Waterless Wash Comparison/Review

[MIsnowman]

On my last order, I picked up some Meguiar's Waterless Wash and Wax Anywhere (Meg's) and a free sample of Blackfire Wet Diamond Waterless wash (BF). I have never used a waterless wash before, usually a quick detailer or a full wash, but I have wanted to try it since reading some of the reviews and comments about waterless washes on here. The car I used these products on was not what I would consider dirty. It just had some spots on it from being dusty and getting rained on. I split all of the flat panels in half and alternated products on each side panel to try to get good side by side comparisons. I was planning on taking before/after and side by side pics, but I ran short on time and the sun was not cooperating.

First Impression:

Meguiar's Wash and Wax Anywhere

The first thing I noticed with the Meg's was that the sprayer seemed to put out a lot of volume of product per stroke. Not being familiar with waterless washes I think I was using too much product at first, especially for the degree of dirt on the car. The towel was grabby and I had to turn it quite often. I also had some streaking that needed to be buffed quite a bit with a second towel. After lightening up on the amount applied it was easier to wipe off but still required a light buff with a dry towel. Overall, I was really surprised by how well the product cleaned the car, even a few bugs, and left a glossy slick finish.

Blackfire Wet Diamond Waterless Wash

The first thing I noticed with the BF was how easy it was to wipe off. The surface was very clean and slick after the first wipe and really didn't need any additional buffing. I found the towel just glided over the panel, even during the first wipe. I was using the sample size with the small pump sprayer and was using less product than the Meg's, so to be fair I really saturated one panel with the BF and it was still a breeze to wipe off and really didn't need any additional buffing. Overall, I thought it cleaned well and left the paint shiny and very slick.

Conclusion:

I think both of these products do what they are supposed to do, clean your car. I would give the edge to BF for ease of use since it is extremely easy to wipe off and requires very little buffing. Meg's is not difficult to use by any means, but I found it needed more buffing after the initial wipe than the BF (even after reducing the amount of product used). For cleaning ability I would give the edge to Meg's, especially on bugs. Almost all the bugs wiped right off with the Meg's while the BF left several bits behind. I tried each product on the parts left behind by the other and the Meg's took those left by BF right off, while the BF didn't touch those left by the Meg's. I would call it a draw in terms of gloss/shine as they both produce great gloss. I honestly couldn't tell where I used what product. For slickness, the edge goes to the BF. The Meg's produces a slick surface as well, but the BF is super slick and it was easy to tell the difference both with my hand and with a mf towel. For durability, I think the Meg's might be more durable just based on it being more difficult to remove. I'm thinking it leaves more protection behind which makes it harder to wipe off, but that is just a hunch. Overall, I think either of these products would fit the bill for a safe, fast way to clean your car between full blown washes, especially if it isn't very dirty. Again I apologize about the lack of pictures and thanks for reading.


For those who like to skim or like short and too the point:

Summary:

Ease of Use: BF
Cleaning Ability: Meg's
Gloss/Shine: Draw
Slickness: BF
Durability: Meg's (just a hunch)

BUY ONE OR BOTH OF THESE!!!!

 

[willtothewong]

Thanks for the review!

Waterless washes are the way to go in California now with the recent drought.

 

[Klasse Act]

If you like the BFWW then you should get their concentrate! It makes 6 gallons of cleaning solution. Btw great review

Sent from my LGLS990 using Tapatalk

 

[MIsnowman]

If you like the BFWW then you should get their concentrate! It makes 6 gallons of cleaning solution. Btw great review

Sent from my LGLS990 using Tapatalk

Thanks. That's why I love the sample sizes. I can definitely see myself using the BFWW in the future.

 

[Klasse Act]

Thanks. That's why I love the sample sizes. I can definitely see myself using the BFWW in the future.

Yeah and the concentrate makes sense and cent$

Sent from my LGLS990 using Tapatalk

 

[Ricorocks]

Hi MIsnowman! Good job!

To this I would add:

1. Always wipe in one direction ONLY
2. Use many MF's (CLEAN), perhaps 8 or more, & a few more for final wipe.

I use waterless wash, winter, or I missed the window of coolness, in the summer.

I've used CG's EcoSmart, it's good & comes ready to use or concentrate. You can even dilute, the ready to use per there instructions. I've finally finished a gallon of the stuff.

Next waterless, I'll give Griot's a try.

I cannot compare at this time products, as I've only used CG's. When finished it's very acceptable results.

Wipe one way ONLY
MANY MF's

 

[MIsnowman]

Hi MIsnowman! Good job!

To this I would add:

1. Always wipe in one direction ONLY
2. Use many MF's (CLEAN), perhaps 8 or more, & a few more for final wipe.

I use waterless wash, winter, or I missed the window of coolness, in the summer.

I've used CG's EcoSmart, it's good & comes ready to use or concentrate. You can even dilute, the ready to use per there instructions. I've finally finished a gallon of the stuff.

Next waterless, I'll give Griot's a try.

I cannot compare at this time products, as I've only used CG's. When finished it's very acceptable results.

Wipe one way ONLY
MANY MF's

Thanks for the tips. I watched some videos on using waterless washes before attempting it. I used the wipe in one direction technique for the initial wipe, followed up by a quick buff with a clean/dry mf towel. I did like the Meg's guys showed in a D114/D115 video with Mike P where you wipe with the leading edge of the towel and keep moving the towel up in your hand so you get multiple "clean" wipes from each side of the towel. Doing this I only used three towels, two for the initial wipe and one for the final wipe/buff, but the car was not very dirty either. I could see going through many more towels on a dirtier or larger vehicle.

 

[MIsnowman]

Yeah and the concentrate makes sense and cent$

Sent from my LGLS990 using Tapatalk

Are you diluting the concentrate with tap water or are you using distilled water? I've read of guys doing it both ways.

 

[Klasse Act]

Because I make it up and store it for a bit, I use an .88 cent bottle of distilled water but if you use it right away tap water is fine.

Sent from my LGLS990 using Tapatalk

 

[MIsnowman]

Because I make it up and store it for a bit, I use an .88 cent bottle of distilled water but if you use it right away tap water is fine.

Sent from my LGLS990 using Tapatalk

Thanks :dblthumb2:

 

[BillE]

Just my 2¢...

Meguiar's UWWA is my 'go-to' in the winter.

Do a water wash down at the local wand wash pit...then limp home (so not to get all messed again) and UWWA.

I go thru 6-8 MF towels for 'her car' (Subaru, black to boot) and a dozen on the truck.

Thanx for the comparison(s).

Bill

 

[pheerix]

D115 is the bulk size of UWWA if you wanna save some money buying muliptle bottles of UWWA

 

[MIsnowman]

D115 is the bulk size of UWWA if you wanna save some money buying muliptle bottles of UWWA

Thanks, I read about D115 being the bulk version of UWWA, but I wanted to try it out before buying a gallon of it. I have D114 which I plan on using most of the time since I will be polishing and/or waxing following the wash anyways and don't need the protection of the D115.