Big Leegr
Swirls?!?! NNOOOOOOO!!!!!
Well, now that I've got your attention, the scariness came due to the "fighting water spots" agents in it. They totally neutralized my fantastic beading action! The beading did come back after the rinse, though. Well, enough drama. On with the review....
1-Package / label: My bottle is of a good quality, doesn't feel brittle, not overly slippery when wet. Label is the typical "white with black and red graphics" of 4 *'s Pro line. All of their labels look about the same. (not that you'd be able to tell from the web site, as there aren't any pics and most products don't have any description/ sales pitch attatched. I seem to remember Dwayne saying this was going to be a project he was looking at addressing once things got slow, though.)
2-Mfg. claims: High Lubricity-Yep. felt slick applying, didn't hear any "rubbing" or feel any "dragging" while using it.
-foaming agent-Yep. Foams up real good. I even left the dirty bucket overnight and the next day I was able to get the solution to foam up just by swishing my hand in it a bit.
-Safely removes dirt film-Yep. Cars I've tried it on weren't really dirty (ie. caked on mud) but did have the typical layer of dust that had bonded to the paint after a rain etc. The soap removed it without much effort.
-Cleans without stripping wax-Well, as per my title, I thought this claim was totally false my first time using it! But, again, after rinsing, the beading came back and after it rained the next day, (go figure) the water was still beading well.
-Fights water spots-counters water beading action of the wax and makes the water "pool" or "sheet." Now, by "sheeting" I don't mean that the water runs off the car, as it might with some sealants that cause "sheeting." Instead, the soap solution "lays" on the car until rinsed off. I think this helps with the prevention of micro-marring that one may get if the soap runs off the car too fast, thus not lubricating against the friction of the mitt and the dirt on the paint. Just my thoughts. :dunno
3-Instructions: Basic. Wet car, dispense product into bucket (1 oz. per gal. of water), add water, apply with soft cloth or sponge, rinse, dry with dry soft cloth or chamois. No mention of mitts or mf. Hmm.
I think this is all most people would need for directions. More than some would need.(or even bother to read, judging by what I've seen in regards to some people and new things.)
Does warn against using on a hot surface.
4-Value: $4.95 for 32 oz. Does come in larger sizes (from 1 gal. up to 55 gal.!) Cost per use=15.5 cents/ounce in the 32 oz. size, 3.2 cents in the 55 gal. size.
Compared to local priced "off the shelf" products, the 32 oz. size is a good value, even with exchange, as brands like Armor All, Turtle Wax, EO, etc. are between $5 and $9 for 16 oz. or so.. The gal. prices of the local brands are more in line with the Gal. of 4*.
5-Ease of use: You pour it in, add water, apply, rinse. Pretty easy, I'd say. I didn't have to do anything special to get it to work, therefore, I rate it as very easy to use.
6-Safe: :dunno I didn't see anywhere what the ph is. Doesn't say if it's biodegradable, enviro safe, or non-toxic, (although it does say to keep out of your eyes, but then, you should keep ketchup out of your eyes too, so who knows? Oh yeah, Dwayne and Rick V should. Didn't ask them. Sorry.).
Didn't seem to cause any drying of hands, watering of eyes or killing of vegetation, so I'm guessing it's not too harsh. Does say "safely" removes dirt and "safe" for all types of paints, but that's it.
7-Traits: It's blue; has such a faint smell that I couldn't match it with anything; Kind of gel like-thicker than water, yet still flows well; Mixes with water without clinging to the bucket like some thicker soaps do.
Overall, I think it's a very good car wash. For the "average" user, it may even help prevent some of the damage inflicted on cars from "improper" technique. (no, I don't think it's going to be able to protect a car's paint from the wheel well brush :eek .)
As far as I know, there isn't any wax added (wash n wax in one step) so if you prefer that type of product, this probably isn't what you're looking for. Maybe try the Mullet Wax line
. If you're the type that doesn't want "residual wax" affecting your polish/wax job, then this may indeed be for you. I haven't compared this to the 4* Ultimate line (yet :naughty ).
1-Package / label: My bottle is of a good quality, doesn't feel brittle, not overly slippery when wet. Label is the typical "white with black and red graphics" of 4 *'s Pro line. All of their labels look about the same. (not that you'd be able to tell from the web site, as there aren't any pics and most products don't have any description/ sales pitch attatched. I seem to remember Dwayne saying this was going to be a project he was looking at addressing once things got slow, though.)
2-Mfg. claims: High Lubricity-Yep. felt slick applying, didn't hear any "rubbing" or feel any "dragging" while using it.
-foaming agent-Yep. Foams up real good. I even left the dirty bucket overnight and the next day I was able to get the solution to foam up just by swishing my hand in it a bit.
-Safely removes dirt film-Yep. Cars I've tried it on weren't really dirty (ie. caked on mud) but did have the typical layer of dust that had bonded to the paint after a rain etc. The soap removed it without much effort.
-Cleans without stripping wax-Well, as per my title, I thought this claim was totally false my first time using it! But, again, after rinsing, the beading came back and after it rained the next day, (go figure) the water was still beading well.
-Fights water spots-counters water beading action of the wax and makes the water "pool" or "sheet." Now, by "sheeting" I don't mean that the water runs off the car, as it might with some sealants that cause "sheeting." Instead, the soap solution "lays" on the car until rinsed off. I think this helps with the prevention of micro-marring that one may get if the soap runs off the car too fast, thus not lubricating against the friction of the mitt and the dirt on the paint. Just my thoughts. :dunno
3-Instructions: Basic. Wet car, dispense product into bucket (1 oz. per gal. of water), add water, apply with soft cloth or sponge, rinse, dry with dry soft cloth or chamois. No mention of mitts or mf. Hmm.
I think this is all most people would need for directions. More than some would need.(or even bother to read, judging by what I've seen in regards to some people and new things.)
Does warn against using on a hot surface.
4-Value: $4.95 for 32 oz. Does come in larger sizes (from 1 gal. up to 55 gal.!) Cost per use=15.5 cents/ounce in the 32 oz. size, 3.2 cents in the 55 gal. size.
Compared to local priced "off the shelf" products, the 32 oz. size is a good value, even with exchange, as brands like Armor All, Turtle Wax, EO, etc. are between $5 and $9 for 16 oz. or so.. The gal. prices of the local brands are more in line with the Gal. of 4*.
5-Ease of use: You pour it in, add water, apply, rinse. Pretty easy, I'd say. I didn't have to do anything special to get it to work, therefore, I rate it as very easy to use.
6-Safe: :dunno I didn't see anywhere what the ph is. Doesn't say if it's biodegradable, enviro safe, or non-toxic, (although it does say to keep out of your eyes, but then, you should keep ketchup out of your eyes too, so who knows? Oh yeah, Dwayne and Rick V should. Didn't ask them. Sorry.).
Didn't seem to cause any drying of hands, watering of eyes or killing of vegetation, so I'm guessing it's not too harsh. Does say "safely" removes dirt and "safe" for all types of paints, but that's it.
7-Traits: It's blue; has such a faint smell that I couldn't match it with anything; Kind of gel like-thicker than water, yet still flows well; Mixes with water without clinging to the bucket like some thicker soaps do.
Overall, I think it's a very good car wash. For the "average" user, it may even help prevent some of the damage inflicted on cars from "improper" technique. (no, I don't think it's going to be able to protect a car's paint from the wheel well brush :eek .)
As far as I know, there isn't any wax added (wash n wax in one step) so if you prefer that type of product, this probably isn't what you're looking for. Maybe try the Mullet Wax line
. If you're the type that doesn't want "residual wax" affecting your polish/wax job, then this may indeed be for you. I haven't compared this to the 4* Ultimate line (yet :naughty ).
. Btw are you referring to the 4* Pro or Ultimate ? I haven't tried the pro version but I just used the ultimate autowash this morning and the water sheeted off my paint,I thought the sealant's gone so I hosed the car and beading's still there. I used it sparingly and hopefully PAC will have an offer for a gallon size this Christmas :dancin