A Water Blade?

[reyo]

I was so skeptical about this product until this detailer told me something that SEEMS to make sense but I want to get some advice from people here.

I guess it's just like the waterless/rinseless wash, that seems to be scary at first.



Of course everyone has the first impression of "scratching". But what this guy told me was that...first you need a very soft blade that's made of real silicon.

Then...if you're going to scratch your car with the blade, it means there's something on the surface which means you will scratch it with anything else you use (terry cloth, chamois, microfiber, etc.)

He mentions that MF may trap some dirt but there is always a limit to it and also since with a towel you will be wiping/buffing/dragging back and forth many passes before the car is dry which induces scratches even more.

With the water blade, only 1 pass is needed which reduces scratch because you're making much less contact with the paint.



I don't know...I'm still kind of skeptical. I want some professional advice from people who've used this thing please!

 

[Ron Ketcham]

OMG, that thing is back?

We tried them at our Vehicle Processing unit 7 years ago at the instance of the owner.

He is not a car guy, he is a money manager and thought it would reduce labor time.

One time, drop them on the floor and bring out the buffing crew,etc.

Theory is great, but from experience, thousand or so vehicles, no,no, no.

If you go for it, well, good luck.

Grumpy

 

[usdm]

I think he has a point in that if the blade catches something that can scratch then its likely that anything else can catch and scratch the paint. The thing it, it is less liklely that one would do as much damage with a microfiber, or even a terry towel, because the knap of the towel can pull in the grit, whereas the blade is just sitting on the paint. With the blade, there is no give, and if something does get caught, then its just there for the ride, and nicking up the surface. When it comes to the blade, I find the best use for it is pulling water off the glass, and that is that. And, just so there is no misunderstanding, if we are talking about the limit of how much dirt a towel can absorb, then we really need to re-evaluate how we wash cars.



As far as the whole multiple passes thing, actually, there are a few techniques that can reduce the amount of wiping that one has to do with towels:



drying with water- ‪Dry your car with Water!‬‏ - YouTube



dabbing at water drops-



resting a big towel over the wet surface, and then gently pull the towel off in one direction



using compressed air or a metro blow/ vac





Just some stuff off the top of my head. Im sure other can chime in with more.

 

[wascallyrabbit]

i won't use it. but he's right scratches are created by moving debris across the paint. any time you move something across the paint you risk the chance of scratching. blades offer no chance of preventing scratches while towels might because the debris will be picked up into the nap away from the paint.

 

[Dan]

With a MF towel, that scratch will be about 1-2" long till it gets deep into the fibers. On a blade, that scratch will be as long as the swipe of the blade. If you want to speed up drying, get a leaf blower.

 

[Bill D]

Could scratch, could also slightly be dragging/diminishing the LSP from the finish. Use 'em for glass if you must but these days I'm only using them for drying chores around the house here and there. I do encourage the leaf blower/ Metro/ Air Wand, etc.

 

[Accumulator]

Something that gets overlooked is the *manner* in which a CWB is used, namely long sweeping motions with a bit of velocity. IF, gee...make that "when", something does get trapped between the blade and the paint, the resulting scratch is likely to be pretty long.



With non-CWB techniques, the motions aren't (or at least *shouldn't be*, IMO) long and sweeping, but rather shorter and, especially in the case of blotting, far less likely to result in a really long scratch if marring does occur.



While I find the towels can provide a bit of cushioning, at least compared to a blade which offers *zero*, I don't find abrasive debris "migrates up into the towel" for me, well..not very much anyhow. Wish it did, but IME once a towel gets contaminated that abrasive stuff is likely to cause problems.

 

[wascallyrabbit]

While I find the towels can provide a bit of cushioning, at least compared to a blade which offers *zero*, I don't find abrasive debris "migrates up into the towel" for me, well..not very much anyhow. Wish it did, but IME once a towel gets contaminated that abrasive stuff is likely to cause problems.

i agree with you on the not migrating deep into the nap. but it does pick it up so as long as your not applying much pressure it seems to move it away from the paint.

 

[reyo]

thanks everyone. im not gonna try it! ill just stop being cheap and drop some money into waffle weave ;D



EDIT: How is the Meguiar's Water Magnet (WW MF Towel)? It's the cheapest I can find...

 

[tom p.]

thanks everyone. im not gonna try it! ill just stop being cheap and drop some money into waffle weave ;D

If you want to go cheap, look in the kitchen dept. at Walmart. They've got all sorts of WW style drying towels. They look identical to the ones I've purchased from our preferred vendors.

 

[Accumulator]

If you try a cheap WW, I'd sure CD-test it first

 

[Bill D]

I have to stop by some WalMarts and start hunting for that drying towel that just got a good review.

 

[reyo]

which towel is it?

 

[imported_DetailDan]

Get a quality waffle weave and a leaf blower instead.

 

[PAR Detailing]

I dont use them, I prefer a waffleweave and a blower.

 

[Brad B]

Agree with what was said on water blades. As far as cheap waffle weaves, be warned that you could luck out but for the most part I find that you get what you pay for. Many towels, even if they have similar compositions of polyester and polymide can still have vastly different strand finishes and weaves as well as threads per inch. It all makes a huge difference in performance. Be sure you get good quality because this is such an important tool.

 

[Bill D]

which towel is it?

It's this one, photos courtesy of tom p.:

85% Polyester 15% Polyamide

 

[Bill D]

As far as cheap waffle weaves, be warned that you could luck out but for the most part I find that you get what you pay for. Many towels, even if they have similar compositions of polyester and polymide can still have vastly different strand finishes and weaves as well as threads per inch. It all makes a huge difference in performance. Be sure you get good quality because this is such an important tool.

Agreed, the one above does sound interesting. Presently I'm still using my soft WWs from Microfiber Tech that are several years old. Some of the others I picked up along the way have lost their drying effectiveness but can still be used, just maybe no longer for big drying jobs.