The Foam Gun. Why?

The foam gun seems to get more use than I expected, but it isn't exactly taking over.
Out of 11 posters:
Big fan, used regularly - 5
Seldom used - 4
OK, but not used regularly - 2

I really expected to find that most of them were stuck away in the corner somewhere and forgotten about.
 
CharlesW said:
The foam gun seems to get more use than I expected, but it isn't exactly taking over.
Out of 11 posters:
Big fan, used regularly - 5
Seldom used - 4
OK, but not used regularly - 2

I really expected to find that most of them were stuck away in the corner somewhere and forgotten about.
Click to expand...

Charles there must be a whole lot of them out there and 11 is no where near a good cross section for comparison. I believe it was BillD from the other site that started most of this craze and I know for a fact that AG sells a ton of them, so 11 answers is a little misleading. Maybe DC members just are not using them as much as other places.. I don't know:confused:
 
I like mine and would buy it again if needed.

No special soap, I normally use Poorboy's S,S, & S.

I like it as a presoak for some vehicles I do. I also use it to do a touch-less wash on my streetrod after a run. If it hasn't been through the rain the foam gum is often all I need to get the road grime off. I can then rinse with my filters for a spot free dry and just put it in the garage and I'm ready to go the next morning.

I also only use between 1 or 2 ounces of soap each wash, so that usage is about the same.

It's just a tool to compliment the the other ways we have to clean a vehicle. It will never totally replace a conventional wash for me but it sure helps in many ways. Just like we have sheepskin mitts, MF mitts, grout sponges, sea sponges, BHB's, Schmitts, etc., members can use what tool/s they find works best for them.
 
While I'm not convinced it is a worthwhile investment, I do want to point out that my opinion is worth just what it cost you. Zip, Nada and all that stuff.

The important thing is that it serves the purpose for several owners and that's the true measure of a product's value, what it's worth to those that use it. :bigups
 
My foam gun just sits on the self.:passout:

I have a high pressure washer that is seldom used but when it comes to removing and dislodging heavy sand and dirt like you get in the winter the washer will out perform the foam gun by a mile.
 
GearHead_1 said:
I think Charles is looking for one. ;)
Click to expand...
Not interested in one at all. See last quote.

black bart said:
I will send him mine and he can do a review on it. :D
Click to expand...
Thanks for the offer, but please don't! See last quote.

CharlesW said:
It's, (The foam gun), not really important to me since about 95% of my washing is now either waterless, (S&W), or rinseless, (ONR/4 in 1).
Click to expand...
Chances are, I wouldn't bother with it doing conventional washes and I'm sure it wouldn't get used with waterless or rinseless washes.

As mentioned earlier, I'm glad for you that have them and like them. I can also sympathize with those that have purchased them and don't use them regularly. I have made a few purchases that didn't work out quite like I had expected. Like the pressure washer that has been used three times in the 4 or 5 years I have owned it. Once to wash a deck, twice to wash houses. I don't think I have ever used it on a vehicle.
 
Personally I believe the foam gun to be useless in the area of detailing. It's a fad, almost in the same form as some rapper wearing baggy pants and then everyone else seeing that feels or believes to be just as cool and hip they also need to wear their pants baggy.

This though is my opinion, which doesn't count for much because like butt holes, everyone has one....even though this can be argued.

So to get to the real meat of this we need to ask if the desire of a "foam gun" is to cover the vehicle in "foam" with the thought that the foam is acting as a pre-cleaner then just how effective is "foam" as a surfactant?

In other words, is the cleaning power within the foam or rather is foam (suds) the by-product of the car wash formula?

Suds, in and of themselves, do no cleaning. Suds are added for the eyes and piece of mind of the consumer because we associate suds with cleaning but it's not suds that clean but rather the surfactants. A cleaner leaning more on the alkaline side can literally have no suds yet be a very effective cleaner. So bathing your car in a thick sheet of foam has only a mental benefit.....and it may look kinda cool.

Then the argument might be that "suds" are the lubrication, they lift and encapsulate the dirt thus giving a safer wash. This though is also more mental that actual. If the above be true then we must ask how is it that products such as 4n1 and ONR can clean so effectively without suds? Thus, suds are neat and cool but they are not necessary in the area of cleaning.

Years ago I tested some car soap for Irene at Top Of The Line. I added a capful, per directions, to my bucket and added water.....yet hardly any suds and the suds that did appear slowly vanished. So I added more soap....and then more soap and thought to myself, this stuff sucks! So I called Irene and told her that this stuff won't clean anything because it produces no suds so she put me in contact with the manufacturer and the chemist there gave me a brief lesson on how suds are not needed. I was floored but after testing his soap I came to see that he was correct. They ended up adding suds though because people just couldn't believe that their cars were being cleaned properly without seeing suds.

Anthony
 
Anthony O. said:
Personally I believe the foam gun to be useless in the area of detailing. It's a fad, almost in the same form as some rapper wearing baggy pants and then everyone else seeing that feels or believes to be just as cool and hip they also need to wear their pants baggy.

This though is my opinion, which doesn't count for much because like butt holes, everyone has one....even though this can be argued.

So to get to the real meat of this we need to ask if the desire of a "foam gun" is to cover the vehicle in "foam" with the thought that the foam is acting as a pre-cleaner then just how effective is "foam" as a surfactant?

In other words, is the cleaning power within the foam or rather is foam (suds) the by-product of the car wash formula?

Suds, in and of themselves, do no cleaning. Suds are added for the eyes and piece of mind of the consumer because we associate suds with cleaning but it's not suds that clean but rather the surfactants. A cleaner leaning more on the alkaline side can literally have no suds yet be a very effective cleaner. So bathing your car in a thick sheet of foam has only a mental benefit.....and it may look kinda cool.
Click to expand...

This is a good point. I don't agree that a foam gun is useless just because it produces foam though. The foam might not be as valuable to proper washing as people think but a foam gun showers the car in car wash solution that happens to foam. Would it be better if we called it a "Car Wash Soap Gun" or "Pre Soak Gun"?

The point is the surface is getting pre-soaked without any mitt or brush contacting the surface of the car. This is a good idea because it does lubricate the surface before it is touched. So what if it's the actual soap and not the foam.

When you clay a car do you apply the clay lube with the clay? No. You lubricate the surface first before it is touched with the clay. Same concept.
 
Troy@DetailCity said:
This is a good point. I don't agree that a foam gun is useless just because it produces foam though. The foam might not be as valuable to proper washing as people think but a foam gun showers the car in car wash solution that happens to foam. Would it be better if we called it a "Car Wash Soap Gun" or "Pre Soak Gun"?

The point is the surface is getting pre-soaked without any mitt or brush contacting the surface of the car. This is a good idea because it does lubricate the surface before it is touched. So what if it's the actual soap and not the foam.

When you clay a car do you apply the clay lube with the clay? No. You lubricate the surface first before it is touched with the clay. Same concept.
Click to expand...
Yea soap is slick so when you put your mitt in the soap bucket and then on the paint don't it do the same thing.

When I use the soap injector on my high pressure washer I don't get foam but I get a lot of soap water at 1500 PSI so I have the lubrication of the soap that the foam gun plus the cleaning pressure of the water.
If the vehicles is really dirty this will prepare it for washing with a mitt better than a foam gun.

Like I have already stated I do not use my foam gun I think I have better options available too me.
 
black bart said:
Yea soap is slick so when you put your mitt in the soap bucket and then on the paint don't it do the same thing.
Click to expand...

I am not saying you need to have a foam gun to safely wash your car.

I am saying that they are not useless and they are great for presoaking a vehicle.

If you don't think your car needs to be presoaked with a foam gun then don't use one. I see the value in using mine. I'm faster with it in most cases and I know it is a good way to lubricate the surface for washing.
 
Troy@DetailCity said:
This is a good point. I don't agree that a foam gun is useless just because it produces foam though. The foam might not be as valuable to proper washing as people think but a foam gun showers the car in car wash solution that happens to foam. Would it be better if we called it a "Car Wash Soap Gun" or "Pre Soak Gun"?

The point is the surface is getting pre-soaked without any mitt or brush contacting the surface of the car. This is a good idea because it does lubricate the surface before it is touched. So what if it's the actual soap and not the foam.

When you clay a car do you apply the clay lube with the clay? No. You lubricate the surface first before it is touched with the clay. Same concept.
Click to expand...

Personally, I use water to clay with. On rare occasions I may use soap in the water but 90% of the time straight water which is usually done after washing but prior to drying.

Informative topic,
Anthony
 
It seems that the foam gun is more of a delivery tool, and what really matters is the quality of the soap that you are using to pre-soak the car to start the process.

"J"
 
Actually I seldom wash my car I QD it after every time I drive it so NO need to wash it.
If I was going to wash a really dirty car I think that a better option is to take the 60 bucks for the foam gun plus the shipping charges add 20 bucks to that and go to Wal Mart and buy a High Pressure washer.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top