water blade??

i just see that as user error or poor technique/careless

yea, i see your pt, but if you are careful, clean it often you shouldnt damage anything using rubber. but nothing is idiot proof.
 
Why risk damaging the paint just to save a minute or two? Even a small speck of dirt that is stuck in front of the rubber blade will scratch straight down. I would be wary of any detailer that unnecessarily took risks with the paint just to get the car out the door as quick as possible.
 
Even if your car is washed throughly wind can quickly blow dirt and debris onto your car before you have a chance to dry it.
 
OP. not to sound rude but your business model is horrible. There's a reason detailing business' don't use a water blade. Just on the off chance that a piece of dirt can scratch the paint, why take that risk? Most of us use compressed air to dry the car for those simple reasons. But the fact that you say you're "cutting corners to save time" is not something I'd want to hear from a business.
 
I use my water blade on cars that are getting a full detail, and have not had any problems yet. I will not use it on my personal vehicle that was recently painted. Like most members here, I do not use a leaf blower, instead I take my shop-vac and suck the water out of all the cracks and crevices. WITHOUT TOUCHING THE VEHICLE. This process has worked great for me.
 
I think the hang up is the term cut corners. Think of it more as good, great, and million dollar car show perfect. Great is cutting corners from perfect, good from great. I understand a shop not wanting to offer the cheaper service but I don't look down on a company that offers a budget detail which makes the customer happy.


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Texsox said:
I think the hang up is the term cut corners. Think of it more as good, great, and million dollar car show perfect. Great is cutting corners from perfect, good from great. I understand a shop not wanting to offer the cheaper service but I don't look down on a company that offers a budget detail which makes the customer happy.


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thats y u always match your services to your customers needs...if u need to modify your services to meet your custermers needs,better for you.cutting corners is never good...IE... if its a daily driver... dont try to sell them a full paint correction...alwys recommend services thats customers NEED... not what YOU want. Over selling or under selling can come to bite you in the butt...
 
You can't ever mention things like "cut corners" on forums like this without the backlash. I had no problem understanding that he's not talking about doing show cars or garage queens here. In the detailing world, is it only ok to do high end work? Or is everything below that looked down on? As an outsider looking in, it often appears that way.

btw, just wondering... if a piece of dirt can get caught by the blade and swirl up the finish, isn't the same true if you are using a towel? Or are some of you drying 100% no touch or using a towel that can't catch dirt in it?
 
mr.fusion said:
btw, just wondering... if a piece of dirt can get caught by the blade and swirl up the finish, isn't the same true if you are using a towel? Or are some of you drying 100% no touch or using a towel that can't catch dirt in it?
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Towels have nap, which means that the grit will be caught in the microfiber, possibly lessening any damage caused. No nap to trap the grit on a waterblade - any dirt in the blade's path is going to be dragged across the paint.
 
Texsox said:
I think the hang up is the term cut corners. Think of it more as good, great, and million dollar car show perfect. Great is cutting corners from perfect, good from great. I understand a shop not wanting to offer the cheaper service but I don't look down on a company that offers a budget detail which makes the customer happy.


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mr.fusion said:
You can't ever mention things like "cut corners" on forums like this without the backlash. I had no problem understanding that he's not talking about doing show cars or garage queens here. In the detailing world, is it only ok to do high end work? Or is everything below that looked down on? As an outsider looking in, it often appears that way.

btw, just wondering... if a piece of dirt can get caught by the blade and swirl up the finish, isn't the same true if you are using a towel? Or are some of you drying 100% no touch or using a towel that can't catch dirt in it?
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well at least a few people understand what im talking about. So im assuming all you guys do $1000 jobs on soccer moms honda accords??
 
Rival take everyone's input and use your best judgement. You are chatting with professionals who feel perfection is the only way to do a detail whether its a 1980 honda accord or rolls royce.

Some do not have blowers or garages and to beat water spots they use a blade.

It just gets hazy when we are talking about performing work on your own car or a customer who is paying for a certain level of service.

TO EACH THEIR OWN!

:)
 
Ok people take a step back before this turns in a forum war. The water blade, like anything used in detailing, has it's advantages and disadvantages and should be used with caution. Even a super soft, super absorbant microfiber drying towel can induce damage if it picks up a ridge of dirt or some dried hard.

And it's not a matter of cutting corners or only doing 1000 dollar details on daily drivers, it's about care and doing the job right. If you're not willing to take the time to do a good job on a daily driver what is gonna wanna make a customer with a show car use you as a detailer?
 
this went in such other directions its not even funny.


im done here. Thanks for all who offered good input, the rest, well goodluck to you guys too.
 
350z00m said:
maybe a detailing bbusiness is not for you.... i would h8 to take my car to your shop.... just sayin...."cutting corners isnt a good thing." and it doesnt matter if they are driving a minivan or a POS.. if u treat their daily drivers like exotics... you'll have customers for life.

Go tell your customer u cut corners to save time.. see if they come back.
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I think that's a little harsh to say that he should not have a detailing business. I understand that saving time is important. I can see where he's coming from. In the past I used a water blade, but would only use it when I would be polishing or doing paint corrections...just in case. What I found, after switching to a large waffle weave towel is that a water blade isn't really much faster. The problem is that they don't get around windows, trim, etc very well and you still have to go back with a towel. Also, you have to climb up on the door jams to reach the top of larger vehicles. You can sling a large waffle weave towel up top and drag it across while standing on the ground...not always the case if they have luggage racks I guess.

Now that I use a waffle weave and compressed air I really don't think I'm losing any time and I can be sure that I'm not inflicting any more swirls.
 
Rival said:
i use a leaf blower too, but first get all the pools of water off the glass, roof, hood, than blow the water top down to the bottom of the car, than get a microfiber to dry, cotton towel for door jams, inside trunk lid, etc etc


the blade just makes things go so much faster.
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:iagree: this is how I use mine also. Only I make sure to wipe/clean the blade off with a microfiber every wipe and QD spray every other wipe and I've never had a problem.. After all its at this point your washing should have everything clean right unless you have a car that's in really bad shape? :dunno:
 
statusdetailing said:
I think that's a little harsh to say that he should not have a detailing business. I understand that saving time is important. I can see where he's coming from. In the past I used a water blade, but would only use it when I would be polishing or doing paint corrections...just in case. What I found, after switching to a large waffle weave towel is that a water blade isn't really much faster. The problem is that they don't get around windows, trim, etc very well and you still have to go back with a towel. Also, you have to climb up on the door jams to reach the top of larger vehicles. You can sling a large waffle weave towel up top and drag it across while standing on the ground...not always the case if they have luggage racks I guess.

Now that I use a waffle weave and compressed air I really don't think I'm losing any time and I can be sure that I'm not inflicting any more swirls.
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yes i did sound kinda harsh.. and i am sorry it came out that way...and i hope he does well with his business ventures... but like somene else said.... throwing around the term "Cut Coners" is a dangerous around here...everyone is here to learn and get better at detailing wether it be daily drivers or exotics... we are all hear to learn better ways to detail..... we dont do that by "Cutting Corners". defeats the purpose of having a detailing forum. we r all trying to do the best job possible.. WITHOUT cutting corners.

To the OP.. i appoligize for sounding very harsh.. GL with your ventures and i hope it thrives 8)
 
Rival said:
well at least a few people understand what im talking about. So im assuming all you guys do $1000 jobs on soccer moms honda accords??
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No it means they treat their customers' cars as if they were their own. The best detailers in the country work by the hour, not by the "kind" of car you bring in. Why should the soccer mom get any less service because she brings in a van and not an $80,000 mercedes?

Everyone understood what you meant, but the problem is, you don't see anything wrong with taking risks just to save yourself a few minutes. And as Rasky (a top of the line detailer) showed with his pics, there are risks with a water blade.
 
Does the soccer mom spend the same bucks as a guy with a $$$$ exotic? I am really surprised by that. I would have thought a dd that will keep depreciating until it has no value would get treated differently than an exotic that a guy is holding as an investment and is banking on appreciating in value. I can't see both writing the same amount on the check. I keep learning. Cool.


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Texsox said:
Does the soccer mom spend the same bucks as a guy with a $$$$ exotic? I am really surprised by that. I would have thought a dd that will keep depreciating until it has no value would get treated differently than an exotic that a guy is holding as an investment and is banking on appreciating in value. I can't see both writing the same amount on the check. I keep learning. Cool.


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its not about how much $$ a person spends on detailing....doesnt matter if a customer is spending 40$ or 400$.... a good detailers work QUALITY does NOT change reguardless of how much the customers spends.....OP was stating that he was "cutting Corners" to cut time....Forget the whole water blade .... its about quality work.. reguardless of what car or how much a customer pays for a service.....like i said before.. a good detailers quality of work doesnt change because of the car hes working on or how much a customer is willing to spend.
 
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