kaos
6-Speeder
Well, I was nearly out of A2Z, so more wheel cleaner was on the list when I went to the store. I found, right near it, Greased Lightning's Orange Blast Wheel Cleaner. Larger bottle, and cheaper, so I figured what the heck, I'd give it a shot.
The Products:
For the best direct comparison, I decided that I would follow the directions on each bottle exactly, one application, and no brushing. The wheels to be cleaned:
Left
Right
Both wheels were fairly comparable as to how dirty they were. The difference in taking the pictures on the sun side vs. the shade side makes the left one look cleaner, but they're really pretty much the same.
A2Z, per the instructions, is to be applied to a dry wheel and allowed to sit for 30 seconds before being hosed off. The Orange Blast instructions call for a pre-rinse of the wheel, application to the wet wheel, and to be allowed to sit for one minute before being hosed off.
The Results:
Sorry for the poor focus on the A2Z side. Looked fine on the camera's little screen after I took it.
Overall, pretty comparable results. Both products cleaned up their wheel nicely, and both left a similar amount of brake dust that would need to be scrubbed. I had enough A2Z left for the brush scrubbing of two wheels, and used the OB to scrub the other two. Couldn't tell much of a difference.
The A2Z's foaming applicator is definitely superior to the OB's regular spray nozzle. The foamed A2Z clings to the wheel a lot better, where as the OB starts running off as soon as it hits. Didn't think of it until after I was done with all the wheels, but I'm going to keep the A2Z bottle and pour some of the OB into it to see if it will foam up in a similar manner. When brushing, the foamed A2Z is definitely nicer to work with.
For the price, I'm quite pleased with the Orange Blast. Usually when you go for the cheapie, you find out why it's the cheapie. In this case though, the cheapie actually does a good job.
-Kaos!
The Products:
For the best direct comparison, I decided that I would follow the directions on each bottle exactly, one application, and no brushing. The wheels to be cleaned:
Left
Right
Both wheels were fairly comparable as to how dirty they were. The difference in taking the pictures on the sun side vs. the shade side makes the left one look cleaner, but they're really pretty much the same.
A2Z, per the instructions, is to be applied to a dry wheel and allowed to sit for 30 seconds before being hosed off. The Orange Blast instructions call for a pre-rinse of the wheel, application to the wet wheel, and to be allowed to sit for one minute before being hosed off.
The Results:
Sorry for the poor focus on the A2Z side. Looked fine on the camera's little screen after I took it.
Overall, pretty comparable results. Both products cleaned up their wheel nicely, and both left a similar amount of brake dust that would need to be scrubbed. I had enough A2Z left for the brush scrubbing of two wheels, and used the OB to scrub the other two. Couldn't tell much of a difference.
The A2Z's foaming applicator is definitely superior to the OB's regular spray nozzle. The foamed A2Z clings to the wheel a lot better, where as the OB starts running off as soon as it hits. Didn't think of it until after I was done with all the wheels, but I'm going to keep the A2Z bottle and pour some of the OB into it to see if it will foam up in a similar manner. When brushing, the foamed A2Z is definitely nicer to work with.
For the price, I'm quite pleased with the Orange Blast. Usually when you go for the cheapie, you find out why it's the cheapie. In this case though, the cheapie actually does a good job.
-Kaos!
Very thorough. In my use of both products (the past and again when I saw this thread), I found that either one will need agitation to completely remove the brake dust. My subject was a car that had not been washed since the first of October, so I expected this.