garden hose + foamaster II VS pressure washer + foam cannon

[offthahorseceo]

hey guys, i have a bit of extra money right now. money that literally came out of nowhere. Now of course the smart thing to do would be to put it into a savings account but i already do that with most of my other money.

SO basically i am debating between a Pressure Washer with a foam cannon attachment OR keep using my garden hose and get a Foamaster 2

If i get a pressure washer it would need to be gas powered since my shed isnt powered. downside is there are no gas powered washers under 300 unless i buy used. upside is its more powerful.

The foamaster is much cheaper but is obviously not as powerful.

i would mainly be washing our 2 cars, a black Cadillac SRX and a white Cadillac Allanté with less than 6 month old paint. Actually though, ill probably end up having to do the rest of my familys cars after they find out i have a pressure washer ha


Are there any pros/cons to this other than price or is it one of those, if you can afford it go big type situations

Also, when buying a pressure washer, what are the things to look for if i want good performance when washing cars? i dont want to be able to blast the paint off but i do want to be able to make sure its working well


also, if

[PPLd]

if budget is limited u may want to take a look with this post:
http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/auto-detailing-101/36257-my-solution-150-foam-guns.html

[offthahorseceo]

i read that thread, i like that idea, but it would still require a pressure washer which i dont have

[Rei86]

The Foam Gun (FG) works very well but if you've watched youtube videos and nor even videos on here about the Foam Cannon (FC) and expect that; than you'll be disappointed.

The getting the mixture of water + soap isn't that hard with the FG but you probably will waste a bit more product than you would if you used a FC. Also the foam doesn't cling as hard as FC photos you see in detail pictures.

Was it worth it IMO for the FG? Yes. Will I try to purchase a pressure washer and get a FC later on? Yes.

The best thing about the FG and the FC is getting some dirt loose before you take your wash media to it. Also at times in the diriter areas like the rear bumper/tailpipes I keep a nice stream of foam coming from the FG when going over the car with the wash media. Keeps the car scratch/mar free and keeps the lubricity of the soap up all the time. Is it a waste of water/product? Yes, but I like it like this.

[timaishu]

I have the foam master(gilmour foam gun) from autogeek.

It makes alot of suds when you put it on the highest setting.

Yes it doesn't cling very well. But it does the job for me as I go around the car multiple times till Im out of soap.

I like it because I find it more convenient than a pressure washer.

To be fair, I HATE my pressure washer. The bit where the hose connects to the unit always pops off for some reason and it drives me crazy.

I do like using my pressure washer though when it works because it saves a ton of water compared to a hose. The foam gun wastes alot Id imagine.

If I had a pressure washer than works, I would get the cannon.

[offthahorseceo]

Ok thanks guys i think ill hold out for the pressure washer.
Ive seen people compare gpm and psi rates on here. a couple of people said gpm is more important than psi. what gpm rate is good for washing cars?