do not use water blade

I use the CWB everyday.

I have a new, unwrapped, backup, just in case. That's how valuable it is in my shop.



I dry a car with CWB, 1 (one) 16x16 MF, and compressed air.



Jim
 
you either love the CWB or you hate the CWB....there doesn't appear to be much middle ground. :p
 
tom p. said:
you either love the CWB or you hate the CWB....there doesn't appear to be much middle ground. :p
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Agreed. You guys may be right that the car isn't 100% clean for it to scratch with the CWB, but I don't have ideal washing conditions. I may start trying to wash at my condo, but I don't have any shade there. My only other options are at my office late in the day or the coin wash. Last year I used the coin wash pretty much exclusively. I've learned a lot from Autopia so I'm trying to devise a better plan before spring is in full swing here.
 
..this is the rear window on my car...I have scratched it on multiple ocassions:
 

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6cyl's_of_fury said:
The CWB is a fantastic tool IMO. If you do put scratches over your car using it, then really you cant be doing that great a job of washing it because scratching it with the silicon blade would be near on impossible so it has to be dirt leftover from washing - that or its blowing a gale with airborne debris like a dust storm....
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I agree. The only way it would cause scratches is if dirt were present on the paint surface or the blade itself. I've used both the CWB and the local Japanese equivalent many times, and have never had any problems; If I didn't wash so thoroughly or make sure the CWB were completely clean, then perhaps I would consider it a risk.
 
tom p. said:
..this is the rear window on my car...I have scratched it on multiple ocassions:
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If you get that kind of scratch on glass, I'm afraid to see what your paint would look like. With all due respect, there must have been significant grit on your window or CWB to have something like that happen. :scared
 
The paint is perfect....I never use the CWB on any of the good cars and have even ceased using it on the old car as it was scratching the trunk lid.



Keep in mind, if you are drying in anything but a sterile, clean air environment, stuff falls on the car while it's being dried. There's no way to avoid it. There is junk in the air everywhere.



It only takes a single grain of sand (or whatever) to do visible damage. The easiest way to avoid it is to avoid using the CWB and just stick with your basic WW or syn chamois.
 
The first time I used the cwb I too got a long scratch on my paint. Maybe a fluke? Anyhow, I've used it since with no problems, but I only use it now on my tonneau cover. My take is if I use the sheeting technique most of the water will come off anyhow, so why risk dragging something over the paint.
 
tom p. said:
..this is the rear window on my car...I have scratched it on multiple ocassions:
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There is no way I'll ever believe a blade made of silicone did this. You had to have something drag under the blade or it happened another time and you just noticed while drying with the CWB. I used mine for years and the Auto Magic one and never a problem.
 
Thumper said:
There is no way I'll ever believe a blade made of silicone did this. You had to have something drag under the blade or it happened another time and you just noticed while drying with the CWB. I used mine for years and the Auto Magic one and never a problem.
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:rolleyes:

he didnt say the silicone did that, he said the silicone trapped something that scratched the window. where a waffle weave towel would not do that.
 
Conceptually, I think the CWB is a very clever invention and I like it a lot. I just don't feel that the average guy can control whether a spec of dirt or a grain of sand has been left on the car (or is blown by the wind while you're taking a break indoors) and is gonna get dragged along by that silicone blade.



i don't know why that window glass has been so susceptible to scratching....I 'spose it's because modern glass is getting softer. There is also window tint on that car which may make the scratches more obvious.



waddaya gonna do :nixweiss



I'd also like to take this opportunity to say that WW towels RULE !!
dance.gif
 
Originally posted by jstn

.... where a waffle weave towel would not do that.
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If you could trap grit under a CWB it could happen just as easily with a WW. No matter what procedures you go through to dry your vehicles, you've got to pay attention to what you're doing. :rolleyes:



There's no doubt that grit can stick to the CWB because I have felt it myself on mine. That's why I always wash and rinse mine before using it. I then double check it to make sure it's grit free. This takes me about 15 seconds which is more than paid back with the speed of drying my vehicles that the CWB provides.
 
HellrotCi said:
If you could trap grit under a CWB it could happen just as easily with a WW. No matter what procedures you go through to dry your vehicles, you've got to pay attention to what you're doing. :rolleyes:



There's no doubt that grit can stick to the CWB because I have felt it myself on mine. That's why I always wash and rinse mine before using it. I then double check it to make sure it's grit free. This takes me about 15 seconds which is more than paid back with the speed of drying my vehicles that the CWB provides.
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:up I fully agree. I wash next to a busy road, and in summer it kicks up a lot of dust and grit. Sure the blade can drag grit, but even if you blot with the WW, if dust is an issue and is attracted to the wet surfaces, it will be there when you start wiping with your wax etc. I take the view that the blade gets rid of the water as fast as possible so the chance of dirt sticking to the wet surface is minimised.
 
Pressure = Force/Area !





(that is why I never buy into the argument that says the WW towel or "Absorber" is gonna do the same amount of damage when compared to a CWB dragging the same grain of sand.)









HellrotCi said:
If you could trap grit under a CWB it could happen just as easily with a WW. No matter what procedures you go through to dry your vehicles, you've got to pay attention to what you're doing. :rolleyes:
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Some points:



Notice the correlation between unhappy water blade owners and the cars they have, = Honda/Acura. I've read some interesting stories on this board and others about how notoriously soft honda paint is, and how susceptible their black paint is to swirling even when using perfect technique.



The blade itself is not perfect. You have to be careful when using it. I do have one but no longer use it. I have found some minute scratches in my paint. When I did use it I always kept a bucket of clean water beside me so that I could dunk the blade inside between swipes. This allowed me to clean any potential grit that got caught on the blade.



I thing WW's or good cotton towels are more forgiving than the CWB because they have a nap to trap dirt away from the paint.



I personally use the sheeting method to dry my car. After washing I use a weak stream of water to sheet the big drops off the car. I then go around and blot the remainder (which isn't much) with a charisma. Works well and have not seen any ill effects.



Bill.
 
a lil off topic but i figured i posted based off my car i can ask a quick question.... what in your opinion is the best wash mit or whatever to minimize scratchs.... right now i have a wool mit, and a few 100% cotton spongy thingys.
 
well lets see its a brand new car and i took it to be power washed which i did myself... powerwashed the crap out of it and then took it home and then washed it thoroughly with my traditional method... i had been gettin some scratchs prior with it so i cleaned the blade and put a lil quick detail on it for extra lube.... it was all good and thought it was fine til my motion light came on in the driveway and i saw what it had done. maybe its just hondas paint but all i know is that i will never use one on my own car ever again
 
Diggs- Calm down, no need to get defensive or vulgarly furious over it. Detailing is a craft, and we all make mistakes. The beauty of it is as long as you're reasonably careful the mistakes can easily be corrected. You'll buff your car out and it'll look better than it did before, trust me.



As for the CWB I see the potential to cause damage, its definately there. I have scratched by car once, but it was a peice of debris on the blade and it buffed right out no problem. I've used it on many colors and makes and that was my only problem ever.



And also, that horrible sqeeking sound goes away as the edge on the blade wears in.



Just like any tool we use in detailing part of being a good detailer is knowing what situations we can use them and what situations we can't. If you dont wash in a sterile environment then the CWB probably isn't for you.
 
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