The moment you have all been waiting for. I did a test last week with the giveaway that of Griots Garage Heavy Duty Wheel Cleaner & the Sonax Full Effect Wheel Cleaner I had purchased. Here I have ZERO biases, I will lay it down as I see it. Just be aware that I purchased 5L container of the sonax, and received the 35oz container of Griots, so the packaging section is not a fair match up.
Griots Garage Heavy Duty Wheel Cleaner - Initial Product Observations:
1.- Packaging: No exterior packaging.
2.- Contents: (1) 35oz Bottle, 35oz worth of cleaning solution. NOTE: Sprayer is NOT included with the purchase of this item
3.- Clarity of Directions: Clearly printed on rear of bottle.
4.- Consistency: Completely Fluid. Very water like, not a gel like some of the other similar products.
5.- Color: Milky-Clear
6.- Scent: Cherry (not a harsh smell)
7.- Size: 35 fl/oz (also available 1gal.)
8.- Price at time of Review: 16.99 (49.99gal)
9.- Manufacturer: Griots Garage
10-Made in: USA
11-Safe for: ALL Wheel Types
12-Addition items needed: Sprayer, various wheel brushes.
Sonax Full Effect Wheel Cleaner - Initial Product Observations:
1.- Packaging: No exterior packaging.
2.- Contents: 5L worth of cleaning solution inside of large plastic container. NOTE: Sprayer is NOT included with the purchase of this item. (neither is a bottle)
3.- Clarity of Directions: Clearly printed on front label.
4.- Consistency: Completely Fluid. Liquidy/gel type substance.
5.- Color: Yellow
6.- Scent: Nasty smell, but from what I hear, not as bad as ironx
7.- Size: 500ml=16.9 fl/oz (also available 5 L = 1.32086 gal.)
8.- Price at time of Review: 15.99 (94.99gal sale. Orig. 99.99)
9.- Manufacturer: Sonax
10-Made in: Germany
11-Safe for: ALL Wheel Types
12-Addition items needed: bottle, sprayer, various wheel brushes.
GGHDWC/GGHD - Griots Garage Heavy Duty Wheel Cleaner
SFEWC/SFE - Sonax Full Effect Wheel Cleaner
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iNrn7xPBOIc]YouTube - Griots Garage Heavy Duty Wheel Cleaner vs Sonax Full Effect Wheel Cleaner[/video]
My intentions of this review is to give you a view from a beginning consumer level car enthusiast. I am trying to show this product in it's true form, this is why I quickly cleaned a extra dirty rim. I purposefully only brought 2 wheel brushes (I should have just brought the big fender brush). Most people don't have the EZ detail brush, or swissvax wheel brushes or the like. I wanted to show what kinds of results you could expect from an entry level person. Another thing, when I agitated the wheels, I went over them quickly, most of these people do not know the techniques, or how to get a close to perfect rim the first round. I gave both sides an even and equal treatment.
Cleaning Power:
These are both fun products to watch, as they both change colors when coming in contact with iron, brake dust, and other elements. The sonax did seem to have a slight edge especially in the no-touch department. In the first cleaning test, you can see where the sonax really pulls through. As time goes on the sonax becomes more apparent, where as the griots slowly fades away.
With agitation I see these products very similar, the sonax MAY have had an edge, but that's probably because I missed some spots on both sides, and the sonax probably helped where I didn't reach.
There was no advantage on either product when you really pay attention. They both cleaned the wheel equally on the last pass.
Foaming:
I love how the GGHDWC foams. I know foaming doesn't have a direct link to cleaning capability, but it definitely helps to move the product around in different areas, plus it gives you that working feeling. The sonax obviously shows that it works, but when you agitate it, you feel like you are swishing around goop. I know that shouldn't really matter to me, but it kind of does.
Smell:
I would much rather work with the Griots over the Sonax because of this reason. The Sonax smell isn't strong, but it is displeasing.
Ease of Use:
Both products are qually easy to use IMO. The directions are similar on both;
Rinse
Spray & let sit for about 3 mins
Agitate needed areas
Rinse clean
Final Thoughts:
The sonax is going to have a cleaning edge as you can see, but is it a $50 (price comparison 1gal price) cleaning edge? I would argue, no. I don't think there is a set of wheels out there, that if I was going to use either of these products, would not need to be agitated. And if they were lightly dirty to where I wouldn't need to agitate I would probably just use a bucket of soap and water. With this being said, I see the Griots being much more cost effective, and the product I will probably be using. (But I still have about 2 gallons of Sonax to finish up)
Griots Garage Heavy Duty Wheel Cleaner - Initial Product Observations:
1.- Packaging: No exterior packaging.
2.- Contents: (1) 35oz Bottle, 35oz worth of cleaning solution. NOTE: Sprayer is NOT included with the purchase of this item
3.- Clarity of Directions: Clearly printed on rear of bottle.
4.- Consistency: Completely Fluid. Very water like, not a gel like some of the other similar products.
5.- Color: Milky-Clear
6.- Scent: Cherry (not a harsh smell)
7.- Size: 35 fl/oz (also available 1gal.)
8.- Price at time of Review: 16.99 (49.99gal)
9.- Manufacturer: Griots Garage
10-Made in: USA
11-Safe for: ALL Wheel Types
12-Addition items needed: Sprayer, various wheel brushes.
Sonax Full Effect Wheel Cleaner - Initial Product Observations:
1.- Packaging: No exterior packaging.
2.- Contents: 5L worth of cleaning solution inside of large plastic container. NOTE: Sprayer is NOT included with the purchase of this item. (neither is a bottle)
3.- Clarity of Directions: Clearly printed on front label.
4.- Consistency: Completely Fluid. Liquidy/gel type substance.
5.- Color: Yellow
6.- Scent: Nasty smell, but from what I hear, not as bad as ironx
7.- Size: 500ml=16.9 fl/oz (also available 5 L = 1.32086 gal.)
8.- Price at time of Review: 15.99 (94.99gal sale. Orig. 99.99)
9.- Manufacturer: Sonax
10-Made in: Germany
11-Safe for: ALL Wheel Types
12-Addition items needed: bottle, sprayer, various wheel brushes.
GGHDWC/GGHD - Griots Garage Heavy Duty Wheel Cleaner
SFEWC/SFE - Sonax Full Effect Wheel Cleaner
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iNrn7xPBOIc]YouTube - Griots Garage Heavy Duty Wheel Cleaner vs Sonax Full Effect Wheel Cleaner[/video]
My intentions of this review is to give you a view from a beginning consumer level car enthusiast. I am trying to show this product in it's true form, this is why I quickly cleaned a extra dirty rim. I purposefully only brought 2 wheel brushes (I should have just brought the big fender brush). Most people don't have the EZ detail brush, or swissvax wheel brushes or the like. I wanted to show what kinds of results you could expect from an entry level person. Another thing, when I agitated the wheels, I went over them quickly, most of these people do not know the techniques, or how to get a close to perfect rim the first round. I gave both sides an even and equal treatment.
Cleaning Power:
These are both fun products to watch, as they both change colors when coming in contact with iron, brake dust, and other elements. The sonax did seem to have a slight edge especially in the no-touch department. In the first cleaning test, you can see where the sonax really pulls through. As time goes on the sonax becomes more apparent, where as the griots slowly fades away.
With agitation I see these products very similar, the sonax MAY have had an edge, but that's probably because I missed some spots on both sides, and the sonax probably helped where I didn't reach.
There was no advantage on either product when you really pay attention. They both cleaned the wheel equally on the last pass.
Foaming:
I love how the GGHDWC foams. I know foaming doesn't have a direct link to cleaning capability, but it definitely helps to move the product around in different areas, plus it gives you that working feeling. The sonax obviously shows that it works, but when you agitate it, you feel like you are swishing around goop. I know that shouldn't really matter to me, but it kind of does.
Smell:
I would much rather work with the Griots over the Sonax because of this reason. The Sonax smell isn't strong, but it is displeasing.
Ease of Use:
Both products are qually easy to use IMO. The directions are similar on both;
Rinse
Spray & let sit for about 3 mins
Agitate needed areas
Rinse clean
Final Thoughts:
The sonax is going to have a cleaning edge as you can see, but is it a $50 (price comparison 1gal price) cleaning edge? I would argue, no. I don't think there is a set of wheels out there, that if I was going to use either of these products, would not need to be agitated. And if they were lightly dirty to where I wouldn't need to agitate I would probably just use a bucket of soap and water. With this being said, I see the Griots being much more cost effective, and the product I will probably be using. (But I still have about 2 gallons of Sonax to finish up)
rops: Thanks for taking the time to do this. :dblthumb2: 
