Silicone Water Blades.
- Thread starter icunjl
- Start date
Debri caught under the best microfiber can do as much or worse damage...correct? The water blade used carefully seems to catch any debri as the accumulated water carries it OVER the paint not on it. And this is AFTER a complete high quality wash and good rinse. Great discussion. I do and will learn by discussing our experiences. Thank you. Dan
Accumulator
Well-known member
Mindflux said:
Heh heh, more like "when" than "if" IMO...
They're good for windows, though
Yeah, until you get something *really* abrasive trapped and mess up the glass.
Eh, I sound awfully negative about 'em for a guy who used the for so long, and still has a pair of them in the shop. Now and then I'll use them on something I don't care about marring; they *are* quite efficient, no question about that.
But on any vehicle I care about, I spend a little time/effort getting most of the water off with the AirWand instead. And the "sheeting rinse" technique works well if your water delivery system facilitates that (the one in my current shop doesn't
).icunjl said:
If the debris makes it to the blade edge I'd say it'd do much more damage there than trapped in a microfiber where it could potentially get deep enough in the nap to avoid marring.
The particle would have nowhere to go on the blade edge but into the paint. Wiping the edge frequently would help, but it's not foolproof. (nothing is though).
I use them when doing bulk detailing for dealerships. There's no way to really wash and dry a car in 30-45min. with proper washing and drying techniques, so when it comes to getting the job done in a hurry I'm all for them. Though if I were to buy one, I would get something like the Griots Garage foam one Ultimate Paint Squeegee - Drying - Car Care - Griot's Garage It may not be any better than a silicone one, but at least it wont squeak across the surface making people wonder what you're using to murder the paint.
Accumulator
Well-known member
Mindflux said:well if you are trapping diamonds with your water blade you could quit detailing and live off the rocks you just accumulated
Heh heh....yeah, I wonder what it is that gets caught (usually between the wiperblades and the glass) that is so abrasaive
Every time I see a scratch in autoglass I wonder "what the #^@%?" even if autoglass is a lot softer these days than it used to be....rcrobbins said:
Yeah, the first squeegee like this that I used was a foam-bladed one from, IIRC, Brookstone.
imported_Bence
New member
icunjl said:
icunjl, just compare the contact/pressure areas which can catch the debris. The silicone edge is a concentrated, punctual something and when the grit particle get directly under it, the damage is automatic. However, a properly folded towel with a rich soft nap can "hide" the particle, because the relative contact area is so much bigger.
I have used one for 13+ years on my vettes without any issues, though I can understand the concerns many people may have with them.
To be clear, I use it only after a thorough wash and rinse,
I use it only on top areas of the car that I know are super clean (roof, hood, trunk, glass, upper half of doors and body panels),
and I wipe it with a MF towel during use to keep it clean.
Now, I think if it was wet and was used on the bottom of a car door or body panel that had grit on it (like missed during washing), then maybe it is possible that it might pick up some grit and scratch the paint? But again, I keep away from areas like that - and I am certainly NOT going to experiment to see if it is possible to cause scratches...
.
I then dry with a good WW MF towel - but even with a towel, I use a very good one on the top areas previously mentioned, and a different on one the bottom half of the body panels for the same reasons listed above.
Not trying to convert anyone, just sharing my experience.
To be clear, I use it only after a thorough wash and rinse,
I use it only on top areas of the car that I know are super clean (roof, hood, trunk, glass, upper half of doors and body panels),
and I wipe it with a MF towel during use to keep it clean.
Now, I think if it was wet and was used on the bottom of a car door or body panel that had grit on it (like missed during washing), then maybe it is possible that it might pick up some grit and scratch the paint? But again, I keep away from areas like that - and I am certainly NOT going to experiment to see if it is possible to cause scratches...
. I then dry with a good WW MF towel - but even with a towel, I use a very good one on the top areas previously mentioned, and a different on one the bottom half of the body panels for the same reasons listed above.
Not trying to convert anyone
, just sharing my experience.I used to cringe thinking about using one on paint for fear of marring, but now that rcrobbins has introduced me to them for bulk work, I do like the efficiency of them. And if nothing else, it beats the hell out of paying for overpriced, microfiber drying towels that usually suck anyway.
Pros:
-cheap
-fast
-Doesn't mar paint ( I swear! I'm using the California jelly blade, no marring)
Cons:
-harder to use than a towel, in my opinion
-Can't get to all the crevices
I say go for it.
Yo! I was actually thinking of starting a thread like this today on the way home from work lol. Since you took your blade, I went Oreilly and got the jelly blade for the shop. And yeah, I learned the hard way today that trying to wash and dry the car in 30 minutes is hard, but doable. Took me an hour to a pre-sale wash and vacuum out the interior for a 745 Li today. Anyways, see ya tomorrow.
Pros:
-cheap
-fast
-Doesn't mar paint ( I swear! I'm using the California jelly blade, no marring)
Cons:
-harder to use than a towel, in my opinion
-Can't get to all the crevices
I say go for it.
rcrobbins said:
Yo! I was actually thinking of starting a thread like this today on the way home from work lol. Since you took your blade, I went Oreilly and got the jelly blade for the shop. And yeah, I learned the hard way today that trying to wash and dry the car in 30 minutes is hard, but doable. Took me an hour to a pre-sale wash and vacuum out the interior for a 745 Li today. Anyways, see ya tomorrow.
sparklescarwash
New member
they r safe have some in my shop use them to knock off most of the water then fiber dry I will bet that some of the people that knock them have never used one easy to clean rinse with water last a long time
Accumulator
Well-known member
hplaceap said:
Yeah, that's what happens. In my case the [abrasive contamination] somehow ended up on a regular, should've-been-spotless panel and "oops!".
Heh heh, the regulars here know how I am about my wash techniques...if it can happen to *ME* I honestly believe it can happen to anybody. Again, it only happened after a whole lotta washes where it *didn't* happen.
So the question is simply whether the efficiency is worth the risk. Either way that flipped-coin lands for somebody is cool with me, I just want people to make an informed choice.
BigAl3 said:
Yeah, about the only thing that bugs me about my shop's water delivery is that I can't do the flood/sheeting rinse.
icunjl said:
Just because a paint job is expensive or is on an exotic car doesnt mean the person taking care of it is any more talented than the average 12 year old.
I cave seen cars at the Concours that are swirled up like you wouldnt believe.
Id never trust a water blade on any paint that I cared about.