DFB's Soapy Notes
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DFB
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- Aug 12, 2019
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- #182
I ended up burning through the remainder of the small bottle in my wheel bucket, certainly won't be replaced.
Yeah, I had a feeling it would be like that.
For context, a 4-litre bottle of NV Snow from the NV is only $78.50 AUD here. The same size (actually a gallon comes out at 3.78-litres) of Hyper Wash retails for anything between $95 to $115 AUD. I like Hyper Wash, but you can't argue with the pricing there.
Another soap I would throw into the mix, I know you mentioned Adam's Car Shampo (the blue one), but I prefer Mega Foam due to its runnier consistency (easier to pour), and the fact it produces more consistent foam quality, the blue one does seem to vary from runny to mid-thickness.
I'd also rate Mega Foam above Ultra Foam (the purple one).
For me, sadly the prices of Adam's soaps here puts them out of regular use for me. For example, the blue one is three times the price than you pay in the USA, at which point an extra few dollars buys Carpro Reset in a larger bottle. And Reset's extra concentration easily accounts for the extra $5.00 you spend, let alone the extra 600ml of soap.
Eldorado2k
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Recently I’ve been getting crazy good foam from that Meguiars NXT. I must’ve found the sweet spot as far as how many glugs to add into the foam cannon because I’m getting that shaving cream foam from it now and the wash is super slick. It stepped up a notch on my rating scale.
DFB
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How have you found NXT otherwise?
It was my go-to for quite a while, from a time when I was also using the NXT paste wax. Both were starting points for me in detailing and I fondly remember using NXT wax on the paint of my blue Falcon. I even remember the distinctive scent they used in the wax. The soap I recently revisited for nostalgia and was pleasantly surprised how well NXT holds up against much newer soaps.
Eldorado2k
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Setec Astronomy
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I've been using it for a couple of years and it's good.
It foams well for 1oz into 32oz of water, smells like Red Bull, and does remove light surface dirt but not much beyond that (and how much of that is from the pressure wash rinse off). The foam does cling well and I can easily go fill my two 5 gallon buckets and come back to foam still clinging to the car 5+ minutes later.
Edit: I should mention, it's performed well enough for me that I haven't felt the need to try any other snow foam. I've been doing rinseless washes far more often than a two bucket wash for the past couple of years hence why the bottle has lasted me so long. When the time comes to buy a new snow foam I'd probably buy Actifoam again or something from Labocosmetica.
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One thing that i just dont get. Detailing people that care/commment/ like and dislike a product based on its scent. Im not in the habit of taking a big whiff of my product and then cant smell them when they are dilluted.
Maybe they are just more tuned into the products aroma. I have many products and couldnt tell anyone what the scent is of a single one of them.
As long as a product doesnt smell like rotten eggs or dirty diapers then im good with it not that id notice if it did. Much more important is the products performance.
Maybe they are just more tuned into the products aroma. I have many products and couldnt tell anyone what the scent is of a single one of them.
As long as a product doesnt smell like rotten eggs or dirty diapers then im good with it not that id notice if it did. Much more important is the products performance.
Silly Rabbit
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- Apr 29, 2021
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I feel if it's hobby for you, much like any hobby, it's the experience. Most any product is good today, so all aspects of detailing are fun. Senses are part of it, smell one of them. I have a few products I love using because they are good to me, but also the smell makes using them enjoyable. M27, PA HGPW and Eraser are 3 for me that jump out.
DFB
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I have a very strong sense of smell, to the point where I can smell things others can't. Scent is also strongly tied with memories for me, both pleasant and unpleasant. This is both a blessing and a curse, but is something I am guided by in all areas of life.
In my professional life, scent would play a massive part in what I would do. For example, I can smell if soil is good or bad. That might sound bonkers, but rich fertile soil smells a certain way, as does dry and lifeless soil. Oversaturated clay soil also gives off an unpleasant aroma. In each case, scent gives clues as to why a plant isn't growing, and what treatment might be needed. I can also tell when a plant is being overrun with grey mildew, affected plants have distinctive aroma. The funny thing is, when diagnosing plant ailments, my first response was to take a whiff, which probably had customers thinking I was nuts.
So, when it comes to me assessing a product, naturally scent is going to be part of that. If a product performs well but has an unpleasant odor, I will pretty much hate the product entirely. The Turtle Wax foaming tire cleaner is a good example of this. On a very good product, sometimes a pleasant scent is the icing, which in turn gets mentioned because it contributes to the overall user experience.
However, a scent CAN NOT mask a bad product. I've had countless nice smelling products that got used once and never again because of how badly they perform at the intended task. This gets mentioned in reviews because it shows a product that has style over substance.
In 99% of cases, the scent of a car cleaning product has no bearing on its actual performance. And yet, the majority of detailing brands add scent to their products. In theory, they could eliminate scent entirely and increase their product margins, or even charge less. But then, where do they stop with that way of thinking? Do they eliminate colors as well? Have a universal bottle rather than bottles unique to certain brands? Do they all use basic labels with no branding? And what would we end up with? Pretty much one single "brand" with very little to tell them apart. But, I can guarantee "we" would come up with another way to determine differentiating elements between each competing product.
And yet, none of this explains the pleasure I get from foaming a nice smelling soap and taking in the perfumed air. So, naturally I'm going to mention this in a review or when talking about a product.
In my professional life, scent would play a massive part in what I would do. For example, I can smell if soil is good or bad. That might sound bonkers, but rich fertile soil smells a certain way, as does dry and lifeless soil. Oversaturated clay soil also gives off an unpleasant aroma. In each case, scent gives clues as to why a plant isn't growing, and what treatment might be needed. I can also tell when a plant is being overrun with grey mildew, affected plants have distinctive aroma. The funny thing is, when diagnosing plant ailments, my first response was to take a whiff, which probably had customers thinking I was nuts.
So, when it comes to me assessing a product, naturally scent is going to be part of that. If a product performs well but has an unpleasant odor, I will pretty much hate the product entirely. The Turtle Wax foaming tire cleaner is a good example of this. On a very good product, sometimes a pleasant scent is the icing, which in turn gets mentioned because it contributes to the overall user experience.
However, a scent CAN NOT mask a bad product. I've had countless nice smelling products that got used once and never again because of how badly they perform at the intended task. This gets mentioned in reviews because it shows a product that has style over substance.
In 99% of cases, the scent of a car cleaning product has no bearing on its actual performance. And yet, the majority of detailing brands add scent to their products. In theory, they could eliminate scent entirely and increase their product margins, or even charge less. But then, where do they stop with that way of thinking? Do they eliminate colors as well? Have a universal bottle rather than bottles unique to certain brands? Do they all use basic labels with no branding? And what would we end up with? Pretty much one single "brand" with very little to tell them apart. But, I can guarantee "we" would come up with another way to determine differentiating elements between each competing product.
And yet, none of this explains the pleasure I get from foaming a nice smelling soap and taking in the perfumed air. So, naturally I'm going to mention this in a review or when talking about a product.
True ^^^^ those are all aspects of marketing. Scent/ color/ bottle design/labeling. More important to some consumers than others.
I guess my sense of smell is not as sensative as some others.
My wife has a very keen sense of smell. Ive told her she could get a job at the airport sniffing for drugs and explosives.
I guess my sense of smell is not as sensative as some others.
My wife has a very keen sense of smell. Ive told her she could get a job at the airport sniffing for drugs and explosives.
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