Griot Clay, Speedshine, Undercarriage and microfiber review

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impulsebrklyn

New member
Hi I decided to try some Griots products for the most part I am completely unhappy. Sending most of the products back tomorrow. (I use all Zaino products)



1. Clay is absolutely horrible. Followed directions and it left clay residue on my paint. Almost like Clay smudges. Parts it didnt smudge up I felt it did not clean. Zaino's clay is much much better. Do yourself a favor and don't buy Griot’s!!



2. Speedshine nothing special, and full of carnauba. Ill stay with my Zaino and the new Z-8 blows this stuff out of the water.



3. MicroFiber towel I was afraid to use, it was very ruff on my hands. Ill stick with my cotton towels.



4. Undercarriage Spray something I actually liked. Gives the undercarriage of the car a nice deep clean black look. This product has been added to my car cleaning products.



Thanks Chris
 
Hmm, my father in law just got his Griot's order in today. Plastic cleaner, plastic polish, speedshine, some towels (which look identical to the cheapies you can buy at Wal-Mart), and some applicator pads (terry). I was not impressed with the look of the products, or the performance of the plastic products on his rear convertible window.
 
impulsebrklyn said:
Hi I decided to try some Griots products for the most part I am completely unhappy. Sending most of the products back tomorrow. (I use all Zaino products)



1. Clay is absolutely horrible. Followed directions and it left clay residue on my paint. Almost like Clay smudges. Parts it didnt smudge up I felt it did not clean. Zaino's clay is much much better. Do yourself a favor and don't buy Griot’s!!



2. Speedshine nothing special, and full of carnauba. Ill stay with my Zaino and the new Z-8 blows this stuff out of the water.



3. MicroFiber towel I was afraid to use, it was very ruff on my hands. Ill stick with my cotton towels.



4. Undercarriage Spray something I actually liked. Gives the undercarriage of the car a nice deep clean black look. This product has been added to my car cleaning products.



Thanks Chris
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Is it possible you got clay streaking from not using enough lubricant?



Would the Speedshine be a good product to use if you had carnauba on your paint?



What other brands of microfiber have you used to compare to the Griot's? Did you try the scratch test on a CD?
 
I placed one order with Griot's and returned everything except the boar's head wheel brush.



You can buy the exact same products MUCH cheaper elsewhere.



Outside of the car wash soap, I have heard nothing but bad things about their products.



With all the other products out there, all the online retailers and their competitive pricing and coupon codes, Griot's is reserved for (IMHO) those enthusiasts who are wealthy, don't know much about car care and who feel they are purchasing something exclusive because of the price, marketing and refinement of the Griot image.
 
Spilchy said:
I placed one order with Griot's and returned everything except the boar's head wheel brush.



You can buy the exact same products MUCH cheaper elsewhere.



Outside of the car wash soap, I have heard nothing but bad things about their products.



With all the other products out there, all the online retailers and their competitive pricing and coupon codes, Griot's is reserved for (IMHO) those enthusiasts who are wealthy, don't know much about car care and who feel they are purchasing something exclusive because of the price, marketing and refinement of the Griot image.
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I think that is a little bit of an over generalization.



Yes many of their items are premium priced and there are some alternatives that are less expensive from other vendors, but, to discount them as only for the wealthy and/or the uninformed is unfair. All there products may not be the best “value� when in a bang for your buck comparison; but there is nothing wrong with many of their products and in fact some are quite good.



I have received many items as gifts over the years because the catalogs are easy for relatives to flip through and order from and I personally have found most of the products to be of good quality. If I don’t like something they have a very good no questions asked return policy and they do offer a “one stop� shopping experience for those that don’t want to go to a bunch of different web sites (after paying shipping from various vendors the price difference may equal out).



I have a one of the ww MF towels. I found this towel to be very durable and to perform very well along with a great design with the pockets. My favorite product may be their glass cleaner as I find it works better than any other glass cleaner I have used and the lint free disposable towels are great. I have also used their car shampoo and I think it is fine product. Their clay, which seems like the Mother’s clay and the Zaino clay, worked well for me. The speed shine is nice product and works well for cars that are protected with carnauba based products. I also have one of rubber lined(removable heavy duty glove that attaches with Velcro) sheepskin wash mitts, which is an excellent mitt and god send in the winter mouths when washing outside.



Would I buy tools, hoses, and/or cabinets from them no...but some of the detailing products are fine.
 
If i used any more lubrication I wouldnt have enough to do one car with the supplied 35oz container of speedshine. I lubed it up good!!!!!!!!



No i did not test the microfiber on the cd, to me it felt so poor in my hands I wasnt even going to consider using it.
 
I'll chime in :D



Spilchy- bet you saw my post on this thread coming a mile away, huh ;)



impulsebrklyn- Much as I like some Griot' stiff, my findings regarding the products you reviewed were about 3:1 the same as yours, though I'm not as set on one system as you might be (different stuff on all our vehicles)



1) Yeah, I switched from Griot's clay and never looked back (I prefer Sonus). The Griot's clay is awfully mild when used with Speed Shine and it'll dissolve when used with car wash. When I used Griot's and then went over it again with the Sonus, the Sonus cleaned off a lot of yellow Griot's clay residue.



2) Speed Shine is my second-favorite QD on carnauba (after Crystal Mist), and I find it to be *almost* a "spray wax", it's a sorta "heavy QD". When I've used it to remove bird droppings I could still see the extra wax (different beading, etc.) after a mild wash, at least when used on not-too-freshly-waxed cars. I like it better than EF CP and Qwik Shine (SP?) for cars I use carnauba on (but the Jag gets the CM ;) ).



3) Yeah, I sent back *my* Griot's MFs too. They caused light micromarring on the XJS' soft lacquer (not as demanding as the CD test but truly real-world-applicable). Their MF bonnets are *really* awful, they just slip around on the foam pad and don't take off much of anything. I've used a scad of other MFs and I rank the Griot's well below Vipers, which I don't use on my "good" cars either.



4) Yeah, the Undercarriage Spray is good stuff, but it's messy. DO NOT get it on your floor/driveway, lots of slippery silicon in it! Hard to wash out of cloths too. I usually apply mine with a brush or sponge, just too messy when I spray it.
 
Spilchy said:
With all the other products out there, all the online retailers and their competitive pricing and coupon codes, Griot's is reserved for (IMHO) those enthusiasts who are wealthy, don't know much about car care and who feel they are purchasing something exclusive because of the price, marketing and refinement of the Griot image.
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that's a heck of a market to be in though, no? :chuckle:



i hear great stuff about that speedshine though. i think griots has pretty decent stuff, but is only for cars in basically great condition. so for me that works fine, but for people who are detailing cars for a living, it just wouldn't cut it.
 
well locally zaino is the only thing I can get. Guy sells it 10 minutes from my house. Im always looking to try new things. Im gonna get myself a PC then start trying new products. Im happy with zaino and I dont have spare money sitting around to by car cleaning, polishing and waxing supplies I might completely dislike (especially at 15-20 bucks each)!!!!! Thanks Chris
 
Accumulator said:
I'll chime in :D



Spilchy- bet you saw my post on this thread coming a mile away, huh ;)
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Heh, heh, does a bear sh!t in the woods?! :laugh:



Bet993, I didn't mean to be so harsh in my criticism. It's just that I get their catalogs monthly (unlike Accumulator :rofl) and I see the EXACT same detailing accessories that are much cheaper elsewhere and polishes / waxes that are also cheaper and more effective from other manufacturers like 3M and Meguiar's.



They have an excellent marketing campaign that I still believe caters to a wealthier clientele.
 
impulsebrklyn said:
well locally zaino is the only thing I can get. Guy sells it 10 minutes from my house. Im always looking to try new things. Im gonna get myself a PC then start trying new products. Im happy with zaino and I dont have spare money sitting around to by car cleaning, polishing and waxing supplies I might completely dislike (especially at 15-20 bucks each)!!!!! Thanks Chris
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Are you going to answer the rest of my questions??
 
Griot's offers EXCEPTIONAL customer service. They have a clientele that place a higher value on service than they do on price.



The Griot's products that I have used have been some of the best I have tried. I don't think I would use their mf towels; I have more than enough excellent service sources for super high quality towels at lower prices. I am surprised that their clay is poor; most clay is interchangeable.



I have used the Glass Cleaner, Interior Cleaner, Speed Shine, Leather Conditioner, and Leather Interior Scent. IMO they are all outstanding, particularly the Interior Cleaner and the Leather Conditioner. I don't care for the smell of Speed Shine, but I love the way it works.



Tom
 
Spilchy- ;)



Mosca- Might not be that their clay is really *lousy*, just that there are others that some of us like better. I used Griot's clay for years (since back when it was green instead of yellow) and I never had any real issues with it until I tried the Sonus. Griot's seems much like the Mother's, for instance (and not just because they're both yellow ;) ).



Heh heh, I just *love* the smell of Speed Shine- go figure, huh?



impulsebrklyn- When you get the PC, I would't bother with Griot's "Machine Polishes". You can get much more effective stuff that's also a lot easier to use. Their #3 is good for a *VERY* fine polish, but it's still not very user-friendly.
 
Alfisti- Heh heh, good one :xyxthumbs



Tasty- Sorta an inside joke...I sent back a bunch of stuff (>$350 worth) to Griot's at the urging of one of their reps- their idea. I gave detailed explanations for why I was returning and told them to handle it however they liked (credit, refund, whatever). They immediately quit sending me catalogs and I have to browse their website to keep up with their products/prices. I ask for catalogs, they say they'll send them, but they never do. Even quit sending them to my wife (different last name). I seem to be persona non grata at Griot's despite having spent thousands there ever since Richard was answering the phone himself and always telling people to buy their BHBs and other products!
 
I ordered their paint touch up swabs, and the wax remover<---yuck. They threw in a bottle of their blue QD-whatever it is.



Pretty decent of them, but i would rather support sponsors unless i cant get it through them.
 
I recently bought a set of specialized lugnut sockets from Griots. The sockets are coated inside and out with plastic (so as not to scratch the wheels and lugnuts :xyxthumbs ) and they are deep sockets. I've never been able to find a set of deep 6 point metric sockets and I love the fact that their kit has 17, 19 and 21 mm sockets, all sizes that I use on my cars. :clap: I like the sockets very much but I found their S&H charges to be a bit high.



They were kind enough to send me a bottle of Speedshine. I keep it in the family car and use it for QDing on the occasions when a bird leaves a calling card, to clean the windows, etc, etc. It's nice stuff. Haven't used any other detailing products and don't plan to but I do think they have some nifty tools and gadgets.
 
Clay is absolutely horrible.
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I agree. Right up there with Pinnacle for worst clay. I have been quite happy with the Sonus Block/Glyde products.



Griot's MF is just not as soft as you can get (or as well made) from PakShak for less money with the Autopia discount.



I like some of their brushes though.
 
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