DFB
Well-known member
- Aug 12, 2019
- 4,452
- 2,079
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- #2,261
The plan for today was to try a few of the new Koch Chemie products outside of my normal washing routine. Those products being Active Foam, Ceramic Effect Shampoo and Quick & Shine. The test subject being the mildly dirty Wildtrak.
To start, I mixed up some Active Foam. In the past, Active Foam was only available in 10-litre containers, which for someone like me was way overboard, especially at the previous asking price. With AF now available in a consumer friendly 1-litre bottle, I've finally got a chance to try out this soap. And what an amazing soap it is!
AF is a mild-alkaline at a pH of 9.5, meaning it has pre-cleaning ability missing from GSF, but not to the same extent as Super Foam at pH 12.
Active Foam produces lovely thick foam, backed by a long dwell time. It also rinses freely, taking dirt and bugs with it. But the scent, what a scent! I've heard about AF's sandalwood scent being delightful, but that doesn't do it justice. A quick whiff of the bottle is one thing, but once you foam it, the scent takes on a different dimension.................it's transcendent. I know scent doesn't actually affect the cleaning ability of the product, but it certainly improves the user experience. And if you enjoy using a product, you are going to use it more.
On this occasion, I used Active Foam as a wheel and tyre cleaner, then as a pre-cleaner before the contact wash. On both counts, AF is superbly capable.
Following Active Foam, I used CES Ceramic Effect Shampoo as a bucket wash. I typically don't use this type of soap, as in a soap with protection. I often find them a jack of all trades, master of none. Most of them refuse to foam and have a strange stickiness under the wash media. They also lack ultimate cleaning ability. As such, you have to pick your mark with these soaps.
On this occasion, the vehicle is in between coatings, so using a soap like this helps buy me some time. With the surface mostly clean after using Active Foam, CES wasn't ploughing through dirt and grime. This is another pleasantly scented product from KCx, not to the same level as Active Foam, but still a delight. Under the wash pad, CES glides nicely over the surface, then rinses away freely to reveal some decent hydrophobics and lovely slickness. And in that regard, I'd say CES has an edge over some of the other soaps of this type I've sampled.
Following the wash, I then tried Quick & Shine. I've tried this product in the blue bottle range and have always loved how simple it is to use as a drying aid. QS couldn't be simpler to apply, just spray and wipe, quite often you don't even need a secondary towel as it flashes away to a streak free finish. To be clear, this isn't going to provide long term protection, just lubrication while drying and a boost in gloss and slickness..................which is probably all we ever need on well-maintained vehicles.
With the use of CES and QS, they certainly gave the test subject a lovely boost in gloss and slickness.
To start, I mixed up some Active Foam. In the past, Active Foam was only available in 10-litre containers, which for someone like me was way overboard, especially at the previous asking price. With AF now available in a consumer friendly 1-litre bottle, I've finally got a chance to try out this soap. And what an amazing soap it is!
AF is a mild-alkaline at a pH of 9.5, meaning it has pre-cleaning ability missing from GSF, but not to the same extent as Super Foam at pH 12.
Active Foam produces lovely thick foam, backed by a long dwell time. It also rinses freely, taking dirt and bugs with it. But the scent, what a scent! I've heard about AF's sandalwood scent being delightful, but that doesn't do it justice. A quick whiff of the bottle is one thing, but once you foam it, the scent takes on a different dimension.................it's transcendent. I know scent doesn't actually affect the cleaning ability of the product, but it certainly improves the user experience. And if you enjoy using a product, you are going to use it more.
On this occasion, I used Active Foam as a wheel and tyre cleaner, then as a pre-cleaner before the contact wash. On both counts, AF is superbly capable.
Following Active Foam, I used CES Ceramic Effect Shampoo as a bucket wash. I typically don't use this type of soap, as in a soap with protection. I often find them a jack of all trades, master of none. Most of them refuse to foam and have a strange stickiness under the wash media. They also lack ultimate cleaning ability. As such, you have to pick your mark with these soaps.
On this occasion, the vehicle is in between coatings, so using a soap like this helps buy me some time. With the surface mostly clean after using Active Foam, CES wasn't ploughing through dirt and grime. This is another pleasantly scented product from KCx, not to the same level as Active Foam, but still a delight. Under the wash pad, CES glides nicely over the surface, then rinses away freely to reveal some decent hydrophobics and lovely slickness. And in that regard, I'd say CES has an edge over some of the other soaps of this type I've sampled.
Following the wash, I then tried Quick & Shine. I've tried this product in the blue bottle range and have always loved how simple it is to use as a drying aid. QS couldn't be simpler to apply, just spray and wipe, quite often you don't even need a secondary towel as it flashes away to a streak free finish. To be clear, this isn't going to provide long term protection, just lubrication while drying and a boost in gloss and slickness..................which is probably all we ever need on well-maintained vehicles.
With the use of CES and QS, they certainly gave the test subject a lovely boost in gloss and slickness.
