black bart
New member
Their I corrected it for you.
the best detailers.... Shout Out!!
- Thread starter dr_detail
- Start date
Ronkh
Wax Waster
Their I corrected it for you.
hrumph
rabbi
The Whaler Loves Detail City
I voted I don't care as I don't care.
assout:
assout:JAYPRODTLR
New member
yeah, I saw a thread the other day on here with a link to some guy who detailed a guys BMW M6- said it took 16 hrs blah blah blah. I worked as a detailer for BMW for 5 years and had to detail 2 cars a day, many were X-5 SUV's all in 8-9 hrs. I could not see where the work he did took 16 hrs, especially with the interior being as clean as it was- unless the extra time was for taking the pics.
Beemerboy
Just One More Coat
Jay
you just opened a can of worms again...good luck with this...and I can agree at some levels with what you are saying.
Ronkh
Wax Waster
I voted I don't care as I don't care.
I want the blonde, brunette and redhead. :drool:
Ronkh
Wax Waster
JohnHenry
New member
How about a reality show!? :yay
Monster Swirl with Jesse James and his bodacious wife Sandra wearing her microfiber bikini
sorry... I digress :redface:
Monster Swirl with Jesse James and his bodacious wife Sandra wearing her microfiber bikini
sorry... I digress :redface:
teck
I like it Slideways!!
Wow
Ronkh
Wax Waster
Ronkh
Wax Waster
what channel ?
jaybs02
New member
Sit down, relax and have a donut while you read the thread.
Ron, I won't be able to move if I keep eating all the cookies and stuff you are sending out ... :rofl
Poorboy
Founder Poorboy's World
Drama on DC...I love it
almost like the old days on autopia :lol2:
How can you really judge who is the best??? Just because someone does some exotic doesn't mean he is the best detailer out there. It all about his attention to detail and the care he puts into his work.
you can't :inspector:
I think we all know the type of detailers that are on the forums. Most are about taking their work to the next level and not about how many "cars" they get done in a day.
In the end its all about what makes you happy. Not if you are in the "top 9" or not...
Also...why isn't there a Top 10 or Top 15"...Get my point..
that about sums it up Pat :rockon
Eric that is what I tried to say too :bow
who are you kiddingI voted I don't care as I don't care.
just by answering you are in "it" :notme:there is a difference that was pointed out earlier ... you were working for a living with time constraints, the BMW and detailer were not and it was not all done in one day. With no time constraints you could easily slow down and get anal, which is fine if that is what is allowable
instigator :huh:
Ronkh
Wax Waster
ck the dinner thread.
OK I just decided to add to this. As for ratings, I dont really like the number system rating. It would nice if someone was traveling the nation and stopped by several members who were detailing daily drivers and getting them as close to pristine as possible. The rating system could be purple, lavender blue red white. Or grade type going from F through A+. Just this Iowa boys idea. Just much easier than 1, 2, 3 and so on.
Ivan Rajic
New member
those of you finishing a thorough 2 step in 6-8 hrs please post a video so we can end these discussions
dr_detail
Beautification Specialist
Ok let me outline a litte further on how this "Top Detailer" search might better be accomplished...
Open to any one willing to show up and pay the entry fee.
These would be complete details - interior, exterior, motors, undercarriages, what ever you think should be done to demonstrate that you are the best of the best. This is a "Best Detailer" contest - detailing encompases all aspects.
Contest could start off as regional thing, with the top winners from each region advancing to the next round via sponsor $$$$. These next round winners would advance, etc. until we end up with the top 10.
Use whatever methods, products, procedures you want, sponsors of the event will have materials available for contestants, but no one would be locked into using them.
Standard duty, active patrol vehicles (preferably black and white) pulled from a local fleet of same year, make and model with simular mileage - luck of the draw decides who gets what vehicle. Vehicles however can not have major body damage.
All vehicles will be judged by a rounding out the totals of a the same seven judge panel, along with four local selected judges. A point system will be used both before and after detailing. ....
more to come....
Open to any one willing to show up and pay the entry fee.
These would be complete details - interior, exterior, motors, undercarriages, what ever you think should be done to demonstrate that you are the best of the best. This is a "Best Detailer" contest - detailing encompases all aspects.
Contest could start off as regional thing, with the top winners from each region advancing to the next round via sponsor $$$$. These next round winners would advance, etc. until we end up with the top 10.
Use whatever methods, products, procedures you want, sponsors of the event will have materials available for contestants, but no one would be locked into using them.
Standard duty, active patrol vehicles (preferably black and white) pulled from a local fleet of same year, make and model with simular mileage - luck of the draw decides who gets what vehicle. Vehicles however can not have major body damage.
All vehicles will be judged by a rounding out the totals of a the same seven judge panel, along with four local selected judges. A point system will be used both before and after detailing. ....
more to come....
blk45
It's all in the prep!
OK, a little clarification. I looked at the article again and it says:
However, most of the guys on the "list", are generally observed as being VERY good at what they do, by a LOT of people. Some consider them to be the best. Just like everything else in life, we all have different opinions. Are there other detailers out there that are just as good? I'm sure there are. The one thing that stands out about these guys, is they have the admiration of their peers. When other detailers that are considered to be "the best" admire your work, I think that is the some of the highest praise that you can get. I also respect the fact that most of these guys are very humble. Confident? Absolutely, as they should be, but not cocky and they are willing to keep an open mind and try to learn something new. And have the humility to say that they learned something from someone else.
I don't know most of these guys personally, but their reputations preceed them and the help that they provide to other members of the community and the invaluable knowledge that they acquired over years of trial and error that they share with others, speaks volumes about their character.
I do however know one of them personally. Todd Helme. Todd and I are very good friends. He has taught me a lot. The one thing that has always impressed me about him, is his thirst for knowledge and the desire to know why. He isn't content to know this polish works good with this pad on this type of paint. He wants to know why and how. We have had some very in depth conversations about abrasives, foam compositon, paint characteristics, etc. He is very knowledgeable about all of his "tools" and gladly shares this info with others. This combined with his passion for his work, really shows through on the vehicles that he works on. I have had the priviledge of working with him multiple times. I learn something new every time. As you all know, pictures can't capture the subtle details that the human eye can, and let me tell you, it is a sight to behold. I haven't had the priviledge of seeing the other guys' work in person, but I'm sure it looks fantastic as well.
It's like one of my other hobbies, audio. Most of my friends never understood why I spent thousands of dollars on a "stereo". Some of them actually cared enough to stop and listen. The ones that had "the ear" for it, were blown away. WOW! It sounds like she is standing right here in your living room singing to me! Needless to say, that audition in turn cost them thousands of dollars! Others however thought it sounded great, but still couldn't justify the price. If I couldn't hear the difference, I wouldn't spend the money either. Once you learn about staging, depth, seperation, imaging, etc. and you can hear them, you are hooked. The same applies to detailing. I see a lot of cars that are swirl free and shiny. Then I see a car that has been worked to it's maximum potential, and the difference is staggering. The gloss alone is very impressive.
I know there are more than a handful of guys that are extremely good, but I'm pretty sure all of the guys listed deserve mention in the group of "top detailers".
Like pretty much everything else in this world, this is just my opinion and most will not agree. But you know what? It's a free country (for now) and we can do that. :cheers:
So technically, they aren't saying that they are the end all be all list, just some of them. Obviously, as mentioned, there is no way to quantify this.
However, most of the guys on the "list", are generally observed as being VERY good at what they do, by a LOT of people. Some consider them to be the best. Just like everything else in life, we all have different opinions. Are there other detailers out there that are just as good? I'm sure there are. The one thing that stands out about these guys, is they have the admiration of their peers. When other detailers that are considered to be "the best" admire your work, I think that is the some of the highest praise that you can get. I also respect the fact that most of these guys are very humble. Confident? Absolutely, as they should be, but not cocky and they are willing to keep an open mind and try to learn something new. And have the humility to say that they learned something from someone else.
I don't know most of these guys personally, but their reputations preceed them and the help that they provide to other members of the community and the invaluable knowledge that they acquired over years of trial and error that they share with others, speaks volumes about their character.
I do however know one of them personally. Todd Helme. Todd and I are very good friends. He has taught me a lot. The one thing that has always impressed me about him, is his thirst for knowledge and the desire to know why. He isn't content to know this polish works good with this pad on this type of paint. He wants to know why and how. We have had some very in depth conversations about abrasives, foam compositon, paint characteristics, etc. He is very knowledgeable about all of his "tools" and gladly shares this info with others. This combined with his passion for his work, really shows through on the vehicles that he works on. I have had the priviledge of working with him multiple times. I learn something new every time. As you all know, pictures can't capture the subtle details that the human eye can, and let me tell you, it is a sight to behold. I haven't had the priviledge of seeing the other guys' work in person, but I'm sure it looks fantastic as well.
It's like one of my other hobbies, audio. Most of my friends never understood why I spent thousands of dollars on a "stereo". Some of them actually cared enough to stop and listen. The ones that had "the ear" for it, were blown away. WOW! It sounds like she is standing right here in your living room singing to me! Needless to say, that audition in turn cost them thousands of dollars! Others however thought it sounded great, but still couldn't justify the price. If I couldn't hear the difference, I wouldn't spend the money either. Once you learn about staging, depth, seperation, imaging, etc. and you can hear them, you are hooked. The same applies to detailing. I see a lot of cars that are swirl free and shiny. Then I see a car that has been worked to it's maximum potential, and the difference is staggering. The gloss alone is very impressive.
I know there are more than a handful of guys that are extremely good, but I'm pretty sure all of the guys listed deserve mention in the group of "top detailers".
Like pretty much everything else in this world, this is just my opinion and most will not agree. But you know what? It's a free country (for now) and we can do that. :cheers:
JohnHenry
New member
Well said, Eric.
We will never find a definitive answer to so subjective a question as who is the "best" detailer. We each have an opinion on which of the dozens of finer points of our trade/hobby are more important than others.
Also, have we considered the high end detailers who are lurking and laughing, knowing that they would lose their celebrity clients in a heartbeat by posting their vehicles on the internet?
One quality that has not received much attention is: how significant a contribution has the "Top Detailer" contender made to the industry?
Like Blk45, I have had the pleasure of meeting Todd Helme. I'm sure that the other detailers mentioned in the article are good guys... I just happen to know Todd and count him among my friends.
I have taken the liberty of copying a post that I placed on Autopia last summer. (Troy, if this is against policy, please just zap the post. I don't mean to offend or break the rules.)
"Being an absolute rookie in this field, I can't add to Todd's detailing accolades with any degree of credibility. If I may, however, I would like to tell anyone who does not know Todd a little bit about the man.
This thread speaks for itself. Todd is probably among the top one percent of talents in the detailing world. He is obviously extremely busy. Reading the awards listed above is a jaw dropping experience. We all are familiar with Todd's work.
What you may not know about Todd is that he is one of the most generous people I have ever met. He recently drove two hours each way to an Autopia meet simply to help three rookie enthusiast level detailers for no apparent reason other than his love of the profession.
Todd was among the first to arrive and the absolute last to leave, eight hours later. With the assistance of ZoomZoom Mazda5 (Angelo), Blk45 (Eric), Premium (Garry), and DjErickD (Erick), Todd conducted a graduate level seminar in the art of paint correction.
I know that I speak for all the newbies when I say thanks to Todd and all the Autopians who so generously share their knowledge, equipment and time to help the rest of us.
Thanks again, Todd, and Semper Fi.
Jay"
We will never find a definitive answer to so subjective a question as who is the "best" detailer. We each have an opinion on which of the dozens of finer points of our trade/hobby are more important than others.
Also, have we considered the high end detailers who are lurking and laughing, knowing that they would lose their celebrity clients in a heartbeat by posting their vehicles on the internet?
One quality that has not received much attention is: how significant a contribution has the "Top Detailer" contender made to the industry?
Like Blk45, I have had the pleasure of meeting Todd Helme. I'm sure that the other detailers mentioned in the article are good guys... I just happen to know Todd and count him among my friends.
I have taken the liberty of copying a post that I placed on Autopia last summer. (Troy, if this is against policy, please just zap the post. I don't mean to offend or break the rules.)
"Being an absolute rookie in this field, I can't add to Todd's detailing accolades with any degree of credibility. If I may, however, I would like to tell anyone who does not know Todd a little bit about the man.
This thread speaks for itself. Todd is probably among the top one percent of talents in the detailing world. He is obviously extremely busy. Reading the awards listed above is a jaw dropping experience. We all are familiar with Todd's work.
What you may not know about Todd is that he is one of the most generous people I have ever met. He recently drove two hours each way to an Autopia meet simply to help three rookie enthusiast level detailers for no apparent reason other than his love of the profession.
Todd was among the first to arrive and the absolute last to leave, eight hours later. With the assistance of ZoomZoom Mazda5 (Angelo), Blk45 (Eric), Premium (Garry), and DjErickD (Erick), Todd conducted a graduate level seminar in the art of paint correction.
I know that I speak for all the newbies when I say thanks to Todd and all the Autopians who so generously share their knowledge, equipment and time to help the rest of us.
Thanks again, Todd, and Semper Fi.
Jay"