what's a good inexpensive clay?

I

imported_thecarguy

New member
I want to try clay without investing lots of money in it. What's a good clay that is also not too expensive? Also, if you have a good source for it, let me know that also.



Many thanks.
 
On a price per ounce basis, ET Awful found the lowest price at Detail Plus if you buy 10 bars. That's followed by the Clay Away at TOL, Wurth on closeout at Autogeek (there is something weird about that clay, tho..has a funny warning on it), Superior Detail Supplies, Jeffs Werkstatt Prep Clay, Optimum clays at Autogeek (yellow) and Excel (gray), the two-bar pack at Detail Plus, Pinnacle on sale at Autogeek (oops, guess that's over), Griot's, and the Sonus Block.



That's my list...some of that pricing may be a little out of date, and it's the listed price, not including Autopian discounts which may skew it a little. Note that the TOL, Superior, and Griot's are what I call the "ball" clay, in that they don't come in an extruded bar like the Clay Magic, Meguiar's, Sonus, and others. Haven't figured out exactly what that means yet.
 
SilverLexus said:
He said inexpensive. Most Mothers is very pricey.



The best deal is good ole Claymagic for $9-10 for bar and lube.
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Mother's kits here are not what I'd consider expensive. Clay quality is IMO, better than CM clay.



I do not prefer Clay Magic. Just do not like their clay and performance, not surprising that it is lower priced.
 
thecarguy said:
how do I find out about where autopians get a discount and how much the discount is?
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Autogeek, Danase, and Autopia Car Care give a 10% discount. AFAIK, Excel and TOL don't. Griot's definitely doesn't. Not sure about the other clay sources I mentioned.
 
Mother's kits here are not what I'd consider expensive.
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Well I have seen it go from $17-18 (Pep Boys) around town and I don't think it performs any better than Claymagic at almost half the price.



The Sonus Block caly is very good and I would recommend that if you want to spend over $10 and you already have a qd you can use for a lubricant.
 
I've always used Clay Magic. It's about $10 for the bar and lube. Can be found at most auto parts stores.



Has always worked just fine for me, don't see any reason to spend more for the boutique stuff.
 
Plus we should keep in mind there are just a few clay makers in any event so there is a lot of rebranding and packaging going on more than likely.
 
SilverLexus said:
Plus we should keep in mind there are just a few clay makers in any event so there is a lot of rebranding and packaging going on more than likely.
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Thus theres really no such thing as a "boutique" clay.........So why pay top dollar for it.

What you need to make sure of is that you dont get something you really dont want. Absolutely, positivey, stay with a name brand.....Some have a lot of elasticizers/plasticizers in them , which make them a little harder then the Originals, and not really very user/surface friendly. Drop the $10.00-$15.00 bucks, whatever, and get a good one.....Cant stress that enough...Ive heard good things about the Sonus brand, and Im sure its made by one of the respectable companies.....
 
And don't forget to factor in tax and shipping when you compare prices.



You probably wont' pay tax on your online purchase, but will pay shipping.

Conversly you won't pay shipping (sans gas) on store bought product, but you'll pay taxes (which won't be as much as shipping)

Then factor the convenience factor of point click ship and drop off at the door vs. run around town going to a store (double it if you have to step into a Wal*Mart. )
 
Setec Astronomy said:
Depending on how far, and what kind of mileage you get, the shipping on an out-of-state internet purchase may be less than tax and gas.
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Well.... then it would make a difference if he drove a Miata or a truck also.



Lets assume that the tax is 8%. The purchase is $10 for a total of $10.80



Lets also assume the price is the same online, but no tax, and $8 shipping which is a fairly standard in todays world. (S+H)



Our patron has $7.20 to spend on gas,(the difference between online and store) which today is $2.50 a gallon.



In his 13mpg truck he can travel 37 miles round trip. 7.2/2.5=2.88 x 13mpg = 37.44



In his 31mpg Miata he can 90 miles.



Lesson? Don't dirve your truck to go get clay! :o)



Can ya tell I'm bored?



:work:
 
I went thru a similar calc when considering buying something from a local company's internet store, or seeing if there was a way I could come pick it up to avoid shipping costs. The shipping was about $8. I did a MapQuest, and it was about 30 miles each way, and about an hour each way. This was last year when gas was peaking at about $3.40 a gallon.



At those numbers, it was going to cost me 3 gallons of gas, or about $10, wear and tear on the car, and 2 hours of my time...tax was about $2, so there was just no percentage in picking it up. Even at today's gas a dollar cheaper, it still doesn't pay.
 
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