Verso all-purpose cleaner, later joined by Spritz interior detailer, Satin tyre dressing, Aroma interior scent and Lather soap.
The subject of this post will focus on Lather.
Auto Finesse Lather is a pH neutral maintenance soap geared towards bucket washing. Lather is said to be a concentrated formula with powerful cleaning ability while remaining safe for use on waxes and sealants. It’s said to be dilutable up to 2000:1 with the formulation being designed to give a more intensified wash with a richer dilution.
In use, the tangerine scent is quite unique, slickness is pretty good and the free-rinsing properties make the rinse process quite pleasant. But it’s the foaming aspect that lands Lather in this thread, or to the be specific, a lack of foam in general. Reading the product description, Lather is described as being “super foamy” with “luxurious thick foam”. Liar’s!
Lather just doesn’t foam, be that the thick shaving cream type foam or the runnier, thinner foam. Bumping up the soap content in the foam cannon has little effect.
As many will know, I don’t prescribe to the notion of using different soaps for foaming and bucket washing. For me, a soap MUST do both. A lot of that comes down to my “one bucket method” of washing, using the foam cannon to apply soap to the whole vehicle, the bucket with a small amount of soap added is only used to rinse the wash mitt between panels. So, when a soap can’t do both, then it’s immediately written off.
Auto Finesse do offer Avalanche, a higher foaming soap which sits alongside Lather in their line-up. Avalanche is designed to be a pre-wash foam to soak contaminants prior to the contact wash. You then rinse that off, in theory taking the dirt with it before following up with Lather for a contact wash.
In theory, I could have simply selected Avalanche instead of Lather, but………………Auto Finesse don’t quote a pH reading for Avalanche. It’s also infused with citrus oils for stronger cleaning ability. Both of those factors when used for contact washing would likely cause degradation to waxes and sealants.
I do realise that in some cases, using two different soaps can be desirable, especially when trying to deal with baked on road film. But I see no reason why Auto Finesse couldn’t have made Lather foam better. Well, I do actually…………………..they want you to buy both soaps. When a product like Carpro Reset, NV Snow or Koch Chemie GSF can function in dual roles, splitting the functionality into two different soaps is pointless.
I probably should have known better when ordering this soap. However, when very specific wording and phrases were used to describe the foamability of Lather, it was certainly a disappointment to learn otherwise.
For Australian reader, ordinarily I would say don’t buy Auto Finesse Lather. However, it would appear Waxit have made that decision for you by discontinuing the brand in Australia, with the whole Auto Finesse range currently on clearance with up to 45% off.
Meanwhile, Lather becomes my next bin cleaner!
kilobravo
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D: Great post (as always.)
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408cuda
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MACHtobers Very Own
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Almost all my chemical guys stuff has moved to the dungeon. Except for a half bottle of VRP and a bottle of some tire dressing that I feel like is just vrp rebadged 
everything else I'm wasting away on my daily driver. I can't bring myself to just throw it away )=
everything else I'm wasting away on my daily driver. I can't bring myself to just throw it away )=408cuda
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Haha same here.Almost all my chemical guys stuff has moved to the dungeon. Except for a half bottle of VRP and a bottle of some tire dressing that I feel like is just vrp rebadged
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OP
DFB5.0
Well-Known Member
- Thread starter
- #29
What dirt? I can't see any!This was a disappointing product I bought last year. While application and removal was good, it did not last for very many washes. I have moved it to the dungeon of my detail cabinet. Decided to try it out on my wheels today
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OP
DFB5.0
Well-Known Member
- Thread starter
- #30
Almost all my chemical guys stuff has moved to the dungeon. Except for a half bottle of VRP and a bottle of some tire dressing that I feel like is just vrp rebadged
Mentioned earlier in the thread, I gave away my CG products, although I did enjoy using VRP, it just doesn't last long enough, even for me.
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