I was a big fan of California water blade. I've been using it for 15 years but often wondered if it was also skimming off some of the wax it took me so long to apply.

Now with my new Metro Blower nothing touches the finish and I'm amazed at how much water is blowing out from under the window gaskets and around head and tail light assembly. Just sayin'.

And 'Frank69m' ,,,, I've only used it after the dirt and dust have been washed away but would imagine that as long as the dust was dry it would fly right off (not sure about brake dust)

 

Yes but not the California duster, somehow I don't like to use it especially on a black car. Can cause swirls.

Same here, used it about 15 plus years, not sure about the wax either. Seems to be fine though as the water just beats off of it. I try to wax twice a year.

 

Www.adamspolishes.com great towels and a 100% money Back guarantee.

 

IMHO the water blade works great on glass surfaces. However, it will remove wax and can definitely scratch your car if it's not perfectly clean from grit. I have a glass roofed C4S and typically hit the whole thing top to bottow with my Ryobi 18V electric blower. Both powerful enough and light enough for this purpose. Until last week, I then used the water blade as a Step 2 on glass surfaces followed by microfiber towel for Step 3. Unfortunately, I did catch a piece of grit with the water blade and caused a slight scratch on glass roof (in many ways worse than paint scratch). My advice - if you can use blower for the main event, then microfiber for the finishing.

 

redmax leaf blower, there is none higher.

 

Do you know the CFM rating and weight? I only ask because I like the Ryobi a lot. It's cheap, readily available (sold at home depot), very lightweight, performs double duty in the yard and the battery system is interchangeable with my power drill/driver so I always have juice. If I need more power I also have a Campbell compressor with a blowgun but it works better on smaller, more detailed objects such as bike frames. Considering the modest cost, facility, effectiveness and versatility, I have not seen anything else that compares to my Ryobi. But let's not debate the trivial - the important message I'm trying to share is try a blower or pressurized air source to dry your vehicles if you haven't already. Nothing else is as gentle or effective.

 

I'm by no means trying to be a salesman for Metro Master Blaster but twin 4hp motors with up to 58,000 ft of warmed, filtered air per minute, two temperature settings works for me. Got mine at:
http://www.autoanything.com/car-care/69A3939A0A0.aspx

Just sayin'

 

+1. Ordered one through AMZN. Used it for the first time this week on my 991 and NSX. Much better than my elec leaf blower.

Spyder

 

heh, I bought a $29 leaf blower from Amazon and it works great. (it's a little more expensive now)
I thought I was going to be really jealous of the Metro units, they are definitely easier to use, but don't move any more water off the car.

 

I find that the Costco yellow ones fall apart. They leave little bits of themselves after they've been washed. Plus, they aren't really that absorbent... and I hope you're not just wiping the car without a quick detailer or something, because if you are, you're swirling it like crazy!

I've bought most of my towels from Phil at Detailer's Domain. I've been using the black and orange ones, and LOVE them for $1.50 and $3 each.

http://www.detailersdomain.com/Micro...als_c_245.html

That said, the key thing is using an emulsifying quick detailer. I really like http://www.detailersdomain.com/Optim...cer_p_176.html for lightly soiled cars or http://www.chemicalguys.com/Chemical...wac_808_16.htm when my wax/sealant is starting to fade (1-2 months in)

 

Pep Boys has a decent and inexpensive 6 pack. They hold up well and don't scratch but suffer from the same problem as Kitw's Costcos. My advice is still to do your primary drying with air then follow up with thick microfiber towel, finish with car in garage and and turn on a high CFM fan to keep the air moving and dry out any microscopic droplets you may have missed.