NEW EDGE Schmitt Grout Sponge: Review

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NSXTASY

New member
So, I was outside in my driveway on a balmy 40* day with 12" of snow all around, go figure, about to do an ONR wash and light clay.



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When all of the sudden the UPS man showed up out of nowhere with a package containing:



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Apparently, it's the beta/prototype Schmitt Grout Sponge (ESGS, thats what I call it).



First impressions, it has nice soft foam on both sides, the blue is a bit softer than the yellow, but not by much. I have a white schmitt and the foam is smooth and nonporous, the ESGS has porous foam, similar to a grout sponge. It has a textured waffle face, snug, "like a glove" pocket, and a rope.



A nice feature of the ESGS is that it can be compacted and squished to rinse it out really well, which is important when I ONR because my rinse bucket has about 1 cap of Duragloss shampoo so its important to rinse all the soap out.



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So after rinsing it out, I dipped it in the ONR solution bucket and went to work:



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And the final product is:



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Final Impressions: I really enjoyed using the ESGS, it rinses clean just as good as a grout sponge, fits like an extension of my arm, covers more area, and the rope is great when you dont want to put your hand inside, but don't want to drop it either. The rope is like a Wii Leash for a sponge. Additionally, the yellow foam will be great for bugs in the summer.



I look forward to using it with traditional soap as well. I usually dont use my white Schmitt with ONR because its difficult to rinse completely, which is important with ONR, but with this mitt, its no problem.



Has the ESGS replaced grout sponges and chenille? For me, not yet. Why? I need a couple more. LOL. When I ONR I use a few media pieces. If this ESGS is as durable as my White Schmitt, it will prove itself a great wash mitt. Its also great that there are companies that see a particular material (HD Grout Sponges) in use and adapt that into a current product.



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*DISCLAIMER* I have no affiliation with EDGE and received this product free of cost.
 
Hard to beat the GS - at 2 dollars a pop. I got away from using mitts and IMHO, prefer the shape/size of the GS. Wonder if they'll come out with a "sea" schmitt sponge!
 
*DISCLAIMER* I have no affiliation with EDGE and received this product free of cost.
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That could be a concern if you think about it.

I thought the attraction to the off the shelf GS was its cost? What does this freebie retail for?

What benefits does it have over a OTC GS, and if any would they outweigh the difference in cost?

Please understand, im not objecting to your post, just trying to compare apples to apples with a little economics thrown in.........

Is the yellow side made of the same material?
 
a.k.a. Patrick said:
That could be a concern if you think about it.

I thought the attraction to the off the shelf GS was its cost? What does this freebie retail for?

What benefits does it have over a OTC GS, and if any would they outweigh the difference in cost?

Please understand, im not objecting to your post, just trying to compare apples to apples with a little economics thrown in.........

Is the yellow side made of the same material?
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Not sure on price, probably similar to the other Schmitts. As to benefits v. GS, I like that its waffled so grime and grit can migrate away from the paint to an extent, it has two textures, you can wear it like a glove, you can place the rope around your wrist and place your hand on the backside. If you like Schmitts, you will likely find this appealing.



The yellow side is a bit less soft, not much



bigjimz28 said:
ponder this:

if it is not made for "grout" and made to wash a car

is it still a grout sponge?
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ponder this: yes.
 
Beta tester feedback:

If I were looking at this on the internet or a store shelf for purchase, I would consider the following.



The rope can cause marring or get in the way.



The area between the 2 separate sponges can collect and hold sediment that could potentially mar a surface. Just looks like one more thing to think about when rinsing in the clean water bucket.



The shape. I like square wash media.



The thought put into it, it just looks like an Edge wave pad made of porous sponge, not a specialized wash product.



I haven't tried it, it may be better than size 15 green suede Pumas, but judging a book by its cover as we do when making and Internet purchase, its not appealing to me.



Not directed to NSXTASY, this post is directed to The Edge manufacturer who will hopefully read this. I use Edge pads and have over 20 and will continue to use them.
 
Very nice. I love the pic of the frozen ground around your bucket. I'm glad Aaron will be offering a product to the people that are hooked on the grout spong material/concept. One of the reasons I love using the regular ShMitt, it because of it's versatility. I can go from scrubbing dirty sandy interiors to washing the exterior of a soft black car with just a quick rinse off.





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I can't do that with a grout sponge because of it's large pores. I wonder if that could be done with this? It has similar construction.
 
NSXTASY said:
Essentially, its the same as the Schmitts, just with Grout sponge like foam.
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Correct.



I too have been using this sponge for washing my car and I love it. I have now tried it for a QEW wash yet but it has been working great for regular washing. It holds a ton of water which is a good thing when you want to keep the surface flushed. If you like the grout sponges you will love this Grout Schmitt.
 
I still wonder how much better this will be than my grout sponges. I mean, is Edge really going to price it LOWER than the grout sponges I get at Home Depot?
 
RCBuddha said:
I still wonder how much better this will be than my grout sponges. I mean, is Edge really going to price it LOWER than the grout sponges I get at Home Depot?
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Do they really need to? Do things need to be the cheapest for people to buy? If that was the case, there'd be price wars all over the place. I've been using grout sponges for 10+ years, but I still bought a few ShMitt's and will most likely try their new GS ShMitt.
 
David Fermani said:
Do they really need to? Do things need to be the cheapest for people to buy? If that was the case, there'd be price wars all over the place. I've been using grout sponges for 10+ years, but I still bought a few ShMitt's and will most likely try their new GS ShMitt.
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Why pay more when you can get the same thing for a lot less? :nixweiss



(Assuming of course, the Edge product will be priced similar close to the current Schmitts)
 
I don't see them being the same thing, so it wouldn't bother me to pay more than $2 for a material that could be similar. For the people who do, I guess it wouldn't make much sense. I think I'd enjoy using either one. Nothing to loose really. It might be a matter of perception and/or the willingness/urge/impulse to try new things I guess.
 
David Fermani said:
I don't see them being the same thing, so it wouldn't bother me to pay more than $2 for a material that could be similar. For the people who do, I guess it wouldn't make much sense. I think I'd enjoy using either one. Nothing to loose really. It might be a matter of perception and/or the willingness/urge/impulse to try new things I guess.
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Ah, ok, I see your point.
 
Is this made out of foam, or straight grout? Interesting design, I asked Aaron about waterless compatibility on the first few Schmitt designs.
 
jsatek said:
Beta tester feedback:

If I were looking at this on the internet or a store shelf for purchase, I would consider the following.



The rope can cause marring or get in the way.



The area between the 2 separate sponges can collect and hold sediment that could potentially mar a surface. Just looks like one more thing to think about when rinsing in the clean water bucket.



The shape. I like square wash media.



The thought put into it, it just looks like an Edge wave pad made of porous sponge, not a specialized wash product.



I haven't tried it, it may be better than size 15 green suede Pumas, but judging a book by its cover as we do when making and Internet purchase, its not appealing to me.



Not directed to NSXTASY, this post is directed to The Edge manufacturer who will hopefully read this.
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good points, here are a few that i was thinking...



1. after using it a while, the glue could possibly seperate after numerous wash's.

2. the square GS is easier to handle/manuever (especially in tight areas) and if you are afraid that you will drop one, keep two in the bucket.

3. the traditional square GS is one whole piece.

4. for the price of one of those mitts, you can probably buy 5 HD/Lowes GS's.



thanks for the review NSXTASY...
 
That rope makes me really uneasy, if it gets caught between the sponge and the paint, it will marr the heck out of it the paint. Still loving my Lowes GS.
 
The Glue is seriously tough, the foam will seperate before the glue dissolves.



I use 3 GS when I ONR, and while they are easy to hold on to, I have a tough time seeing how I could drop the Schmitt.



If you are looking for the cheapest possible wash mitt, obviously, a schmitt would not be your choice. However, if you already use schmitts and enjoy them as much as I do, you are the market for this new one.



I am anxious to try this mitt with a traditional wash.



Obviously, comparing this to a Grout sponge isnt exactly appropriate, but I did. For me the biggest difference is the waffled face, which would seem to be less likely to scratch.



Once I give it a try with a traditonal wash I update this thread.
 
detaildoc said:
That rope makes me reall, if it gets caught between the sponge and the paint, it will marr the heck out of it the paint.
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The rope is super soft and relatively short, I highly doubt it would marr, maybe. Not to mention when I used it, I had the rope around my wrist. It also tucks into the mitt if you want.
 
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