23
Rant: The clay bar argument that made me ditch my microfiber towels
A customer told me I was ruining paint by using a clay bar with spray lube instead of a proper clay mitt. I laughed it off at first, but then I noticed marring on a black hood I finished 3 days later. Switched to a mitt and synthetic clay pad for the last 60 cars, and the difference in gloss is wild. Half the detailers on this forum swear by bars, the other half say mitts are safer. Which side are you on and what convinced you to change?
3 comments
Log in to join the discussion
Log In3 Comments
sagecooper1mo ago
pat781's "sweating like a sinner in church" line got me good. I had a similar moment when I switched from a clay bar to a mitt a few years back. I was working on a dark blue sedan, and halfway through the roof I realized I'd been using the same section of the mitt the whole time, basically just smearing dirt around. I had to stop, rinse it, and start over. By the time I finished I was soaked through my shirt. But the gloss difference was real. I think @king.eric nailed it about black trucks looking like scratched CDs. I learned the hard way that the mitt does take more arm work but it's worth it for the finish.
10
king.eric1mo ago
Clay bars are like eating chips, you never want to stop but you always regret it after. Switched to a mitt last year and my black truck finally looks like a mirror instead of a scratched CD.
3
pat7811mo ago
Man, I feel this one in my soul. Tried the mitt myself last year and my arms are still recovering from the workout. Turns out my idea of "gentle rubbing" is more like "aggressive scrubbing with a ham sandwich." By the time I finished the hood, I was sweating like a sinner in church. Still, you're right about the results - my truck went from looking like it survived a sandstorm to actually reflecting trees instead of just my bad decisions. Wish someone had told me about the mitt years ago instead of letting me treat my paint job like a lottery ticket.
1