NanoSkin Towel or Mit or Sponges -vs- Clay Bar

[Ralph III]

Hello All,
I'm not sure if this is the correct thread but here it goes.

Do the Nano products work as well as claybar and which one do you prefer? The mit and towel look most appealing to me but I see they have a two pack sponge which vary in aggressiveness. I'm only accustomed to claybar but these items seem to be a great alternative.

Your input is appreciated....

Thanks,
Ralph

[Michael Stoops]

Re: NanoSkin Towel or Mit or Sponges -vs- Clay Bar

First off, welcome to MOL!

Now, to answer your question:

Those products do work very well, especially on heavily contaminated vehicles. A couple downsides to them, however: 1) cost - the pads and mitts can run upwards of $50 which might be a bit pricey for the guy just maintaining his own vehicle(s), and 2) they can be quite aggressive, even to the point of marring the paint - sometimes significantly. The upside, of course, is that they last quite a long time, cover a large area, and can be cleaned off if dropped on the floor. They make more sense for a production environment than they do for the casual user.

[Meticulous-Detail]

Re: NanoSkin Towel or Mit or Sponges -vs- Clay Bar

I use the wash mitt and clay bar, I have the towel but don't use it much. Mitt saves a ton of time, if I need to get into tight areas I use the clay. So to answer your question I would have both on hand.

[The Guz]

Re: NanoSkin Towel or Mit or Sponges -vs- Clay Bar

I have the fine grade sponge as well as clay. The sponge works very good. I have found that clay still works better for those tougher surface contaminants. I do not have the aggressive sponge because of the marring I have read about. For a weekend warrior clay is all you need.

[STRIFE]

Re: NanoSkin Towel or Mit or Sponges -vs- Clay Bar

I have the towel, mitt, 6" & 4" DA pads and the sponge...all fine grade.
I haven't touched a piece of traditional clay in years.
When I need to get into the tighter areas, i use the 4" DA pad with a hand strap applicator....though I can use the sponge as well
My 3 cars are white & metalic green...I find these "clay" alternatives are great for lighter colored vehicles

btw...welcome to MOL

[J4o2el7]

I have the D/A pads, both the fine and medium grade, I have only used the medium grade so far, and its amazing. I still have the clay bar just incase I need it. But I got both mine for 30$ each, on eBay, ( sorry, you can delete that of its not allowed to be posted ) so 60$ total shipped free of charge.

[Ralph III]

Re: NanoSkin Towel or Mit or Sponges -vs- Clay Bar

Thanks for all the replies and for the welcome!

Is there any real chance the "fine" DA pad/sponge will mar the finish on a dark vehicle and what type of misconduct would it take for that to occur? I mean would you have to be rubbing vigorously in one area to cause damage to the finish? I've never had an issue with clay bar but it is very slow and as I'm making a recommendation to someone who has never clayed anything.

Ralph

[The Guz]

Re: NanoSkin Towel or Mit or Sponges -vs- Clay Bar

Can't really say if you will see marring. It depends on how soft the paint is. Lots of lubrication helps. By the way clay can also marr. If you are going to polish then this really isn't an issue. Be sure to follow the direction on the item to break it in.

[Michael Stoops]

Re: NanoSkin Towel or Mit or Sponges -vs- Clay Bar

Thanks for all the replies and for the welcome!

Is there any real chance the "fine" DA pad/sponge will mar the finish on a dark vehicle and what type of misconduct would it take for that to occur? I mean would you have to be rubbing vigorously in one area to cause damage to the finish? I've never had an issue with clay bar but it is very slow and as I'm making a recommendation to someone who has never clayed anything.

Ralph

We know of some cars where even the very mild consumer clay causes some marring in the finish. That's very rare, but it can happen. One of our regular attendees at our Thursday Night Open Garage sessions has a non metallic black Toyota Prius (2011 if memory serves) and the paint on that car is super delicate and will haze noticeably with a consumer grade clay. We wouldn't even think of using our blue medium clay from our pro line, and wouldn't bring a newfangled rubberized pad/disc/block anywhere near it. But again, that is a very rare situation.