Clay products - 2023

I started using Clay Bars about 15 years ago and then switched to the Nanoskin Towels a couple years back. Nanoskin is an amazing product that cut the time to clay a car from aver an hour to abpout 15 minutes. If properly maintained the Nanoskin's last for years. I tried the Blackfire wash mit and use it as a wash mit and you can actually clay as you wash. Leaves a great finish as well. I was amazed the first time I used the wash mit at how smooth the finish was after just a wash. Hope that helps.
 
I removed this paint from the rocker panels of this Cadillac yesterday using Meguiars Professional Aggressive Claybar.

The owner said he was driving down the road when a work truck in front of him dropped a bucket of paint and he drove over it. It happened over a week ago.

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I only used this little piece of clay to take it off because I didn’t want to sacrifice the entire bar.

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I didn’t even consider the claymitt, I don’t think it would’ve worked.
 
That's how I clay,little bits at a time, never the whole bar at once. It works well.
 
I'm always afraid of dropping it...because I have. If I use the whole bar and drop it I'd be in a real bind. By tearing off chunks, it lessens the impact of my clumsiness. On one of those rectangular clay bars, a 1/3 piece fits in my hand nicely and seems to work pretty well for me.
 
Desertnate said:
I'm always afraid of dropping it...because I have. If I use the whole bar and drop it I'd be in a real bind. By tearing off chunks, it lessens the impact of my clumsiness. On one of those rectangular clay bars, a 1/3 piece fits in my hand nicely and seems to work pretty well for me.
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In that case, the current Meguiars Clay Kit would seem to be ideal for you. It’s thoughtful in that they package the clay into 3 smaller sized blocks that seem to be the exact size you’re describing.

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I used to approach claying that same way until I started detailing/claying other peoples vehicles more often than my own and had to deal with heavy contaminated paint on a somewhat regular basis. That’s when I 1st stepped up to the Megs Mirror Glaze Claybars and something about it coming in a jar that has just enough room for the claybar doesn’t exactly leave much room to separate it into more than 1 bar inside. As you can see in this pic, I still have that piece I used to remove that paint off that car, and I don’t want it touching the rest of the clay, but I have nowhere else to store it so it’s staying on top of the lid for now.

Maybe that’s part of the reason I wound up liking to clay with the biggest chunk possible. The larger piece also helps cover more ground in less time which is crucial when dealing with heavily contaminated paint whereas it would take considerably longer if using a smaller mild strength claybar.

That’s why the Nanoskin claymitts are so well liked by many… They can cover a larger area than traditional claybar experience + are safer in regards to it fitting your hand like a washmitt + not critical even if you happen to drop it. For people who maintain their own vehicles in fairly good shape they’re a legit game changer. Their only real drawback is dealing with extremely contaminated paint. [synthetic clay pads are available] Personally, I’m not a fan of using my polisher during the clay process, but I’m sure there’s people who like that method.
 
Sonax has a nice clay disk. It can be used on a machine, but also has a loop on the back to do by hand. It works really nice with their glass cleaner.
 
Eldorado2k said:
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I didn’t even consider the claymitt, I don’t think it would’ve worked.
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Have you thought about putting that contaminated piece in a sandwich bag or ziplock and then it would be safe to store alongside it’s unmolested “mother-bar” without risk of contamination?
 
Epilogts said:
Have you thought about putting that contaminated piece in a sandwich bag or ziplock and then it would be safe to store alongside it’s unmolested “mother-bar” without risk of contamination?
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Yes, that thought came to mind almost immediately after posting earlier, but equally the thought of chucking it also sounds like a reasonable thing to do because it’s pretty gnarly.

But…. being the way that I am I kinda tend to use certain things i.e. microfiber towels, and in this case a claybar waaay beyond their normal lifespan simply because there’s always a time and a place where they’re still useful. I actually just finished using that chunk a few minutes ago. I used it along that edge where the door meets the windows along the side of a vehicle… You know that edge that you risk turning a claybar black due to the rubber that’s always there? Perfect situation to use this little gnarly piece of clay that’s already been to hell & back. Lol.
 
Desertnate said:
I'm always afraid of dropping it...because I have. If I use the whole bar and drop it I'd be in a real bind. By tearing off chunks, it lessens the impact of my clumsiness. On one of those rectangular clay bars, a 1/3 piece fits in my hand nicely and seems to work pretty well for me.
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I use ~1/3 as well but I'm not worried about dropping it. I wear a nitrile glove and the clay sticks to it pretty well.
 
I dropped a little chunk of my claybar on the driveway today… Picked it up, quick inspection and nothing really happened to it, so back in the patty it went. 5 second rule. Lol

It was a small piece, not much larger than this.

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Anyone know if the TRC ultra clay scrubber mars less than traditional clay?

I've seen that implied or directly stated in some places.
 
vaced said:
Anyone know if the TRC ultra clay scrubber mars less than traditional clay?

I've seen that implied or directly stated in some places.
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I used these in the fall. However, I used them in tight spots only on a pearlescent white paint. I didn't notice any marring with the naked eye.

I typically don't notice any marring on my own vehicles (harder paint on both) when using the fine grade clay options. I use the Nanoskin mitt and DIY Detail clay towel. The scrubbers were largely the same experience, just easier to maneuver.

I'll caveat that the two vehicles I care for are garaged with minimal miles so I've never felt like I needed something stronger than fine grade clay options.

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I have two of TRC clay rectangular blocks. Are they supposed to be a bit sticky? I opened them up today and they're very tacky.
 
CleanIT said:
I have two of TRC clay rectangular blocks. Are they supposed to be a bit sticky? I opened them up today and they're very tacky.
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I think most of these products are but these might also need to be "broken in" on the windshield?

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I have a few of the mitts, sponges, blocks, pads. They are all tacky. Even after I broke them in on windshields and used them a few times. They are always a bit tacky.
 
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