Hey guys! Sorry it took me so long to get this posted.
A while back I shared a few pictures of the new Suds Lab F11 dual chamber foam cannon, and I honestly wasn't expecting the response that post got. There were some really good questions in the comments, especially about the smaller chambers, chemical consumption, and whether having two chambers actually makes any sense.
Here's my original post for anyone who missed it.
Well, I finally got around to doing the full testing, and I figured I'd come back and share the results.
Here's the full video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lxtzLGMJQhI
For those who would rather read, here's how I approached everything.
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My Loadout / Test Equipment
For anyone curious about the exact setup I used, here's everything I had running during the testing.
Pressure Washer Setup:
- Greenworks Automotive Pressure Washer - 1.8 GPM
- Standard residential garden hose/water hookup
- Short Flexzilla garden hose connecting the water supply to the Greenworks
- QuivrFlex pressure washer hose
- MTM Hydro short pressure washer gun
Foam Cannons:
- Suds Lab F11 Dual Chamber Foam Cannon (36 oz total, two 18 oz chambers)
- Suds Lab F1 Professional Foam Cannon (32 oz)
- Both equipped with their factory 1.25 mm orifices
Chemicals:
- Suds Lab XP High-Foaming Car Shampoo
- Suds Lab CP Ceramic Protective Wash
Measuring Equipment:
- Various graduated measuring glasses/cups for measuring chemical and water volumes
- Used the measurement markings on the bottles to monitor remaining solution after testing
Nothing particularly crazy here. Just a pretty normal residential pressure washer setup. I wanted to see how both cannons performed with equipment that was reasonably representative of what someone washing their car at home might actually use.
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How I tested it
I wanted to do something a little different than just filling the cannon with my favorite soap mixture and seeing how thick the foam was.
Instead, I wanted to test the F11 as Suds Lab intended it to be used, with their own chemicals and the dilution instructions printed on their bottles.
I also brought out their standard F1 foam cannon for comparison. The F11 was $49.99 at the time of testing, while the standard F1 was around $29. (They marked all the way down to $33.99 during prime week).
My main questions were:
- Does the dual chamber system actually work well?
- Can you get through an entire vehicle with only half the normal bottle capacity per chamber?
- How much chemical does each cannon actually consume?
- Is foam production comparable to a traditional cannon?
- Does being able to switch chemicals without changing cannons actually provide a meaningful advantage?
The setup
Both cannons had 1.25 mm orifices, which was something I specifically checked during the unboxing.
For the F11, I divided Suds Lab's recommended foam cannon dilutions in half to account for the separate chambers. I used 3 oz of their regular soap in one chamber and 2.5 oz of their ceramic soap in the other, based on the upper end of their recommended dilution ranges.
I used approximately 15 oz of water per chamber, with a few minor adjustments while filling.
I also prepared their standard F1 with their chemicals for comparison.
One thing worth mentioning is that I didn't modify the orifices or deliberately dial down the foam output to make either unit more efficient. I wanted to see what happened under normal use, following the manufacturer's instructions as closely as possible.
The results
The F11 produced excellent foam, and even with the smaller individual chambers, I had a substantial amount of solution remaining after covering the vehicle.
When I checked the remaining solution, one chamber had approximately 200 mL left and the other had just under 9 oz.
That's roughly half the solution still available on each side after completing the vehicle.
Obviously, every car, pressure washer, and person's application technique will change those results, but the idea that you automatically need to refill these smaller chambers halfway through a wash didn't hold up in my testing.
For comparison, I was substantially less efficient with the standard F1. I actually got a little carried away with the foam during the first application, so I made another pass while being more conscious of consumption.
On that second run, I ended up with just over half an ounce remaining in the F1.
These weren't laboratory-controlled flow measurements, so I wouldn't call them definitive consumption figures for every setup. But in my actual testing, the F11's metering made a much bigger difference than I anticipated.
A few things I noticed
The F11's construction is genuinely impressive for the money. The stainless filters, bottle construction, rotating head assembly, and chamber selection mechanism were all really well executed.
Both units use 1.25 mm orifices, although I would have liked to see stainless orifices rather than brass.
The biggest inconvenience with the dual chamber design is filling it. You're working with two smaller openings, measuring two separate solutions, and you need to be careful not to accidentally pour chemicals into the wrong chamber. I actually spilled a little into the neighboring chamber during testing.
And while the dual chamber system works well, you still need two compatible products to really take advantage of it.
That was actually one of my criticisms of Suds Lab. I had a surprisingly difficult time selecting two of their existing chemicals that made perfect sense together for this particular application.
My overall thoughts
I went into this thinking the F11 might be a pretty niche product for people running two-step alkaline/acidic washes.
After testing it, I actually think the biggest opportunity is much simpler: someone who wants to wash their vehicle and then apply a protective product without having to swap cannons, bottles, or equipment.
At $49.99, I think it's a really compelling product. Especially considering the F1 is already around $29.
Is it going to replace every foam cannon or every specialized washing setup? Of course not. But I think Suds Lab deserves some credit for bringing something genuinely different to the market at a pretty accessible price.
One last thing: I originally mentioned wanting to test the F11 with a Chem-X Stars + Stripes setup. I ultimately decided to keep that separate from this test so I could focus on how well the cannon performed using Suds Lab's own products. I may revisit that in another video.
Anyway, thanks to everyone who commented on the original post. I actually used a lot of those questions to decide what I wanted to look at.
Curious what you guys think now that we've got some actual testing behind it. Does this change your opinion on the dual chamber design at all?
If you guys enjoy these kinds of posts, I'll try to make a point of coming back and sharing more of my testing as I work through different products. And if you've got any questions, suggestions, or something specific you'd like to see tested, feel free to let me know!
