Autogeek staff: Has the issue with Nanoskin sponges been fixed?

Calendyr

Calendyr

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I just used up my last NanoSkin sponge and I need to order some more, or find an alternative.

During the winter a problem was reported in the forum with defective sponges unable to decontaminate at all. Has this been looked into and are the sponges currently avaialble good?

If not, what can I use besides a clay bar. Are there equivalent products from a different company that work?
 
Calendyr said:
I just used up my last NanoSkin sponge and I need to order some more, or find an alternative.

During the winter a problem was reported in the forum with defective sponges unable to decontaminate at all. Has this been looked into and are the sponges currently avaialble good?

If not, what can I use besides a clay bar. Are there equivalent products from a different company that work?
Click to expand...

I just inspected our stock and it looks a-okay.

If you're itching to try something new, Griot's "Surface Prep Mitts" have been receiving rave reviews. :dblthumb2:

Review: Griot's Garage Fast Surface Prep Mitt

Mike Phillips said:
Griots_Fast_Surface_Prep_Mitt_004.jpg
Click to expand...

Griot's Garage Fine Surface Prep Mitt

Griot's Garage Fast Surface Prep Mitt

Griot's Speed Shine
 
Thank you Nick, I think I will order both so I can compare.

Thanks again for the quick response!
 
I'm thinking of returning my Nanoskin Fine wash mitt (as the rubber doesn't look right, although I've been told it's fine. Bought from Amazon):

CPeVIMr.jpg


Thinking of picking up the Griot's version instead.
 
raheelc said:
I'm thinking of returning my Nanoskin Fine wash mitt (as the rubber doesn't look right, although I've been told it's fine. Bought from Amazon):

CPeVIMr.jpg


Thinking of picking up the Griot's version instead.
Click to expand...

Agree it is fine
 
Looks like just extra thick rubber (what ever it is) on there to me. Should last longer if anything.
 
Interesting- I just bought a Nanoskin sponge that effortlessly installed hundreds of fine scratches all over my Camry. It was my first experience with a clay substitute! I'm going to try the Griot's mitt as a last ditch before I go back to clay. I hate how long clay takes but it's too vital to skip.
 
If you got scratches from the sponge your paint must have been contaminated to the extreme! I am not sure a clay bar would not have done the same. But in any decontamination, there is always the risk of marring or scratching, you are rubbing contaminants off the paint after all. Always be prepared to polish after a decontamination, the risk is always present.
 
hopefully AG will add this to the store as well (sooner the better!) since they already stock carpro products... :)
Poly_Shave__63553.1449800435.780.780.jpg
 
TorqueKing said:
Interesting- I just bought a Nanoskin sponge that effortlessly installed hundreds of fine scratches all over my Camry.
Click to expand...

I ended up going back to clay for this very reason. I put down the lube spray really heavy and still had horrible marring. I stuck it out for a couple seasons, but in the end it wasn't for me. I'm sure it works out well for some, but I found it was causing me more work rather than saving. On a car where I could have simply polished out some minor swirls with a light polish, I was going back after the nanoskin marring with a compound, and THEN finishing with a polish.
 
The Speedy Surface Prep towel is another good one. It's currently my favorite clay alternative, and I've tried the Nanoskin sponge, the Nanoskin mit and the Nanoskin buffing pad thing.

I'd go for the fine grade; the heavier grade mits/towels may be the cause of the marring.

Also, TorqueKing, did you break in the mit by "claying" the windshield?
 
After ordering (and returning) two nanoskin fine grade mitts that both looked like the rubber coating was melted, I saw the Griot's version on AG and ordered that, even though it was more expensive. The coating on this one looked the way it was supposed to and definitely had better quality control. I proceeded to use it on my Range Rover Sport two weekends ago and it worked great! First used it on all the windows then proceeded to use it on the paint. Didn't leave any marring.

Sent from my SM-G930T using Tapatalk
 
kevincwelch said:
The Speedy Surface Prep towel is another good one. It's currently my favorite clay alternative, and I've tried the Nanoskin sponge, the Nanoskin mit and the Nanoskin buffing pad thing.

I'd go for the fine grade; the heavier grade mits/towels may be the cause of the marring.

Also, TorqueKing, did you break in the mit by "claying" the windshield?
Click to expand...

Sure did- it was meticulously broken in on all the glass on the car before it ever touched paint. I watched the videos on how to do that, and I used ONR in a sprayer as lube, applied liberally, to the Camry after a 2-bucket method wash. It seemed like it was working but after the buff it was obvious that the Nano Sponge was a problem. It took a 2-step correction with my Flex 3401 to fix the damage.

I clayed the other side of the panel with normal Griot's clay just to make sure I hadn't lost my mind. Took me 3x longer but the results were just like they always have been with clay- no marring and clean paint.

Got my Griot's Fine Prep Mitt in the mail the other day from the Memorial Day sale. It looks like a high quality piece of gear and I have high hopes for it.
 
Calendyr said:
If you got scratches from the sponge your paint must have been contaminated to the extreme! I am not sure a clay bar would not have done the same. But in any decontamination, there is always the risk of marring or scratching, you are rubbing contaminants off the paint after all. Always be prepared to polish after a decontamination, the risk is always present.
Click to expand...

You're right about being ready to polish after a decontamination, but this was just ridiculous. I've never had this issue with clay except in extremely rare, localized areas. With the Nano Sponge, it looked like everything it touched got mauled.

FWIW, the car is a daily driver but it gets weekly 2-bucket washes and wears Collinite 476s or 845 after clay every other month. My goal in trying the sponge was to save time, and I clearly got it wrong. I'm not giving up on the concept of clay substitutes but definitely giving up on the Nano brand. Looking forward to trying the Griot's mitt. Griot's has been a very reliable brand for me.
 
ONR isnt the be all for clay lube. I drink onr for breakfast but dont use it for claying.
 
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