GR86 Drying

7 litre DI vessel and a Blo RS. Have used this for many years but only when I have a car with black wheels.

Finish up with a QD applied with an mf cloth. Gyeon Ceramic detailer.

Plenty of other options. The dryer is embarrassing tbh, probably look a right wanker but it s very effective so long as you have paint that beads well.

Good cloths to use like the Auto Finesse green things. I have two on the go, stored in a plastic box.
 
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I'd like to get a water filter. The raceglaze one is now £115 . When buying replacement resin granules, many litres does it take (sold from 1 litre to 25 litres - not sure if it's as simple as it'll use the 7 litres that the filter is.

I also wonder what you guys think of this filter:

£55 and gets decent reviews (it's also on Amaz). Takes replacement cartridges, rather than granules, and they run at £35. I've not idea how long it lasts compared to the raceglaze one though.
 
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For a few years I'm using the small Makita leaf blower to dry the car from the biggest water droplets. The remaining water will be caught with a big drying towel and detailer/drying aid. It also helps to push water out of edges and door sills.
Last weekend I modeled and printed a flat nozzel for a more efficient distribution.
PXL_20240101_113745166~2.webp

With the blow dryer, one big drying towel is sufficient. Otherwise another one was needed.
 
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I'd like to get a water filter. The raceglaze one is now £115 . When buying replacement resin granules, many litres does it take (sold from 1 litre to 25 litres - not sure if it's as simple as it'll use the 7 litres that the filter is.

I also wonder what you guys think of this filter:

£55 and gets decent reviews (it's also on Amaz). Takes replacement cartridges, rather than granules, and they run at £35. I've not idea how long it lasts compared to the raceglaze one though.

So I bought the Raceglaze one. It arrived with some tips, one of which says 'Why not cut yourself a short 3 foot piece of hose', followed by the explanation that you carry the water filter around the car with you, and use the short piece to rinse the car.

Has anyone here tried that, or concluded that it's a bad idea? Just trying to plan my setup, order some hose lengths and fittings.
 
Before I purchased a water / DI filter I was going to get one of the Big Boi Blowers, however the inital purchase price was higher that a water filter so I decided to go for the cheaper option and see how I got on. I'd 100% recommend a water filter, it probably my favourite every car cleaning purchase.

However I do have a IT Dusters CompuClean Xpert (https://www.itdusters.com/product/xpert/), which I have tried on the car and its ok but it doesn't have enough power for the larger surfaces. It works best for drying wheels, removing water from behind the mirror, boot jams, etc.

My main issue with it though is the power cord, as is quite short at about 1.5m. Now I'm aware it not meant for cleaning a car and for the little jobs its fine. I also find this (the cord) can get in the way and ends up wet from being dragged across the rinse water, I suspect I'll have the same problems with dealing with a large hoze from a proper blower.

If I was going to purchase a blower for car drying, I actually get a cordless leaf blower. I was initallly against this idea due to dirt particles and them not having a filter. But realistically the air isn't that dirty where I wash my car, and it won't be sucking up ground dirt as it'll be used at waist height or higher most of the time. If I was to purchase one I'd go with the Milwaukee blower, however this is because I've already got Milwaukee tools/batteries, and I'd source a stubby nozel for it: https://stubbynozzles.com/products/stubby™-car-drying-nozzle-for-milwaukee-m18-fuel-single-battery-leaf-blowers-2724-20-2728-20

Just thought I’d bump this thread as I’ve got a new toy which I’m pleased with.

I’ve noticed on a few occasions that I’ve needed a blower of some description for various jobs, helping dry the cars in hard to reach areas, drying my mountain bike after a wash, blowing saw dust out of my chop saw etc..

I didn’t want to pay £175-£450 for something like a BigBoi, which is effectively a fan in a can. I stumbled across generic ‘Pet Dryers’ which you can pick up for as little as £50, so I did. Its brilliant, plenty of power and heat, compact and light to carry around. Should have bought one sooner.

Now there are some sweeping statements out there suggesting that something like a BigBoi is much better for a car as it has higher air speeds and superior air filtration. Well I’m sorry that's horsesh*t.

First off, the superior air filtration…

BigBoi air filter

blowr-3-pack-foam-filters.jpg


Pet dryer air filter.

PXL_20240209_145858885.jpg


I see no difference here, if anything the pet dryer has a denser filter material and more area from the looks of it.

Next up a photo of the BigBoi mini dryer against the pet dryer.
blowr-mini-car-dryer.jpg

PXL_20240209_145833716.jpg


800.jpg


PXL_20240209_145842139.jpg



Suspiciously similar aren’t they? Identical dimensions, similar handle design, same switchgear, these things are spewed out of the same Chinese factory. No need to pay massively marked prices for one specifically sold for car detailing (Bigboi 3m hose is £75 itself!)
 
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Ya wouldn't wanna dry yer dug with my Big Boi BlowR Pro that's fer sure - it'd end up down the street! 😄 But you are correct, a pet drier is just as good for something you'll use only on the odd occassion. The BlowR Pro is also too powerful to be used on PPF unless at it's lowest setting (discovered to my cost).
 
Yeah at its most powerful setting (50m/s) its plenty, you wouldn’t want anymore, whilst its quiet when running as soon as you direct the jet of air to something (like in an engine bay) it makes a racket, anymore it will be deafening and you would probably want eye protection. Ironically I wouldn’t be keen to dry a dog with it at its top speed.

I've just twigged the BigBoi's don't having heating unlike the pet dryer, that makes a big difference.
 
I've just twigged the BigBoi's don't having heating unlike the pet dryer, that makes a big difference.

I'd guess one of the green buttons of the side do the heating on the bigboi.
Their website states they should have a heating element.

But yes I suspect your right in that they are probably the same unit made in the same factory.

(screen shot of the Mini description)

bigboi.jpg
 
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I've just twigged the BigBoi's don't having heating unlike the pet dryer, that makes a big difference.
My twin engine Bigboi BlowR Pro does but, there’s no separate temperature control; it’s relative to the number of motors and speed selected and is fixed to 20c above the ambient temperature. That makes for a lot of hot air coming out of a narrow nozzle at 59, 200 ft/min (>600mph). The noise of that hitting an alloy wheel is ear splitting! 😖
In hindsight I didn’t need a drier this powerful for home use (it’s more suited to a commercial environment) but I’m stuck with it now. That said, it does make for a good garden blower and cobweb cleaner-outer in the stable's rafters 🕸️
 
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