First, the Airmax is a great unit, no doubt, no questions. Very powerful, and relatively quiet for such a powerful blower. It works! This in combination with the CR Spotless system is bliss for a person like me that doesn't want to spend too much time washing and drying cars.

That being said, since the Airmax is for pet grooming, the unit is not ergonomically designed to be carried around while working on a car. The handle is not in the right place for a proper balance. It needs to be moved back to get that counter-weighed feeling. It is bottom heavy when held by the handle. You have to be careful not to hit your car with it.

To overcome the design handicap, I am thinking of using an old backpack, cutting out the bottom (for the air source), and securing the unit in the backpack somehow. The backpack will then become an integral part of the unit. Since the hose will come out the top of the pack, it should give me flexibility in doing all portions of the car. Earplugs probably wouldn't hurt with this set up.

 

I just attached a strap from an equipment bag and strap it across my back. This keeps the unit behind me and works like a charm.

 

OK. Here's the solution. I usually strap it on my shoulder like JWC has suggested. As I mentioned, i've found the pad ans strap combo that is excellent:






If you've already ordered the Airmax, please contact me for a discounted price on this combo. I hope this remedies the situation

 

My .02 on washing mits. I have yet to find any washing mit that doesn't, over time, collect and trap some amount of debris. Even with careful washing, fine strands of wool or synthetic material and textiles can and will trap particulate.

That said, I use new microfibers. Wash once, rotate to wheel cleaning and discard.

 

It may not be the mitt. If using a REAL natural sheepskin mitt, you shouldn't have any problems. I've been using them for almost a decade and never had situations on routine clients' cars. I've washed p-cars from new, where we were the first to strip off the white protective tape, and never saw scratching from the mitt. As I said, if you rinse the mitt after every section, work top to bottom, and use high quality products, you shouldn't have problems with swirls and scratches. Over time, you will always get micro fine scratches just from wiping, but those can easily be corrected and/or filled with polish and wax.

 

I've searched a few of the how-to-wash threads here and have not found much discussion of boar bristle brushes. I bought one from Griotts a few years back because I figured it would be harder for me to unknowingly scratch my paint. The bristles seem very soft, especially with ther split ends, so I can't imagine how they could cut any kind of micro-groove in clearcoat. And I'd expect that they'd be less likely to drag trapped grit across the paint than any of the mitt or towel options.

So what's the pro's opinion of these things?

BTW, mine finally stopped stinking after several washes.

Also, I've read that some boar brushes have nylon bristles mixed in. I gave the Griott brush a pretty careful once over and didn't see bristles that looked or felt different than the majority.

Jeff

 

I'm not sure how the boar's hair brush affects the finish Jeff. I have not used one before. The best test is simple. Polish a small section of the car with the PC and the Menzerna products you have. Wipe the area down with 50/50 solution of isopropyl alcohol and purified water. Shine a maglight on the area to check your work. Once the finish is swirl and scratch free, wash the area next time with the boar's hair. If you see scratches, you'll know. Otherwise, if the finish is still in great shape after a few washes, then you're in great shape and should keep using the brush. Hope this helps.