I’m not going to beat around the bush, a foam gun is the poor mans foam cannon.
The general idea of foam guns is that they’re useless. In a lot of cases, this may be true, but in certain scenarios, they can be effective.
While I’d encourage you to spend money on a pressure washer and foam cannon, it’s not something that everyone can afford.
As long as you have good water pressure straight from the tap, a foam gun will provide some benefits.
Why use a foam gun
Using a foam gun has the same benefits as a foam cannon, however, they tend to be much less effective.
Buying a Foam gun will allow you to apply snow foam without the need for a pressure washer. This will help in lubricating your car, making dirt less likely to scratch the paintwork.
Foam guns will also help to cover your car in shampoo quickly. All that you need to do is use car wash shampoo in the gun. This will allow you to wash the car and rinse it without the need for any wash buckets and grit guards.
There’s definitely a use for foam guns, but are they worth the money?
How Do Foam Guns Work?
Foam guns have a universal adapter that will allow you to connect them to any regular water hose.
Once filled with snow foam product and connected to the hose, the foam gun will use the water pressure to create a soapy mixture onto your car.
It’s called a foam gun because it’s used mostly with snow foam products, producing a soapy foam that can be sprayed onto your vehicle.
When compared to foam cannons, foam guns can be very disappointing. I’ve recently explained the differences between foam guns and foam cannons in another article.
In short, the effectiveness of a foam gun is completely reliant on the water pressure from your tap. Because of this, most foam guns only manage to produce soapy water, rather than a thick foam.
A foam gun is nowhere near as good as using a pressure washer foam cannon but it’s available for a fraction of the price. Sometimes even under $30.
What soap for foam gun
When choosing a snow foam, I’d always recommend Bilt Hamber Auto Foam. It’s the one I use most and many other detailers love it too.
There’s a reason it’s regarded as one of the best snow foams to date. It has immense cleaning power and produces a good amount of foam at the same time.
When choosing products to use with a foam gun it’s slightly different.
Because a foam gun will struggle to produce any meaningful foam, you should use one that has great cleaning power.
Again, Bilt Hamber Snow Foam would be a good product but it’s not going to cling to the car when applied using a foam gun. It’s still relatively thin when applied with a foam cannon.
I believe that foam guns should be used as a way to apply product to your car quickly. Any car shampoo or traffic film remover will work well, if not better than snow foam.
Using Foam Guns for snow foam as a dedicated pre-wash stage seems to be a waste of time.
Which foam gun is the best?
While the decisive factor in whether or not a foam gun will perform well is mainly the water pressure, there are definitely guns that are better than the rest.
Below is a list of the best guns available on the market to date, in no specific order.
These guns will increase your suds and make car washing more fun without the need for a pressure washer!
Adams Standard Foam Gun
Adams Standard Foam Gun – Check Price On Amazon.com
Adams is a well-known brand in the detailing world. They’re popular because they strive to improve and perfect the art of detailing.
The standard foam gun is almost half the price of it’s “premium” counterpart, but it will provide very similar results.
Using this foam gun will allow you to cover your car in seconds using its wide sprayer. Helping you to achieve a level of suds that you couldn’t get with a bucket and sponge, increasing lubricity and minimizing scratches.
The foam gun also offers a 32-ounce canister, allowing you strict control over dilution ratios and letting you wash multiple cars at once.
This foam gun is a great, cost-effective buy for those that don’t own a pressure washer.
Adams also manufactures all of its products in the US, so you can support a local company and your country at the same time.
MATCC Car Foam Gun
MATCC Car Foam Gun – Check Price On Amazon.com
The Matcc Foam Gun is a feature-rich option that’s priced in the middle of the market.
This foam gun comes with a universal 3/8” connector which will allow you to connect it to any regular hose without the need for adapters.
When developing this product, Matcc prioritized build quality. The gun has an adjustable dial which will allow you to choose from 6 levels of foam flow ranging between 1:10 & 1:128.
Unlike any other foam gun, this comes with a filter that will keep any particles from entering the gun, helping to minimize potential scratching.
They also promise a leak-free foaming experience and a 100% Risk-Free Warranty within the first year.
While it is slightly more expensive than the Adams gun, it holds the same volume and comes with a couple of extra useful features.
As far as foam guns go, these are probably the most cost-effective guns you’ll be able to buy.
Chemical Guys Torq Foam Blaster
Chemical Guys Torq Foam Blaster – Check Price On Amazon
If you’re looking for a reputable brand with a reliable product, this one is a must-have.
The Chemical Guys are regarded by many as the leading car care and detailing brand. I’d be an idiot not to include their foam gun on this list.
If you believe the hype, this is the “ultimate car wash foamer that’s able to connect to any hose”.
In all honesty, I believe that it’s no different from the MATCC foam gun. They could very well be using the same manufacturer.
It has the same 6 adjustable settings and looks very similar to the MATCC gun. The only noticeable difference is the shape of the bottle.
If you like what the chemical guys do and want to support their business, by all means, go ahead and buy their product, but if you want value for money, it may be best to avoid this gun.