Product Review: The Edge Shmitt

[JaredPointer]

Somehow, I miraculously won the November prize drawing from AutoGeek (thanks to Jen for being the bearer of good news). It’s one of the few times I’ve ever won anything in my life, so I was pretty happy. Anyways, the prize was a couple of Shmitts – the white (for washing) and the black (for tires). I figured the least I could do was write a little review on my experience with the Shmitt. Just a note to begin with – I am a hard core believer in sheepskin mitts, for various reasons that I have mentioned elsewhere on DC. The Shmitt was a product that I probably wouldn’t have tried, but through luck/fate/etc I now have the chance to give it a try.

As I did receive this product at no cost, I tried to be as fair and objective as I could with the review process. The fact that I have either good or bad opinions of this product are in no way biased by the fact that I received it at no cost. My sole objective is to pass on information that I have gathered through use of this product.

Packaging: No special packaging.


Price: $11.99 USD for one Shmitt.

Availability: Available from Autogeek and the other fine DC sponsors who carry the Edge line of products. Search Hope the link works...

Directions: No specific instructions were included with the Shmitt. In all fairness, it’s a wash mitt. It can’t be that complicated to use.

Product: The white Shmitt is a “tufted” foam pad on the main wash side, with a yellow, more coarse foam on the back side. I assume this can be used to clean bugs from bumpers, etc. The black Shmitt is a more coarse foam on both sides for use in cleaning wheels, etc.

Usage: Although I have used both Shmitts, my review is going to focus mainly on the use of the washing (white) Shmitt. I used it as I would normally use a sheepskin mitt (traditional bucket method – no foam gun) with a couple of rinse buckets. I feel like the Shmitt held quite a bit wash solution, and it seemed to glide easily along the surface of the vehicle. I think that it did have more of a “grippy” feel than a sheepskin mitt when moving across the surface of the car. Also, when rinsing, it has a tendency to make the rinse water very sudsy, so I usually sprayed it off well with the hose before putting it into the rinse buckets. I feel like the yellow (more coarse) side did a good job of removing bug residue, although I am not a huge fan of using stuff like bug sponges, etc. I didn’t notice any type of marring on the bumper or side mirrors.

Pros: Feels like a durable product. Should have good longevity. Doesn’t seem to hold dirt. It has a large surface, which can be nice on bigger vehicles.

Cons: The hand-hole is pretty small – doesn’t really bother me due to the fact that I don’t use mitts in their intended use as a mitt - I just hold it in my hand. There’s no “nap”, so any dirt picked up is on the surface and can be potentially marr inducing.

Conclusion: The Shmitt is a nice product, and I think it does a fine job of cleaning a vehicle. As I stated earlier, I probably wouldn’t have pursued ordering one as I am happy with sheepskin mitts and feel that they give the “safest” contact surface of any type of washing device. I did like the Shmitt and the results it gave. I will continue to use it, although I don’t see it replacing my sheepskin mitts.

 

[Pockets]

You mentioned in your Pros "Dosen't seem to hold dirt." Do you mean it leaves dirt on the car or the dirt comes off ez when you are done washing and cleaning it off???

 

[JaredPointer]

You mentioned in your Pros "Dosen't seem to hold dirt." Do you mean it leaves dirt on the car or the dirt comes off ez when you are done washing and cleaning it off???

The mitt does not hold & accumulate dirt - meaning that it rinses pretty clean.

 

[ashsarna]

Thanks for the review, any thoughts on the "con" of no nap? Doid you find that there could be situations where the dirt would get stuck? That would not be worth it to me on a daily driver (that can get pretty dirty at times) and I would stay with sheepskin.

 

[Pockets]

The mitt does not hold & accumulate dirt - meaning that it rinses pretty clean.

Thats a great quality. I would like to try the shmitt some time in the future. I havent heard anything bad about it (other than its potential marring qualities, but none have showed up with this review) so why not. :smile

 

[Mikeyc]

Cons: There’s no “nap”, so any dirt picked up is on the surface and can be potentially marr inducing.

Having used my ShMitts dozens of times now on cars lightly dirty to filthy (many times on black cars with soft paint), I can say without a doubt that the ShMitt does not cause marring any more than a brand new genuine sheepskin mitt which was my wash tool of choice prior to the ShMitt. In fact, I recently used my ShMitt with DP 4-in-1 (a rinseless wash product) a few times and saw no marring either.

I think as detailing enthusiasts we have it drilled into our heads that no nap = possible marring. I think what a lot of people fail to realize is that this is not the whole story. Not only do you need a lack of nap to induce marring but you also need a relatively flat surface to hold the dirt against the paint to create marring. Mitts with short knap quickly lay flat to create the flat surface needed for marring. The ShMitt on the other hand does not have a flat surface. The face of the ShMitt is tufted. This is why it will not marr your paint.

JP,

This is a great product review and I always appreciate it whenever someone writes their thoughts on a product so everyone can benefit from them. I hope you continue to use the ShMitt. I think as you grow comfortable seeing that it will not marr paint during washing that you will think more highly of it. I know at first I was concerned about marring. I still bought a ShMitt to try because I really enjoy trying new things and I was not 100% happy with sheepskin mitts. After a few washes, I was singing the praises of the ShMitt and now have bought all 4 types of ShMitt (the two ShMitt package at AG is a great deal). I have yet to use the wheel ShMitt though.

 

[JaredPointer]

I think as detailing enthusiasts we have it drilled into our heads that no nap = possible marring. I think what a lot of people fail to realize is that this is not the whole story. Not only do you need a lack of nap to induce marring but you also need a relatively flat surface to hold the dirt against the paint to create marring. Mitts with short knap quickly lay flat to create the flat surface needed for marring. The ShMitt on the other hand does not have a flat surface. The face of the ShMitt is tufted. This is why it will not marr your paint.

Thanks for your thoughts. If you think about it, when the Shmitt is pressed against the surface of a panel, it gets flat too. I believe marring is possble anytime you touch the surface of a vehicle, no matter what you use. I do feel, however, that with a napped surface any dirt trapped in the wash utensil will have a chance to work into the nap, giving more of a chance to prevent marring. Just for reference, why do you think there's always such a big deal on the forums when someone discusses the pros and cons of using, say, an Absorber. One of the main things is that it has a flat surface that can trap dirt and move it along the surface of the car. This is not as much an issue with a micro fiber drying towel with a nap.

Thanks for the review, any thoughts on the "con" of no nap? Doid you find that there could be situations where the dirt would get stuck? That would not be worth it to me on a daily driver (that can get pretty dirty at times) and I would stay with sheepskin.

I agree that it is something that we have drilled down, but for good reason. Hope that explains a little more about my beliefs in the napped surface being superior.

 

[audiboy]

Great review! I also really love the sheepskin mits and have been on the edge, no pun intended, on wether or not to try one out.

 

[Mikeyc]

I do feel, however, that with a napped surface any dirt trapped in the wash utensil will have a chance to work into the nap, giving more of a chance to prevent marring. Just for reference, why do you think there's always such a big deal on the forums when someone discusses the pros and cons of using, say, an Absorber. One of the main things is that it has a flat surface that can trap dirt and move it along the surface of the car. This is not as much an issue with a micro fiber drying towel with a nap.

The reason the absorber is talked about in such a way is that 1) it has no nap and 2) it has a flat surface. So, it satisfies both of the requirements I have outlined for a tool that could potentially marr the paint. A waffle weave towel does not have a flat surface and has nap which is why it is superior to the Absorber.

My point is that the tool must have both qualities (flat surface & no nap) to be truly dangerous to paint. The ShMitt has no nap but also does not have a flat surface to trap the dirt against the paint. The hairs on a sheepskin mitt after a couple of uses lay flat, but the nap keeps it from being dangerous. So, just to reiterate my point is that a tool must have both qualities to be dangerous.

If you think about it, when the Shmitt is pressed against the surface of a panel, it gets flat too. I believe marring is possble anytime you touch the surface of a vehicle, no matter what you use.

I don't put any downward pressure on my wash tools whether its a sheepskin mitt or a ShMitt. I don't do this because there's no need to. An effective wash tool will get the car clean without the use of pressure. Also, because even the tool itself no matter how safe will contribute to marring. Any time you rub something against the paint you run the risk of marring it. Adding downward pressure will only increase the chance that you will marr the paint.

 

[Aaron@IAP]

Jared,
I know you are a die hard lambswool user and change is hard, but I must disagree with your point about the ShMiTT going flat. First off, lambswool when wet will lay down much flatter than the ShMiTT, and all that dirt in the hairs we hear about is now at the surface not in the nap. I also wanted to post this part of a review done by a user in the UK.

Detailing World


Tommy was then able to use a little more pressure -

(I have attached the pic)



Even though Tommy's applying a nice amount of pressure to the shMITT, you'll notice that the egg box design of the shMITT is staying in shape. We found that this helped offer safety to the wash -

I don't think you said that you did mar your paint with the ShMiTT and we and many users have done so many test that show it does not, that I would not worry about this as a legitimate fear with this product.

 

[JaredPointer]

I don't think you said that you did mar your paint with the ShMiTT and we and many users have done so many test that show it does not, that I would not worry about this as a legitimate fear with this product.

It's good to see the mfg. add some insight to this. Very much appreciated. As I said, I did not notice any marring after using the Shmitt.

I don't really worry about the Shmitt inducing any marring by itself, I just feel that it has more of a potential to hold things on the surface than does a sheepskin mitt which has hundreds - if not thousands - of hairs that "move around" and therby do not produce a flat surface. If dirt is in the hairs, it's more than likely not going to be on the surface of the hair that contacts the car. If it gets on the surface of foam, the dirt doesn't have anywhere to go. Again, this is all just my personal beliefs, which I have come to through use of different types of products. I have no scientific proof to substantiate my claims, as I would imagine no one else does either at this point.

I really don't want my review to sound negative, as that is not my findings with the Shmitt. I just want to give it a fair comparison to what I feel is the benchmark for a wash utensil - a top quality sheepskin mitt. In no way do I hope to convey negative feelings or findings with the Shmitt, I just feel that it has more potential to hold stuff on the surface than does sheepskin. Don't worry, I will continue to use the Shmitt, and I'm sure I'll get a lot of questions as to where I got it from.

Again, I really appreciate the fact that the mfg. takes the time to stay up to date on what the end users have to say about their products. It shows a level of customer service that you really don't see much. it says a lot about the Edge line of products and the people behind them.