On test – Dry Sparkle | Meet the Trudgians

On test – Dry Sparkle

Posted by on May 17, 2020 in Featured, Reviews | 1 comment

On test – Dry Sparkle

We get sent a lot of products for review, consideration and promotion, and while the vast amount of the products we are sent do not really fit with us, some products really do resonate with caravanning.

One such product range is Waterless wash and Wax. In the post this week I was sent Dry Sparkle for my thoughts and opinions, but what makes this one stand-out from the crowd? After all there are so many on the market at various price points, why is this one any different from the rest?

The Sales pitch

First up, what is included in the pack. 2x 300ml bottles of cleaner, 2 micro fibre cloths and 1 reusable trigger. This pack is available from Prima Leisure priced at £15.00. Okay so it’s not the cheapest waterless wash and wax, but is on par with premium well-known brands. Looking at the packaging is an indication of where and how this product differs from its counterparts. Dry Sparkle, contains no carnauba wax, which is destructively obtained from the leaves of the Carnauba Palm that is native to North Eastern Brazil. Instead a complex mix of polymers and compounds make a suitable eco-friendly replacement.

Looking at their website, Dry Sparkle claims to be far better for the environment by not using palm extracts, using 100% recyclable packaging and is also gentle to the various surfaces found on a caravan. If like me you have had a ceramic coating on the caravan, its perfect for that too.

Sales pitch over, is it any good?

In my test I cleaned the front of the caravan, where after 7 weeks of sitting in the great outdoors the front vanity panel and windows needed a good clean. This is the area that I usually clean when going away, to make sure the towing cover does not sit on any dust or muck.

In my test I moistened one of the supplied microfibre cloths, and the surface of the caravan. The immediate impression was how the trigger worked. Unlike a normal pump sprayer, where a mist is propelled only while you pull the trigger, this bottle acted like a pump. 1 squeeze and a constant flow of the product is sprayed for a couple of seconds in a fine mist. This makes the application fine and even. This was an issue for me on the day of testing, because the mist is so fine, I couldn’t see if the wind was taking the spray off the surface or on to the motorhome next door. Top tip, don’t spray on a windy day, your neighbours will thank you for it.

 

 

A wipe down confirmed the product was on the caravan surface, A quick buff off was short work and the result was immediate. A clean, streak free panel that looked impressive. I moved onto the windows and before applying the product I gave the windows a light brush off to remove dust. Once Dry Sparkle was applied and buffed away it left a deep crystal-clear finish, with no swirls or streaks. To be honest you would notice any smears on the windows quite quickly.

The competition


Back at home and in my non-scientific methods, I tested Dry Sparkle with TripleWax waterless wash, Armour All waterless wash & Wax and Turtle Wax Wash & Wax on the rear window of my car.

At the time of writing all three are comparable in price at between £7 and £10 per bottle. The test on a section of my car revealed that the TripleWax waterless wash is my least favourite. It smears and takes a long time to buff off, which leaves 3 products left in my test.

 

 

Turtle wax
Fair coverage
easy to use
contains carnauba wax

 

 

Armour All Waterless wash & wax
Good coverage
opaque fluid is easy to see
terrible spray nozzle

 

 

Dry Sparkle
Great coverage
hard to see
extremely easy to use

 

 

All three buffed up fine, and to the naked eye the results looked the same, however my choice for the winner is down to how easy the product is to apply and use. The design of the trigger is key to getting just the right amount of product on the surface. And this is where Dry Sparkle excels. Both the Turtle Wax and Armour All shoot the product in a constant stream, Ok the Turtle Wax is slightly better but nothing like Dry Sparkle and its’ misting nozzle. Its ability to buff up and shine with an even coat is superb and, back at the caravan, I did notice an excellent shine on the front panel. But for me personally and this is the reason why I will recommend to friends, is its environmental sensitivity to the planet. It’s a step in the right direction and one I whole heartily back.

The obligatory water beading test.

I’m not sure why, but wax is discussed the conversation always turns over to the water beading test. So, as a part of my non-scientific test and with the rear window clearly marked out, I set about showering the glass with a fine coating of plain water. And sure enough, the results were instant. The Armour All showed some signs of beading and clearing the water. The Turtle wax did bead in places but was clearly not constant. Dry Sparkle in the beading test was the clear winner here too. And for transparency, I left one section of the rear glass untouched by anything for a clear comparison.

 

In conclusion

At the beginning I was not a fan of waterless wash & wax products but in the last 3 years I’ve really changed my opinion. They are great for a quick clean, especially if you are using a towing cover on the caravan. They are also useful for keeping windows dust free and with the added polymer waxes, keep the windows streak free. My only criticism of Dry Sparkle is on a slightly breezy day, on a white panel it can be quite hard to see where the spray is going.

Dry Sparkle is available from Prima Leisure for £15.00 +P&P, for the starter pack, but when it comes to refilling, a refill pack can be purchased, re-using the trigger that works out at £7.50 per 300ml bottle

 

 

[AD] – Product sent for review, these are my thoughts and opinions not endorsed by the manufacturer

One Comment

  1. It’s GREEN, in every sense, so of course it’s going to be a winner!
    Sad thing is’ I’ve just bought a twin pack of Diamond Brite Wash ‘n Wax, which is a bummer – in a way I am quite pleased this was not one of your competition choices Dan, jic it was as rubbish as some of the others!
    Anyway, thanks for the review/comparison, I know where I shall be putting my dosh in future, and I use quite a lot of the stuff, even after Bobby Dazzler… 🙂
    Thanks Dan, cfn, Rog…

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