foam lance

[AlexG]

i used the foam lance thingy today which i got when i bought my pressure washer and it was soo fun lol
cleaned the car up good though its just the standard one which came with the karcher
i only used ag bodywork conditioner can anyone reccomend a better bodywork shampoo for foaming up the car?

 

[Michael172]

depends on how good the lance is really, i mean ideally, use snowfoam, ive used the normal "super snow foam" and also the new ph neutral stuff which im using at the moment, i prefer the Ph neutral. The foam lance will foam anything up well, but snowfoam seems to stick to the paintwork better, cleans well too.

if you get a new foam lance, get the HD foam lance from polished bliss and not the one you find elsewhere as those seem to be a bit crap when it comes to build quality. does the job nicely though.

http://s181.photobucket.com/albums/x208/michael172/?action=view&current=MOV01482.flv

 

[cleanyourcar]

Foam lances are absolutely brilliant. Add some snow foam, as Michael says the PH neutral stuff is awesome and you can apply it like shaving foam if you desire. It's amazing the amount of muck they pull off.

We've just introduced a new foam lance which is higher quality and at the moment £10 cheaper than the PB one.

I was considering running a group buy if there was the interest....

Here are some pictures of it in action. This was using a strong Maxi Suds II mix.

 

[cleanyourcar]

I took these two today using the Valet Pro -PH neutral snowfoam also.

The last picture was with the dial to full There is a petrol cap under there!

 

[Michael172]

hehe. The new valet pro stuff is a lot better.

 

[7MAT]

It might be worth waiting a week, as I'm introducing a brand new shorter designed professional foam lance. It is a higher specification than all the HD models currently available today.

We will still continue with our standard HD model, which is now available at a reduced price. Discount codes still apply!

 

[Michael172]

lolz trader warz

 

[kiza1986]

What jet washes will these fit on??

 

[typefern]

What jet washes will these fit on??

You ask for the adaptor for your jet wash, so any is the answer.

John

 

[7MAT]

What jet washes will these fit on??

I can supply foam lances to fit the following;

Karcher consumer K1 to K5
Karcher consumer K1 & K6
Karcher HD professional
KEW / ALTO
LAVOUR
KRANZEL
BOSCH

I'm currently out of Karcher connector as I've had a run on them, stock due back in again next week.

Here's an old pic of some of the connectors available (excluding the new Karcher consumer & professional units).

 

[kiza1986]

Spot on mat... will see which one ive got lol

 

[Brand86]

What differences will the new lance have Matt, except being shorter (although the current HD one is pretty short anyway?!?)

Not that I care that much as I have one but always nice to know!

 

[cleanyourcar]

Remember shorter isn't always good as the foam is created from being passed through the nozzle and through the mesh weave. We have tested quite a few different ones before deciding on this current one due to the amount of foam produced and solid build quality. It really does feel beautifully balanced in the gun as well.

lolz trader warz

I know I feel like everytime I post it's one-up-manship :S

 

[Brand86]

Cheers for the info Tim.

But CYC and i4detailing, as well as Polished Bliss, Car Wash n Wax and Serious Performance, ALL provide great service, advice and products and think there is enough demand for all of them to do well.

They all stock different products too so always a natural tendency to shop around anyway.

No harm in a bit of competition though is there, otherwise you guys might get complacement or something hehe. End of the day good businesses will survive and do well - so good luck to all of you suppliers!

 

[7MAT]

What differences will the new lance have Matt, except being shorter (although the current HD one is pretty short anyway?!?)

Not that I care that much as I have one but always nice to know!

Okay here are a few pics taken this morning from my test sample. Fingers crossed stock will be with me next week.

As you can see it extremely well made quality piece of kit, shorter in design so less leverage on the connection. It features a long 'vertical spray' adjustable nozzle and adjustable chemical top dial. Designed to work at higher pressures & flow rates than the std HD model.

 

[Brand86]

Ah cheers for that Matt. My PW is only 110 bar so no advantage to me then really anyway. Thanks for the heads up though anyways! Still my favourite piece of kit I think!

 

[kiza1986]

mines a pro1600... no good??

 

[aceface]

Any pics of the shorter one in action Matt? I assume there are no modifications needed and no issues of the lance flying off?

 

[cleanyourcar]

What bar is that rated to Matt? The one I posted works to 200 bar. It's from a different company to the autorae chem ones so a higher rating than the 160 bar like the standard HD lances.

Those plastic adaptors don't seem fit any of the 6 or 7 series machines either. We tried them but had no joy. On out k7.85 they wouldn't get anywhere near to fitting. I also do wonder what bar of pressure those plastic adaptors are rated to.

 

[oz_clio]

would love one of these....

do they strip wax though?! or is that depending on shampoo..... got a nice big bottle of maxi suds II here, that be of use? how much of the shampoo to fill the reservior in the lance and would that do a whole car?
Fr

 

[cleanyourcar]

They definately don't strip wax using the correct shampoos.

Maxi Suds would be ideal. I'd put a couple of pumps of Maxi Suds in and then top with water. Really it's a case of finding what works best for you by adjusting the ratios using the top dial.

With Maxi suds you can use it firstly to foam the car, allow to dwell then pressure wash off. Then apply another layer of foam and the aggitate with a wash mitt and the two buckets.

If you are planning a big detail though you can put a degreaser through them to strip the car back.

 

[7MAT]

What bar is that rated to Matt? The one I posted works to 200 bar. It's from a different company to the autorae chem ones so a higher rating than the 160 bar like the standard HD lances.

Those plastic adaptors don't seem fit any of the 6 or 7 series machines either. We tried them but had no joy. On out k7.85 they wouldn't get anywhere near to fitting. I also do wonder what bar of pressure those plastic adaptors are rated to.

Hi Tim

Seems like you have had the same problems as me then with finding decent connectors. I too have heard that the connector pictured above does not work well with K6 & K7 Karchers which is a shame as its a tidy solution - not sure on the pressure rating for the adaptor but it does have a brass inner. Anyway the Karcher units are plastic also so I don't think its an issue.

I'm popping around my old mans house later today with a batch of different Karcher connector to test out on his K7 as I've only get a K3, one of which is Karcher made. Once I've settled on a connector I will then launch the product.

To be honest the brass connector IMO works best once drilled out. Have sold tons of the drilled out brass connectors and not had one problem. It's just that customer especially over on DW don't want them anymore and the lavor to karcher adaptor is just too expensive as a long term solution.

Looking at your gun, it looks like it shares the same base as the HD 160 bar version? Mines rated at 180 bar from memory, but need to check.

Although I think we will both agree that the verticle spray is a nice improvement.

 

[7MAT]

mines a pro1600... no good??

Not familar with a pro1600, who makes it?

It might be worth checking with the manufacturer if they produce an adaptor to use other brands accessories as some do.

 

[cleanyourcar]

Thanks for the detailed reply Matt.

The connectors did definately seem like a good solution but they are strangely tighter than the brass ones. We are getting our brass Karcher ones from a different supplier who makes them in house so there could be a slight difference in tolerences. I know the last batch before this from auto rae were very very tight which is why we started looking for different solutions.

I do totally agree though about the brass connectors in that we have sold 100's and from memory only 2 people have come back and mentioned any kind of fitting problems. What worries me about those plastic connectors as well is how much pressure they are rated to. If there was to be any weak point in the lance I'd expect it to be there which is why we've decided to stick with the brass for the karcher for the moment and just do a full refund if anyone does have issues.

The body of our lance is from a completely different manufacturer also and not the same base as the HD 160 version. Again we sourced this direct from a different manufacturer and is rated to 200 bar.

 

[oz_clio]

what about the superspray system....i know it might not be possible to offer quite the same amount of foam as on a PW lance but could it still give a blanket of foam?

any pics anyone?!
Fr

 

[aceface]

what about the superspray system....i know it might not be possible to offer quite the same amount of foam as on a PW lance but could it still give a blanket of foam?

any pics anyone?!
Fr

Its more soapy water than anything. Still a useful tool for doing a prewash. Cheap too.

 

[Michael172]

what about the superspray system....i know it might not be possible to offer quite the same amount of foam as on a PW lance but could it still give a blanket of foam?

any pics anyone?!
Fr

Its more soapy water than anything. Still a useful tool for doing a prewash. Cheap too.

true, but the suds will stick to the car for longer with one of these. if you can, you should.

Im tempted to swap mine now. Tim if you get a group buy going ill have one, but start it towards the end of the month if you can.

 

[nicknick]

Are there any foam lances that will fit my cheapo halfords washer?

 

[Brand86]

Superspray is ok but not in the same league as a foam lance, haven't even looked at mine since getting the lance.