In light of the recent claims that the California Duster does in fact cause swirls and scratches, I decided to do the good old CD test on mine. It's a couple years old, and pretty dirty so I figured it would make a good candidate.

Rather than test the duster in the recommended method of use, I decided to do a worse case usage test. That would be vigorously rubbing the duster back and forth across the CD with a significant amount of force. Enough force that it knocked the CD out of my hand several times.

After about 50 passes of the duster I examined the surface of the CD under a very bright light. As those of you who have done the test before have seen, if you get it at just the right angle, it's very easy to see any imperfections in the reflection.

Much to my dismay, the anti-Duster faction was right; the surface was covered in micro-marring. It was pretty severe, almost to the point of the surface looking cloudy. But wait, then I noticed a fingerprint where I had grabbed the CD. I ran my finger across the surface and produced a big smudge. I took the CD and sprayed the surface with some glass cleaner (Stoners) and wiped it clean then washed the surface under some water. I patted it dry then re-examined the surface in the bright light and guess what. The surface was clean and clear as new. No haze, no scratches, no micro-marring.

What happened? Simple, the forceful rubbing transferred some of the paraffin from the duster to the surface of the CD. A little cleaning removed it - the same thing would happen the next time you washed your car if you did manage to get some paraffin on it.

As I have stated before - if you are really getting scratches from a California Duster, you're probably not using it correctly.

As with any other new product that we buy, it's never a bad idea to do the CD test prior to use. Keep in mind that the CD test is "worse case" because usually you're going to use more force or make more repetitions than you would in real life. If that doesn’t produce scratches, then chances are in real life use, it definitely won’t.

 

Thanks a lot. This should solve some doubts people have about the California Car Duster!

 

I think people that get scratches are getting a hard particle or two stuck in the duster causing the scratch.

 

Not really, you've got people who are hard-wired to hate the duster. Nothing's going to make them change their mind. It like asking somebody to change their religion. I'd just prefer that they didn't sway somebody who doesn't know better away from using a good product just because they have unproven, anecdotal "proof" that the duster caused scratches.

 

Thanks DavesZ for that insight. I'm going to pick me up one on the way home.

 

i just got the duster 2 days ago for my SB 350Z. I had a coat of pollen and dust on it and after 5 min.....no dust...no scratches. left some residue but that was because i didn't wrap it in newspaper.

 

wow.. thanks for the experiment.. i'm probably go buy one sometime soon

 

I want to get some bird **** on a CD, then let it bake in the sun and see if I can get it off with Z6 and a DF towel without leaving any marks.

That would be a good test.

 

WooHoo fot the California Duster!

 

wtf? haha

 

Bird Crap will probably eat through the CD

 

Been using the California Duster over a year, works great. Also leave it on newspaper when not using it and in the carrying bag it came with when I go to gathering or car runs. It can't be beat for a little dust.

 

i just bought it coupla hours ago and now it's sitting on a few sheets of newspaper.. i'll find out soon enough how well it works..

 

You'll be extremely happy with it. I've used them for about 10 years and they're awesome.

 

I've heard a bit about a proper cleaning method, anyone have any info on this?

 

Do you mean the car or duster? If it's the car, let the duster glide over the surface. No pressure is needed. I haven't cleaned any of my dusters as they're supposed to work better dirty. If they get real bad, you can always get one at Wal-Mart for $10.

 

yeah the dirtier the better for this suckers! good $10 investment.

 

some people buy imitation california dusters.. make sure it says "california duster" on it.. dont buy the knock offs.. dont work all that well, as i have found out

 

hopefully, target wasn't selling those..

 

i have 10 year old dusters i still use...no scratches.