OK, I'll come out with it.

I think this sounds like a waste of money to me.

Even using the two bucket method (which we should all be doing now as proper wackos), it seems - to me - that the water is going to be in motion inside the bucket with some regularity. And as a result, any grit that has settled to the surface will become "agitated" back into suspension within the rinse bucket (or wash bucket), float up to beyond the upper bound of the grit guard, and just end up in your wash mitt anyway.

And while I was typing this out, I got to thinking, well, what if I were to be very cautions when rinsing or re-soaping my mitt, so as to not agitate the water. Well if I'm going to be that careful, I figure I can also be careful enough to not let the mitt drop down into the bottom of the bucket when I rinse or re-soap. Thereby avoiding the inch or two worth of "water on the bottom" that this guard seems to protect you from.

I'm open minded, for sure - I've certainly learned a heck of a lot here since I've owned the car (has it been a year already?). So if you're a fan, clue me in, because at the moment, I don't get it...

 

You are not alone, I've been thinking the same...

 

i think it removes dirt from your mitt easier. My sheepskin was soiled after i washed a lower panel. Ran it through the grit gaurd and the dirt was easily removed.

 

I think the OP has brought up a good point. How long does it take for the dirt to settle in the bottom of the wash bucket if you add water to fill up the soap one again? I would like to hear what wanabe and mikey have to say about this one.

 

Here's my take on the grit guard.

To see any real crud on the bottom of your bucket under the grit guard the car really has to be quite dirty.

Even though you are agitating the water the grit guard DOES prevent the water and junk under it from being thrown back up into the bucket.


I only use the two bucket method when a car is super dirty. I have a foam gun with quick connects on my hose so i use it for every wash anymore.

 

foam gun here too... but with buckets and grit guards!!

my take is that without the grit guard the dirt is all over, and especially on the bottom. with the grit guard, the heaviest dirt is under the guard... yes there is prob some floating, but its still better than without.

and without a scientific study, its all opinion anyway!!
i detailed for many many years with one bucket and no grit guard- in the good old days when i was semi-wacko!

 

I use a grit guard all year but in winter. During this time I go back to the two bucket technique.

 

Two buckets yes. Never felt that the grit guard would make a real difference.

 

I made my own grit gaurd, too lazy to use the 2 bucket method.

The grit guard CANNOT hurt.

 

Here is my take on this. I stick my wash mitt in the water and swish it around. This makes waves, which travel down to the bottom of the bucket, bounce off it and travel back up and around, picking up grit and dispursing it in the process. With the grit guard, the waves are still made but there is now a false floor of sorts that helps to deflect the wave before it reaches the true bottom, where most of the grit has settled. The true bottom of the bucket will still have some disturbance but it should be much less, as the false floor has already deflected much of the wave. So that's the theory. In realty, although I don't think it will keep all of the grit trapped at the bottom, I do think that it reduces the amount of grit swirling the bucket.

Or more simply, as freq said, can't hurt.