98QueS-10s Posted October 15, 2015 Share Posted October 15, 2015 Has there been any interest in making a clay bar towel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ricky Bobby Posted October 15, 2015 Share Posted October 15, 2015 Adams has said in the past they are not interested in selling clay alternatives for the potential of marring that comes with some clay alternatives. They are readily sold elsewhere, if you like them, use them, but Adam's last I heard only is going to keep clay in with their decon regimen. Kourtney@Adams 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheBurninator Posted October 15, 2015 Share Posted October 15, 2015 Adams has said in the past they are not interested in selling clay alternatives for the potential of marring that comes with some clay alternatives. They are readily sold elsewhere, if you like them, use them, but Adam's last I heard only is going to keep clay in with their decon regimen. IMO with the customer base that Adam's has it would cause more customer service issues than help pro/prosumer level detailers that are few and far between here. The ones that are at that level use more than just Adam's products as well. Has there been any interest in making a clay bar towel. There are other companies make them. Or are you just looking for something with Adam's backing? Ricky Bobby, Kourtney@Adams and Kingsford 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
98QueS-10s Posted October 15, 2015 Author Share Posted October 15, 2015 I was really just curious if they were good enough to carry the Adams name, or were they more of a novelty "snake oil" type item. Plus the quality that Adams has I would lean more towards their product if it was an option. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
camaro2ssblack Posted October 15, 2015 Share Posted October 15, 2015 Definitely not snake oil. They are very effective for production detailers where time is money. No need for a weekend warrior to have such tools... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheBurninator Posted October 15, 2015 Share Posted October 15, 2015 Not snake oil at all, but they carry high risk of of marring compared to the fine grade clay that Adam's carries. IMO not for a novice to be using and not for maintenance claying. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ricky Bobby Posted October 15, 2015 Share Posted October 15, 2015 Add to the fact that lets be honest Adam's would probably not be able to make it "in house" as the polymer on the towel/mitt/sponge is I'm assuming patented and has to be licensed from someone so they would just be private labeling an already existing product and not necessarily "building from scratch" They are definitely NOT snake oil and work absolutely well for us guys who detail for dollars on the side. TheBurninator 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest washemup Posted October 15, 2015 Share Posted October 15, 2015 (edited) Marring from clay towels comes from improper use, or using too strong of a grade. If used correctly they save a lot of time versus traditional clay. Most towels need to be "broke in" properly on the glass. They come with a coating to keep contaminates off of it during packaging, this has to be removed on the glass first. You don't use pressure with them, and unlike clay where you can see the contaminates, with the towel, you listen and feel, because the contaminates are not visible on the towel. It also has to be used in a specific temperature range, and requires more lube then clay. I would think Adams sells clay because for a person doing it for the first time, there are much less chances of marring the paint, especially if the user has a car with soft clear. If I'm going to polish a car, I'm really not worried about a little marring from the towel, because it can be easily removed when polishing. For someone who is just going to wash, clay, then seal or wax, or both, the marring can't be removed. So for Adams user's who don't use a DA polisher, clay is a better option. Although a first time user of clay could go straight to a towel, it's probably a good idea that they use traditional clay first, get the idea of how to use it and what it does, before moving to a prep towel. Edited October 15, 2015 by washemup Kourtney@Adams 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHL88 Posted October 15, 2015 Share Posted October 15, 2015 Marring from clay towels comes from improper use, or using too strong of a grade. If used correctly they save a lot of time versus traditional clay. Most towels need to be "broke in" properly on the glass. They come with a coating to keep contaminates off of it during packaging, this has to be removed on the glass first. You don't use pressure with them, and unlike clay where you can see the contaminates, with the towel, you listen and feel, because the contaminates are not visible on the towel. It also has to be used in a specific temperature range, and requires more lube then clay. I would think Adams sells clay because for a person doing it for the first time, there are much less chances of marring the paint, especially if the user has a car with soft clear. If I'm going to polish a car, I'm really not worried about a little marring from the towel, because it can be easily removed when polishing. For someone who is just going to wash, clay, then seal or wax, or both, the marring can't be removed. So for Adams user's who don't use a DA polisher, clay is a better option. Although a first time user of clay could go straight to a towel, it's probably a good idea that they use traditional clay first, get the idea of how to use it and what it does, before moving to a prep towel. Agreed. I've never experienced marring with my clay mitt. I've used it many times on different vehicles, the amount of time it takes to "clay" a vehicle with it makes it worth it IMO. Having a CC pickup makes it a no brainer. Plus if you drop it just wash it off and continue claying. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
98QueS-10s Posted October 16, 2015 Author Share Posted October 16, 2015 Good to know I will be picking one up soon just for the experience of using it. If I mar the paint I think I have enough product to correct it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Guz Posted October 16, 2015 Share Posted October 16, 2015 I find that clay still picks up more contaminants than the clay alternatives. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kourtney@Adams Posted October 16, 2015 Share Posted October 16, 2015 Marring from clay towels comes from improper use, or using too strong of a grade. If used correctly they save a lot of time versus traditional clay. Most towels need to be "broke in" properly on the glass. They come with a coating to keep contaminates off of it during packaging, this has to be removed on the glass first. You don't use pressure with them, and unlike clay where you can see the contaminates, with the towel, you listen and feel, because the contaminates are not visible on the towel. It also has to be used in a specific temperature range, and requires more lube then clay. Good thread you guys. Just learned a lot about clay towels. Still makes me nervous to use them because I've seen the marring happen and it took a lot of correcting power to fix.. We will probably not being introducing these to our line as stated above it would cause more customer services issues and then its not going to be as profitable if were having to fix customers paint because they messed it up with a clay towel.... Who knows... Feets31 and TheBurninator 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scociny Posted October 17, 2015 Share Posted October 17, 2015 Just wanted to add my $0.02. I have been using a towel for a while now. I love it! I haven't had any problems with marring. I use a lot of lube and very little pressure. I can decon my car (Lexus IS) in about 30 minutes. To be fair, my car is white...which is more forgiving than darker colors. But, I did use it on my friend's red Tesla and had no issues either. As with anything else...it is about technique. As an aside, I use concentrated lubricant when I decon...it wouldn't be cost effective for me to use Adam's Detail Spray...I save the pink stuff for my last step after washing. Scott Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ricky Bobby Posted October 18, 2015 Share Posted October 18, 2015 Good thread you guys. Just learned a lot about clay towels. Still makes me nervous to use them because I've seen the marring happen and it took a lot of correcting power to fix.. We will probably not being introducing these to our line as stated above it would cause more customer services issues and then its not going to be as profitable if were having to fix customers paint because they messed it up with a clay towel.... Who knows... Glad to hear you learned a bit Kourtney, they really are great and I can totally understand why Adam's doesnt need to sell them nor would they be profitable. As a detailer in case you use them around the shop, 4 rules I find help with Clay Towels/Mitts/Sponges as opposed to a regular Clay Bar: -SATURATE the surface with lubricant (your pressurized spray bottle would work well for this) and I would also soak the actual clay alternative media in a bucket of rinseless solution, a few sprays of Detail Spray aren't enough on a panel, as opposed to normal clay which really can get by on a few sprays per panel -Use a SUPER SLICK lubricating product, its been discussed before, but Waterless and diluted Rinseless I find are a bit slicker than Detail Spray which leaves more user error margin than relying on Detail Spray -Never use a clay alternative with the car in the sun at all or on warm panels because your lubricant will start to dry up some and that is where I find people getting marring with the clay alternatives -Even if its been sitting for a while, go over the glass first if you are using a clay alternative as it will help "soften" it up some Kourtney@Adams and TheBurninator 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tpr676 Posted October 19, 2015 Share Posted October 19, 2015 Been using clay wash mitt speeds things up and yes some times you still need a clay bar for the rockers and such, I use fine grade on my tuxedo black F150 with no issues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
imcrazy Posted October 21, 2015 Share Posted October 21, 2015 I like my nanoscrub alternative. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
98QueS-10s Posted October 21, 2015 Author Share Posted October 21, 2015 (edited) I picked up an eagle one box store special. Worked great can't wait to upgrade to a better brand. I didn't notice any marring of the paint but it was an already trashed paint job. Here is my results. http://www.adamsforums.com/topic/29347-well-worn-honda-gets-buffed/ Edited October 21, 2015 by 98QueS-10s Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Z06Seal Posted October 25, 2015 Share Posted October 25, 2015 I just picked one up to try. (the wash mitt one) my plan is to make a rinseless solution and dunk the mitt in that. I will use that rinseless saturated mitt to decon the car. I was thinking also doing a more concentrated solution of rinseless mix to spray onto sufrace to help with lubrication. I was thinking like 32:1 (vs the 64:1 for clay) Thoughts on this? I got the fine one btw. I got a small medium one for areas that are very stubborn like rear trunk and front bumper Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan@Adams Posted October 25, 2015 Share Posted October 25, 2015 Ok guys, let's dial it back a little on discussing and promoting competitor products. Per the User Registration Agreement: "Light discussion and comparison of outside products is perfectly acceptable so long as it remains respectful, but direct links, marketing, excessive discussion, and endorsement of any product not endorsed or sold by Adam's Premium Car Care is prohibited. There are a number of detailing discussion boards and enthusiast forums on the web where these products can be discussed at length. Here at AdamsForums.com please try to keep the discussion related to the use and support of Adam's products." While it currently is light discussion and comparison, there are direct mentions and recommendations of name brands, and the thread has veered off course of the original question. If Adam's decides to release a clay alternative in the future, then we will unlock the thread and continue this discussion. Thank you for understanding. Respectfully, Dan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts