What do you guys think of the water blades like this one? http://www.marshallautobody.com/Images/products/267x200_caWaterBlade.jpg
good question . . . . looooooooooooong ago i use to use one of these. I can't imagine it being hurtful to the paint. The one i once had was really really soft.
i think the only way they would really scratch the paint would be if a stone or some form of heavy debris got stuck between the blade and the paint . . . . .
Doesn't even take a big piece of debris. A piece of sand in their will do an inconceivable amount of damage
well as long as you don't live near the beach, or a field of dirt with hurricane winds you most likely will be ok. I'm just saying from my experience with those they worked great.
Water Blade The best-known US brand the Original California Water Blade (equivalent UK Autoglym Hydra-Blade) is made of medical-grade silicone so it should not scratch. It can be used to remove water after washing the vehicle without causing scratches by applying very little surface pressure with the blade, wiping with long strokes in one direction only. If there is any grit left on the car after washing, the blade may pick it up and drag it across the paint, much the same as a towel would, this can be avoided by wiping the blade with a clean damp towel after every pass. The water blade should be protected when not in use. If it is crushed in storage, the edge may take a set and leave a stripe of water on the car, the water blade comes with a protective plastic case, use it for blade storage. Like any tool, the water blade does require a little bit of technique and practice. The first few times I used mine, it tended to chatter on the surface, resulting in incomplete drying. It turns out this is eliminated by using just the right angle, and pressure on a wet blade. Smoothness can also be affected by the surface condition of the paint (wax, sealant oxidation, etc.) and any coating that might be on the water blade itself. I will add that I now only use this tool on glass surfaces, but that’s just me being over cautious (See below) Caution: do not use a water blade to remove rainwater as there could be road grit on the paint surface or the rain may contain impurities that could scratch the paint.
A bit of sand in your drying cloth/towel/whatever would do the same amount of damage. I suppose you could give it a quick wipe down before you use it or spray it off to remove any contaminants. I was looking at one of these the other day in Walmart. It looked and felt verysoft. I really don't think it would scratch the paint in and of itself.
YouTube - Save Time with the New California Water Blade sounds good in theory, would make drying super quick but i just dont think i could bring myself to use one, id be too worried about scratching the paint
There's a difference between a large mf towel and a water blade. True the sand can get caught in the mf cloth but it has some place (the nap) to go unlike a water blade. This product is mentioned every once in a blue moon. Ask yourself this. Of all the show n shines you've seen posted, how many used a water blade and how many used large mf towels or waffle weaves??
We all have those family members cars who are pretty scratched up to begin with. If they dont want correction, but just a wash/wax this would be pretty handy since they would not even notice if it did scratch it up. Save you some time, and make them happy. With that said, i used one a few years back on my car. It worked pretty well, but like said above...you have to be diligent about keeping the surface spotless and the blade immaculate. It can go wrong in a HURRY!
If you're worried about how fast you can dry the car, flood it first and then drag the mf across the surface..you'll be amazed at how fast you can be b/c there won't be much water on there after flooding.
This. flooding the surface removes most water on a maintained vehicle. It will also allow you to only need one towel to dry. I personally prefer to use a drying aid (Meg's Last Touch comes to mind), as I find it helps lubricate the surface, and I observe better towel absorption when using a drying aid.
