how crazy am i to want to buy one these "grit guard" 2 bucket systems?

$120 seems a bit extreme for 2 buckets, some wheels and a grid for the bottom of each bucket. of course, if you have the thing forever and use it everytime a car is washed...

talk me out of it... talk me into it...

sbp

 

I don't have the 2-bucket thing, but I have the $10 Grit Guard insert that fits into any 5-gallon pail. It allows me to scrape the mitt on it to get any "stuff" off of it and keeps it trapped down in the bottom of the bucket.

I can't imagine spending $120 on some buckets, though! I'm not really into the whole 2-bucket system, but if I were I'd just spend another $10 on another insert and use another cheapy 5-gallon pail

 

$120 for a pair of buckets is madness. I know Octane recommends 'em, and hey, if I made my living detailing custom cars, I'd probably go with the wheeled, top-end ones too, but for ME, I went with US Plastics' 5-gallon bucket and grit guard:

Bucket: http://www.usplastic.com/catalog/pro...duct%5Fid=9715
Grit Guard: http://www.usplastic.com/catalog/pro...ookie%5Ftest=1

Bucket is $7 and the guard is $8 (yes, the guard costs more), but I figure for only $15 I can live without the wheels. I use a seperate bucket I already had for my soap solution, since, when using Octane's "two bucket" process, most of your grit will be rinsed off into the clear-water bucket with the Grit Guard. Haven't seen a single swirlie when using the buckets in this manner, anyway. I'd say spend $30 for two US Plastics buckets and guards or even just $15 for a single one and then spend the rest of the money on something else, like your 15% pully fund.

 

Yup, I use the two bucket system with two grit guards in each bucket. Everything was ordered from USPlastic. Unfortuntately, one of my buckets and one of my grit guards was destroyed last weekend when one of my customers decided to accidently run over my bucket .

But yes, I would highly recommend the grit guard system!

 

are the Grit Guards available at a real store....I checked at that site on line...each is $7.10 but $8-$9 to ship

 

Someone here in Ohio bought them at Pep Boys a while back but they didn't remember seeing them there in a while. What I did was find someone locally that was ordering some buckets and guards from US Plastics and I piggy-backed my order onto theirs. Shipping IS a drag, I agree.

 

Imago - I got the grit guards from US Plastics and just picked up my 5 gallon buckets from Home Depot. 1 blue for soap and 1 red for rinse. That way I can keep them seperate once the rinse bucket gets soapy.

Right now I have a gravel drive way....no need for rollers. Actually, US Plastics has Pail Dollys and Pail Cruzers for ~ $24. Not as nice as the official Grit Guard buckets, but they would do the trick if needed.

 

Nice to see an affordable grit guard out there!!

 

Save even more money by re-using the bucket your laundry detergent comes in.

 

I'm a believer in grit guards. There is always gritty dirt in the bottom of my buckets when I'm done washing. As for buckets, just hit a construction site & pick up a couple of drywall mud buckets. Wash them out & you have free buckets. The wheels for the buckets aren't really needed.

 

ever since using the grit guard buckets i have not seen
any increase in visible swirls in my paint from washing.

i only use a one-bucket system when i wash. my cars
are very clean but does not need to be show car perfect.

 

buy a second bucket! they are like 8 dollars

I just bought two cheapie decent buckets in CUSTOM COLOURS!! from us plastics. THey arent of course as snazy as the 2 system jobbie, but they are fine for people like me that are cheap.

 

my commuters are parked outside, prone to bird doodoo and the elements.
im not that picky.

when i wash my MCS or G35C, i rinse the wash mitt each time with a
hose after one soap app...which is actually better than a bucket with
standing water imho. i use 2 wash mitts. one for the top panels, a
second for the sides.

 

I bought red grit guards and green buckets THEY OWN YOU KENCHAN!

the guards cost like more than the buckets as they are branded.

It was the closest to matching my mini.

I am going to get one of those aluminum spray nozzles in metallic green now too

 

We did a detailing seminar here a few months back and the detailing guy was washing his brush with hose spray after soaping the car and THEN dipping in a bucket of clean water and there was STILL grit in the bottom of that bucket afterwards... I think the clear water second bucket with Grit Guard really does help...

I still think $120 for a pair of buckets is a bit too rich for my blood though. HEY... I can... um... sell you any color you want for... um... Say $50 plus shipping! That's a $20 savings when you order two! Operators are standing by!

 

has anyone gone to us plastics website for fun plasticy goodness?

lots of art/creative stuff can be done with those things as well. from a sculptor perspective.

 

Two words, baby.

Real.

Doll.

You know what I'm sayin'... "Plasticy goodness" HELL yeah!

 

Have to give you some props on this...too funny LOL

 

I've been a one bucket man for a while now, but I'll give the 2 bucket a try with the GG to see if there's a difference. The wife thinks I'm nuts at times for doing this but when she sees her Van looking sharp, she stops complaining.

 

Hey I recommend the grit guard inserts. The bucket system is cool, but I don't use them. Maybe one day I can afford to buy one. Right now they also take up too much space in my MINI--or I would think they would, unless I disassemble it, which I understand isn't a big deal with the thumb *****.

I got two standard 5 gallon buckets and 2 grit guards--I got away with one grit guard for a long time--just got a second one recently.

Richard

 

Do you guys also have your initials embroidered on your washing mit? Do you iron-press your microfiber towels?

I am just joking. Thanks for the two-bucket tip. I use the hose to wash off the mitt before dipping it back into the soap but I can see where high pressure may force the grit deeper into the mitt rather than getting it out like a good swish in a bucket of clean water should do.

I'll probably get a grit gard. Or maybe I'll make a ghetto one out of an old electric fan cover

Fan Cover:

Grit Gard

 

Have you seen some of these people's garages? Whacked out. Of course, they dont live around here where such a garage would be close to impossible to have unless you spent 5 million on a home. I wish i live in VA mountains again. I would definitely set up a garage for washing/working detailing like those types


I thought the grit guard was mad retarded when I saw it first. I was like. wow. how simple yet someone wants me to buy it. Then, after washing and trying things, I found that it is good to give the wash mit a scrape so I bought two.

 

Hell, for only like $8 apeice, that's worth it just to spare me the effort to do a yearly ColorX swirl-removal session. Using a Grit Guard's not going to stop me from ripping huge, golf-ball-sized holes in the sheet metal or anything, but I figure that my precious weekend time's worth way more than an occasional $8 plastic thingie in my bucket.

PS- My wash mit doesn;t have my initials... it has EMBRIODERED RACING STRIPES. Initials are for losers!

 

I am mentally making a list of stuff I need to get and started wondering if I should get a grit guard. I had figured up until now, that what I was doing - spraying my wash mitt clean with the hose after each time I soap up a section of the car and before I put it in the soap bucket again - was better than dipping a mitt with dirt into the bucket, grit guard or not. Is it time for the next step of my education?

 

When you spray the mitt, you could be forcing particles deeper into the mitt. How clean is it really??

Versus putting the mitt in a bucket full of water and letting the fibers expand and release trapped dirt as you massage it, to me there is no question about which way is safer.

Richard