Pressure Wash Gun vs Foam Wash Gun

[Goatluver]

I have been on the fence for which style wash gun I should purchase.  The pressure washer gun appears to be the best but how do the regular hose guns compare?  During the bracket racing season I wash the car at least once a week.  Dragging the pressure washer out each and every time I need to wash the car could be a chore if the basic hose gun works sufficient enough.  Is the PW gun is far superior than the hose gun?  Thoughts.

[Will!]

Do you have extremely hard Water? When you say it doesn't dwell long, how long are we talking?

There is a video Phil @ Detailers Domain has when he is testing Auto Finesse Avalanche foam (winter foam for pre wash), and after 5 mins dwell time it's basically ready to rinse off.

It's not going to look snow covered for 20 minutes lol. 3-4 oz in the foam cannon then filled with water is fine for Adams Shampoo.

I've also noticed the electric 2000 psi or less washers tend to make better thicker foam with less pressure and slightly less gpm.

I did some more messing around with my foam cannon today and I have found that 3oz produces a good thick lather, with about a 5-7 minute dwell time. I also did not notice a significant difference between rinsing my truck first before foaming and foaming without rinse first.

[Ricky Bobby]

This is what a Foam Gun from a hose will give you:

 

This is what a Foam Cannon from a Pressure Washer will get you:

 

 

I guess you need to see which is closer to your expectations when it comes to Foam.  The Pressure Washer is a great way to go if the car or truck is absolutely filthy.  The mixture in the Foam Cannon from this shot is 50% Car Shampoo, 50% Waterless Wash.  

 

In the Foam Gun on the hose, I use 32oz. of Water with 4oz. of Car Shampoo.  The big differences between the two are such that the Cannon's Foam will stick a LOT better than the Gun's Foam.  The Gun's Foam certainly doesn't cling like the Cannon, but it does provide a nice layer of lubrication between the Wash media and the surface of the car or truck.

 

Hey Mook I was going to get myself a foam gun for the hose as for the price point it's a no brainer to help with maintenance washings, I know the old Adam's gun (Hydrofoamer) is still sold by Griots, would you recommend that gun over the Gilmour?  Gilmour is out of stock everywhere right now and runs about 15-20 bucks more, let me know!  I see most people have the Gimour but I am liking the videos I see with the old Adams/Hydrofoamer gun.  Thanks!

[Bunky]

I have the Griot's one. It works pretty good for a foam gun. It is inexpensive if you want to try it out.

[Ricky Bobby]

I think i will, were you the one with the Optimum soap in the Griots gun video?  If so I like it!

 

Adam's soap in the griots gun should be awesome, I always find that after my initial rinse, my sealant is so hydrophobic that the surface does not stay too wet when I go to hit each panel with the mitt.  Would be nice to do a pre-rinse, then a foaming soak and hit the panels that are "pre-soaped" so to speak.

 

Would love a true foam cannon but garage storage and budget is not friendly now.  couple of brass disconnects and the foam gun is $40 (to switch between foam gun and the fire nozzle for rinsing)

[Bunky]

I think i will, were you the one with the Optimum soap in the Griots gun video?  If so I like it!

 

 

Yes that was my video.  I have used Adam's in it too. I still have a batch of Phil's (of Detailer's Domain) Cocktail..mixture of Adam's soap and a little all purpose cleaner. He had used it in his details.

[tony97gt]

Looking at that contraption gave me a few ideas. Is there a way to rig up one using a scuba tank? You could go with a smaller tank than the standard larger one so it's not so heavy, maybe scale down the pressure a little to conserve a bit more air. Or...is there a way to make a device similar that would work with the Master Blaster? At least if it's electric it won't require refills like a scuba tank.

[Timmy8784]

I finally pulled the trigger and bought an electric pressure washer and a foam cannon. Definitely feel like it's the way to go over a foam gun. Definitely stays on longer with a lot more foaming action. Only used about 3 ozs of Adams shampoo and the rest filled with cold water

Edited September 8, 2014 by Timmy8784