Taking One For The Team - Ordered an Air Wand

[Mikejl]

Re: Taking One For The Team - Ordered an Air Wand

nice review/writeup

looks like a good product

Thank you Tuck91.

Great Review!!
Thanks for The Info!!
Thanks for Taking one for the Team!!
I think I am still going to stick with traditional methods.

Thanks Carfire. Yes. I think most people will stick with traditional methods

Some people have to realize (not directed towards you) that a leaf blower/drying device(s) (doesn't work well unless you have a good coat of wax/sealant) isn't a total replacement for drying (I know no one claims it be, just saying) and if you do it in the summer, you have to be careful otherwise you will get waterspots. I've been using a leaf blower for yeeaars and find it more useful to get water out of the tight spots such as in/around emblems, wiper blades/air vents, gas cap door, wheels/rims, headlights/taillights, door handles, etc, etc...

Thanks Imacarnut. I need to play with this more before I can get to know its full potential and limitations. I'm thinking you're right about a good coat of wax making a difference. I put a couple of coats of #21 on 2 weeks prior so now I'm wondering if I might get different / better results with a couple of coats of #26. But mostly I'm thinking it may have more to do with my technique. I've got some ideas to try out this coming weekend.

Nice write up Mike, thanks. Nice looking neighborhood too.

Jesse, thank you and thank you!

Looks pretty awesome. It doesnt seem like something I would want but looks very useful. I prefer to use a small air compressor to blow out all the small crevices and what not.

When it comes to the water spots, what if you were to maybe add a MF roller behind the wand or something similar?

Thanks Fischer. That is an interesting idea.

Nice write up, thanks! Looks like it would especially be useful on a car like mine where there are lots of cracks and crevices for water to hide and large surfaces like on a truck!

Thank you roushstage2. If you were local I would be happy to let you test it on your car.

Mike

[VoicesInMyHead]

Re: Taking One For The Team - Ordered an Air Wand

AWESOME WRITE UP!!!

Thanks for taking the time to write it up along with the pictures... let alone buying it! Very Cool!

[Maserati Mario]

Re: Taking One For The Team - Ordered an Air Wand

Well first of all thanks to Mike for sharing with me.

I've been thinking about what to write up for a few days.
I'm not good at write ups but, here it goes...

At first I thought I'd like it. I thought:
"Great! I don't have to worry about drips or water spots on my car!"

Pros....um it gets the water out of the cracks, but, so does driving it, using compressed air or letting it sit.

Cons
#1 IT'S LOUD!...you have to wear ear plugs and wake everyone up in your neighborhood.

#2...MICROSCOPIC WATER SPOTS. After Mike did his car I tried to not get those micro spots.
This required me to move the wand very slow.
This kind of worked but, the other side of the car dried before I got to it. AND I STILL HAD THOSE MICRO SPOTS.

#3...It's not very GREEN.

#4...$$$$$$$$$$$$ you can buy allot of WW's for the price of this

So maybe after using it a few times and following it with a towel as you go will work. But for me it just wasn't shway enough for me.
Thanks again to Mike for letting me participate.

Currently I use a Black magic silicone blade to get the mass amount of water off my car, I then use a WW to clean up the rest, after that I'll drive it and clean up the drips after with UQD or UQW. This seems to work just fine for me.

[ClearlyCoated]

Re: Taking One For The Team - Ordered an Air Wand

Thanks for the write-ups guys. Excellent reviews and pics. My problem would be the noise of the leaf blower. Does the air wand actually make the leaf blower louder? I tend to wash my car before the sun comes up because I have no shaded area, so blasting a leaf blower at 6:00 AM probably wouldn't go over well with the neighbors.

Did the air wand reduce your drying time(s) from using traditional methods? I use the pat and blot method with water magnets and it is time consuming, so a time saver would be nice. I currently use a shop vac to blow water out of the crevices and external mirror casings and I find that pretty effective. Like you, I also wipe the surface down with Last Touch following the wash, but I use that to prep the surface for waxing. And while I usually do end up with a few streaks following my first drive after a wash, I carry a bottle of UQD in the trunk just to touch up.

[Maserati Mario]

Re: Taking One For The Team - Ordered an Air Wand

No, leaf blower is loud enough
No, it takes longer to use this

[Mikejl]

Re: Taking One For The Team - Ordered an Air Wand

Did the air wand reduce your drying time(s) from using traditional methods? I use the pat and blot method with water magnets and it is time consuming, so a time saver would be nice.

I think it took about the same amount of time for me to dry the car as it does with WW Towels only. It probably took about the same time or a little longer for the paint, but the time it saved me on the tires and wheels made up for it.

I think with some practice I will be able to speed up the process.

Mike

[Mikejl]

Re: Taking One For The Team - Ordered an Air Wand

AWESOME WRITE UP!!!

Thanks for taking the time to write it up along with the pictures... let alone buying it! Very Cool!

Ron,

Thank for the nice words!

It looks like you're wife and little girl are going to have some nice beach weather this Saturday while you are in the advanced care care class.

And don't forget you owe me a dew.

Mike