Foam wash mitt throwdown: Optimum vs Lake Country

[512detail]

This is somewhat rough but thought I`d share either way...



The players from optimum

`
Blue waffle wash pad
Optimum Waffle Wash Pad

Big red wash sponge
Optimum Big Red Wash Sponge

From Lake County

Blue foam sponge (blue color)
Lake Country Foam Car Wash Sponge

Foam wash wedge
Lake Country Wash Wedge



Sorry but there are no pics here. I used these mitts when washing my truck quickly but I did go onto it with some objective criteria in mind...

The Criteria:

I set out to judge these on a cumulative points basis. I set out 1-5 points with the highest points (5) set to go to one clear winner...because it`s un American to not have a winner, right?

A)hand feel-how does it feel in your hand?

B )suds capacity-how much foamy soap will it hold?

C)softness-how soft does the foam wash media feel on your hands?

D)ease of use -similar to ergonomics but needed a separate category

E)grit guard cleaning-how well does this clean up on the grit guard and washboard?

F)surface area of use


G)•bonus• repeat use/purchase potential

Now on with it....

Optimum vs Lake Country Foam Wash Mitt Showdown

Hand feel-
All fit in the hand very well. The only standout is the Lake Country wash wedge which got a 5, every other product got a 4. The wash wedge has the best hand feel because of the handle that is glued on to the end of the wash wedge (more on that later). I guess you could say I have normal sized hands. I usually grab the medium sized gloves at the store.
The OPT waffle wash pad is very thin and squeezes easily. The LC wash wedge feels very sturdy when new, it softens up a lot after a few uses though, which is more desirable to me personally. The LC foam sponge and OPT big red sponge have a solid feel to them and the LC foam sponge is a little easier to squeeze into when dry.

Suds Capacity-
The best suds capacity goes to the squared off sponge block designed Lake Country Blue foam sponge and the OPT big red sponge. They hold a significant amount of wash solution and you can squeeze even more out. These two got a 5 and the OPT waffle wash pad got a 2 as it just didn’t hold a whole lot of wash solution –it’s not very thick. The LC wash wedge got a 3, it holds a good amount of sudsy water but not nearly as much as the winners in this section. They hold a significant amount more. So much that you could need to add more water to the rinse bucket if you squeeze them out away from the bucket.

Softness-
Softest is the OPT big red wash sponge (5). The OPT blue waffle wash pad which is slightly softer than the LC wash wedge but I gave them both a 4 and the LC blue foam sponge got a 2. It is significantly less soft than its equal sized counterpart, the OPT big red wash sponge. Think of the Big red sponge as a lsp/wax type softness and the LC foam wash sponge (blue) as more of like the polishing/cutting type pad feeling (it’s quite significant IMO. I would have no fear of the Big red sponge marring a surface but I don’t use the LC foam wash sponge on my black paint because it just doesn’t feel soft enough. Yes it softens up with the water still doesn’t feel as soft as any of the other wash media tested here.

Ease of use-
The easiest one to use is the LC wash wedge (5) hands down, it has a built in handle and it is very easy to grip and helps you from having to put your hand in deep into the bucket to use the grit guard. I gave the other three entries 4 points each in this category as they are also very easy to use but the wash wedge is that much easier with the built in handle.



Grit guard cleanup-
All of the mitts used here clean up exceptionally well on the grit guard and washboard. I gave them all 5 points here except for the LC wash wedge because it has a tendancy to shred at times on the grit guard and I have lost a few fins of the foam in the last couple times using this product, so it go 4 points here.

Surface area of use-
the largest surface areas of use go to the block type sponges from LC wash sponge and Optimum big red sponge. You have much more sides with these sponges They both received 5 points. The LC wash wedge gets 4 and the Optimum waffle pad gets 2 points.


Repeat use potential (cost not factored in)-
I would definitely repurchase the OPT big red wash sponge and Lake Country Wash Wedge (actually I have 3 wash wedges right now). These two received 5 points. Four points goes to the Optimum waffle wash pad because it is a great wash pad (I prefer it for RW though) but it works really well with a traditional 2bm with grit guard. I gave the LC blue wash foam 2 points because I have used it a while and the big red sponge from OPT is the same size, but so much softer. It is like having a wax pad compared to a polishing pad on softness.
I did not factor price into these points but the OPT big red sponge and LC Wash Wedge are the most expensive. The other two are actually about one third of the price of the former. For me personally I don’t mind paying a little more for a much better wash media. I didn’t want price to be a factor here so I did not let It become one.

Final score:
Fourth place- with 24 total points is the Optimum Waffle Wash Pad
Optimum Waffle Wash Pad

Third place goes to Lake Country Foam Car Wash Sponge with 27 points
http://www.autopia-carcare.com/foam-...l#.V1cGz032ahc

Second place is the Lake Country Wash Wedge with 30 points
http://www.autopia-carcare.com/wash-...l#.V1cG_U32ahc

and the winner is (in case you are just terrible at deduction)…drum roll…
Optimum Big Red Wash Sponge with 33 points
http://www.autopia-carcare.com/opt-r...l#.V1cHG032ahc


FWIW- I will only be repurchasing the Big Red Wash Sponge (as I already have 3 LCWW and 2 LC car sponges and two OPT waffle wash pads (great for RW btw- the best for that of these four just FYI).

Thanks for viewing. Sorry for the lack of pics.
-Brandt K.

[yg1829]

Awesome! Thanks for the review.

I used to be a die hard microfiber towel user for rinseless washes but lately I`ve been doing a 2BM rinseless with the optimum waffle pad and I love it. It works really well for me.

I have a BRS in transit now. Can`t wait to try it.

Great review! I really like the points system.

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk

[Marc08EX]

Very nice and detailed review Brandt!!! Thanks for doing this.

[ShawnF350]

Is this a better choice over microfiber mitts?

[mjlinane]

Great comparison review!

[512detail]

Is this a better choice over microfiber mitts?

I duno...I have a rw throwdown planned with micro mitts eventually

next time I wash my truck will take the two top winners here and compare them to my micro`s

I think there are some solid benefits to these sponges over micro mitts-- they definitely clean off better from the grit guard and they hold a lot more soap and the squared sponge ones have more surface area to use than a micro mitt...so it`ll be a good comparison I think (whenever I get around to doing it)

[GearHead_1]

What? No sea sponge?

Nice review Brandt.

[512detail]

What? No sea sponge?

Nice review Brandt.

nah sorry dog likes it too much as a pillow. haha

[Poorboy]

I think there are some solid benefits to these sponges over micro mitts-- they definitely clean off better from the grit guard and they hold a lot more soap and the squared sponge ones have more surface area to use than a micro mitt...

me no get it? with microfiber the dirt has some place to go .. with a a flat surface the dirt is dragged around ... my microfiber mitt holds as much if not more soapy water (ask Ron and look what`s in most of his delivered boxes) and they wash out fine with the grit guard and are machine washable ... laid out flat, they cover about as much space ...

[Mr. Slick]

I also cringe every time I see a foam sponge used on a car. What about chenille wash mits?

[512detail]

me no get it? with microfiber the dirt has some place to go .. with a a flat surface the dirt is dragged around ... my microfiber mitt holds as much if not more soapy water (ask Ron and look what`s in most of his delivered boxes) and they wash out fine with the grit guard and are machine washable ... laid out flat, they cover about as much space ...

I have yet to try your micro mitt but Ron says they are the best. Now while I can`t scientifically prove it, I feel two of those sponges hold more water than any of my micro chenille mitts from cobra. I guess tomorrow if I get bored I will measure out some water in a small bucket and do a test (but I don`t have your mitt to compare to).

You do bring up a solid point on the foam vs micro, however...on a heavily soiled vehicle I would most likely not go with any of these foam products, I would definitely reach for my micro mitts.

The Big Red sponge and the LC wash sponge both have slits and the LC wash sponge is more porous on the individual slit fins on the sponge than the Big Red but the Big red sponge feels much softer.

This is all, obviously, In My Opinion, which depending on who you ask, may or may not be a valid one. haha

[512detail]

I also cringe every time I see a foam sponge used on a car. What about chenille wash mits?

this was foam media comparison only

as stated above I will compare the two winners here to my cobra chenille mitts and even my other micro mitts next time I need to wash my truck.

edit: the only two of these id use on my car would be the Big Red foam sponge and the LC wash wedge (which I have used before with no issues)

[Tpr1634]

My two cents, I like lake country wedge never had an issue I purchased a big red sponge for rinse less wash using ONR my only gripe with that is its way over priced. I usually use a microfiber noddle which is probably the norm......

[nickclark08]

Brandt- "liked" this earlier, but finally had time to post.

Thanks for for the comparison. Gives me some pause for thought.

Question: do you generally like using the "foam sponges" for washes, or prefer a different type (MF towels, "dreadlock" mitts, etc)?

[nickclark08]

Brandt- "liked" this earlier, but finally had time to post.

Thanks for for the comparison. Gives me some pause for thought.

Question: do you generally like using the "foam sponges" for washes, or prefer a different type (MF towels, "dreadlock" mitts, etc)?

Hit edit, didn`t work. Whatever...

anyways, guess I didn`t scroll thru the thread enough. Question answered, and looking forward to your review on the microfiber mitts, etc.