Almost accidental product review:Armor-All Glass Wipes

**imported_doug** · 11-20-2002, 01:24 PM

Truth is, I was waiting for a prescription at Walgreens. To kill time I cruised the store, focusing, of course, on the 12` or so of aisle space devoted to car goodies. (Cheap car goodies. ) Knowing my car`s windows were filthy inside and out, on a whim I reached up and grabbed a jar of these glass wipes. Fact is, I thought they were Meguiar`s - the packaging concept is similar, and I hadn`t tried them yet. If I had realized they were Armor-all i probably wouldn`t have bought them at all.

In a word, they suck.

They`re packaged in a big pastic bottle that is way too big to be stored anywhere in your car except the trunk. I`d love something I can discreetly stow in my glove box or map pocket.
They are very thin - not so thin as to tear, but so that they don`t distribute the pressure from your hand at all. This makes it really easy to miss spots, very different from a multi-folded terry towel ofr MF wipe.
They streak. With sufficient wiping you can overcome this, but we`re talking way more work than it should be.
Worst of all, they leave loads of tiny lint fibers behind. Can you believe it? A product specially formulated for cleaning glass, and they leave lint!
To top it all off, they are not cheap. at $5.00 for 25 wipes. that`s 20 cents a wipe.

Can`t recommend this product. Not even close.

Moderators - feel free to move to Product Reviews section after the initial discussion dies down.

**Paintxpert** · 11-20-2002, 01:52 PM

Had the exact same experience!

I also found that they were very difficult to get out of the tube, often pulling out more than they should :nono

They were dry and didnt have much cleaning ability and yes they streaked loads.

Got some Windolene glass wipes (a nice small and thin handy pack of 20) by accident and they were superb!

Only really use these things in the summer when I am out driving to be honest. Damp MF cloth inside and out does a brilliant job, so why bother with anything else? :nixweiss

Might try some of that autogylm polish to see if it makes much of a difference

**Redcar GUY** · 11-20-2002, 01:52 PM

thanks for the heads up

**stuart hicks** · 11-20-2002, 01:58 PM

I too used those wipes ... had the exact same impression.

Glad to see a bad product getting some bad press.

**imported_Intermezzo** · 11-20-2002, 02:03 PM

I bought something similar made by turtlewax a while ago. When first using it, I wasted a few wads right off the bat trying to get the first wad through the top nozzle properly. As for how much I liked the product, I`d say my opinion pretty much mirrors that of cardude`s.

Off-topic: I kinda like Meguiar`s Rich Leather Wipes because the saturated wads make it easy to spread the product around. I`ve always felt the traditional leather lotions packaged in a bottle were hard to spread and wasted a little product. Plus, it`s a one-step cleaner/conditioner and good for a quick detailing of your seats.

**imported_doug** · 11-20-2002, 02:21 PM

Good to know that I am not alone!

Has anyone tried the Meguiar`s glass wipes?

NickATRvtec: I`ve never heard of Windolene brand- where are they sold?

**Paintxpert** · 11-20-2002, 02:41 PM

Carguy:

I`m not sure whether Windolene is a UK only brand, it might well be, but I cant say for sure.

I found mine in a supermarket with the rest of the usual glass spray cleaners etc :up

**Paintxpert** · 11-20-2002, 02:55 PM

Here they are:

**C. Charles Hahn** · 11-20-2002, 03:25 PM

yup I`ve tried the meguiar`s wipes as I got some for free packaged with an order of other meg`s stuff I recieved. They`re just as bad as the Armor-All ones IMO - streaky, thin, linty, no good. I personally think this is a property of all "wipes" type products.... but thats just me.

**stuart hicks** · 11-20-2002, 07:40 PM

I have tried many wipes, most of them are useless. However, I got to say the glossier glass wipe is the best of the bunch. I would still use my favorite window foam over this product, but it is the one window wipe worth using.

**imported_Dude** · 11-20-2002, 10:42 PM

Windolene looks just like a product called Windex that`s available in the US. I bet they are the same- identical products are often sold under different brand names in different countries.

**rstype** · 11-20-2002, 11:32 PM

Windolene and Windex are identical products owned by Johnson & Johnson. Their wipes certainly look similar:

Windolene = British Windex

**shaf** · 11-21-2002, 01:23 AM

LOL - an Autopian reduced to using Windex on his windows? The end is near!

On another note though, does anyone know if they are tint safe? I think the requirement for this is no ammonia...

**dimondshiner** · 11-21-2002, 01:46 AM

I got the same problem

I bought the glass wipes (and also the vinyl wipes).

They streak a lot. Taking more work than you should need for that kind of cleaning.

I ended up buying the liquid glass cleaner (also "Armor All" brand)

That one is great for me