Clay Mitt

Anyone ever use a Clay Mitt vs Clay Bar. Tried 2x and it does not seem to work that well. I washed, rinsed, loaded up vehicle with more soap, then soak up suds with mitt for super slick surface before using. Am I missing something?

 

I use a mitt and get good results with mine. After using the mitt, take a quart plastic bag and put your hand inside the bag. Lightly run the outside of the bag over the paint and it should be smooth with no felt bumps.

 

I like my clay mitt. I mix up Nanoskin glide in a spray bottle and it works great.

 

Mitt is great for low contamination and minimal marring. The lowest bar tends to be more aggressive than a mitt.
Could be your mitt material dried out or is aged beyond it's shelf life.
Edit: I've had luck using ONR as clay lube with synthetics.

 

I still feel some grit on the hood after multiple passes

 

It is probably not aggressive enough for the amount of contamination you have on your paint. What brand mitt are you using?

 

Bought it on Ebay. Allegedly fine clay. Will have to check.

 

Unless its a known brand I usually avoid generics especially if it full of fake reviews or hasn't been reviewed or acclaimed by reputable people. Clay mitts and clay bars are fairly cheap. If you do high volume detailing you can save money elsewhere.

 

I tried a Blackfire mitt last spring. I used it with a no rinse wash as the lubricant which is supposed to be ok. It actually did a good job and left the paint smooth but did leave some marring on the clear coat. No big deal because it was machine polished before applying sealant. It’s nice to not have to worry about dropping it which I always seem to manage with a bar.

 

I think it probably depends on the level of clay in the mitt. I tend to think that mitts and towels marr more than a clay bar, but what I've used is a nano skin clay mitt and the mother's clay bar. They both have their purposes. And that whole baggy trick is to tell if you need to clay in the first place, not after you've already clayed...once you drag shit around trying to remove contaminants regardless of your clay lube, you're going to marr paint. You can tell during the claying process if you have removed said contaminants because if you're flipping things or kneading them like you're supposed to, there will be no more resistance and you'll see it in the clay. It will be smooth to the two or so fingers you should have on the clay bar