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Every time I open my email, Chemical Guys tells me it’s got a new product. Half of all those products show up on my doorstep for testing. Since I have more samples than days in a week, I’m knocking out a review of several detailing items that all work together. From the entry-level Foam Blaster 6 and Mr. Pink shampoo, to a Wheelie brush to drying with a Thirst Trap towel and finishing off with HydroBlitz hybrid ceramic spray wax. All of these products focus on making detailing easy and quick, so let’s find out if short cuts exist.
I say this all the time. I am not a detailing enthusiast but, I have been testing car care products for a long time. I’ve seen my share of snake oil. I’ve also had the pleasure of using great products that underpromise and overdeliver. I’m using my 2019 VW Tiguan about to click over 40,000 miles. I would honestly classify it as being only slightly under-cared-for by a lazy owner. It sees its fair share of gravel and fire roads, while not getting washed as often as it could. I’m sure I’ve waxed it before, probably even more than once, but I couldn’t tell you when.
The Bottom Line
This section is normally super quick, but since I’m looking at a few products in this Chemical Guys detailing kit,I’ll ask for some patience.
The Foam Blaster 6 is a $49.99 entry-level foam cannon for use with a regular garden hose. It’s very easy to use and set up with fewer adjustments than higher-end models. Because of the lower pressure, it doesn’t create as fine of foam. If you really want a foam cannon but without paying for a pressure washer, this is a good choice. I used it to spray on the original Mr. Pink Shampoo. If you’re looking for big, billowy foam, get Mr. Pink Foam Party. I found the original to be kind of sticky and it didn’t rinse as well as I would’ve like. It really stuck around in the jambs and I found myself having to wipe it out of tight areas during drying. This is a decent soap at $9.99 for 16 ounces, but there are better options for foaming.
I hate cleaning wheels. Anything that makes it easier, I am all for. There is no such thing as a spray-on, hose-off wheel cleaner. Brake dust requires mechanical agitation; don’t let anyone tell you differently. I’ve tried countless brushes, this Wheelie all-surface exterior brush is the best I’ve used. It gets into the sharp radii and flows over the big flat sections. It normally sells for $10.99.
To dry the car, I used a Thirst Trap towel. I’m not sold on this. Normally I use two microfibers for drying. One is used for the first pass that gets the majority of the water and the second towel follows behind it to get that thin film of moisture. This towel only seems to accomplish the first part and it doesn’t feel particularly soft.
Lastly, I used the HydroBlitz hybrid ceramic spray wax. I’m sure you’ve all heard of the miracle that is SiO2, ceramic paint protection. This is technically a ceramic coating, but it isn’t that super expensive stuff your friend paid 3-grand to have applied on his Ferrari by a professional. Spray waxes are good for a quick and dirty coating. The upside is that you aren’t going to mess up your car’s finish with this; which is totally possible trying to do the pro-stuff at home. It isn’t as easy to apply as other waxes and you still have to be careful around black plastic. If you don’t like spending hours of your time and hundreds of dollars detailing, this $24.99 spray is for you.
| Foam Blaster 6 | Mr. Pink Shampoo | Wheelie Brush | Thirst Trap Towel | HydroBlitz Wax | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ease Of Use | 8/10 | 6/10 | 10/10 | 7/10 | 9/10 |
| Value | 9/10 | 8/10 | 9/10 | 7/10 | 8/10 |
| Quality | 8/10 | 7/10 | 10/10 | 9/10 | 8/10 |
| Durability | 9/10 | 8/10 | 6/10 | 8/10 | 7/10 |
| Overall | 8.5/10 | 7.3/10 | 8.8/10 | 7.8/10 | 8/10 |
Chemical Guys Car Detailing Start To Finish
I get the concept; spray the entire car down with a foam cannon, let it dwell for a few minutes, and the foam will lift and encapsulate all the contaminants on your paint so you can hose them away. I live in Las Vegas where the humidity is currently 14% which is pretty normal. Things dry out quickly here. I can’t leave the foam to dwell because it quickly dwies(not sorry). On top of that, if the car has more than a light layer of dust, you have to scrub the car anyway. I end up sudsing up the car with the foam cannon and as soon as I’ve gotten all the way around the car, I start rinsing, then I go back with a bucket and microfiber wash mitt. But, I don’t have income tax, life is a compromise, right?
Washing With A Foam Blaster 6
The Foam Blaster 6 works well for operating off a garden hose. I didn’t expect pressure washer results. It has an adjustment for the amount of soap it’s pulling from the 32-ounce soap tank. I found the highest setting works best. You add a couple of ounces of soap, there’s a fill line on the bottle, and dilute it with water.
The box includes the sprayer handle and the quick-release connectors for the foam cannon to the gun. I had to provide my own for the hose. It seems to go through soap faster than pressure washer cannons I’ve used and because of the lack of pressure. I couldn’t get as thick of foam as I’ve gotten in the past. The bubbles are considerably larger than the microfoam you get with more pressure. It’s like steaming milk for coffee drinks, you want a lot of small bubbles in thick heavy foam. Anyway, in cooler weather, and a foamy soap, this could get results you’ll be perfectly happy with, without having to drop a few hundred bucks on a pressure washer setup.
Mr. Pink Shampoo Gets Rid Of The Grit
Chemical Guys makes a lot of soaps; like 15 or more. Mr. Pink comes in original and Foam Party varieties, I used the original recipe. I take full responsibility, I don’t think it’s the right soap to go with this foam cannon. The soap is mild and meant for use on a car that isn’t “too dirty,” which my car wasn’t. It works great with a bucket and microfiber. Chemical Guys says it rinses easy with no residue. I find it a little sticky and with the conditions here, I find I really have to chase it out of all the jambs and seams. With so many choices, this one isn’t my favorite.
A Wheelie Good Wheel Brush
The wheel brush I had right before I got this Wheelie all-surface brush looked just like it. It had black bristles instead of green, but it was the same size, shape, and design. It was an OK brush and I hadn’t given a lot of thought to bristle design, the color was the least of the differences. Every bristle on the Wheelie is flagged, which means it’s split into more but smaller bristles to maintain stiffness towards the brush end, but is softer at the business end—like bristle with a mullet.
The flagged bristles are far more efficient at lifting off brake dust and make wheel cleaning a breeze. This is the best wheel brush I’ve used. The downside, there is always one, the tiny little bristles are substantially more fragile, as you might guess. I will gladly replace this a little more often, and spend a couple of more dollars, to get the performance.
Thirst Trap Towel Is A Big Blanket Of Dryness
I’ve been using the same drying routine for years. I picked it up from a Karate Master as a kid and it’s stuck with me. I use two microfiber towels, one in each hand. I use the left hand to knock down all the big beads of water all hugging together on top of my hydrophobic car finish, and then I use the right hand to soak up that film of water left over.
The Thirst Trap towel is a giant piece of car drying technology. It measures 28 x 24 inches and it’s thick. The construction is two microfibers with a synthetic chamois sandwiched inside them. Both chamois, (chamoises, chamoii) and micro fibers need to be damp to work best. They use the capillary effect to pull water into the deeper fibers, yada yada here goes Febbo on another nerd-tangent, anyway I soak the Thirst Trap with clean water first, wring it out, and then dry the car with it. It dries out too fast here. Also, I am constantly having to remind myself how big the thing is so I don’t drag it on the ground—I’m fighting years of microfiber-Mr-Miyagi-muscle-memory. If you are one of those people who like giant chamois instead of smaller microfibers, you’re probably going to love a Thrist Trap.
HydroBlitz Hybrid Ceramic Spray Wax Short Cut Solution
Ceramics are the latest and greatest in car detailing trends. Long story short, silicone as SiO2 in a solvent. When applied to your car the solvents evaporate off and the silicone forms bonds with the clear coat making a hard, UV-resistant coating. This is a spray wax that has some silicone in it, but it is not like a full-blown ceramic coating. I do have a couple of coatings, but that’s another review. HydroBlitz sprays on and you wipe it around and then off with a microfiber towel.
I started with a small area, but eventually went full-cliche and taped off half of my hood. It could use a better spray nozzle as the mist that comes out is pretty inconsistent with big drops in places and dry spots in others. A lot of these spray waxes and ceramics use moisture in the air as a catalyst. I’ve noticed cyanoacrylate glues(super glues) take forever to cure because of the lack of moisture, so that leads me to believe that HydroBlitz probably flashes quicker in more humid environments.
It takes a little while for it to dry and a decent amount of polishing to remove the haze once it is dry. It’s hard to tell in the photos, but the left side of the hood that I coated is noticeably shinier. Maybe, more importantly, it feels significantly slicker and water seems to bead better. This isn’t going to provide a ceramic coating level of protection, but it’s a fraction of the cost at $25 and you can do an entire car in about half an hour.
Final Thoughts On Chemical Guys Detailing Products
I’m all in on the Chemical Guys’ democratization of foam cannons. The Foam Blaster 6 is still 50 bucks, but it doesn’t require investing in a pressure washer as well. Not only is this saving money, but even electric pressure washers make more noise than you should be making 10:00 PM and 6:00 AM, which are the only time it’s cool enough to wash a car in many laces during the summer. At some point, I am hoping to completely nerd-put on the chemistry of car wash soaps and create a guide that will help everyone figure out which is best for their needs.
I think the OG Mr. Pink gets a down vote in my particular circumstances, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t a good, product. The same goes for the Thirst Trap, I’m just too stuck on my old drying protocol. The Wheelie brush gets a big thumbs up, even if it might only last a single car wash season; I am investigating if it’s recyclable. Hydroblitz hybrid ceramic spray wax isn’t going to give you the results of a normal wax or ceramic coating, but it’s quick and easy and sometimes that’s exactly what you need.
