What's the softest/non-abrasive clay?

I

imported_RedlineIRL

New member
What would you all reccomend as far as clay bars that are soft enough to not mar, nonabrasive, but will still remove contaminants? All I've used in the past is the meguiars quick clay kit, and last time I used it I noticed some marring left behind. Even after making sure the surface was completely wet and lubed with the quick detailer included. Should I use a better lube instead with this bar?
 
I think that clay and non-abrasive are mutually exclusive terms. That being said, Sonus Green is by far my favorite gentle clay as long as its used with copious amounts of lube. Pinnacle clay is also pretty mild.



Stay away from Clay Magic Blue if you're looking to avoid marring. A great clay before polishing, but thats about it.



Sonus G is the only clay I use for spot clays, additionally, its extremely mild and doesn't remove some contaminants as quickly or effectively as more aggressive clay.
 
NSXTASY said:
I think that clay and non-abrasive are mutually exclusive terms. That being said, Sonus Green is by far my favorite gentle clay as long as its used with copious amounts of lube. Pinnacle clay is also pretty mild.



Stay away from Clay Magic Blue if you're looking to avoid marring. A great clay before polishing, but thats about it.



Sonus G is the only clay I use for spot clays, additionally, its extremely mild and doesn't remove some contaminants as quickly or effectively as more aggressive clay.
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How do these clays compare to the Meguiars bar? Is the Meguiars bar more agressive?
 
Sonus green is extremely mild. On really contaminated cars it's a complete waste.



BUT i've marred paint with the sonus green before in really cold weather. I only clay a whole car if i'm going to polish afterwards.
 
RedlineIRL said:
As far as claying, how often would you all reccomend doing it?
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There is claying and then there's *CLAYING* :D



I spot-clay at every wash to remove stuff my oh-so-gentle wash techniques can leave behind, and I do a quick/gentle claying whenever I refersh my LSP.



And yeah, the Sonus green is very, very gentle, I use it all the time. If the weather/shop is cold, wrap it in aluminum foil (doesn't stick badly) and keep it in your pocket so your bodyheat keeps it soft.
 
aabablusaan said:
All clay is too abrasive to use more than twice a year.
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Nah, not IME and I've been spot-claying at every wash since detailing clay came out in the early '90s.



I clay my LSPs many times without compromising them; if I'm not cutting through the LSP I can't see the downside. E.g., Sonus green barely removes glaze and Mother's/Griot's won't cut through healthy wax if used gently.



Now *aggressive claying*, the kind that can cause light marring, that's a different story. I don't polish even once a year, so I sure wouldn't want to do *that* kind of claying very often. Perhaps we were just referring to different types of claying, and claying bare paint is very different from claying a healthy coating of LSP too.
 
Accumulator said:
Nah, not IME and I've been spot-claying at every wash since detailing clay came out in the early '90s.



I clay my LSPs many times without compromising them; if I'm not cutting through the LSP I can't see the downside. E.g., Sonus green barely removes glaze and Mother's/Griot's won't cut through healthy wax if used gently.



Now *aggressive claying*, the kind that can cause light marring, that's a different story. I don't polish even once a year, so I sure wouldn't want to do *that* kind of claying very often. Perhaps we were just referring to different types of claying, and claying bare paint is very different from claying a healthy coating of LSP too.
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That makes a LOT of sense, as I didn't think of spot claying in my previous statement. I guess that the quality of both your clay and your technique dictates the quantity of claying sessions. Honestly, my previous statement was predicated on something that I believe I read here on Autopia. Consequently, the clay manufacturers began to produce less aggressive clay for enthusiasts that want to perform claying more often. Perhaps my referenced statement did not consider mild, consumer-grade clays.
 
aabablusaan- Yeah, I figured we weren't so much at odds as, rather, talking about different types of clay (and the technique factors in too). Clays that are so aggressive that they mar, and/or techniques that result in the same thing, preciptate the whole "polish it again" thing that oughta be avoided whenever possible, different thing entirely from using clays (and along with them *techniques*) that are nice and mild.
 
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