*NEW* Speedy Surface Prep Towel

Gretsch308 said:
So if the vehicle has a lot of surface contaminates and all 4 sides of the towel get's completely covered, do you just rinse it off and continue use? Basically to the effect of "kneading the clay"?
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The rubber type surface is only on one side of the towel which does give you four seperate sides when folded. After using my towel on about six different cars I have not yet seen a need to clean off the towel between panels. I have kept it wet with lube that not only acts as a lube but kind of flushes off contaminents as you go.
 
Setec Astronomy said:
Arguably the towel has a much bigger surface area, and can be flipped to 4 sides, so you get a lot more throughput (faster and much more car surface covered before you have to rinse the towel vs. the block).
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Rinsing takes 2 seconds, and saving 30 seconds while claying certainly isn't worth that huge jump in price. I've got clay blocks that have easily done 50 cars and are still going strong.
 
Flannigan said:
Rinsing takes 2 seconds, and saving 30 seconds while claying certainly isn't worth that huge jump in price. I've got clay blocks that have easily done 50 cars and are still going strong.
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I'm just saying there's an argument to be made for having a much larger surface area (what is it, about 8 times bigger than the block when it's folded in quarters?), and having four of those areas to use before you have to rinse. It's not 2 seconds, especially if you are moving along the vehicle, unless you have your rinse bucket tied to your foot.

Maybe the time saved isn't worth the price difference (obviously not in your opinion). I don't know, I don't use either (I still have enough BOGO/flavor-of-the-month clay to last me for a while yet). I can simply see that argument for the towel.
 
For those using the new towel, does this method get the paint clean enough to pass the plastic bag test? If that's the case, it would save another entire polishing process with one of the cleaners products. NOW I'm ready to buy. Otherwise, I'm not sure I see the value - same thing only different. But it's to new to tell - reports will be filing in shortly and I'm sure will get a much better sense of the product shortly.
 
The Speedy Surface Prep Towel is definitely more aggressive than your standard clay bar. If you're going to use it on super soft black paint, I would plan on polishing afterwards as there will be some slight marring.

If you have a vehicle that's extremely well maintained, I would stick with fine grade of clay, such as Pinnacle Ultra Poly Clay.

If you're a professional detailer and come across vehicles that are heavily contaminated, you can't beat the Speedy Surface Prep Towel. It requires much less time than a standard clay bar and if you drop it, no big deal, simply rinse it off with water. Plus, it's far more cost effective in the long run.

Expect a full review real soon. :dblthumb2:
 
Nick, will you also be carrying the fine-grade Speedy Surface Prep towel which recently came out?
 
I would stress the breaking in part. I would do all Glass surfaces first. This is similar to the Nanoskin pad which if not broken in...will mar like crazy.
 
Can't wait to see a review of these! Seems expensive until you add up the cost of clay it would take to do the work of one of these!:props:
BobbyG? CeeDog? A good review is needed here:dblthumb2:
 
This seems like a very interesting product. If the price wasn't so high I'd add it to my wishlist. But my thoughts may change once I've read further reviews on this new AG item.

Guess I'll do a google/yahoo/bing search and see what pops up.
 
I have been using the towel now for about 2 months,and let me tell you,It is very easy to work with.I hope it lasts as long as they say,because ,that will definately make it worth it.
 
Nick@Autogeek said:
The Speedy Surface Prep Towel is definitely more aggressive than your standard clay bar. If you're going to use it on super soft black paint, I would plan on polishing afterwards as there will be some slight marring.

If you have a vehicle that's extremely well maintained, I would stick with fine grade of clay, such as Pinnacle Ultra Poly Clay.

If you're a professional detailer and come across vehicles that are heavily contaminated, you can't beat the Speedy Surface Prep Towel. It requires much less time than a standard clay bar and if you drop it, no big deal, simply rinse it off with water. Plus, it's far more cost effective in the long run.

Expect a full review real soon. :dblthumb2:
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I've been using one for about 3 weeks now and I would have written my report exactly as Nick has just written his however I do have a few other comments to add.

A lot of the posters to this thread are talking about folding this towel into fours, unfortunately the surface prep material on this towel tends to stick to itself so folding it in fours tends to be a possible problem. While I have folded it in fours as that seems like a natural thing to want to do, and I was able to pull the surface prep side off of itself but it was somewhat difficult to do without fear of the materiel pulling loose from the towel itself. It did not pull the material off of the towel and I want to be clear about that but, it feels like it is going to be a problem so I either use it flat (unfolded) or simply folded it in half. I store it in a plastic one gallon (ice cream) bucket filled with water that doubles as a rinse bucket during use.

The distributor that brought this towel to my shop warned me of using it with a clay lube containing alcohol. He warned that the alcohol in some clay lube would deteriorate the surface prep material. ONR seems to be working fine as a clay lube with this towel.

If you have ever used an Ultima Elastrofoam Surface Preparation Block for any length of time you have probably experienced the tar like streaks that it can leave behind on the paint that can be a bear to remove after the decontamination process, well you'll no doubt experience these tar like streaks from using this towel as well. I have found that one quick swipe with a towel dampened with a little Goo-Gone removes these streaks instantly and so does compounding so it's no problem for me. Additionally the tar like streaks only seem to be occurring in tight areas such as around fog light openings or on side quarter panel vents such as the ones found on a 3000GT or some older Corvettes. These streaks have not occurred in wide open areas of the vehicles that I have used it on.

If you have used the Ultima Elastrofoam Block you will have noticed that it mars the paint a bit more than traditional clay. This towel (I have the medium grade towel) mars a good bit more than does the Ultima Elastrofoam block. This towel is still a huge time saver and money saver for me as I work on vehicles that are in horrible condition when I get them. I work on some vans that will ruin an entire clay bar on just one side of the van so this towel is definitely for me.

This towel will create a finish that will pass the baggy test but not without marring the paint which is of no concern to me as I always follow the decontamination process with some sort of machine applied compound or polish.

Let's keep in mind that I am reviewing the medium grade towel and not the fine grade towel that this thread is geared toward so while the marring will be less with the finer grade towel I am reasonably sure that the other observations that I posted will apply to the fine grade towel just as well.
 
tuscarora dave said:
I've been using one for about 3 weeks now and I would have written my report exactly as Nick has just written his however I do have a few other comments to add.

A lot of the posters to this thread are talking about folding this towel into fours, unfortunately the surface prep material on this towel tends to stick to itself so folding it in fours tends to be a possible problem. While I have folded it in fours as that seems like a natural thing to want to do, and I was able to pull the surface prep side off of itself but it was somewhat difficult to do without fear of the materiel pulling loose from the towel itself. It did not pull the material off of the towel and I want to be clear about that but, it feels like it is going to be a problem so I either use it flat (unfolded) or simply folded it in half. I store it in a plastic one gallon (ice cream) bucket filled with water that doubles as a rinse bucket during use.

The distributor that brought this towel to my shop warned me of using it with a clay lube containing alcohol. He warned that the alcohol in some clay lube would deteriorate the surface prep material. ONR seems to be working fine as a clay lube with this towel.

If you have ever used an Ultima Elastrofoam Surface Preparation Block for any length of time you have probably experienced the tar like streaks that it can leave behind on the paint that can be a bear to remove after the decontamination process, well you'll no doubt experience these tar like streaks from using this towel as well. I have found that one quick swipe with a towel dampened with a little Goo-Gone removes these streaks instantly and so does compounding so it's no problem for me. Additionally the tar like streaks only seem to be occurring in tight areas such as around fog light openings or on side quarter panel vents such as the ones found on a 3000GT or some older Corvettes. These streaks have not occurred in wide open areas of the vehicles that I have used it on.

If you have used the Ultima Elastrofoam Block you will have noticed that it mars the paint a bit more than traditional clay. This towel (I have the medium grade towel) mars a good bit more than does the Ultima Elastrofoam block. This towel is still a huge time saver and money saver for me as I work on vehicles that are in horrible condition when I get them. I work on some vans that will ruin an entire clay bar on just one side of the van so this towel is definitely for me.

This towel will create a finish that will pass the baggy test but not without marring the paint which is of no concern to me as I always follow the decontamination process with some sort of machine applied compound or polish.

Let's keep in mind that I am reviewing the medium grade towel and not the fine grade towel that this thread is geared toward so while the marring will be less with the finer grade towel I am reasonably sure that the other observations that I posted will apply to the fine grade towel just as well.
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Wow, thank you for taking the time to post this, it really helps out!:props:
So why do you store the towel keeping it wet? Is that just a choice you make or is there a bigger purposes for that?
Thanks again Dave, lots of good information here!:buffing:
 
Buckskincolt said:
Wow, thank you for taking the time to post this, it really helps out!:props:
So why do you store the towel keeping it wet? Is that just a choice you make or is there a bigger purposes for that?
Thanks again Dave, lots of good information here!:buffing:
Click to expand...
Thanks, I store it in water because the decontamination material sticks to itself and if folded onto itself and stored it will basically be ruined the next time you go to grab it. Now I am sure you could carefully fold it back into the plastic thing that it came in and if you're careful enough to fold it so the black material isn't touching itself all would be good. I don't have time for all that so I just toss it right back in the water bucket, place the lid on and onto the shelf it goes. Next time I grab the bucket, wring the excess water out of the towel and go to work. It's all about efficiency.
 
I store my towel folded but spray a little of the Glide lube on it first and had no problems in the few months that i've had it. Looking foward to trying the fine grade towel soon.
 
tuscarora dave said:
Thanks, I store it in water because the decontamination material sticks to itself and if folded onto itself and stored it will basically be ruined the next time you go to grab it. Now I am sure you could carefully fold it back into the plastic thing that it came in and if you're careful enough to fold it so the black material isn't touching itself all would be good. I don't have time for all that so I just toss it right back in the water bucket, place the lid on and onto the shelf it goes. Next time I grab the bucket, wring the excess water out of the towel and go to work. It's all about efficiency.
Click to expand...
Thanks, Good to know, makes it easy for sure:xyxthumbs:
 
Been using mine for a few months (med grade). Still amazed at the ease of use and speed (cut my time in half) but won't totally replace clay as there are still nooks and crannies that clay is better suited for. For storage I just spray on a generous amount of lube place cloth micro fiber side up and roll away from me to form a tube. Clay material touches MF not itself. Then place in a zip lock bag straight with no fold. Store in a cool place. No problems sticking together.
 
tuscarora dave said:
I've been using one for about 3 weeks now and I would have written my report exactly as Nick has just written his however I do have a few other comments to add.

A lot of the posters to this thread are talking about folding this towel into fours, unfortunately the surface prep material on this towel tends to stick to itself so folding it in fours tends to be a possible problem. While I have folded it in fours as that seems like a natural thing to want to do, and I was able to pull the surface prep side off of itself but it was somewhat difficult to do without fear of the materiel pulling loose from the towel itself. It did not pull the material off of the towel and I want to be clear about that but, it feels like it is going to be a problem so I either use it flat (unfolded) or simply folded it in half. I store it in a plastic one gallon (ice cream) bucket filled with water that doubles as a rinse bucket during use.

The distributor that brought this towel to my shop warned me of using it with a clay lube containing alcohol. He warned that the alcohol in some clay lube would deteriorate the surface prep material. ONR seems to be working fine as a clay lube with this towel.

If you have ever used an Ultima Elastrofoam Surface Preparation Block for any length of time you have probably experienced the tar like streaks that it can leave behind on the paint that can be a bear to remove after the decontamination process, well you'll no doubt experience these tar like streaks from using this towel as well. I have found that one quick swipe with a towel dampened with a little Goo-Gone removes these streaks instantly and so does compounding so it's no problem for me. Additionally the tar like streaks only seem to be occurring in tight areas such as around fog light openings or on side quarter panel vents such as the ones found on a 3000GT or some older Corvettes. These streaks have not occurred in wide open areas of the vehicles that I have used it on.

If you have used the Ultima Elastrofoam Block you will have noticed that it mars the paint a bit more than traditional clay. This towel (I have the medium grade towel) mars a good bit more than does the Ultima Elastrofoam block. This towel is still a huge time saver and money saver for me as I work on vehicles that are in horrible condition when I get them. I work on some vans that will ruin an entire clay bar on just one side of the van so this towel is definitely for me.

This towel will create a finish that will pass the baggy test but not without marring the paint which is of no concern to me as I always follow the decontamination process with some sort of machine applied compound or polish.

Let's keep in mind that I am reviewing the medium grade towel and not the fine grade towel that this thread is geared toward so while the marring will be less with the finer grade towel I am reasonably sure that the other observations that I posted will apply to the fine grade towel just as well.
Click to expand...


Lots of great information here. :dblthumb2:
 
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