Snow Foam Lance

jimmywiz · 10-20-2015, 04:28 PM

Why are snow foam lances so much money.

I have been seeing prices for around £45. That is nuts for simply a bottle and some tubes.

Anyone know of any cheaper ones as there is no way im paying that for some fittings and tubing.

Cheers guys and gals

versailles · 10-26-2015, 03:10 PM

They costs because they are worth it, the only way to get a good thick foam is by using a proper foam lance.

Invest! It'll be worth it

vanbmw · 10-26-2015, 05:00 PM

When you see one up close you can see why it is worth a bit of money. I have the chemical guys foam cannon and it was around $80 US. The brass fitting on the top of the bottle is fairly heavy duty to stand up to the force from your pressure washer. There are cheaper methods...I saw a cheap version that you hook a hose up to and it sprays out "foam". It is made of plastic and doesn't work at all. Just sprays some soapy water onto the car it it all runs off...no foam.
The foam cannon works as advertised. Sprays out major amounts of foam. I have used the honeydew soap and the max suds soaps from Chemical guys and both work really well. Thick foam and it clings to the car.
The only think to remember...if your car is at all dirty you still need to use a wash mitt and do some hand washing. Don't think you can just spray on the foam and rinse off the dirt with pressure washer.
If your car is dusty or not very dirty then you certainly can just foam and rinse and you are good to go.

jimmywiz · 10-27-2015, 03:47 AM

Cheers vanbmw for the tips. i might have to try one then.

E92Mazing · 10-29-2015, 06:20 PM

When I bought the chemical guys mtm cannon as a gift last winter I paid close to $85 and thought it was crazy overpriced. I hesitated to buy my own until this summer when I started seeing cheaper foam cannons appearing on Amazon/eBay for closer to $30. Right before I pulled the trigger I noticed chemical guys mtm cannon with 1 gallon of their honeydew car wash came out to less than $55 so I got that instead.

I still think it's pretty expensive for essentially a high pressure hose nozzle but any high quality hose nozzle will even run you between $10-$20 so I suppose the prices are fair now between $30-$40 bucks. Stick with name brands like MTM as their foam comes out much nicer than other brands. I also tried CG torq foam cannon and could not achieve good foam with my electric ps.

Another way to look at it is the money saved from winter auto car washes when it's too cold to get your two buckets out. One weekly wash and you can rinse off the salt and get your car 90% clean in about 15 min.

jimmywiz · 11-06-2015, 07:51 AM

Well i brought a cheep one.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2817997158...%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

We will see how this works - the reviews seemed good

Fronzdan · 11-06-2015, 08:27 AM

That one looks like good quality!

squidlyboy · 11-06-2015, 05:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jimmywiz

Well i brought a cheep one.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2817997158...%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

We will see how this works - the reviews seemed good

ugh... that looks like the first one i got off ebay from china. hope not. They may look alike, but they work very different. i finally spent more on the MTM next gen and got the mountains of foam i was looking for...

I dug up my old notes back when i was eval'ing all this stuff ...

---

Soap makes a difference
http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=984608
This guy says switching from Meguires NXT soap to CG maxi suds made a world of difference

Foam guns make a difference
http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/...ric-model.html
The new MTM next generation low-pressure foam gun (14.0263) outperforms the MTM Hydro. By outperforming, i mean it creates more of a dry clingy foam (not runny, but sticks to car better) vs the running soupy foam that runs off the car quickly and dries up forcing you to have to wash faster or else get dried soap stains on the car

versailles · 11-10-2015, 03:09 AM

Error

versailles · 11-10-2015, 07:42 AM

Live by the code

squidlyboy · 11-10-2015, 07:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by versailles

Live by the code

LOLz

that's freakin hilarious

I challenge you to post a video of how well your foam lance stacks up against my foam lance - dryer, stiffer, more mountainous foam wins

versailles · 11-10-2015, 10:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by squidlyboy

Quote:

Originally Posted by versailles

Live by the code

LOLz

that's freakin hilarious

I challenge you to post a video of how well your foam lance stacks up against my foam lance - dryer, stiffer, more mountainous foam wins

Challenge accepted, next time I wash the car it's on!!!

squidlyboy · 11-10-2015, 11:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by versailles

Challenge accepted, next time I wash the car it's on!!!

game on brutha!!!!

tboooe · 11-16-2015, 10:39 AM

I am a total noob to pressure washers and foam lances. Any recommendations on what pressure washer to get with the MTM foam lance?

versailles · 11-16-2015, 11:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tboooe

I am a total noob to pressure washers and foam lances. Any recommendations on what pressure washer to get with the MTM foam lance?

Iv had karcher in the past and it was ok, the internal pump went though after about two years, since then iv had 2 Nilfisk washers and they've been great, I bought a smaller one and then went for something larger, you can't go wrong with Nilfisk,

This is the one I have..

http://m.screwfix.com/p/nilfisk-e140...FQ2NGwodovwPgw

More than enough for home needs, ignore the little bottle that comes with it, that won't do for proper foam.

vanbmw · 11-16-2015, 03:19 PM

I have an 1800 PSI karcher and it works great with my foam lance.

tboooe · 11-16-2015, 03:33 PM

Is this Karcher 1600 psi good enough for the weekend warrior only using this to wash the car? I assume it will work with the MTM foam lance reference in this thread?

versailles · 11-16-2015, 04:12 PM

I would honestly recommend Nilfisk over karcher purely because the pumps last longer

squidlyboy · 11-17-2015, 12:10 AM

I started with a Pacific Hydrostar 1650 PSI Electric pressure washer from Harbor Freight and returned it after finding out it couldn't foam up the car with a thick dry lather. The foam was rather soupy, thin, and runny. It was like $79 on sale. I don't know how it compares to the Karcher, and i wouldn't make judgements strictly by the PSI rating. It also could have been to the cheaper foam lance i was using at the time. The thing that sucked about this HF PW was that it didn't have standard fittings/adaptors for the foam lance so i was scurrying around to find adapters and that was part of the problem. It only took Nilfisk Kew Alto type of connectors. It was a small nightmare to get sorted out.

I finally decided i didn't want to mess around anymore and put the $$$ in the game, and I got a gas powered PW that had more common fittings that worked with this MTM foam lance I got and I haven't looked back. I got the Generac 6596 2800 psi 2.5GPM pressure washer from Pressure Washers Direct and it was night and day difference. But it ran me $300, but its been over a year and the thing is still going way strong. It got great reviews on both Amazon and Lowes site, and i haven't been disappointed so far.

I still owe Mr. Versailles a video

I plan on washing the car this weekend (or for sure over Thanksgiving weekend), so i'll show you how amazing a great PW and a great lance foam canon work together.

Live (and die) by the code, brah...

smithf80 · 11-17-2015, 07:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tboooe

Is this Karcher 1600 psi good enough for the weekend warrior only using this to wash the car? I assume it will work with the MTM foam lance reference in this thread?

I had a similar one and for some reason the twist on wand basically just wouldn't work anymore, its spring loaded and you couldn't push the wand and twist after only a few months. When I brought it back to home depot the repair guy told me lot of people have this issue and he has no idea why or whats happening.

tboooe · 11-17-2015, 08:48 AM

Thanks for the input to try and help a total noob guys. From what I have gathered so far I think I will stick with Karcher only because the MTM foam lance will work with it (sorry versailles ) unless someone can let me know what I need to make the foam lance work with Nilfisk???? Again, sorry for being a total beginner to this.

vanbmw · 11-17-2015, 06:57 PM

1600 psi is enough for a snow foam lance. It will produce loads of snow foam! There is some manual hand washing required...don't expect to just foam the car and pressure wash off all the dirt! If the car is dusty or just has minor dirt then you can do this. However, most times it is foam, hand wash then pressure wash off, You don't need 3000psi to blast it all off!
Pressure washer is great around wheel wells and in hard to reach areas of wheel!

10-20-2015, 04:28 PM	#1
jimmywiz Private 21 Rep 77 Posts Drives: 435D M Sport+ Join Date: Dec 2013 Location: sittingbourne kent iTrader: (0)	Snow Foam Lance - why are they so much money Why are snow foam lances so much money. I have been seeing prices for around £45. That is nuts for simply a bottle and some tubes. Anyone know of any cheaper ones as there is no way im paying that for some fittings and tubing. Cheers guys and gals
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10-26-2015, 03:10 PM	#2
versailles First Lieutenant 153 Rep 369 Posts Drives: F32 Join Date: Sep 2015 Location: Uk iTrader: (0)	They costs because they are worth it, the only way to get a good thick foam is by using a proper foam lance. Invest! It'll be worth it
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10-26-2015, 05:00 PM	#3
vanbmw Major 130 Rep 1,101 Posts Drives: 2015 Black 335i Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Vancouver iTrader: (0)	When you see one up close you can see why it is worth a bit of money. I have the chemical guys foam cannon and it was around $80 US. The brass fitting on the top of the bottle is fairly heavy duty to stand up to the force from your pressure washer. There are cheaper methods...I saw a cheap version that you hook a hose up to and it sprays out "foam". It is made of plastic and doesn't work at all. Just sprays some soapy water onto the car it it all runs off...no foam. The foam cannon works as advertised. Sprays out major amounts of foam. I have used the honeydew soap and the max suds soaps from Chemical guys and both work really well. Thick foam and it clings to the car. The only think to remember...if your car is at all dirty you still need to use a wash mitt and do some hand washing. Don't think you can just spray on the foam and rinse off the dirt with pressure washer. If your car is dusty or not very dirty then you certainly can just foam and rinse and you are good to go.
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10-27-2015, 03:47 AM	#4
jimmywiz Private 21 Rep 77 Posts Drives: 435D M Sport+ Join Date: Dec 2013 Location: sittingbourne kent iTrader: (0)	Cheers vanbmw for the tips. i might have to try one then.
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10-29-2015, 06:20 PM	#5
E92Mazing Private First Class 30 Rep 143 Posts Drives: 2011 E92 M3 Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: NYC iTrader: (0) Garage List 2020 BMW X3 M40i [0.00] 2017 BMW X3 [0.00] 2014 BMW 328 xDrive [0.00] 2011 BMW M3 E92 [9.00]	When I bought the chemical guys mtm cannon as a gift last winter I paid close to $85 and thought it was crazy overpriced. I hesitated to buy my own until this summer when I started seeing cheaper foam cannons appearing on Amazon/eBay for closer to $30. Right before I pulled the trigger I noticed chemical guys mtm cannon with 1 gallon of their honeydew car wash came out to less than $55 so I got that instead. I still think it's pretty expensive for essentially a high pressure hose nozzle but any high quality hose nozzle will even run you between $10-$20 so I suppose the prices are fair now between $30-$40 bucks. Stick with name brands like MTM as their foam comes out much nicer than other brands. I also tried CG torq foam cannon and could not achieve good foam with my electric ps. Another way to look at it is the money saved from winter auto car washes when it's too cold to get your two buckets out. One weekly wash and you can rinse off the salt and get your car 90% clean in about 15 min.
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11-06-2015, 07:51 AM	#6
jimmywiz Private 21 Rep 77 Posts Drives: 435D M Sport+ Join Date: Dec 2013 Location: sittingbourne kent iTrader: (0)	Well i brought a cheep one. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2817997158...%3AMEBIDX%3AIT We will see how this works - the reviews seemed good
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11-06-2015, 08:27 AM	#7
Fronzdan Lieutenant Colonel 301 Rep 1,737 Posts Drives: '24 M240 xDrive Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: MA iTrader: (0)	That one looks like good quality!
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11-10-2015, 03:09 AM	#9
versailles First Lieutenant 153 Rep 369 Posts Drives: F32 Join Date: Sep 2015 Location: Uk iTrader: (0)	Error
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11-10-2015, 07:42 AM	#10
versailles First Lieutenant 153 Rep 369 Posts Drives: F32 Join Date: Sep 2015 Location: Uk iTrader: (0)	Live by the code Attached Images
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11-16-2015, 10:39 AM	#14
tboooe Brigadier General 925 Rep 3,089 Posts Drives: F36 428i GC, E36 M3 - gone :( Join Date: Dec 2014 Location: The OC! iTrader: (1)	I am a total noob to pressure washers and foam lances. Any recommendations on what pressure washer to get with the MTM foam lance? __________________ My build thread 2015 428i GC - Alpine White - Coral Red - M Sport
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11-16-2015, 03:19 PM	#16
vanbmw Major 130 Rep 1,101 Posts Drives: 2015 Black 335i Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Vancouver iTrader: (0)	I have an 1800 PSI karcher and it works great with my foam lance.
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11-16-2015, 03:33 PM	#17
tboooe Brigadier General 925 Rep 3,089 Posts Drives: F36 428i GC, E36 M3 - gone :( Join Date: Dec 2014 Location: The OC! iTrader: (1)	Is this Karcher 1600 psi good enough for the weekend warrior only using this to wash the car? I assume it will work with the MTM foam lance reference in this thread? __________________ My build thread 2015 428i GC - Alpine White - Coral Red - M Sport
	Appreciate 0 Quote

11-16-2015, 04:12 PM	#18
versailles First Lieutenant 153 Rep 369 Posts Drives: F32 Join Date: Sep 2015 Location: Uk iTrader: (0)	I would honestly recommend Nilfisk over karcher purely because the pumps last longer
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11-17-2015, 12:10 AM	#19
squidlyboy Major 568 Rep 1,035 Posts Drives: 2014 Alpine White 328i M-Sport Join Date: Jul 2014 Location: Chandler, Arizona iTrader: (0)	I started with a Pacific Hydrostar 1650 PSI Electric pressure washer from Harbor Freight and returned it after finding out it couldn't foam up the car with a thick dry lather. The foam was rather soupy, thin, and runny. It was like $79 on sale. I don't know how it compares to the Karcher, and i wouldn't make judgements strictly by the PSI rating. It also could have been to the cheaper foam lance i was using at the time. The thing that sucked about this HF PW was that it didn't have standard fittings/adaptors for the foam lance so i was scurrying around to find adapters and that was part of the problem. It only took Nilfisk Kew Alto type of connectors. It was a small nightmare to get sorted out. I finally decided i didn't want to mess around anymore and put the $$$ in the game, and I got a gas powered PW that had more common fittings that worked with this MTM foam lance I got and I haven't looked back. I got the Generac 6596 2800 psi 2.5GPM pressure washer from Pressure Washers Direct and it was night and day difference. But it ran me $300, but its been over a year and the thing is still going way strong. It got great reviews on both Amazon and Lowes site, and i haven't been disappointed so far. I still owe Mr. Versailles a video I plan on washing the car this weekend (or for sure over Thanksgiving weekend), so i'll show you how amazing a great PW and a great lance foam canon work together. Live (and die) by the code, brah...
	Appreciate 1 Quote

11-17-2015, 08:48 AM	#21
tboooe Brigadier General 925 Rep 3,089 Posts Drives: F36 428i GC, E36 M3 - gone :( Join Date: Dec 2014 Location: The OC! iTrader: (1)	Thanks for the input to try and help a total noob guys. From what I have gathered so far I think I will stick with Karcher only because the MTM foam lance will work with it (sorry versailles ) unless someone can let me know what I need to make the foam lance work with Nilfisk???? Again, sorry for being a total beginner to this. __________________ My build thread 2015 428i GC - Alpine White - Coral Red - M Sport
	Appreciate 0 Quote

11-17-2015, 06:57 PM	#22
vanbmw Major 130 Rep 1,101 Posts Drives: 2015 Black 335i Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Vancouver iTrader: (0)	1600 psi is enough for a snow foam lance. It will produce loads of snow foam! There is some manual hand washing required...don't expect to just foam the car and pressure wash off all the dirt! If the car is dusty or just has minor dirt then you can do this. However, most times it is foam, hand wash then pressure wash off, You don't need 3000psi to blast it all off! Pressure washer is great around wheel wells and in hard to reach areas of wheel!
	Appreciate 0 Quote