rickzilla09

I've started placing my polishes towards the ends of the cart or table I'm using while detailing, and it allows me to not even pick the bottle up to put more polish on the pad. Place pad under pump, hit the pump with 1 hand, back to polishing. They do make things rather convenient.

That is why I love living in Phoenix, Arizona. Summers get really hot but most of the year it's dry and very little rain.

I'm 900% happy with mine.  I found that it's ideal for us in the north when it's too cold to do a full wash,  I can just foam it up, let it sit, and rinse the salt and crap off my car.  Great product.

I'm typically only detail my car but word of mouth has spread at the office how much of a detail junkie I am. I just recently did a co-workers Honda Civic Si for $130. That included a premium wash (2-bucket wash, ext trim cleaned/dressed, wheels cleaned/dressed, glass inside/out, full vacuum and interior dusted). The vehicle had very minor swirls and at the customers request only wanted me to clay it and apply sealant. Took me like 3 hours so I made about $43 an hour.

I have used the Gilmour Foam Master II for several years. I have tried multiple water/soap ratios and fiddled with the gun dial and I'm yet to find a single time where this gun creates more foam than you can do with just a bucket and a garden hose. I have finally just settled on the "E" setting. This setting throws the maximum amount of suds but I can run through 3 oz mixture of shampoo & water in about 2 minutes.

Lately it seems to have doubled the time invested in washing the car since the "foam" drips from the car too fast (again, I have never been able to dial this thing in with an even consistency). And let's not forget the spray gun. This has to be the worst gun I have ever used. I usually have to stop washing and connect my Eley pistol grip spray nozzle. On a side note I am a quick connect junkie so changing sprayers is pretty quick.   Bottom line I have not been satisified, hasn't helped/saved me any time washing my car, and "foam" is average.

So that brings me to today. I finally received my Adam's Foam Gun. After unboxing the unit I immediately noticed the built quality. The "other" foam gun is mostly constructed of a cheap plastic and the sprayer is 2 pieces...not with Adam's. This thing is built like a tank and the trigger sprayer's once piece design is AMAZING! I quickly did a test comparing both guns and this thing produces an even amount of suds while not burning through the shampoo in 2 minutes. FINALLY..an even consistency!!!! Even the spray grip is better quality and is actually useable while rinsing off the car.   Final Assessment   Not a MUST have in your garage but certainly compliments your 2-bucket washing method. Lot's of fun, great suds and quality build should last for years. If you want to add to your detail aresenal I would suggest you pick one up! (I recommend pairing with a quick connect if your not doing so already)     PROS   - Quality Craftsmanship (built in the USA) - Great Suds (without wasting shampoo) - Spray Gun is great   CONS   - More time in the garage away from the wife (this could be a PRO to some) ha ha! - Your pressure washer might get jealous for cheating

Adam's Energy Drink! To properly rehydrate and refuel. Helps replace lost fluids, electrolytes and carbohydrates while detailing your vehicle!

Hell yes man I may need to pick one up as well...

Possibly, but since you can add APC to the Car Wash Shampoo to do the same thing it seems like an extra product to keep track of.

I grabbed a 5" pad and cut into 4 sections to fit underneath the door handle and took out about 90% of the imperfections.

Thank you all for the replies! I'm going to buy a new pad and I think I will wash my pads like rickzilla09 from now on. Thanks again!

^^^^ SPOT ON.
 
5 freakin hp man.  Get the professional hose for the Ridgid Vac as well and the crevice attachment, as well as a couple others, the Ridgid has a lifetime warranty, just keep the filter clean and put it to good use!  I have a larger capacity Ridgid in my basement and for cleaning up our spare bedroom which we have 2 pet bunnies in, trust me it's a solid buy.
 
My FiL has the handheld Metro Vac and I wasn't impressed with it, my Dyson has better cleaning power but I got sick of beating it up vaccuuming the cars out and with the dog hair.
 
Pro Hose:
 
http://www.homedepot.com/p/RIDGID-10-ft-Pro-Grade-Universal-Wet-Dry-Vacuum-Hose-Kit-VT2570/100375877
 
4 gal Ridgid Vac:
 
http://www.homedepot.com/p/RIDGID-4-gal-Wet-Dry-Vacuum-WD4070/202077241

To make the foam gun even easier to use I pre-mixed my foam gun solution in a gallon container.  It is mixed at 6 oz. Adam's Car Wash Shampoo to 32 oz. of water.  Just pour the solution in the foam gun  and you are ready to go.  If you want a heavier mixture, just add a little more Shampoo to the foam gun.
 

Great comparison shots! Thanks for posting!!

Great comparison Ricky, great photos, and thanks for taking time to write this up!!  

SOLID comparison, I agree with all your thoughts even though I don't have one yet.  Its a "step above" other foam guns for sure and worth the higher price.  Everything oozes quality on it.
 
I have a Griots/Hydrofoamer and it doesnt even have brass connections, will look into getting one of these, as I rarely break out the pressure washer to utilize a foam cannon.

So about 3 weeks ago I had to take my car in for it's schedule 10K maintenance check-up. Before I start let me say Lexus has amazing customer service and even provides you with a loaner vehicle while your car is being worked on. But as part of the package they always offer to wash my car. Being the detail freak that I am I specifically told them DO NOT WASH MY CAR!! I could not have been more clear...The service tech assured me they would not wash it. After about 4 hours I return to pick up my car. This is where the nightmare began. I begin to do a quick walk-through of my vehicle and I found scracthes along with swirls in the paint. What made me even more upset I noticed they coated the car in wax to cover up the imperfections. After talking to the service tech they agreed to pay to have my vehicle detailed. I told them I detail my own vehicle but they can certainly write me a check for the few hundred bucks it would cost. Ofcourse they weren't willing to just give me money. Well after about 30 minutes of back and forth I got them to provide me $250 worth of gift certificates to use for services/accessories for my car.
 
Anyhow, I happen to stumble on this DO NOT WASH THIS CAR PSA online. I ended up printing a few up and laminating them at the office. I now have a few in my glove box so going foward I should not have this problem every again.
Anyone else have a car wash nightmare at the dealership?
 
 

So about 3 weeks ago I had to take my car in for it's schedule 10K maintenance check-up. Before I start let me say Lexus has amazing customer service and even provides you with a loaner vehicle while your car is being worked on. But as part of the package they always offer to wash my car. Being the detail freak that I am I specifically told them DO NOT WASH MY CAR!! I could not have been more clear...The service tech assured me they would not wash it. After about 4 hours I return to pick up my car. This is where the nightmare began. I begin to do a quick walk-through of my vehicle and I found scracthes along with swirls in the paint. What made me even more upset I noticed they coated the car in wax to cover up the imperfections. After talking to the service tech they agreed to pay to have my vehicle detailed. I told them I detail my own vehicle but they can certainly write me a check for the few hundred bucks it would cost. Ofcourse they weren't willing to just give me money. Well after about 30 minutes of back and forth I got them to provide me $250 worth of gift certificates to use for services/accessories for my car.
 
Anyhow, I happen to stumble on this DO NOT WASH THIS CAR PSA online. I ended up printing a few up and laminating them at the office. I now have a few in my glove box so going foward I should not have this problem every again.
Anyone else have a car wash nightmare at the dealership?
 
 

Phil @ DD sells the Kranzle's for great prices.  His coupon codes usually work on them as well.  If I was expanding my business it would most definitely be a worthwhile investment, they are GREAT machines, super high quality.

I have a 1st gen Griots 6" Oribital polisher. I must have bought it 12-14 years ago and it works just great. It's not worth much to sell so now I just mainly use it for my nano scrubber. I now own the Rupes LHR15ES and I absolutely love this thing. If you can't find the budget go with the Griots. Like you I have always taken the more natural progression on my upgrades.

I'm currently using a foam master II. I really need to pony up the cash and pick up a pressure washer. I will be going with an electric model as well. I'll be grabbing the Kranzle K1122TST. It's only 1,400 PSI but it's all I need for for the vehicles. Additionally, it's rated a 2.0 GPM. 

I'm excited to try out the new shampoo. Unfortunately I'll have to wait a while since I just picked up a gallon of Chemical Guys Mr. Pink. Stuff works really well and it smells great. But half the fun in detailing is trying out new products.