Well I had a play with my new toys yesterday. Firstly the Wo-Wo Snow Foam Lance with the Bilt Hamber snow foam.
The Wo-Wo lance is a well built piece of kit. Everything fits together nicely with some solid brass fixtures. The trigger/gun piece in particular has a good weight to it.The gun worked well and was easy to use. The only thing I would suggest is to add a measurement scale to the bottle.
Now on to the Bilt Hamber Auto Foam. I'd read a lot about snow foam over the last few months and the Bilt Hamber seemed to come out on top. The one thing that confused me (and from what I've read I'm not alone here) was the dilution rate, so I basically winged it.
I added 100ml of Auto Foam and filled the bottle up with warm water (the bottle holds 900ml in total). Not sure of the dilution rate as you will be adding water from the hose too. Safe to say the Bilt Hamber didn't work. It didn't cling to the car or clean it either. Now I know this is not the fault of the product. I'm just crap at math. Thing is surely a product shouldn't be that difficult to use. I will go back to the drawing board and try again next time I use it. If anyone reading this has an easier way of working out the ratio I'm all ears.
Now to finish on a more positive note. I used the Metrovac Air Force Sidekick.
I'd read a lot about this product since Rebecca (Booth11) recommended it. I can report back that it's a class bit of kit. When I ordered it from Polished Bliss (great service btw) I also ordered the 0.9m extension hose. I'm really glad I did as it made using it a lot easier.
I dried the car with a Meguiars Ultimate Quick Detailer and the Wo-Wo drying towel. I then switched to the sidekick for all the nooks and crannies. Grills, wing mirrors, doors jams, you get the idea.
It performed really well. It wasn't as quick as I thought as you tend to chase the excess water but still worked great. I still had some water coming out between door pillars on the near side but this was the first time using it so practice makes perfect.
One thing I would like to add when using the Sidekick. Probably best to wear some ear plugs. The unit is not very loud but when holding the nozzle close to certain areas it can become uncomfortable.
If you are thinking about pulling the trigger on a Metrovac, go for it.
Hi Blackmass,
Great to hear your feedback on the various products and that all, apart from the snow foam, we're not a disappointment.
With any snow foam, you should be using a good inch in the snow foam lance/cannon, topped up to about a litre with tepid water. I can honestly say I've never once measured it out or followed the exact dilution rates. I used to use Bilt Hamber Auto Foam, which is my 2nd favourite, after Valet Pro Advanced PH Neutral being top, and never had any problems with it. It doesn't give as thick a foam as some, (e.g. Meguiars Hyperwash), but actually that works in it's favour as it doesn't just sit forever clinging to the car, it brings more muck off the car as it slides down the paintwork.
I've only ever used a proper snow foam lance (as opposed to a cannon) so am not sure about the settings on it, but I'm sure Neil will give you some good advice on it's use. With a lance, you can adjust the dilution rates as you spray, by means of the knob on top of the lance, as well as adjusting the spray field by turning the nozzle. I don't know if the WoWo has the same features, but if it does, then it's just trial and error and after a few goes, you will find the optimum solution thickness, and it will become second nature.
The Master Blaster is great isn't it? I know what you mean about chasing water around a bit, lol. Can't say I've ever really noticed the noise, after all jet washer and DA's are noisy things so maybe you just tune these things out over time.
