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snow lance
Posted: Sun Feb 06, 2011 8:10 pm
by omega
went rounds a mates hose today and hes got a fast nissan turbo car that he was washing with a snow lance.ivenever seen one of these in action before but he says they do a good job.now his car is always clean[spends more time cleaning than driving]but are they any better than just shampooing?[it does look good but is it any better]i know you have to get a special shampoo that isnt cheap and his lance thing was about 40 quid,so what do people think about these things.
Re: snow lance
Posted: Sun Feb 06, 2011 8:18 pm
by Gary406
cant beat a bucket, sponge and a normal hose pipe

Re: snow lance
Posted: Sun Feb 06, 2011 10:14 pm
by DiscoPol
Just wait for Welly or Bailes to stumble over this thread or even Rappy now he is back on the scene, there will be all sorts of detailing orgasms and foamy spurting going on, me personally i have zero input i only wash the Disco when i cant see out anymore and the mud is stopping the wipers working( yes i have had it that thick)
i will watch and wait for the "clean" boys to answer this one.

Re: snow lance
Posted: Sun Feb 06, 2011 10:35 pm
by Gary406
Re: snow lance
Posted: Mon Feb 07, 2011 8:00 am
by Welly
Well, err, it's like this see.........
The lance has a little 500ml reservoir into which you pour approx 5% snow foam solution and top up with warm water. The pressure washer sends it's water through the lance and 'picks up' a mixture of foam from the bottle and sprays a liberal coating of thick clinging foam onto the car.
The foam is a pre-wash and as it slips down and onto the ground it kinda drags and safely takes with it surface dust, road grime and sand particles. All this lot gets jet-washed off and then you start on the washing with (preferably) a wool wash mitt or microfibre noodle mitt.
In the summer when the car's just a bit dusty (heaven forbid

) then you can use the foam as a wash and just jet it off after and dry the car.
My lance was about £48.00 and 5ltrs of snow foam comes in at about £12.00....and lasted nearly 2 years of very regular use
In short it's all a kinda special little rinse before you get started but I find it works really well. It is wax-safe too so won't strip any coatings and waxes on there.
If you are still awake now then I hope this has been useful

Re: snow lance
Posted: Mon Feb 07, 2011 8:04 am
by DiscoPol
Told ya

Re: snow lance
Posted: Mon Feb 07, 2011 9:01 am
by steve_earwig
Gary406 wrote:cant beat a bucket, sponge and a normal hose pipe

Just leave it out in the rain...
Re: snow lance
Posted: Mon Feb 07, 2011 5:56 pm
by omega
so what you are saying mr welly is the snow foam removes the dirt without scratching the car
so theres no real diffrence from just giving it a good hose as this does the same job,just doesnt look as pretty...or am i wrong?
Re: snow lance
Posted: Tue Feb 08, 2011 7:19 am
by Welly
Ok Ok enough already......we just like to make the car look snowy......THERE I said it see
Well, not quite, when I 'snow' the car I get down on one knee and inspect the foam with an electron microscope and sure enough it does drag with it a layer of microscopic abrasive contaminants (dirt). The foam kinda 'bursts' and bubbles and lifts the surface of dust and dirt.....I usually sup on me cuppa tea whilst the foam drops down to the floor......then I jet wash the residual off and start washing with a 'clean' surface.
As I said before, think of it as a pre-wash treatment.
Re: snow lance
Posted: Tue Feb 08, 2011 1:01 pm
by Doggy
omega wrote:so what you are saying mr welly is the snow foam removes the dirt without scratching the car
so theres no real diffrence from just giving it a good hose as this does the same job,just doesnt look as pretty...or am i wrong?
No, there's far less environmental impact with, "giving it a good hose".
HTH
Re: snow lance
Posted: Thu Feb 10, 2011 9:00 pm
by 406Iain
Ive got one with the Karcher fitment for strangely enough,my Karcher.
Ive also got a gilmour which runs off a normal hose but is quite dear,a cheaper option is a Superspray.About 9 quid and also runs off a hose.Not brilliant foam but is fine for a pre wash.
Re: snow lance
Posted: Wed Feb 23, 2011 4:09 pm
by mjb
Welly wrote:Well, err, it's like this see.........
The lance has a little 500ml reservoir into which you pour approx 5% snow foam solution and top up with warm water.
I've been using mine neat
Welly wrote:Ok Ok enough already......we just like to make the car look snowy......THERE I said it see
I want to put red food colouring in and pretend I'm a Ghostbuster (from Ghostbusters II)
Re: snow lance
Posted: Wed Feb 23, 2011 4:19 pm
by Welly
Neat?
You only need about 20-25mm depth of snow foam in your 500ml bottle and top-up the rest with warm water.
It won't last long neat, and is a bit too strong tbh.
Re: snow lance
Posted: Wed Feb 23, 2011 6:21 pm
by Bailes1992
I stuff mine full of APC when I do anyone elses car
For my car I use about 50ml of Snow Foam and fill it with Hot water.
To be honest these days I can't be arsed to get the pressure washer out. I just use a superspray which does the same job for a tenner.
I really am starting to think it's a gimmick. I can produce the same results with a quick blast with the pressure washer.
Re: snow lance
Posted: Wed Feb 23, 2011 8:16 pm
by Gary406
whats special about this snow foam ?
i just use wash and wax in a bown of water ..