What tool do YOU use to wash? (mitt, mf, brush?)

imported_Picus

New member
I'm sure this has been brought up before, but a kind of funny series of events has led me to want to see what the "Autopian consensus" is when it comes to the actual tool you use to wash cars. I recently replied to a thread on another forum regarding boars hair brushes, saying that while many people use and like them that I prefer sheepskin mash mitts; on my rather soft black G35 they're the only thing I've found that consistently keeps the marring down during washes.



After a series of PMs it seems like a few detailers I have a ton of respect for use a wide variety of tools, from boars hair brushes to grout sponges to microfiber mitts, to straight up microfiber, and of course sheepskin; some even prefer synthetic "Meguairs" style mitts.



So, what do YOU use?



Obviously I use sheepskin. Pros: very soft, minimal marring, "expels" grit and dirt when rinsed, holds a lot of solution. Cons: they are short lived and a little hard to clean sometimes... and they smell.
 
EDGE wash ShMitt. An awesome tool for conventional washing only. I get 100+ used out of them and no marring at all.
 
Sheepskin all the way. It just feels so good to be babying your cars finish with something so soft and so smooth. I can't really ever see myself using anything else. In the long run, they do cost a bit more, but I think the extra cost is worth it.
 
I'm sure we'll find the sheepskin wash mitt is the most popular because of the cost (and their good), and the BHB the least popular (also because of the cost). I use both a BHB and sheepskin mitts, but have developed a preference for the BHB over the last year or so (I think I have a really good one...formerly offered at CMA). I find that the BHB is easier/quicker to dunk and flush in the wash bucket, so I find that I usually rinse the BHB 3 or 4 times per panel in the same time it takes me to rinse a wash mitt 1 or 2 times per panel.



I'd be intersted to know if people have had bad experiences with BHB causing more scratching (than anything else), and if so, what BHB they use? I'm not sure why, but I've heard people bad-mouth BHBs, but come to find out they've never used one.
 
justin30513 said:
EDGE wash ShMitt. An awesome tool for conventional washing only. I get 100+ used out of them and no marring at all.



Where can you order it and what makes it so special? Thanks.
 
a.k.a. Patrick said:
Sheepskin for surface care, Megs Soft Brush for SUV roofs.......



That's it, the very last straw! I'm buying no more sheepskins from you :D LOL. :chuckle:
 
Sheepskin for me. I pick around the supply of Eurows at WM, and pick out the nicer ones. I can't say how many washes I get, but I bought four this year, and I am now retiring the oldest two. The cost factor must be pretty low though.



I may try other sheepskin mitts in '07, to see if there is a "killer" one out there.
 
I used to use sheepskin, but I got tired of their short life span and the hairs they occassionally left on my paint.



Now, I use the Edge ShMitt. It's foam so the texture is the same on the first wash as on the 100th wash. It doesn't leave hairs because it has none and it lasts quite a bit longer than sheepskin. I've experienced ZERO marring during it's use which I attribute to the waffle patter of the foam.
 
i use sheepskin, but for a few garaged weekly's ive been using a mf mit, i agree its nap is damn near non existant but ive noticed no marring from them. just depends on how dirty the car is i guess.





where would the closest distributor to va be on autopia? patrick youre in socal correct?
 
I prefer sheepskins wash mitts. I purchase them from wal-mart, and they are the eurow brand. Unfortunately, they are hit and miss in the durability. I have gotten a few washes out of some, and a hundred out of others. Because coupled with 2 bucket method, pressure washer, and foam gun yields swirls free results, I always turn to the sheepskins.



Greg
 
RAG said:
I like that idea very much...extra water capacity and all.



Ya, I like this idea too. I am also interested in this Edge Mitt everyone seems to love!



I suspect that in the end a lot will come down to technique rather than the exact tool, but I would like to find something that works as well as sheepskin for me and lasts a bit longer.
 
For those using the sponges ans schmitts, how are you guys getting into the cracks around trim and stuff? I love the sheepskin mits because the hairs work themselves into every tiny crack.
 
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