California Water Blade
 

Yeah, this is another one of those items I just bought on impulse. Sounded real good in theory: Use it as a squeegee to just wipe the water off of the surface of the car after washing. Supposed to be of "medical grade" (whatever that is supposed to mean) silicone which will not scratch your paint surface. Well, maybe not, but if that blade catches any grit or dust, and drags IT across your paint, that certainly will scratch the surface. I have some scratches to prove that one. Granted maybe there is some sort of technique for using it that I am not aware of, but it only took my getting a couple of scratches and I "retired" that sucker. I guess the same thing can happen with using a cloth to dry the surface, but so far I haven't seen that happen to me. Personally I think the blade would be more likely to hold that grit directly against the surface where a cloth may be more inclined to LIFT it off of the surface. Beats me, but I learned this lesson the hard way.

FWIW....... and YMMV......

California Water Blade:NoNo: :NoNo: :NoNo: :NoNo: :NoNo: :NoNo:

I only use 100% cotton white american made large towels to dry 'em.

Jack

I blow dry mine! :rofl1: And by blow dry, I don't mean with a blower. No, most of the time I use what Jack uses.

Wow, 100th post already....that went quick! :champagne:

:vette:

I use the chamois that is packaged in a plastic tube so it stays a little damp. Thats so it doesn't turn into a brick when it dries out. Worked good for me that last 10 yrs or so. They seem to hold up too, I've only owned about 3-4 of them during that time.

been using it for 5 years...never an issue...I also have micro fiber towels

I use the micro fiber towels too,,,, real good for detailing.

Yeah, I have bought several bundles of those microfiber towels. They are NOT all created equal, however. You can feel the difference in them depending on where they came from. And I learned a valuable lesson the other day: Don't drop those suckers on the ground! :eek:

BTW, Sam's Club has them about the cheapest price I have found, but I don't think the quality is as good as some others I have bought.

Oh, and I've heard conflicting opinions about this, but should you cut off the edges? I've heard they CAN cause scratches......

Bottom line is anything you use can and will cause scratches if used improperly or on a dirty car. A towel, absorber, or water blade will drag a piece of sand across the surface causing a scratch. Personally I use absorbers and just make sure the surface is very clean before I start to dry. I keep my absorbers in their tubes and occassionally wash them in the wash machine. I keep all my detailing cloths in zip lock bags. Keep everything free of dirt and you should have no problems.