Eastern MA: More foam gun madness!

[tom p.]

OK, here's another data point on this foam gun situation. I spoke with SmartPak and they sell both the $30 foamer and a $50 version of the Gilmour Foamaster II (aka Mane 'n' Tail Deluxe Sprayer).

SmartPak has 1 retail location and it's on Rt 9 at the Natick/Wellesley line. The helpful young lady told me you can go to the store and attempt to buy an item. If it's not in stock, shipping is free from their warehouse to you!

FWIW, they have a flat rate shipping charge of $7 for the USA. She also said there are none of the $30 foamers at the Natick store, but there is 1 Deluxe Sprayer available.

I guess I'm gonna drop by the store and "buy" the $30 unit and get it shipped to my house....unless I'm over-whelmed by the sheer sexiness of the $50 unit upon inspection

Enjoy!

[asta4]

Very interested to hear what you find out. I've wanted to try a foam gun for a while. Now this gives me an excuse because there local. What kind of store is Smartpak?

[tom p.]

Originally Posted by asta4

What kind of store is Smartpak?

Equine

Horse Supplies, Equine Supplies, Equine Supplements

[tom p.]

E-Z All P/N is 13738
Gilmour P/N is 14209 (you've got to select it from the menu that appears)

[asta4]

Do you think the Gilmore is worth the extra cash?

[tom p.]

I wish I could answer. Somebody else will have to. I've never seen either unit in person. I have the impression that the Gilmour is the precision unit.

[tom p.]

[Setec Astronomy]

Ugh...it's got letters instead of numbers?? I can never remember which way to slide the bar on the brass ones...and which end has the dead hole...so I conjectured the plastic one might be easier...."um..was A the most foam or the least?"

[tom p.]

Mike, for this unit "A" seems to deliver the lightest soap mixture. "E" delivers a LOT of soap.

[Setec Astronomy]

I guess that's rememberable. Does it click into each letter? I'll look into that one if I ever wear out the two brass ones I have That looks like it's probably the same cup that goes on the brass one (we can compare from the sheet if you'd like) so keep in mind that Autogeek sells spare cups with caps if you want to keep more than one flavor of shampoo mixed up and ready to go.

EDIT: Hey...E delivers a lot of soap?? You've used it?? Tell us!

[tom p.]

Originally Posted by Setec Astronomy

I guess that's rememberable. Does it click into each letter?

Yes, with a distinct click.

I'll look into that one if I ever wear out the two brass ones I have That looks like it's probably the same cup that goes on the brass one (we can compare from the sheet if you'd like) so keep in mind that Autogeek sells spare cups with caps if you want to keep more than one flavor of shampoo mixed up and ready to go.

EDIT: Hey...E delivers a lot of soap?? You've used it?? Tell us!

Yes, I played briefly this morning. I mixed a gallon of water with 4ozs of PB's soap + 1oz. of 1Grand's wash 'n' wax product. I filled the container about half full and foamed one of the cars. However, I didn't do a complete wash, just a foaming followed by a rinse. I wanted to see how much soap was consumed and it was less than I would have imagined - - - I was very pleased to see that. I ended up pouring about 1/2 the mixture back into my gallon container.

There is a big difference between "A" and "E". "A" thru "C" are frugal and I'd be comfortable with those setting. I really value being able to determine how much soap I've actually used during the wash cycle.

I'm still trying to establish if the Gilmour is worth 5X the price of the Lowe's $10 sprayer. They both do the same thing: apply soap to the car

Sure, the foaming action is "cool" and uniform, but does it lead to a better and more gentle wash routine? That's what I'm uncertain of at this moment. I don't regret making the purchase - - it's clearly a fine tool. The unit is very high quality and a breeze to use. I do place high value on being able to determine how much soap is being applied. With the $10 unit, it's total guesswork.

The foamer is going to be used on the horse this afternoon in prep for tomorrow's show. I can see it will be a huge benefit and probably do a vastly superior job applying the product and cleaning the horse.


What is the little yellow "deflector" used for?

Thanks.

[jumpman]

What's the difference between this one and the $30 one? Is it worth spending the extra $20?