Review: Gyeon Foam

[kevincwelch]

I don`t always break out the foam lance to wash my cars because it takes a lot of time to set up, mix, use, proceed to a 2BW (Aggressive Method, anyone?) and clean up all that mess. We can argue that foaming may be an unnecessary step. Does it truly bind and loosen up grime and dirt? I mean the real stuck-to-the-paint dirt? Questions still to be answered.


Nevertheless:





I picked up Gyeon Q2 Foam as part of the introductory sale Autogeek was having to usher in its new line of Gyeon products. I am not a big foam lance user. I have tried Chemical Guys Honey Dew, Chemical Guys Mr. Pink and DP Xtreme Foam in the cannon before, and I thought that they all work pretty well. Lots of suds. Lots of clinging. Recently, I tried CarPro HydrFoam, which I think is a neat product but expensive.


Here is the description from the AG website.

The perfect pre-soaking foam shampoo for your vehicle!


GYEON Q2M Foam is a high-foaming was shampoo ideal for use in a foam gun. Yielding mountains of foam, this safe and effective formula loosens up stubborn dirt and grime so you can rinse it away. GYEON Q2M Foam is safe for use on coated and uncoated vehicles alike.


When your vehicle is dirty it can be difficult to wash away the dirt and grime without accidentally causing swirls or scratches. The perfect solution for this problem is to create a touchless car wash in your own driveway! GYEON Q2M Foam creates piles of foam when used with a foam lance, foam gun, or foam cannon, blanketing your vehicle in lubricating foam. After letting GYEON Q2M Foam soak for a minute, rinse it away and enjoy your clean, shiny, scratch-free finish!


GYEON Q2M Foam is safe for use over your entire vehicle—from paint to polished aluminum! Whether your vehicle is coated or not, GYEON Q2M Foam lifts away dirt and grime so you can safely rinse it away. It leaves no film, either, just a squeaky clean surface ready for the next step!

A shot of the bottle:



No color additives. I like color. It makes me think it`s working better. It also helps me remember if I diluted the product in the bottle! Just kidding. I don`t really care about added colors or odors. I just want a product that works and doesn`t require me to use a respirator.


The instructions say to dilute this product in a 1:5 ratio. Wow. 1:5. At $21.99 for 32 oz/1 liter, that`s a lot of product that will be used in a short amount of time. CarPro HydroFoam is said to be diluted 1:9. McKee`s Xtreme Foam is 1:3 (2 oz product per 6-8 oz water). This is the same ratio as DP Xtreme Foam. According to Chemical Guys, for Mr. Pink, you fill up the foam lance bottle "most of the way" with water and the rest with Mr. Pink. Not very specific. Honey Dew instructions weren`t very specific either.


Sticker indicating the dilution ratio and assuring us that it is a safe product to use:







Before diluting:







As I said earlier, the purpose of foaming up a car is perhaps a bit dubious. I can see how foaming it up (as we would presoak a car before a rinseless wash) would add a layer of soapy water to improve the lubricity and enhance a 2BW. I have a feeling that most of us are already using the pressure washer in this instance to wash off the thick dirt and grime to get some mechanical debridement of the car. So, what`s left after the pressure washing? The dirt and grime that is stuck to the paint. This is what`s left that requires you to physically touch the paint in order to remove what`s left. Can foaming up the car aid in binding this grime/dirt or loosening it up? Some of us believe so. I at least see the benefit in "lubing up" the car before I lay my mitts on the vehicle.


So, let`s go with the assumption that we`re using it to lube up the car, because I`m not sure how to test whether it is loosening up the dirt and making the wash easier. If we want it to lube up the car, my measure of how effective this is going to be is how thick the soap ends up being and how well it clings to the car and how long it clings to the car.


I like reviews, but what good is a review if one can`t see the long term outcomes or at least a comparison against another product. I have Honey Dew, Mr. Pink, HydroFoam and DP Xtreme Foam. Since CG didn`t have any specific recommendations on dilution ratio and since HydroFoam is another beast, I chose to compare Gyeon Foam to DP Xtreme Foam, which is no longer sold. McKees Xtreme Foam may be the same thing, but it could also be a "new and improved" version of DP Xtreme Foam.


I love Xtreme Foam. I have used it time and time again for foaming and for 2BW. When I run out of it, I will buy McKee`s hoping that it is similar or better.


So this is it. Here is a side-by-side video comparison of foaming up my wife`s car and just observing the two foam up and run their courses.


The products:
1. Gyeon Foam at 1:5 ratio
2. DP Xtreme Foam at 1:3 ratio (2 oz per 6 oz) - I went with the less diluted option (v. 2 oz Xtreme to 8 oz water)


Equipment:
1. Greenworks electric pressure washer (1.7 GPM)
2. Generic foam lance


The Vehicle:
1. 2015 Toyota Highlander. Very well maintained. Coated with C1/EXO. Topped about 2 weeks ago with Rupes p808.


Notes regarding the tests. I pressure washed each side with water to knock off the chunks of mud and bigger pieces of dirt. After that, I sprayed 1/4 the bottle on the vehicle`s side. On the video, you can see that I appear to be starting my spraying of the DP side before I start spraying the Gyeon side; that`s why I may appear to be spraying the Gyeon side longer. Although the timer suggests that I let this sit for 3 or so minutes, in reality each video was a 10 minute recording and sped up. I`m not sure why the timer didn`t reflect that. Guess I need some new video editing skills.


Basically, when you hit 1 minute in the video, that`s about 4 minutes in real life recording. At the end of the video, that was 10 minutes later.





As you can see from the video, Gyeon Foam is a clear winner in terms of thickness and in terms of how long it clings to the surface of the car. What we don`t know and what I didn`t test here are two things: does Gyeon offer better lubricity when compared to DP and does Gyeon loosen dirt more effectively than DP. I definitely cannot answer the latter, but I have my opinions about the former question. If Gyeon is sticking around longer and is thicker, I propose that it will offer greater lubricity simply by virtue of its volume.


CONCLUSION
Gyeon foam is $21.99 for 1 liter of soap. It is basically odorless and colorless. Its recommended dilution is 1:5 and is reportedly safe for all parts of the car and for coated vehicles. It sticks around quite a long time, and I think it is definitely worth it to achieve that extra, long-lasting layer of suds for anyone who wants to glide right over it with a mitt using either the 2BW method or the Aggressive wash method.

[Migue]

I`ve wondered about pre foaming as of lately as well, especially after seeing a video of two filthy panels on the same car being presoaked(one with ONR and one with foam) then left there, only to see that both sides look equally dirty after being left to dry...which made me think that pre soaking with a rinseless solution may be as effective as foam except the fact that I do like foam to gently scrub those panel gaps/grilles with a brush as pre treatment.

[rlmccarty2000]

A good test would have been CarPro Reset vs. Gyeon Foam. Reset has really thick foam and it`s clear like Foam. I wonder if they are pretty much the same soap?

[kevincwelch]

This has certainly got me thinking about whether Gyeon and CarPro are consanguinous to some degree.

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[rlmccarty2000]

Along with TAC Systems. All three have a S. Korean heritage. I`ve never cared if my soap was colored or had a certain fragrance. I just want it to clean my car. Adding color and fragrance is nice and may add to the overall washing experience, but in the end we all just want a clean car. I believe Dodo Juice Supernatural is clear also. I still have half a bottle that I haven`t used somewhere. Expensive soap.

[Marc08EX]

Another great review Kevin!

I totally agree about doing comparisons in review. I try to do it if possible.

[mjlinane]

Excellent review!

[kevincwelch]

Another great review Kevin!

I totally agree about doing comparisons in review. I try to do it if possible.

Thanks, Marc. I figured that we often have products we know and love and wonder if the new one in the scene is any better. That`s why I like comparisons and reviews in one.

Excellent review!

Thank you!

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