Considering a foam gun or foam cannon

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skyace888

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Hi autogeeks,

My father and I wash our family's 3 cars every 3 or 4 weeks (quick detail in between) and I was considering a foam gun or foam cannon. We currently just use the two bucket method and it takes 60-70 minutes per vehicle for a basic wash, dry, quick interior, quick detailer spray on panels where needed, and windows. I have read the posts here and on other forums regarding foam guns and cannons. I have the following comments and questions and am still trying to decide if it will be a better, and quicker washing experience. I own both an electric pressure washer and an air compressor (though I don't think the air ones are for me).

1. Most people seem to like the foam cannons better than the guns. They apparently leave more foam and use less water.

2. Can you switch between water and foam easily with the guns and cannons?

3. Why are the cannons so much more expensive and would the ones here be any better than say one from the manufacturer like Karcher?

Any other comments or info is appreciated.
 
Welcome aboard! A foam gun is fun! My grandkids had a ball helping me with it! That being said, I dont think it is a big improvement to 2 buckets. The canon requires a pressure washer so I dont think it would save a lot unless you set up a production line. IMO you would be better getting a garden sprayer and a bottle of Ultima Waterless Wash Concentrate. $3.50 a gallon and works better for presoak and extra protection. You may find you can save time & water most of the time too! It can be used as a No Rinse too! Works on interiors too.
 
The cannons have more foam and use less water because of the pressure washer. The cannon itself really has little to do with it. It is a simple design, and robust. And expensive!

The foam guns are even simpler in design and not as sturdy, but then again they do not have to handle high pressure. I have both, neither have ever failed on me or had any problems whatsoever. Pressure washers, on the other hand...

So I'd say if you have a pressure washer or don't mind buying a new one, the foam cannon is the way to go. If no can do pressure washer, the foam gun is a great alternative, and with the right soaps it can foam quite nicely. It can also use more soaps than the cannon, IMO. For example I would not waste a bottle of Dodo Juice Supernatural shampoo in the foam cannon (it wouldn't foam as nice - tried it), but I do mix it up in the foam gun and it helps reduce the time to wash. I call it my no-bucket method ;)

To switch between the foam and water on the pressure washer all it takes is a change of the wand. Most are an easy push and twist the foam cannon off, and push and twist the wand back on. A matter of seconds, really.

The Karcher one works great, but resembles the foam gun even with the pressure washer. For $25 you get a decent foam attachment and definitely works, but no shaving cream-like foam like you would get in a foam cannon.
 
Thanks for the quick replies guys. Old Tiger, I found the product you are talking about at Ultima Waterless Wash Plus+ Concentrate, concentrated waterless auto wash, waterless car wash but I'm not sure how a waterless wash can really get a dirty car clean without going through many sprays and wipes with a microfiber. It seems a little time consuming and that I would need many clean microfibers. Maybe there is a video around that I can look at.

jlb85, it sounds like you recommend the foam cannon. Which one do you think would be best since I have a Karcher electric pressure washer (1700 psi)? I would like to have enough soap to do 2 or 3 cars at once so would a quart size be ok? I figure that this way I wouldn't be constantly emptying and refilling the buckets. I do this twice per car since I first do the wheels and tires and then refill for the body panels. With a foam cannon I could use several wash mitts and have both buckets as rinse buckets or one rinse and one soap without needing to refill them right (since I could foam the tires and wheels to be cleaned)?
 
The three foam cannons Autogeek sells are all the same with a different sticker. The Karcher should be fine. Of you look up my posts you will see what Karcher we use and how it comes out.

We fill the 32oz bottle with 10:1 Citrus Wash and on one car we will:
foam once
rinse
foam second time
wash
rinse
foam for clay or clay with clay lube
foam once more
wash
rinse
dry

One bottle-full is just enough. Playing with the flow settings will increase or decrease the amount of soap consumed. But do not kid yourself: this foam cannon is not to save soap, but to have more fun! Buy soap by the gallon.
 
I have a foam gun, and the foam cannon. I currently haven't used the foam cannon cause it's mean for my soon to be mobile unit. But the foam gun is nice too. I just imagine it does put out much more water than the cannon will. Mainly cause one operates off the pressure washer (which already uses less water), and one just hooks to a hose.

As for switching from foam to water, it's pretty simple with the foam gun. There's a little release switch that pops the gun right off and leaves you with a water gun. I like it.

I typically just do an APC soak of the tough spots. Then do a water rinse, foam up the vehicle, scrub, and rinse off again. That's always enough for a prep with me. Granted I do an ONR wipe down before starting any exterior work. But I probably spend 20 minutes on a wash. I find it to be a time saver.

I also don't bother buying (foaming solutions). I find that my wash soap does the same thing, and you don't even need much in the container.
 
If you have a pressure washer, then get a foam cannon, sometimes called a foam lance.
 
is there one you guys would recommend? of the foam cannons
 
Sky you can also find a reasonably priced foam lance on ebay. Just a suggestion. I don't know how they compare to the ones sold here at AG, as I don't have one from AG. I found a decently priced one on ebay and it works awesome!
 
I'm still trying to decide if I should go with the foam cannon by my next AG order time or just continue using the 2 bucket method. I'm mainly interested in time savings and that the foam cannon does as good as or better than the two bucket method. Some additional questions:

1. Would I only need to use one rinse bucket with the foam cannon?

2. I'm also interested in going with de-ionized water to prevent water spots and drying altogether. Is the best bet to just rinse the car down with that last or use that kind of water throughout the entire wash?
 
I just bought a foam gun off amazon for 40 bucks - A gilmour unit. It is all I need - got the car plenty sudsy with no adjustments. And I used about a 1/3 OZ per car of shampoo. Very happy. The Ultima Car wash shampoo worked very well.
 
Well if my two cents matter, I started a thread over a year ago about buying a polisher. Either a PC or Flex. Members all told me to buy a FLEX. Guess what, I bought a PC. 3 months ago I bought the FLEX.

I asked about Foam Gun or Foam Cannon. Guess what, I bought a Foam Gun. Today I ordered the Foam Cannon.

Lesson I usually live by, and for some unknown reason I didn't here, "Go Big or Go Home". LOL


Im sure whatever you choose, you will be happy.
 
yeah, think about the cannon for my operation also, more foam less water, it fits my spa theme
 
IMO a foam cannon is not for every wash but if the vehicle is pretty dirty then I bust it out. its def worth it for a pre soak. You should give the MTM Hydro foam cannon a serious look. Just search it on amazon. Its the same thing AG sells but the diff is about 75.00 in savings. Its also easy to stitch back and forth between the cannon and your wand.
 
What is the main use of the "foam"?

Is it to "wow" your clients? Does it help with cleaning or noticeably cut down on time?

The biggest plus, in my eyes, is if you do a pre wash foam, rinse, then foam again- you might have less contaminants left over to create scratches when you use your wash mitt.

Am I right on thinking this? I'd be using the hose-attachment if I were to pick up a foam unit, no pressure washer or air here.
 
Hello, but what if you do not have electricity where you park your car ?

Any solution to get foam ?

Cheers.
 
Kristopher1129 said:
I have a foam gun, and the foam cannon. I currently haven't used the foam cannon cause it's mean for my soon to be mobile unit. But the foam gun is nice too. I just imagine it does put out much more water than the cannon will. Mainly cause one operates off the pressure washer (which already uses less water), and one just hooks to a hose.

As for switching from foam to water, it's pretty simple with the foam gun. There's a little release switch that pops the gun right off and leaves you with a water gun. I like it.

I typically just do an APC soak of the tough spots. Then do a water rinse, foam up the vehicle, scrub, and rinse off again. That's always enough for a prep with me. Granted I do an ONR wipe down before starting any exterior work. But I probably spend 20 minutes on a wash. I find it to be a time saver.

I also don't bother buying (foaming solutions). I find that my wash soap does the same thing, and you don't even need much in the container.
Click to expand...

So since you have most likely had the pleasure of using both devices could you give any onsite to which one you prefer? Thx
 
mylkman said:
So since you have most likely had the pleasure of using both devices could you give any onsite to which one you prefer? Thx
Click to expand...

Would like to hear this answer too. I just bought the AG foam gun.
 
I've owned a foam gun for a few years and really enjoy it. I recently bought a foam cannon and used it for the first time - wow! This thing is da bomb! It takes a tad longer getting set up, because you have to pull out your pressure washer, than the foam gun. The cannon lays down a thick blanket of suds that just can't be beat.

If a cannon is within your budget, IMO, it's a great tool. I doubt I will be using my foam gun now that I have the cannon.
 
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