# Expensive snow foams - Is there a point?



## V3nom (Oct 31, 2012)

Just something I've been thinking about and was wondering what others thought about it...

I've been buying snow foams for about a year now ranging from between £10-£20 at a time for fairly small quantities (never more than 1 litre).

After meeting up with my local AS rep, he was telling me that he sells their Highfoam for a couple of quid for a litre!

Was just wondering if things like Magifoam, R-1NE, Cotton Candy, etc are actually worth the extra cash.

I've never actually used Highfoam so I can't comment on it's effectiveness.

Anyone got any thoughts/feedback?!

Cheers
V3


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## Sue J (Jan 26, 2006)

V3nom said:


> Just something I've been thinking about and was wondering what others thought about it...
> 
> I've been buying snow foams for about a year now ranging from between £10-£20 at a time for fairly small quantities (never more than 1 litre).
> 
> ...


We don't do fancy names, pretty packaging and small containers. 
We do effective (got to be as it's designed for use by professionals who are doing this as a living) and trimsafe.


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## iPlod999 (Jun 23, 2012)

Recently bought Demon Shine Snow Foam. £4.65 on offer from Sainsburys.

Worked fine for me.


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## V3nom (Oct 31, 2012)

Sue J said:


> We don't do fancy names, pretty packaging and small containers.
> We do effective (got to be as it's designed for use by professionals who are doing this as a living) and trimsafe.


Pazzaz is a pretty fancy name 

The more I'm getting into detailing, the more I'm realising that companies like Autosmart are really cost-effective and have effective products! i.e. I could bang on about G101 all day! Love it!

Looking forward to seeing what you guys bring out next


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## kempe (Jan 9, 2011)

iPlod999 said:


> Recently bought Demon Shine Snow Foam. £4.65 on offer from Sainsburys.
> 
> Worked fine for me.


What mix did you use to get that?


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## CraigQQ (Jan 20, 2011)

I really like Actimousse from autosmart if after thin foams.. or if you like it thick the ultra mousse.

Although I have a Turtle wax professional series snow foam, it's cherry scented.. and probably the best thick snowfoam I've ever tried and is also super concentrated.
It is £50 for 10L.


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## danwel (Feb 18, 2007)

I'd say buy and use what works for you. As what works for others doesn't necessarily work for you IMO


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## kempe (Jan 9, 2011)

I like mine not to thick but not to thin Just like the way I like my women :lol:


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## iPlod999 (Jun 23, 2012)

kempe said:


> What mix did you use to get that?


About half an inch in a AB bottle and then topped up half way with hot water.


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## STUOOBY (Dec 26, 2012)

i got quoted £35 for 25 litres from autosmart yesterday. not sure which type as i just said snow foam for a price. i paid £30 for 5 litres of valet pro. so in the next few weeks i'll be gettin some of the autosmart stuff


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## V3nom (Oct 31, 2012)

Exactly! I've just paid about £14 for 1 litre of Cotton Candy and thinking to myself, surely there can't be that much of a difference between that and Highfoam/Actimousse?


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## -Raven- (Aug 26, 2010)

Are they worth it? Not IMO. Just use a cheap shampoo and you'll be surprised how well it works!


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## pxr5 (Feb 13, 2012)

I ran out of magifoam ther other day, and I had lots of Demon Shine snowfoam kicking about (couldn't resist when it was that cheap at ASDA)- tbh I couldn't tell the difference between this and magifoam. Anyway I've got 8 bottles to get through so it's going to get used before I even consider getting anything else.


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## wyliss (Feb 9, 2007)

Sue J said:


> We don't do fancy names, pretty packaging and small containers.
> We do effective (got to be as it's designed for use by professionals who are doing this as a living) and trimsafe.


Hi Sue
What is the name of product AS sell that is the same as the typical Snow Foams online detailing shops sell?
Thanks
:thumb:


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## realist (May 11, 2011)

25 litres of highfoam plus for £20, it's so cheap I sometimes use it twice! Can't beat it for the money:thumb:


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## Sue J (Jan 26, 2006)

wyliss said:


> Hi Sue
> What is the name of product AS sell that is the same as the typical Snow Foams online detailing shops sell?
> Thanks
> :thumb:


WE have a choice, it depends on what you want. I'd say either Highfoam or Ultramousse.


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## realist (May 11, 2011)

Highfoam plus isn't too thick, some of these expensive ones will hang around on your garden/drive for days and P the neighbours off:thumb:


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## Waylander-A4 (May 29, 2013)

iPlod999 said:


> Recently bought Demon Shine Snow Foam. £4.65 on offer from Sainsburys.
> 
> Worked fine for me.


Blimey never see you do anything but clean cars what happened to the day job lol

And love the Bubblegum smell of Demon shine snow foam cheap as chips works fine and 4.99 in wilko's for 2 litres last time i was in there


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## Ronnie (Nov 15, 2006)

I thought i would mention the cotton candy is safer to use as it is caustic free and is more like a super stremgth version of hazsafe or the likes. Its mot somuch the price its what its made from and how it works. I could make a very effective caustic foam for a smaller price but we are not prepared to cause risk of damage or issues at the end user stage. It is also the quality of chemicals used its.liem comparing a bentley to a mondeo they do the same but one has got a lot more added cost in its construction. This is the joy of free market there is a big variation in prices and some very poor foams are sold for a high price and some sorrosive foams are released for general use that should stay firmly at the car wash.

We feelCotton Candy offers a high level of performance at a reasonable price. I also can guarentee you use less per wash. I have started supplying some carwashes as they now use 25l of Cotton Candy when they used to use 200l of another well known trade brand. So for the amount of washes ours far outperformwd them.


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## cmillsjoe (Jun 20, 2012)

i think i will need to order some more foam soon but as before its all down to costs - postage seems to be the big killer on foam getting it to n.ire


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## iPlod999 (Jun 23, 2012)

Waylander-A4 said:


> Blimey never see you do anything but clean cars what happened to the day job lol


Haha.

Still got the day job. Although, shift work gives me spare time.

Not looking to a weekend of nights coming up.


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## Waylander-A4 (May 29, 2013)

Ronnie said:


> So for the amount of washes ours far outperformwd them.


Oh my its friday i do love ireland its PUB day fridays


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## STUOOBY (Dec 26, 2012)

realist said:


> 25 litres of highfoam plus for £20, it's so cheap I sometimes use it twice! Can't beat it for the money:thumb:


thats cheap. wonder what autosmart foam it was he quoted me £35 for 25 litres


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## james_death (Aug 9, 2010)

*Ill say no more than post a test i did a bit back...​*
*Ok Folks after having to wait 3 weeks and 800 Miles before i could get to wash the Polo...














































Yeah certainly a candidate for some snow foaming action...:lol:

So why not a bit of a comparison test....:thumb:

So Rinsed with the power washer and then some side by sides....

These are all in lance bottles in neat form and will be hitting the panels at a mix ration of 1 part product to 25 parts water.

So First Up...

Autosmart Ultra Mousse to the Left...

Autobrite Magifoam to the Right...



















Other Side...

Autosmart Actimousse XLS to the left...

Bilt Hamber Auto-Foam to the Right...



















As a Little extra Comparison...

A side by side on the hatch...

Autobrite Magifoam on the left & Bilt Hamber Auto-Foam on the Right...










Now i was going to simply post up the results.. However...

Having Taken a swab of each panel after just one application of foam, left to dwell for 5 minutes and then rinsed off.

The swab was taken and put to one side in order to dry fully overnight and then see what, if any muck had been transferred to the swab.

So What do Folks think will have cleaned the best on this Dirty Car???

Poll is Ended...:thumb:​*​
*Results...​*
*Ok Folks Lets See How Your Votes Compared To Foam Performance.*

*So The Dirt the Foams had to Contend With...*














































*Remember all Foams were used in neat form from the foam lance bottle.

So Actually were dispensed at a mix ratio of 20:1 so Twenty Parts Water to One Part Foam Product.

So....Pads were Swiped from the Bottom of each respective panel as these were the Dirtiest sections although not taken from the actual sill as getting that low risks catching any crud below the sill bottom edge.










Magifoam was Voted Top... It Actually Came Last from my testing.

Autosmart Ultra Mousse was Voted Last... It Actually Came Third.

Autosmart Actimousse XLS Voted Next to Last... It Actually Came Second Only Just Pipped to the post By the Winner.

Bilt Hamber Auto-Foam Voted Second Best... It's Actually the Winner only just Beating XLS.

The Autosmart Ultramousse was Similar Performance to Autobrite Magifoam... But i would put the Ultramousse as Slightly Better.

So From My Testing Magifoam alongside Ultramousse.










Remember the Pads were swiped once through the relevant Panel that had been cleaned.

The Swiped Pads were left to dry in order to see if any Grime was left on the panel after the Foaming and Rinsing.

Here We Have the Second place Actimousse XLS alongside the Winner Bilt Hamber Auto-Foam.










Now although still not fully clean the XLS & Auto-Foam Only left a very miniscule amount behind.

For my own Personal Test, Since i had only just received Magifoam having heard good things about it for what seams like forever, i did a side by side on the Hatch with what i have found to be an excellent foam that being the Bilt Hamber Auto-Foam.

Now the Very Cruddy Hatch had one hit of each product, one on each side again.

This power washed off again after 5 Minutes but this time i swiped each side with each pad twice.

Both did not remove all but again the Bilt Hamber Autofoam Performed the Best.

The Hatch Pad pics seam to have fallen into a Black Hole....:wall:

However they are at the top of this shot...








*


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## Ryanjdover (Apr 1, 2013)

I got 5 ltrs of AB super foam for 12 quid and its not a patch on actimousse but I use actimousse for big deep cleans. 

Definitely going to try high foam next time I need an in between detail foam


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## Ronnie (Nov 15, 2006)

Not if you buy if from me lol..


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## STUOOBY (Dec 26, 2012)

nice test. but can any one tell me this. i want something that removes most of the dirt....but i dont mind doing a handwash afterwards. but i want something that WONT remove the bulk of the wax already on the car. which one of the autosmart ones would you say is best for that. and this is only for use on my car , friends , family. not customers etc.


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## james_death (Aug 9, 2010)

I will always still follow with a bucket wash but have had a totally touchless wash from time to time lsp dependent and how long on etc.

Had no issue with foams stripping lsp.


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## realist (May 11, 2011)

Highfoam is lsp friendly, I've been using it on our cars for years without issues. I believe ultra mousse and actimousse are technically tfrs though ultramousse is ok if you don't use it too strong.


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## STUOOBY (Dec 26, 2012)

what is it you use bud?


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## DJ X-Ray (Sep 2, 2012)

STUOOBY said:


> nice test. but can any one tell me this. i want something that removes most of the dirt....but i dont mind doing a handwash afterwards. but i want something that WONT remove the bulk of the wax already on the car. which one of the autosmart ones
> 
> would you say is best for that. and this is only for use on my car , friends , family. not customers etc.


Does it have to be snowfoam ? If not, get some Valet Pro Pre Wash, that won't affect your lsp


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## NeilA (May 7, 2013)

iPlod999 said:


> Recently bought Demon Shine Snow Foam. £4.65 on offer from Sainsburys.
> 
> Worked fine for me.


Me too! Love the stuff, works great and foams really really thick!


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## Sue J (Jan 26, 2006)

STUOOBY said:


> nice test. but can any one tell me this. i want something that removes most of the dirt....but i dont mind doing a handwash afterwards. but i want something that WONT remove the bulk of the wax already on the car. which one of the autosmart ones would you say is best for that. and this is only for use on my car , friends , family. not customers etc.


Then you would want either Foam Shampoo or Ultramousse


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## STUOOBY (Dec 26, 2012)

Sue J said:


> Then you would want either Foam Shampoo or Ultramousse


whats the differences between both of them? im not bothered about the neighbours seeing snow foam on the car. as long as it works thats what matters. cheers. and i assume both are available in bulk


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## Sue J (Jan 26, 2006)

STUOOBY said:


> whats the differences between both of them? im not bothered about the neighbours seeing snow foam on the car. as long as it works thats what matters. cheers. and i assume both are available in bulk


Ultramousse foam has more cling and is thicker. Is more concentrated and a better clean the Foam Shampoo.

Foam Shampoo creates lots of bubbles but doesnt have as much clean and cling as Ultramousse. Designed to be sponged or brushed.

Both available in bulk - 
Ultramousse in 5 and 25 litres
Foam Shampoo in 25, 205 or 1000 litres!


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## STUOOBY (Dec 26, 2012)

cheers sue


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## cammy1981 (May 8, 2011)

How much for 25litres of Ultramousse?



Sue J said:


> Ultramousse foam has more cling and is thicker. Is more concentrated and a better clean the Foam Shampoo.
> 
> Foam Shampoo creates lots of bubbles but doesnt have as much clean and cling as Ultramousse. Designed to be sponged or brushed.
> 
> ...


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## Elliot_C (Jun 22, 2012)

I don't care that much about price. id always have Magifoam in my arsenal not matter what


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## STUOOBY (Dec 26, 2012)

cammy1981 said:


> How much for 25litres of Ultramousse?


must be millions cause mine doesnt stock it. says its too expensive. sometimes i wonder if i spend £2 a month in the as truck or £200 a month. autoglym is the same. seem to think you need to run a garage to buy in bulk and all the time.

so now i dont know what im doing stock wise. i NEED FOAM. so hoping i can find online as sellers that sell genuine stuff.


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## Sue J (Jan 26, 2006)

cammy1981 said:


> How much for 25litres of Ultramousse?


Cammy you would need to get a price from your local AS franchisee - PM me your postcode and I can give you the details. They are all independent businesses and therefore responsible for their own pricing.


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## Sue J (Jan 26, 2006)

STUOOBY said:


> must be millions cause mine doesnt stock it. says its too expensive. sometimes i wonder if i spend £2 a month in the as truck or £200 a month. autoglym is the same. seem to think you need to run a garage to buy in bulk and all the time.
> 
> so now i dont know what im doing stock wise. i NEED FOAM. so hoping i can find online as sellers that sell genuine stuff.


Is that Grant Purdie? We have over 250 different products, so it is impossible for every franchisee to stock everything. You do find some regional differences. In fact we make a special foam which we only sell in Scotland called Durafoam. If you definitely want Ultramousse then Grant might order you a 25 in if you ask him.


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## putzie (Mar 19, 2012)

are expensive snow foams worth it ?yes and no ,have got about 8 different snow foams on the go at the moment ranging from budget to top dollar foams ! yes when you buy them and they are good but no when you buy them and they are rip off copies of other companies and very poor ,i bought all the snow foams i thought was good at waxstock and have to so say so far i am impressed with all of them except one .
was just as expensive as the others but was clear to see when using it that it was a copy of another companies and very poor in comparison giving rubbish foam and very little cleaning power as well,the reason i bought it was cause i thought i was buying someone elses product as the name was the same spelt differently and packaging was almost the same as well


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## danwel (Feb 18, 2007)

with a snow foam you have to accept that they are not a magic formula and they will not clean the car with a "no touch" effect regardless off what some of them claim.

They will all or at least the good ones do a very good job depending on your OCD but imo you will still need to wash the car with your buckets etc.


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## Ipo (Jul 9, 2013)

What about using a citrus based product through a foam gun. Say valet pro? Does that work better than a snow foam?


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## 123HJMS (Mar 13, 2013)

Ipo said:


> What about using a citrus based product through a foam gun. Say valet pro? Does that work better than a snow foam?


I'd does a decent job when I've tried it but think a pre-wash is better through a pump sprayer IMO. I feel SF cleans better as my rinse bucket is a lot 'cleaner' after a SF compared to a pre-wash


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