David Fermani said:
Mike Phillips posted that he was going to test these out. I wonder what his conclusions were. Mike - what's your thoughts?
Haven't got to it yet but maybe this Saturday morning.
It is the biggest wool wash mitt I've ever seen though and it does look pretty cool. Like so many things detailing related personal preference is going to always be a big factor when it comes to what's best for all of us.
I've been a fan of natural wool wash mitts most of my life for nice finishes but I'm always willing to look at new ideas and just because I don't like it doesn't mean the guy next door won't absolutely love it.
There's a huge difference between washing a car with a show car finish and washing a daily driver you're getting ready to buff out because it's already a swirled-out mess to start with if that makes sense.
For years I told my customer's to purchase and use natural wool wash mitts and replace them often because compared to what their car cost and what they were paying me to buff it out the cost of a good quality wash mitt didn't compare. I also educated them not to use their mitt to wash wheel wells, fender lips, wheels, bumpers, etc where the mitt can pick up dirt and the run the thing down the hood of their swirl-free black Corvette.
Lot of car owners don't think about all the factors involved with maintaining a swirl-free finish on a car with a paint system that is easily scratches, so for people that own a special interest car it's necessary to educate them a little or the finish you create for them won't last and they'll likely blame you.
Had a guy bring me a black Corvette to show me the swirls in the paint 3 weeks later after paying what he thought was a Professional Detailer to buff his brand new Corvette out that came with DISO. This was his retirement present to himself. He wanted me to look at the paint and my guess is he was looking to hear me agree with him that the detailer didn't do the job right.
I looked at the paint and then asked him,
"How do you wash the car?"
He said,
"I take it to the local car wash"
I explained that the only way to preserve the swirl free finish the other detailer achieved for him was to take ownership of the car washing process or hire a talented Professional to come to his house and carefully wash it for him.
I explained to him that he couldn't simply run the car through a car wash and expect the scratch-sensitive clear coat finish on his new baby to remain looking like a show car.
He was so disappointed to hear this because he didn't want to wash his own car, (lazy, or old or both), and didn't want to hassle with having a pro do it for him every time he wanted the car washed.
The Wookie's Fist isn't a wash mitt for the guy that drives a Ford Taurus that doesn't care about how his car looks and it's not for a detailer buffing out daily drivers in dirty, horrible condition.
It might be the right wash mitt for a guy that has a nice car with a really nice finish that understands the paint is easily scratched and you can't just wash a car in any old hap-hazard way.
The Wookie's Fist might not be the best wash mitt for many of the pro and hobby detailers that hang out on discussion forums but it might be a the right mitt for your customer after you polish out their paint and after you educate them on how to properly wash a car so as not to re-instill swirls again.
If you like grout sponges and want to educate your customer on how and why to use a grout sponge that's an option too.
Kind of have to match the right tool to the job and to the user.
