Boars Hair -vs- Sheepskin -vs- Short Pile Microfiber

[ronmart]

Okay, I'm sure this is probably going to get religous and has probably been beaten like a dead horse, but I'm new here so I'm going to throw it out there.

For years I used REAL sheepskin mitts and swore by them, until recently when I ran across a short pile microfiber mitt (http://www.autopia-carcare.com/son-dwmitt.html) that I fell in love with. It is wonderful in my opinion because you can actually see if the mitt is clean or not when you take it out of your pre-rinse bucket before putting it into your rinse bucket. If it gets really dirty from crud on the bottom of the car then a nice blast with the hose gets it as good as new. In short, I'm sold on these, but I'm always willing to be proven wrong and not afraid to try something else.

I also have become a big fan of Boars Hair brushes after getting a brand new one from Griots Garage's Tacoma, WA headquarters for only $20 (normally sells for $59.95). To me it is a great tool for non dark cars for a quick wipe down and excellent for all cars to knock of the heavy crud you pick up in the rain so you have a fairly clean surface when you come along with your mitt to avoid micro marring.

What are your thoughts on these three type of products?

(NOTE: I just learned about foam sprayers, so feel free to chime in on those as well)

 

[Mikeyc]

It is wonderful in my opinion because you can actually see if the mitt is clean or not when you take it out of your pre-rinse bucket before putting it into your rinse bucket.

I'm thinking if you can see the dirt that this is a negative and not a positive. If you can see it that means it's on the surface of the mitt and being dragged across your paint causing marring.

I've never used boar's hair so I can't really comment on that. Mentally, I just can't come to terms with washing my car with a brush. Some people do swear by them. I can say though that sheepskin works for me very well.

 

[JaredPointer]

(Several) Genuine sheepskin mitts all the way. Changed often & segregated for certain duties (areas) of the vehicle. They get retired/replaced quite often. Used in conjunction with either a foam gun & several rinse buckets, or a traditional wash using several buckets. I can say that I have the least amount of marring from my wash technique that I have ever had. The process is always open to evolving, but for now, I think I have found the ticket.

 

[ronmart]

I'm thinking if you can see the dirt that this is a negative and not a positive. If you can see it that means it's on the surface of the mitt and being dragged across your paint causing marring.

I've never used boar's hair so I can't really comment on that. Mentally, I just can't come to terms with washing my car with a brush. Some people do swear by them. I can say though that sheepskin works for me very well.

I can't say that I've had that problem, but it is a very valid argument.

To be fair, you can see the dirt but it is trapped into the base of the pile which is about a quarter inch deep. If you are making single swipes per side and gliding it across instead of scrubing then it seems to work okay.

 

[ronmart]

(Several) Genuine sheepskin mitts all the way. Changed often & segregated for certain duties (areas) of the vehicle. They get retired/replaced quite often. Used in conjunction with either a foam gun & several rinse buckets, or a traditional wash using several buckets. I can say that I have the least amount of marring from my wash technique that I have ever had. The process is always open to evolving, but for now, I think I have found the ticket.

Can you (and anyone else reading this thread) give me a link to the mitt and foam sprayer you use?

 

[JaredPointer]

Can you (and anyone else reading this thread) give me a link to the mitt and foam sprayer you use?

The mitts I use are the sheepskin mitts you can pick up at the local parts store and/or Wal-Mart. Just pick them out like you would fruit. Only get the softest, most plush ones available.

If you want to know about the foam gun, send a PM to BillD, fellow DC member/Autopian. He has always been very helpful, and he should be able to tell you anything you want to know about a foam gun.

 

[ronmart]

The mitts I use are the sheepskin mitts you can pick up at the local parts store and/or Wal-Mart. Just pick them out like you would fruit. Only get the softest, most plush ones available.

If you want to know about the foam gun, send a PM to BillD, fellow DC member/Autopian. He has always been very helpful, and he should be able to tell you anything you want to know about a foam gun.

Cool, thanks.

Although I've noticed that no one ever gives up the name of the sheepskin mitt that they actually use. It's a pretty funny thing.

 

[JaredPointer]

Cool, thanks.

Although I've noticed that no one ever gives up the name of the sheepskin mitt that they actually use. It's a pretty funny thing.

I believe they are labeled Eurow.

 

[ronmart]

I believe they are labeled Eurow.

Cool thanks - your the first person to do that!

 

[JaredPointer]

Cool thanks - your the first person to do that!

I don't know if people intentionally do that or not. It could be that all the sheepskin mitts are made by one or two companies. I just know that the Eurow ones are the ones I go go by and pick up here. There's another brand, which I think Advance Autoparts carries - I believe it's Detailer's Pride. You can also order them online as well, but you lose the ability to pick & choose if you do that.

 

[pogo123]

I've recently switched from sheepskin mitts to natural sea sponge, and although I like them both, I like the sponge better. As a matter of fact I just bought a beautiful one from Victoria Wax in Canada for $15.95 plus $6.00 shipping. This sponge is a full 8" across and was pretty clean. If you ever try one don't forget to wash it very well before you use it, since they can have some sand or seaweed in them.

Anyway, I voted "other" because of the sponge but I use the sheepskin sometimes also.

 

[ronmart]

I don't know if people intentionally do that or not. It could be that all the sheepskin mitts are made by one or two companies. I just know that the Eurow ones are the ones I go go by and pick up here. There's another brand, which I think Advance Autoparts carries - I believe it's Detailer's Pride. You can also order them online as well, but you lose the ability to pick & choose if you do that.

Yeah, I honestly think it is because many people don't really know who makes the one they have (based on asking this question to others). I, for example, used to buy this great one with no label or brand on it from my Mercedes dealership. They were sold to the parts department by a non-standard supplier and they were great, although I quickly learned that you don't leave them in a wet bucket overnight (by accident) or they'll fall apart the next time you toss them in the washing machine on a gentle cycle.

 

[ronmart]

I've recently switched from sheepskin mitts to natural sea sponge, and although I like them both, I like the sponge better. As a matter of fact I just bought a beautiful one from Victoria Wax in Canada for $15.95 plus $6.00 shipping. This sponge is a full 8" across and was pretty clean. If you ever try one don't forget to wash it very well before you use it, since they can have some sand or seaweed in them.

Anyway, I voted "other" because of the sponge but I use the sheepskin sometimes also.

I'm scared xxxxless of sponges, just like many feel about boars hair brushes. It is one of those things I'd need to see in action before I'd consider it. I didn't believe in the boars hair until I was at Griots headquarters in Tacoma, WA and they demonstrated it to me that I felt good enough to get one. Now I love them, but still have a mental hang up about them on the hood (although I have done it on my black Benz and it worked fine without any scratches).

 

[fishmilk]

I like sponges as well. Just make sure you get one with deep canals. They trap the dirt deep and have less chances of scratching your paint than ones with shallow or no canals.

 

[SVR]

Microfibre IMO