# Best clay cloth?



## the_jj (Apr 7, 2010)

There are quite a few out there, are the cheap ones as good as the more expensive ones?

What do you guys think? what one have you got?

Many thanks in advance


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## scottk7 (Jul 7, 2014)

G3 clay mitt is my go to product. A lot cheaper than other clothes and really easy to use


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## Berylburton (Sep 14, 2013)

the_jj said:


> There are quite a few out there, are the cheap ones as good as the more expensive ones?
> 
> What do you guys think? what one have you got?
> 
> Many thanks in advance


I have the ADS clay cloth cost about £40. Used it 6 times so far still looks like new.


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## Venkman (Apr 22, 2013)

I have the CarPro clay towel and really like it. Great quality, not harsh on paint and good value for money.


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## Oldsparky (Jun 18, 2014)

I got the G3 and it works really well for me, I'm a newby at all this though and I've never used real clay or any of the expensive ones. All I can say is my paint work is very smooth after using it


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## Kimo (Jun 7, 2013)

Car pro is miles better than a G3 for same price

Ads is just well over priced and some may say the same cloth that others sell for under half the price ....


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## GleemSpray (Jan 26, 2014)

Oldsparky said:


> I got the G3 and it works really well for me, I'm a newby at all this though and I've never used real clay or any of the expensive ones. All I can say is my paint work is very smooth after using it


 +1

The G3 Mitt is simple to use and very effective at cleaning the paint.


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## SPARTAN (Nov 20, 2014)

I use the Farecla G3 clay mitt, does the job superbly. Approx £13 and should available to pick up at your local Halfords store.


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## Rich.2211 (Mar 17, 2014)

I've used the G3 clay mitt and Autosmarts clay cloth. Both good items but the Autosmart item just wins out for me.


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## the_jj (Apr 7, 2010)

Thanks people, its nice to know peoples views as when there are a few out there every company thinks there ones are the best.


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## horned yo (Feb 10, 2009)

Just get the cheap ones off ebay. All the clay mitts are the same/similar. No point spending 40 quid on one when they all come from the same factory


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## nickyd (Jan 16, 2014)

Berylburton said:


> I have the ADS clay cloth cost about £40. Used it 6 times so far still looks like new.


Great! Where can I buy one?
N.


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## TonyH38 (Apr 7, 2013)

ADS is the best used mine to do 2 cars 6 times still good for more useage.


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## suspal (Dec 29, 2011)

nickyd said:


> Great! Where can I buy one?
> N.


I own two ADS clay cloth's i know one of them has been used over fifty times and still got life left in it.
Stangalang if you pm him.:thumb:


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## Lowiepete (Mar 29, 2009)

Having used the ADS clay cloth many, many times, I can vouch for its quality.
It depends upon how you value your paint and the tools that you use to keep
it maintained. I've read reports of people using the much lighter mitts and 
getting minor marring. That saddens me.

Whenever you do a claying exercise there should never be any need to use
pressure. The way I've watched people use clay bars, along with some of the
results pictures, sends shivers down my spine! If you form it into a small puck 
and let its own weight do the work, simply using your hand to cup over it as 
it slides beneath it, then the marring risk is much reduced. You should _not_
be holding the bar!

The same applies to a clay cloth. So, the way to judge the best is not by
price, but by performance. With the ADS cloth there is absolutely no need to
apply any pressure over and above the weight of the cloth. If the alternative
you buy does _require_ additional pressure, then I'd recommend avoiding them.

The reason for that is that as you swipe from side to side, you will not be
applying an even pressure across that treated area. That alone is bound to
increase your marring risk, by factors.

Some cloths / mitts are even "graded". Talk about marketing hype! When you 
do a plastic bag test, are you be able to "grade" the sharps in terms of size?
I very much doubt that I could, even though my gammy hands now give me 
far more feedback in terms of drag and roughness.

One other thing. I really don't see a point to using inferior tools that risk
marring paint, even ahead of a machine polishing with swirl removal in mind.
It's bad enough to have swirls there in the first place, without causing more
during your decon and preparation stages.

Regards,
Steve

P.S. At the time of writing I believe that Matt is awaiting new stock of the ADS cloth


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## shine247 (Mar 1, 2010)

Have a look at the ones here. They "look" decent and were suggested by another member recently. £12.95 delivered for the cloth and the mitt £10.95.

http://www.saverschoiceuk.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=CLAY


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## Dougnorwich (Jun 27, 2014)

My first clay cloth is the autosmart one so I can't compare but it's holding up well indeed

I still use clay but only on wheels I keep the cloth for paint and glass only


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## squiretolley (Mar 10, 2014)

Kimo73 said:


> Car pro is miles better than a G3 for same price
> 
> Ads is just well over priced and some may say the same cloth that others sell for under half the price ....


The cheapest I've seen the CarPro cloth is £25. That's about twice the price of the G3.


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## fatdazza (Dec 29, 2010)

TonyH38 said:


> ADS is the best used mine to do 2 cars 6 times still good for more useage.


Have you used any other brands of clay cloth? If so can you say why others were not so good? :thumb:


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## fatdazza (Dec 29, 2010)

squiretolley said:


> The cheapest I've seen the CarPro cloth is £25. That's about twice the price of the G3.


The car pro cloth also has about four times the surface area of the rubberised surface compared to the G3 mitt. So like for like it is not that expensive.


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## fatdazza (Dec 29, 2010)

Lowiepete said:


> Having used the ADS clay cloth many, many times, I can vouch for its quality.
> It depends upon how you value your paint and the tools that you use to keep
> it maintained. I've read reports of people using the much lighter mitts and
> getting minor marring. That saddens me.
> ...


Thanks Steve, another interesting post. Have you used other brands of clay cloth?

you mention people suffering from marring using some clay mitts, that could as well be due to their technique or the quality of the mitt?

You also mention the different grades of clay mitt and dismiss it as marketing hype. Could the same not be said about different grades of clay? I have no experience of using different grades of clay cloth but it may be that the harsher grades may be more suited to those who are intending to machine afterwards and want a speedier solution?

Please don't take this as criticism as I enjoy you posts. Rather I am aiming to begin a debate based on evidence as well as opinion :thumb:


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## Lowiepete (Mar 29, 2009)

Daz,


fatdazza said:


> Thanks Steve, another interesting post. Have you used other brands of clay cloth?


No, I don't need to. Having said that, having written an extensive guide about
the ADS cloth, I still continue my research on others' experiences. If the 
cheaper cloths don't mar, disintegrate, etc., then I'm open to considering
their purchase.


fatdazza said:


> you mention people suffering from marring using some clay mitts, that could as well be due to their technique or the quality of the mitt?


Absolutely. It doesn't matter how much detail you go to in explaining your
own (successful & safe) technique, people will always put their own spin on
it. I've seen videos of people using the clay cloth without checking which
way round the furrows lie. That in itself can spell disaster!


fatdazza said:


> You also mention the different grades of clay mitt and dismiss it as marketing hype.


If you reverse the situation and use a "fine" clay-cloth on stuff that's too
coarse, you could be in all sorts of trouble! It's marketing hype because it's
almost impossible to "grade" your sharps. What better for the marketers in
parting us from our money by buying 2 grades of cloth, instead of just one? 


fatdazza said:


> Could the same not be said about different grades of clay?


No. You aren't comparing like with like. Although the same job is being done,
the physical processes are markedly different. With clay, the sharps embed
and with the cloth they get encapsulated within the lubricant. They also 
stay within their furrow if you have the cloth the right way round.


fatdazza said:


> I have no experience of using different grades of clay cloth but it may be that the harsher grades may be more suited to those who are intending to machine afterwards and want a speedier solution?


I answered that in my final point of Post #15. For me, detailing is all about 
trying the gentlest methods first. That's across the whole spectrum, not just
with polishing. I hope this gives you the info your seeking. The OP was asking 
about the "best" so my answers have been methods on how to make your 
own judgements.

Regards,
Steve


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## ALLR_155528 (May 20, 2014)

Head over to ebay less than £15 for a clay cloth.


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## Dode (Jun 13, 2013)

Lowiepete said:


> Daz,
> 
> Absolutely. It doesn't matter how much detail you go to in explaining your
> own (successful & safe) technique, people will always put their own spin on
> ...


Can you explain please


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## fatdazza (Dec 29, 2010)

Lowiepete said:


> If you reverse the situation and use a "fine" clay-cloth on stuff that's too
> coarse, you could be in all sorts of trouble! It's marketing hype because it's
> almost impossible to "grade" your sharps. What better for the marketers in
> parting us from our money by buying 2 grades of cloth, instead of just one?
> ...


Steve,

thanks for taking the time to reply. I disagree with your view that it is "marketing hype" for different grades of clay cloth but not for clay. In my view it has to be the same conclusion for both cloths and clays.

You state that you cannot "grade" your sharps to determine a coarse or fine cloth, but then the same must be said for clay. Both cloth and clay do the same job (albeit you suggest by different means) therefore when would you use a harsh clay over a fine clay? If you cannot identify a time to use a harsh clay, then surely the product is also "marketing hype"?


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## Lowiepete (Mar 29, 2009)

Dode said:


> Can you explain please


Which bit have I not explained?
If it's the furrows, just give it a bit of practical thought about the physics of
free sharps floating in the lubricating fluid, along and out of a furrow.


fatdazza said:


> thanks for taking the time to reply. I disagree with your view that it is "marketing hype" for different grades of clay cloth but not for clay. In my view it has to be the same conclusion for both cloths and clays.


Daz, I don't disagree, though I didn't intend to include the clay. For a very
long while I was frightened to use clay of any description! That was mostly
because of fear of my gammy hands dropping it. I gave it a try with a
standard bar from Serious Performance and found a way of using it without
holding it. I've not had to make that decision twixt the various clay grades,
but even so, I'd be extremely fearful of how abrasive a coarser grade could
be.

Regards,
Steve


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## Southy1978 (Dec 11, 2014)

Another vote for the Farcela G3 clay mitt here. Used it for the first time today and was amazed!


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## ardenvxr (May 22, 2013)

G3 clay mitt is great value,I also use autosmarts clay cloth aswell


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## fatdazza (Dec 29, 2010)

ardenvxr said:


> G3 clay mitt is great value,I also use autosmarts clay cloth aswell


Have you noticed any difference between the two other than size?


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## superd (Sep 23, 2013)

Another +1 for autosmart clay cloth, great views from fatdazza and lowiepete :thumb:


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## TonyH38 (Apr 7, 2013)

fatdazza said:


> Have you used any other brands of clay cloth? If so can you say why others were not so good? :thumb:


Yes bought 2 cheaper ones off E.Bay just to compare them to the ADS one only used them for one clean one left marring the other when I went to use it a second time it had split in 2 places so both were binned.


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## AlexT (Sep 23, 2010)

Don't think I'll use the G3 mitt again, marred the whole car with it. Stick with the clay bar I think.


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## SPARTAN (Nov 20, 2014)

Performace over price sould be the main criteria when choosing a clay medium as suggested by Lowiepete earlier.

I use the G3 clay mitt and although it could be described as a light mitt and does come in cheaper than many others, I can say categorically that I have experienced zero marring using this product.

What's the secret....there is no secret. As long as both panel and mitt are heavily lubricated with shampoo and the mitt rinsed/clean regularly it will do its thing. It is imperative however that no downward force is applied to the panel whilst using the mitt. It must be allowed to just GLIDE over the panel.


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## GleemSpray (Jan 26, 2014)

SPARTAN said:


> Performace over price sould be the main criteria when choosing a clay medium as suggested by Lowiepete earlier.
> 
> I use the G3 clay mitt and although it could be described as a light mitt and does come in cheaper than many others, I can say categorically that I have experienced zero marring using this product.
> 
> What's the secret....there is no secret. As long as both panel and mitt are heavily lubricated with shampoo and the mitt rinsed/clean regularly it will do its thing. It is imperative however that no downward force is applied to the panel whilst using the mitt. It must be allowed to just GLIDE over the panel.


Yes this. Keep it all very slippery and use only fingertip pressure.

I have used mine on VW, Ford (several) and Renault paint of different colours and ages and have seen no marking or dulling of any type left by the G3 Mitt. It just leaves the paint smooth as glass.


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## Lowiepete (Mar 29, 2009)

I'll emphasise...


SPARTAN said:


> It is imperative however that *no downward force is applied to the panel* whilst using the...


...clay mitt, cloth or bar. Not even fingertip pressure!

Regards,
Steve


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## GleemSpray (Jan 26, 2014)

I like your reviews Pete and trust your judgement, but now you are just being plain pedantic. 

The very action of using your much loved ADS clay cloth would require fingertip pressure - unless it's self powered? 😈

I think we are all in agreement there is no need to "press down" with these products and lightest possible pressure.


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## SPARTAN (Nov 20, 2014)

GleemSpray said:


> Yes this. Keep it all very slippery and use only fingertip pressure.
> 
> I have used mine on VW, Ford (several) and Renault paint of different colours and ages and have seen no marking or dulling of any type left by the G3 Mitt. It just leaves the paint smooth as glass.


To be fair I actually read your post to mean the same as I had suggested and your comment about fingertip pressure was only to enable the mitt to be guided in the direction you wanted to glide it.

Which of course I fully agree with. Perhaps Lowiepete misunderstood what you actually meant :thumb:


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## Lowiepete (Mar 29, 2009)

GleemSpray said:


> I like your reviews Pete and trust your judgement, but now you are just being plain pedantic.


Seriously, I'm not. How many videos of claying have you watched where the
clay is below the fingertips? When you see the clay turned over, are you not
sometimes shocked? Have you thought about the _real_ amount of marring
that went on? Holding clay beneath your fingertips simply adds a huge risk of
marring and a lot of correction work later.

The clay will actually work just as well under its own weight being pushed 
around like a free puck under your hand trapping it like a cage. It might take
a bit longer and it takes a bit of practice on verticals! However, the extra
time needed is regained because of the time saved polishing out any marring.

With a clay cloth, I use my thumb to push it in one direction and my pinky to 
push it in the other. All the fingers in between are only stopping the cloth 
from rucking should it encounter a rough patch. Again, it takes a bit of 
practice on verticals.

So, I'll stand full square behind what I'm saying. It's _only_ the weight of the
media that is ever needed!

To bring this back on topic. One of the main reasons I like the ADS cloth is
because whoever designed it fell upon the ideal weight, when wet, so as to
avoid adding any pressure. There were suggestions that people cut the cloth
in half. That would probably place a need for pressure to get it to work, so
I have strongly advocated against that.

Regards,
Steve


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## Kimo (Jun 7, 2013)

But the ads is the same as 90% of others just at a much higher price

Let's face it


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## Outonawing (Sep 27, 2014)

It's unfortunate that the ADS cloth has been out of stock for the last 3 months, leaving some of us with little choice but to buy a cheaper alternative.


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## Dode (Jun 13, 2013)

Lowiepete said:


> Which bit have I not explained?
> If it's the furrows, just give it a bit of practical thought about the physics of
> free sharps floating in the lubricating fluid, along and out of a furrow.
> 
> ...


I was only asking as I dont have a clay mitt and I was hoping for some advice.


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## Lowiepete (Mar 29, 2009)

Dode said:


> I was only asking as I dont have a clay mitt and I was hoping for some advice.


Get yourself a cuppa...

Regards,
Steve


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## Suba (Feb 2, 2013)

Lowiepete said:


> So, I'll stand full square behind what I'm saying. It's _only_ the weight of the
> media that is ever needed!


...except on the 'vertical' panels where the weight of the clay media will not be effectively acting on the panel.

Personally I find using clay and clay cloths by fingertip to work better for me. More precise in terms of where the clay goes, and better control of the very limited pressure required as fingers 'spring' better than wrists.

Lots of lubrication though, and frequent rinsing of the clay mitt if using one of those.


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## Dode (Jun 13, 2013)

Lowiepete said:


> Get yourself a cuppa...
> 
> Regards,
> Steve


Cheers for that :thumb:


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## Dode (Jun 13, 2013)

Outonawing said:


> It's unfortunate that the ADS cloth has been out of stock for the last 3 months, leaving some of us with little choice but to buy a cheaper alternative.


Very true. I will look at AS or Car pro I think


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## whiteclio59 (Aug 13, 2013)

scottk7 said:


> G3 clay mitt is my go to product. A lot cheaper than other clothes and really easy to use


Agreed!


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## Criptop (Dec 13, 2013)

I bought one of the ADS type cloths off Ebay for 12/13 quid - used it a 5-6 times on a range of cars with varied contamination and did a great job and didn't see any marring :thumb:

Since then I've noticed you can get the same cloth I bought off ebay from Aliexpress for as little as £7.31 delivered


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