The Best Clay?

That`s like asking what is the best wax. You will get dozens of answers.


You need to be a little more specific about best quality. Do you want to know most agressive, least agressive, longest lasting (clay towels).
 
I`ve found recently that it depends on if I feel like using a machine or not. I have both the blackfire fine grade clay bar and the nanoskin auto scrub pads and both work very well. My suggestion is one you`ll see here often, find something you like and that works well for you, and use it.
 
Best clay for *WHAT*?

I almost always use Sonus SFX, which is so gentle that, *USED PROPERLY* it merely clays my LSP clean. It`s too gentle for any serious decontamination though.

Next up the scale, I use the Ricardo/Smart clay (the kinda-different stuff that`s more...I dunno...elastic), which isn`t all *that* hard on LSPs but is a lot more aggressive than the Sonus SFX.

Then there`re the (very similar IME) Griot`s/Mothers, which will probably mess with LSPs for most people.

AND..I`ve somehow never tried the Standard Best Answer, namely Clay Magic Blue. That`s what most people seem to think is the best "regular clay".

Lots of others that I don`t know from.

Oh, and unlike some people I find that using the right Clay Lube makes a huge difference for me. I almost always use Sonus Glyde, which is pretty "soapy" and needs rinsing afterwards. Others use other stuff, but the other lubes/lube substitutes that I`ve tried didn`t work nearly as well *for me*.

And of course !YMMV! really applies when it comes to claying...perhaps moreso than usual.


And FWIW, IMO most people go about claying all wrong and end up marring their paint as a result.
 
Accumulator said:
Best clay for *WHAT*?

I almost always use Sonus SFX, which is so gentle that, *USED PROPERLY* it merely clays my LSP clean. It`s too gentle for any serious decontamination though.

Next up the scale, I use the Ricardo/Smart clay (the kinda-different stuff that`s more...I dunno...elastic), which isn`t all *that* hard on LSPs but is a lot more aggressive than the Sonus SFX.

Then there`re the (very similar IME) Griot`s/Mothers, which will probably mess with LSPs for most people.

AND..I`ve somehow never tried the Standard Best Answer, namely Clay Magic Blue. That`s what most people seem to think is the best "regular clay".

Lots of others that I don`t know from.

Oh, and unlike some people I find that using the right Clay Lube makes a huge difference for me. I almost always use Sonus Glyde, which is pretty "soapy" and needs rinsing afterwards. Others use other stuff, but the other lubes/lube substitutes that I`ve tried didn`t work nearly as well *for me*.

And of course !YMMV! really applies when it comes to claying...perhaps moreso than usual.


And FWIW, IMO most people go about claying all wrong and end up marring their paint as a result.
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Agreed! Like most things in life the correct lube is key. Quite possibly more important than the clay itself.

IMO a higher viscosity lube and lots of it is necessary to keep the clay hydroplaning over the surface and for gunk clearing.

(I`ve been testing)
 
For average claying, light claying, ones that don`t need a polish afterwards.

I was told that the best bars of clay are no longer available in the US that Canada gets the better bars of clay.

I`m just wondering out of all the brands that make clay/claying kits, who`s is top quality.
 
Clay Magic is good and you may be able to find it locally, but it is more difficult to find than it used to be. I really like the Nanoskin Autoscrub pads when used with their Glide lube. It is much quicker than traditional clay and you can rinse it off if you drop it. Drop a traditional clay bar and you have to throw it out. Megs professional clay bar (less aggressive blue version) is pretty good too.

GTO_04
 
I have used Poorboys clay and I can confirm that it is, in fact, clay. It did great and it got rid of all the contaminants in my `12 Chrysler black (not metallic) paint. I do have some OG CG clay as well but I`m waiting to use that until I finish off the Poorboys. They both look the same and I`m sure the results will be incredibly similar. There`s only so many ways to make clay imo!
 
I started off using Griot`s clay as well as DP clay.

Then I switched to Nanoskin and Speedy Prep and prefer the latter clay alternatives. It`s not that I dislike clay; I think the alternatives work faster.
 
GTO_04 said:
Clay Magic is good and you may be able to find it locally, but it is more difficult to find than it used to be. I really like the Nanoskin Autoscrub pads when used with their Glide lube. It is much quicker than traditional clay and you can rinse it off if you drop it. Drop a traditional clay bar and you have to throw it out. Megs professional clay bar (less aggressive blue version) is pretty good too.

GTO_04
Click to expand...

You mean this stuff?
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Fibregla...2587&wl11=online&wl12=410002890&wl13=&veh=sem
 
I`m a clay alternative guy, but I will say I disliked the Pinnacle fine grade clay. It was way too fine to actually remove anything. At least that was my take on it. I`ve used Clay Magic and Meguires clay both did the job with no marring. I use lots of lube. I bought several bottles of Prima Amigo Clay Lube when it was being discontinued by AG and it works very well. When I finish with that one I have some CarPro Lube to try out. Folks that use soap or a rinseless wash scare me, I want as much lubrication as I can get.
 
For general light clay situations I almost always reach for sonus grey/green stuff first. Ultra fine it is the safest IMO.

Next I reach for the ClayMagic Blue. IMO one of the best all around clay bars available. I have also used the mothers gold bar which is good but not my favorite in this category.

For me the step up is the Blackfire Clay. It is as aggressive as you can get before going full on marring for sure. I can use it and have almost zero marring.

For aggressive stuff I like clay magic red. It is just a beast.


I have the clay alternative sponges as well. While it like them I feel like they are more aggressive than their clay counterparts and I almost never feel like they get the paint quite a clean.
 
FWIW, regulars here probably know this already...the "Sonus SFX" and "Sonus green" are both ultra-gentle stuff that`s only good for very light work.

The Sonus gray has had QC issues; I`ve had batches that were nice Medium clay and others that`re as aggressive as some Overspray clay and will mar anything with the lightest contact.

As long as somebody`s using a clay that`s, say...not more aggressive than the ClayMagic Blue, then the marring potential is a matter of technique (stupid-soft paint notwithstanding).

IMO most guys don`t use enough lube and don`t knead/replace the clay often enough. I firmly believe that once clay picks up a speck of abrasive contamination that clay has become sandpaper even with lots of lube.

Plus, I suspect that people use clay/decon. towels for things *other than* above-surface contamination. Clay doesn`t really "pull contamination out of the paint", at least not much, but rather shears off whatever contamination it bumps into. When the contamination is down in the pores/microfissures/grain of the paint you need *chemical* decontamination, not the mechanical kind that clay provides.
 
Dispatch said:
You mean this stuff?
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Fibregla...2587&wl11=online&wl12=410002890&wl13=&veh=sem
Click to expand...

I`m no authority on Clay Magic`s offerings as I`ve never used them, but I`m confident that the one you linked is OK. Their lube isn`t bad and I`m using mine up with my Ricardo/smart clay.

lxjeremy said:
There`s only so many ways to make clay imo!
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Basically two different way that I`m aware of, but there are also a whole [boatload] of variables that determine how pliable/aggressive/etc. the clay is. I`ve had utterly identical-looking clays that behaved completely differently, and others that were in fact the same stuff as far as I could tell...at least for that batch. Reminds me of how I found Mother`s and Griot`s clays to be absolutely identical in every respect...and then somebody here compared them and found them very different!

rlmccarty2000 said:
Folks that use soap or a rinseless wash scare me, I want as much lubrication as I can get.
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Agree, and there seems to be a sweet-spot related to viscosity too. I bought into the "just use [something else] koolaid on a theoretical basis, but it just never worked out well for me and to my surprise I ended up becoming a Clay Lube Snob based on my first-hand experience.

Oh, and [INSERT usual caveat about how Griot`s SpeedShine, which I think is a perfectly OK QD, is one of my least favorite Clay Lubes, utterly hate it for that]
 
I`ve used a couple clay lubes, and typically use ONR at clay lube dilution. I`ve used one soapy one, dodo juice, and didn`t care for the cleanup. But if the soapy ones work better I`m not adverse to it, i just haven`t used that many different ones.
For clay, I`ve used a few. I do use the pinnacle poly clay and it`s really fine grade, haven`t experienced marring. On my car I`ve never had a clay bar come out looking really dirty, but I generally use an iron remover first and clawing is much easier after that.
I used Bilt Hamber soft clay last week after chemical Decon on my new car and it worked well and was easy to use.
 
RMD- Yeah, that Sonus Glyde really does call for rinsing, or even a light washing.

Glad you like the ONR, it would`ve made life easier for me had it worked out. I`ve used IUDJ a few times trying to convince myself...but nah, just not right for me.


And yeah, combining a chemical decon with clay can work great. I`ve clayed while the chemicals are dwelling, but !oh man! does it mess up the clay fast!
 
Claying while the chemicals are working would certainly save time. I tend to get pretty close to the paint when I`m claying to look for anything on the surface, but I don`t want to get near any of the iron remover products like iron-x or corrosol due to the god awful smell. I stand back and let those things do their job after spraying them on.
 
Great answers, and I too can recommend Sonus and Clay Magic Bllue and Poorboys.

Maybe more important is what Not to buy. Namely, the no-name blue stuff that some detailing places sell, the blue bricks from China, and the blue clay that says "3M" all over it, often found on eBay. Those are all way too hard and you can`t knead them.

I also find Mothers clay (as sold in stores with the QD) to be too sticky.
 
I use the 3M marked clay all the time. I don`t find that it is at all difficult to knead, as long as the temperature is normal (>18C, mid 60s F). It seems to hold up well. It is not a "fine grade" clay, but more of a medium. Not an issue for me because I only use clay to remove contaminants prior to machine polishing. It does leave some marring behind, but because, as previously stated, it is followed by a machine polish I don`t have an issue. I use it with CG`s Luber, but have recently moved to Nanoskins`s Glide. My first clay was the Mother`s yellow clay in the plastic jar. It was OK, but up here (Canada) a 100 gm. piece is close to $40, in my mind, way too expensive for regular use, and to be honest, it didn`t work any better than the 3M marked clay that I got from eBay.

I will be trying the medium Nanoskin sponge in the near future, just to avoid having to stop and knead, and as a safeguard against dropping it (hasn`t happened yet, but will, sooner or later).
 
I enjoy the griots clay it doesn`t mar paint and pulls contamination off with ease. Gary dean has a clay bar from Japan he imports that gets very kind words, I will be trying this once the last of my griots clay is out. I found the griots at advance last year on clearance for 5 bucks vs the typical 20 I bought the shelf. Funny thing is since it sold so well they kept stocking it and haven`t sold any since the dust on the lids is horrendous, maybe I`ll get more cheap griots soon
 
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