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So it has been awhile since I have clayed my Vette. When I did i used Griots Garage Clay years ago. I see now they have something called a clay mitt. Like i said it has been a while for me. I know Adams has both the mitt and bar. Also Blackfire makes a mitt as well. So which is better the bar or the mitt? Open to all suggestions, opinions, and brands.
For my needs, a synthetic clay mitt is a better choice than a genuine clay bar. A genuine clay bar will do a better job of pulling off contaminants with less effort. However, a synthetic mitt is 100% reusable. Just wash it. If you drop it on the ground, the world doesn't come to an end. Just wash it off and keep going. Besides, I keep my cars in very good condition. I only correct my daily driver once per year after winter. The synthetic mitt does a great job of removing surface schmutz before I machine polish. Half-way through the year I will spray the car with an iron remover, but still don't use the mitt.
I haven't used the Griot's mitt, but it should work great. I use the Cobra clay mitt. They even use a blue C5Z on their Autogeek sales page.
Another option is the Mothers Speed Clay 2.0, I use it after the winter on my truck, my clay mitt or clay bar would not remove the little rust specs that are on the paint from my disc brakes.
my clay mitt or clay bar would not remove the little rust specs that are on the paint from my disc brakes.
I highly, highly, highly recommend using a simple spray iron remover to get rust specs off of your paint instead of using a clay bar. You definitely don't want to risk grinding the rust specs across your paint. Eagle One is literally under $5 per bottle at Walmart. Spray it on, watch the rust specs bleed away, and just rinse. So much safer and more effective!
I highly, highly, highly recommend using a simple spray iron remover to get rust specs off of your paint instead of using a clay bar. You definitely don't want to risk grinding the rust specs across your paint. Eagle One is literally under $5 per bottle at Walmart. Spray it on, watch the rust specs bleed away, and just rinse. So much safer and more effective!
I have an iron remover I use in areas I can't reach with the Speed Clay, I have noticed no damage to the paint where I have removed the rust specs with the Speed Clay.
I guess old school for me, I find the clay bar works better for me vs. the mitt or nano cloth. I combine 2 bars together which gives me a larger palm size. The mitt and infused clay cloth just doesn't feel like it's getting all the contaminants, and besides, the life span is shorter than clay bars and a lot more expensive.
So it has been awhile since I have clayed my Vette. When I did i used Griots Garage Clay years ago. I see now they have something called a clay mitt. Like i said it has been a while for me. I know Adams has both the mitt and bar. Also Blackfire makes a mitt as well. So which is better the bar or the mitt? Open to all suggestions, opinions, and brands.
A few years ago I switched from the standard clay bar to the Nanoskin autoscrub sponge for claying. Has a rubber type surface which can be washed off if dropped. Have gotten good wear out the sponge and it is easy to hold while claying. Obviously, a lubricant has to be used with it while claying.
I used clay bar for years, but switched after I screwed up some of my PPF by forcing some clay bar under an edge. I changed to one of the mitts just to be safe.
I highly, highly, highly recommend using a simple spray iron remover to get rust specs off of your paint instead of using a clay bar. You definitely don't want to risk grinding the rust specs across your paint. Eagle One is literally under $5 per bottle at Walmart. Spray it on, watch the rust specs bleed away, and just rinse. So much safer and more effective!
Pulling iron shards out of paint was/is the "big" selling point of clay bars. Sure they say contaminants however they typically point to the iron. So, using their own logic why not use a product that is specially designed to pull iron (i.e. Eagle One!! or Sonax or ...or ...or...).
A clay mitt beats a clay bar in terms of time by an order of magnitude. I'm not overly coordinated and as FYRARMS implies if you drop a piece of a clay bar for me, it's done -- goes to the trash. Whereas if I drop a clay mitt/pad I can take a few minutes to wash it and get going again.
As a professional detailer, I have found that the clay mitt (or clay towel) is a great and time-saving tool for a vehicle that has been maintained on a regular basis.
For vehicles that haven't been decontaminated for more than a year, a clay bar is the more effective tool, as it is generally a more aggressive compound than a mitt offers.
Both the clay bar and towel will be exponentially more effective when you pair them with a quality iron remover (I like Optimum Ferrex myself). You will find that the iron remover will help keep your clay mitt cleaner, too!
The Mother's or Meguiar's bars do a great job and are easily found at most retail stores, but if you maintain a regular cleaning & polishing regimen, a clay mitt or towel (again Optimum mitt and towel are my personal favorites) will be the tools you'll turn to most often.
*You should only need to clay your vehicle every six months, unless you live near an industrial area or railyard.
Hope this helps!
Recently I corrected a new white Jeep Grand Cherokee Summit. The Jeep had less than 100 miles on it. After doing the bag test on the surface I knew the vehicle had been in dealer stock or storage for some time due to the excessive amount of surface contaminates. Clay bar two times with new clay, still not good, machine polish with Megs 2400, still not real smooth. After two more times with Megs 2400 it was feeling pretty good using the bag test. Finished up with Megs 3800, sealed with Wolfgang 3.0 sealer and then five coats of C-Magic Ceramic. I have never encountered a new vehicle with such severe surface contamination. the only thing that I can think of is the vehicle must have been setting in the hold lot at the assembly plant for some time and picked up all the plant environment fallout.
Recently I corrected a new white Jeep Grand Cherokee Summit. The Jeep had less than 100 miles on it. After doing the bag test on the surface I knew the vehicle had been in dealer stock or storage for some time due to the excessive amount of surface contaminates. Clay bar two times with new clay, still not good, machine polish with Megs 2400, still not real smooth. After two more times with Megs 2400 it was feeling pretty good using the bag test. Finished up with Megs 3800, sealed with Wolfgang 3.0 sealer and then five coats of C-Magic Ceramic. I have never encountered a new vehicle with such severe surface contamination. the only thing that I can think of is the vehicle must have been setting in the hold lot at the assembly plant for some time and picked up all the plant environment fallout.
Your experience proves what I try to explain to folks who scoff at getting their new car detailed-- that just because it's new, that doesn't mean it's clean! Good on you for perservering to make it right! Perhaps you could add some iron remover as your clay lube to help break down the ferrous materials faster/better in the future if you have the unfortunate luck to run into this kind of thing again? Optimum's Ferrex is gentle enough to use on body panels without harming the surface.
Clay bar two times with new clay, still not good, machine polish with Megs 2400, still not real smooth. After two more times with Megs 2400 it was feeling pretty good using the bag test. Finished up with Megs 3800
Your experience proves what I try to explain to folks who scoff at getting their new car detailed-- that just because it's new, that doesn't mean it's clean! Good on you for perservering to make it right! Perhaps you could add some iron remover as your clay lube to help break down the ferrous materials faster/better in the future if you have the unfortunate luck to run into this kind of thing again? Optimum's Ferrex is gentle enough to use on body panels without harming the surface.
New cars are some of the worst because of time in the hold lot, transport, dealer lot and test drives. I spent 15 hours on time on a Black 535i BMW with 32 miles on the clock.
New cars are some of the worst because of time in the hold lot, transport, dealer lot and test drives. I spent 15 hours on time on a Black 535i BMW with 32 miles on the clock.
I purchased my car in Louisiana, when I got home ran a finger in a Jewel bag and it caught everywhere, lot's of salt air crusties. I spent 2 days clay barring car top to bottom.. and that was on a "new" car. I have actually clayed a friends new car and pulled overspray off fender.. so I recommend it to anyone to wipe the slate and start over to know what's on your car.. easier to maintain that way.
FWIW - Back when, lived in apt. complex. Painters came to spray the exteriors of the apt. buildings. Overspray "all over" my pickup. Didn't even notice it until months later. Meguiar's clay bar sorted it out quickly. Like I said, FWIW.
FWIW - Back when, lived in apt. complex. Painters came to spray the exteriors of the apt. buildings. Overspray "all over" my pickup. Didn't even notice it until months later. Meguiar's clay bar sorted it out quickly. Like I said, FWIW.
Meguiars is indeed a great clay bar and I have it in my arsenal. I bet you would love the new technology the Ultra clay mitt or the Ultra clay towel have to offer from the Optimum line, too; it's a fine grade clay, but it's very effective without having to knead and stretch the bar to get a clean surface. I use the mitt and the towel until they're "dirty' and then clean with Power Clean. I have recently started using Ferrex as the "lube" spray, agitating with a body and wheel brush, then claying. That way the body gets a chemical decon as well as a mechanical decon all in one job. Since time is money for me, it has been a game changer, and even produces superior results to my older method!
As a professional detailer, I have found that the clay mitt (or clay towel) is a great and time-saving tool for a vehicle that has been maintained on a regular basis.
For vehicles that haven't been decontaminated for more than a year, a clay bar is the more effective tool, as it is generally a more aggressive compound than a mitt offers.
Both the clay bar and towel will be exponentially more effective when you pair them with a quality iron remover (I like Optimum Ferrex myself). You will find that the iron remover will help keep your clay mitt cleaner, too!
The Mother's or Meguiar's bars do a great job and are easily found at most retail stores, but if you maintain a regular cleaning & polishing regimen, a clay mitt or towel (again Optimum mitt and towel are my personal favorites) will be the tools you'll turn to most often.
*You should only need to clay your vehicle every six months, unless you live near an industrial area or railyard.
Hope this helps!
How much life do you get out of a clay towel / clay mitt?
08-17-2019, 10:50 AM
Clay Bar vs. Clay Mitt?
Pulling iron shards out of paint was/is the "big" selling point of clay bars. Sure they say contaminants however they typically point to the iron. So, using their own logic why not use a product that is specially designed to pull iron (i.e. Eagle One!! or Sonax or ...or ...or...).
