Well, it's been some time since I posted a thorough review of a product but there's been a lot of foam gun talk lately here. So, I thought I would share my thoughts.

Mane 'n Tail Foamer



Price: $49.99 (@ SmartPak)

How I used it: I filled the bottle of the foamer with about 1 oz of Optimum Car Wash, 1/2 oz of PB's Bug Squash, and a negligible amount of CG's Citrus W&G. Foam dial was set to "E" or "D" at all times (E is maximum foam). I tried to stand away from the car and aim the gun up to allow the air to mix with the foam to try and generate thicker foam. One container of soap mixture was used to foam the paint and another to foam the wheel areas.

Thoughts: I bought the Mane 'n Tail foamer for two reasons. First, except for some pictures of horses on it it's EXACTLY the same item that Phil sells at Detailer's Domain. Second, I was able to buy it locally at Smartpak because I HATE waiting for UPS to come. I did end up paying a couple $'s more than I would had I bought it from Phil, but I got it immediately.

I've only had the foamer about a week so far, but I've managed to already use it three times. So far, I like it. The foam it puts out is really thick. I'm still experimenting with different soaps/concentrations/mixes but so far my only complaint is that my foam seems to run off a little too fast. Maybe my car has too much wax on it.

I've always been REALLY lazy about using car wash soap to wash my wheels/tires/wheel wells but this device makes it really easy. So, I'm quite happy about that.

The foamer also makes for a great pre-washing tool. Adding a little bug squash to my soap mix thickens the foam up and really does a great job loosening up dead bugs. I recently drove to NY and back. Then I foamed the car and rinsed. All the bugs were gone after just that. The foam just seems to encapsulate dirt and then run off the car with it.

I have yet to actually wash the car with the foamer and a mitt, but I'll likely try that soon. My only concern is that the foam runs off so quickly. So, if washing with the foam gun I would foam and then wash one panel at a time.

Pictures:

foaming the wheel area . . .


immediately after foaming (runs off really quick) . . .


foaming the paint . . .


immediately after foaming (yeah I'll say it again . . . runs off too quick) . . .



Summary: all-in-all I like the foamer especially for the wheel area. I'm definitely going to continue to use and experiment with this tool. However, I'm not sure for me it will ever replace the traditional bucket wash. It definitely makes washing the car more fun and certainly more of a spectacle.

 

As always a great review MickeyC
Please keep us posted with the methods and ratios you mess with.

 

nice report as usual mikey-c type

your foam isnt as thick as it could be, and i am not yet the expert on this- just got my foamer today and wont be able to play foam for awhile still. so i wont be able to give solutions yet, but hoping that phil is paying attention to this thread, cause he will know what to do.

imo, the foamer is the perfect wash tool- for both you and me.. as well as other wackos out there. you and i view washing as a rinse off the junk process and not as a scrub it down process. i know that we both consider the scrub it down process as a swirl magnet and the foamer is the answer to this. foam should pull the grime off of the car into the foam. rinse and most is gone. tough stuff takes another process (bug removal, tar removal, etc.)

so, once again- your timing is right on- the foamer is the tool of the month, and your review is right on...

 

But cant you eliminate the chance of swirls on your paint by using a perfectly soft tool such as the "shmitt" ?

 

This is why I don't like it.

 

Let me tell you, I've got some major grime on my S right now and the foaming did nothing.

 

It doesn't matter how soft your wash tool is if you are scrubbing hard on the paint.

From the tiny bit of experimenting I've done so far with the foam gun it seems to me that it's effectiveness is highly dependent on the soap mixture and soap amount. Plus, it helps if you let the foam dwell on the paint for a couple of minutes.

For instance, when I started adding Bug Squash to the mix cleaning power increased noticeably. Bugs and tar starting coming off much more easily. Adding more soap into the container seems to thicken the foam and different soaps foam at different amounts. Plus, when I use Optimum it creates a more gentle foam than when I use CG Citrus W&G which seems to have more cleaning power.

There are a lot of variables to consider with this tool. It's not as simple to use as one might think. It's like when you are polishing and need to choose the right pad/polish combo to do the job. There will definitely be a lot of trial and error before I come up with a soap mix that I'll be happy with in the foam gun.

Basically what I'm saying is . . . don't give up on it yet! Hopefully people who have more foam gun experience will chime in here with some feedback on soap mixtures.

 

Where do you get the Bug Squash?

 

nevermind, Poorboys

 

Does the Bug Squash have any negative effect on your LSP? I would think that it would...