I chew through one 5L canister of Surfex per year, I use it for everything except the interior. I have been eyeing Green Star for quite some time so this vid makes me go for it. I will use both haha no need to put Surfex aside. I always start with APC on my wheels and then use a bleeding cleaner for the remains, mainly on the brake caliper though, where the highest concentration of dust is.
Green star works brilliant and is cheap as chips, as much as I love the Bilt hamber range, I've never felt the need to replace green star as it works 100%
Good reminder of how simple detailing can be you don’t need so many specialist RTU products. These two are always on my shelf, should use them a lot more really as they are so cheap and versatile. I agree though that Greenstar feels a little more slick and sudsy and although neither have much scent it’s definitely more pleasant too which is why it’s the one I slightly lean towards out of the two.
Excellent video Graeme, shows exactly why rtu are not worth the money and how cheap, versatile and value for money both of those are. Can't decide which I would pick out of the 2 but either way I wouldn't be disappointed. 👍🏻
Good video as always, I generally use GS as prewash on wheels then used dedicated shampoo on wheel and rebound on tyres, easy to forget either one of these will do it all, especially on well maintained wheels. Thanks for excellent commentary, makes all the difference.
Have never tried green star have no need i use surfex diluted in various levels and it's very cost effective when you buy the 5 litres great video as always graeme the green star looks good but I'll stick to my surfex hd 👍👌
Honestly I would happily use either as they both do a great job for all exterior/interior cleaning at various dilutions. I do prefer GS for alloys/tyres as it foams more so a slightly better user experience. Is it worth the extra money for this over Surfex? For me no but that is personal preference, others may find the increased foam on agitation important.
Brilliant summary Brian!, I’m one of those that look for a nice foaming action during my routine, I just can’t shake that but it’s no bad thing as it’s a personal preference It wasn’t really an intensive look at both head to head just a quick interesting look at the differences between them as a viewer had suggested
Cheers for this content, Graeme. I've been want GS for ages but still have 2L of surfex to use up 😅. I'll definitely jump onto GS at the next time of purchase. Regarding use, it's funny how we get sucked into buying interior cleaners and wheel cleaners when they're not really needed. I remember the days of 100:1 for interior use, I need to take a step back and reduce the amount of products I hold or, should that be, hoard 😂😂
Thanks Lee!, yes I have always been a hater of RTU products as you’re only buying water and lining the pockets of the brands, ok we are all in business of making money for our families to enjoy living but in these hard times every penny is a prisoner and products like these just work well for the pocket and the task 👌
Interesting comparison Graeme. I’ve got about 4 1/2 litres of Surfex which will last me for years, so I need to use it more! The curse of the dodgy trigger and the windy conditions made your life hard there, that’s just real life.
Thanks Mate!!, there was more than you know hampering that day hence the quick test but I was genuinely surprised by how well Greenstar done on its own without agitation, you should stick in a wee order of 1L Greenstar next time you’re getting products just to see what you think 😅
Great video, both are great products and cost effective! If it's 1:10 dilution ratio, maybe we can just put them straight up undiluted in a foam cannon? It's also roughly 1:10 coming out of the foam lance.
Someone once made a dilution chart for what the lance dial can do on top of the canon, I couldn’t get my head around it but going with what my lance delivers it’s roughly 16L per 1L of liquid in the lance bottle and that makes a PIR of 5.88% , turning the top dial round maybe a full turn could probably get you to 10-1 I think 🤔
Cracking wee video Graeme 👍🏼 I'm a big fan of both and have used gallons of both - hard to pick a winner on performance but for some reason I just prefer using Green Star - the cost looks like a big difference but when you're diluting products at 1:10, 1:20 or 1:100, you're actually talking pennies of difference per litre so not even a factor for me 👍🏼👍🏼
I’m happy enough just getting a litre at a time but that’s costing £35 all in but I’m still not quite ready to commit to 5L that would last me a lifetime 😂😂
IMO Surfex won Jon’s mega APC test but the actual results show there’s splitting hairs worth of difference between the two products in real world use. Surfex won but it really was a close result in I think the 5 litre value swung it. Surfex not foaming up particularly well, does unfortunately make it not so enjoyable to use but it does have a lot of uses and is incredibly versatile, cleaning tyres, engine bays, interiors and carpets, particularly useful for lower parts of the car as well. It’s a tough old pick with GS cheaper for 1 litre but surfex shining over 5. The incredible thing is people can use them for household jobs. Excellent video Graeme. Succinct and to the point. Regardless of what you pick, these are excellent wheel and tyre cleaners and should be in every detailer or weekend warriors kit. Fall out remover is expensive and not necessary to use every wash unless money is no object.
@@gillywash1487 Bilt Hamber always stands a good chance in Jon’s test but tbf their products are brilliant more often than not. Touch On however, didn’t win his latest Ceramic shampoo test.
I’m with Nick here Jon can be a little bias towards BH as they pay him to promote them but I do really think Gs is a very pleasant product to work with and every bit as powerful as Surfex 👍
@@GMDetails Agreed. At the end of the day, the job being done and done well comes first to me every time. People have said that on Jon’s videos for a long time that he’s paid to promote Bilt Hamber. For the most part all I’ve been is interested in his mega tests and tips and tricks he comes out with. Though increasingly there are noticeable absentees from the mega tests which make it hard to fully decide conclusively the best product to go for now.
Jon from Forensic Detailing did a similar test a few years ago in which Surfex came out on top. However, he is a die-hard Bilt Hamber fan and not the most objective source for this kind of comparison. Would love to see the same two products tested against each other on traffic film, grease and damage on plastics.
Cheeky little video mate👍👍. I have 5ltrs of GS already on my shelf and it's fantastic at everything it's thrown at just like you mention. I've not tried Bilt Hamber before so maybe when I've run out of GS I'll try the Bilt Hamber. I may even become one of those fanboys 🤣🤣
Big fan of greenstar also- Yes the 5litre is more expensive but I feel it is worth it as it can be used internally and externally as I am sure BH can... I feel more confident with GS though.
Thanks for that. I did exactly the same test as you and found GS to be soundly beaten by Surfex at 10:1. And at 4% it performed the same as Autofoam. As such i haven't bothered using GS again. Having watched this, i will try the same set of tests again. Very odd. Anyway, thanks again and i shall definitely report back
That’s odd maybe you mixed up the bottles 😂😂 seriously we can’t all get the same results every time and possibly I could have used the products on all 4 wheels to get a clearer result but was only a wee quick test 👍
Green star all the way for me, so cheap to buy, excellent for interior cleans too. My plan on Sunday if the weather allows me to is try it in a foam lance on top of a layer of it in a pump sprayer 🤔
More 9 parts water (better for it to be filtered or deionised water depending on how hard your tap water is) and 1 parts product. E.g 900ml water to 100ml product
@@petersmith7126 Ah lovely. Love Scotland and Scottish water. Welsh water is also pretty good. Tap water should be fine. Filtered water seems to get Surfex to foam up more. Deionised might do better but depends which one you get and if you are bothered by foam.
Hi Peter yes 10-1 is 10 parts water to one part product so 45ml of either product to 455ml water or just round up to 50ml 450ml water for the non ocd 😅
Worth noting that Green Star is an APC whereas Surfex is a degreaser, so I guess their cleaning surfactants make up are different and focused on different things?
Surfex ans Greenstar are designed for the exact same purposes Mick, both will degrease and clean many things but you’re right in that they’ll probably have different surfactants in them
It does indeed as my other video showed but I thought I’d try both at 10-1 this time and although it didn’t clean the brake callipers it did good on the main wheel face and barrel 👍
Bilberry is dedicated wheel cleaner tbf.. try BH auto wheel or infinity wax incinerate, sometimes I just use what I’ve got to hand… like an app or KKD citrus.
Why does he need Bilberry when both of these are cheaper per 1L and 5L, they both just cleaned a wheel perfectly at 1:10 and have many other uses 🤷🏻♂️
Problem with the likes of Infinity wax Incinerate is it’s too bloody strong!!, for a maintenance clean like this don’t you agree it is best to always use the least aggressive first ?
@@gillywash1487 The Billberry works better on the tires in my opinion, and more specifically the degreasing part. The price is somewhat relative and we should not do for those few cents. I buy the Gs per ten liters and that makes it cheaper, the Gs is safer and more versatile, and can be used for multiple purposes. Unlike the Bill ... . The BH needs little further explanation. If it meets your expectations that is the most important thing.
@@GMDetails Well, seeing as I worked in the motor trade as a valeter at a main dealership, and have been a hobby detailer for about 20 years, I think I can safely say yes. In fact, I'd wager I probably know a lot more than you do. Of course you 'can' use Surfex HD to clean wheels, or anything else, but why would you when it is an all purpose cleaner not specifically designed for wheels, and there ARE specific wheel cleaners which are designed for wheels ? You 'could' use washing up liquid to clean wheels, I mean, it's a cleaning chemical isn't it. You still haven't answered my question, is it because you don't have an answer ?
Sorry was away for the weekend there , so ‘why am I using an APC as a wheel cleaner? Well, both Surfex and Greenstar are indeed All Purpose’ cleaners so wheel cleaning falls within that category whereas to use Auto Wheel every time is not only vastly expensive it’s not good for the metal to be hit with acid every wash (don’t even think about saying Auto Wheel is ph neutral 😂 ) If you find using auto wheel suits you then I’m not going to argue you shouldn’t , this video shows me using what I want and there’s already dozens of comments with people agreeing with me that they use it too!!, there’s absolutely no need to use ‘dedicated’ wheel cleaners and those that are are generally the stronger versions of APC anyway 🤷🏻♂️
Auto wheel is an aggressive fallout remover wheel cleaner. You would use it every 3-6 months, not every wash. Being very experienced (apparently) you really should know this hence Surfex is your maintenance wheel cleaner from the BH range. Being a degreaser/ALL PURPOSE CLEANER it's perfectly normal to use for cleaning wheels & it does a great job.
@@BrianW1612 I use auto wheel every wash, not because I 'need' to, but because I 'want' to. There are no downsides to using it every wash, other than it costs a bit more. If I wanted to just use a less harsh cleaner, I'd use a cheaper brand wheel cleaner, and use Surfex HD as an general all purpose cleaner for trim and plastics. Experience over many years has taught me this, not just reading reviews most of which are paid promotional videos/articles. Unlike you, I obviously DO know from experience, and not just what some bollox I read on the internet. Auto wheel is not only a very strong iron remover, it is also a great cleaning product too.
I chew through one 5L canister of Surfex per year, I use it for everything except the interior. I have been eyeing Green Star for quite some time so this vid makes me go for it. I will use both haha no need to put Surfex aside.
I always start with APC on my wheels and then use a bleeding cleaner for the remains, mainly on the brake caliper though, where the highest concentration of dust is.
I do hope you won’t regret it 😅 I like both but more people go on and on about surfex it’s nice to have something just as reliable 👌
Green star works brilliant and is cheap as chips, as much as I love the Bilt hamber range, I've never felt the need to replace green star as it works 100%
Thank you , seems there’s certainly more Koch Chemie fans out there than I thought 👍
Overall koch chemie is the best brand you can buy.
@JadeaRS4 thanks for your thoughts 👍
Good reminder of how simple detailing can be you don’t need so many specialist RTU products.
These two are always on my shelf, should use them a lot more really as they are so cheap and versatile. I agree though that Greenstar feels a little more slick and sudsy and although neither have much scent it’s definitely more pleasant too which is why it’s the one I slightly lean towards out of the two.
100% Nick!, I doubt there would be a task either would struggle with tbh but I do feel Greenstar is a nicer product to use
Excellent video Graeme, shows exactly why rtu are not worth the money and how cheap, versatile and value for money both of those are. Can't decide which I would pick out of the 2 but either way I wouldn't be disappointed. 👍🏻
Thanks Paul, have you not tried either of them at all yet?
@@GMDetails no bizarrely I have neither in my arsenal, I just use gt citrus at mild dilution for now.
Good video as always, I generally use GS as prewash on wheels then used dedicated shampoo on wheel and rebound on tyres, easy to forget either one of these will do it all, especially on well maintained wheels. Thanks for excellent commentary, makes all the difference.
Thanks for your kind feedback, I was using a wheel cleaner as a pre clean but I’ll def now switch to Gs 👍
Have never tried green star have no need i use surfex diluted in various levels and it's very cost effective when you buy the 5 litres great video as always graeme the green star looks good but I'll stick to my surfex hd 👍👌
Thanks for the awesome feedback , it’s not a sales pitch you know 😅 if you prefer Surfex that’s absolutely fine 👌
Honestly I would happily use either as they both do a great job for all exterior/interior cleaning at various dilutions. I do prefer GS for alloys/tyres as it foams more so a slightly better user experience. Is it worth the extra money for this over Surfex? For me no but that is personal preference, others may find the increased foam on agitation important.
Brilliant summary Brian!, I’m one of those that look for a nice foaming action during my routine, I just can’t shake that but it’s no bad thing as it’s a personal preference
It wasn’t really an intensive look at both head to head just a quick interesting look at the differences between them as a viewer had suggested
Cheers for this content, Graeme. I've been want GS for ages but still have 2L of surfex to use up 😅. I'll definitely jump onto GS at the next time of purchase.
Regarding use, it's funny how we get sucked into buying interior cleaners and wheel cleaners when they're not really needed. I remember the days of 100:1 for interior use, I need to take a step back and reduce the amount of products I hold or, should that be, hoard 😂😂
Thanks Lee!, yes I have always been a hater of RTU products as you’re only buying water and lining the pockets of the brands, ok we are all in business of making money for our families to enjoy living but in these hard times every penny is a prisoner and products like these just work well for the pocket and the task 👌
Good evening fantastic video so very enjoyable plus extremely helpful 😊
Wow that’s fantastic feedback thank you 👍👍
Interesting comparison Graeme. I’ve got about 4 1/2 litres of Surfex which will last me for years, so I need to use it more! The curse of the dodgy trigger and the windy conditions made your life hard there, that’s just real life.
Thanks Mate!!, there was more than you know hampering that day hence the quick test but I was genuinely surprised by how well Greenstar done on its own without agitation, you should stick in a wee order of 1L Greenstar next time you’re getting products just to see what you think 😅
Same here: Got 4L Surfex left. I'll check out GreenStar in 2027.
@poynty400 thank you for the tip 👍
Great video, both are great products and cost effective! If it's 1:10 dilution ratio, maybe we can just put them straight up undiluted in a foam cannon? It's also roughly 1:10 coming out of the foam lance.
Someone once made a dilution chart for what the lance dial can do on top of the canon, I couldn’t get my head around it but going with what my lance delivers it’s roughly 16L per 1L of liquid in the lance bottle and that makes a PIR of 5.88% , turning the top dial round maybe a full turn could probably get you to 10-1 I think 🤔
Hi Graeme, I have both and come down slightly on the Green Star side on performance. Cost is not as important to me. Good video mate👍
I’m quite happy buying 1L at a time for £7 as it lasts a long time for my use but I’ll certainly be using it a lot more!!
Cracking wee video Graeme 👍🏼
I'm a big fan of both and have used gallons of both - hard to pick a winner on performance but for some reason I just prefer using Green Star - the cost looks like a big difference but when you're diluting products at 1:10, 1:20 or 1:100, you're actually talking pennies of difference per litre so not even a factor for me 👍🏼👍🏼
I’m happy enough just getting a litre at a time but that’s costing £35 all in but I’m still not quite ready to commit to 5L that would last me a lifetime 😂😂
IMO Surfex won Jon’s mega APC test but the actual results show there’s splitting hairs worth of difference between the two products in real world use. Surfex won but it really was a close result in I think the 5 litre value swung it. Surfex not foaming up particularly well, does unfortunately make it not so enjoyable to use but it does have a lot of uses and is incredibly versatile, cleaning tyres, engine bays, interiors and carpets, particularly useful for lower parts of the car as well. It’s a tough old pick with GS cheaper for 1 litre but surfex shining over 5. The incredible thing is people can use them for household jobs.
Excellent video Graeme. Succinct and to the point. Regardless of what you pick, these are excellent wheel and tyre cleaners and should be in every detailer or weekend warriors kit. Fall out remover is expensive and not necessary to use every wash unless money is no object.
Wow Bilt Hamber wins Jon’s test who’s of ever guessed 😂
@@gillywash1487 Bilt Hamber always stands a good chance in Jon’s test but tbf their products are brilliant more often than not. Touch On however, didn’t win his latest Ceramic shampoo test.
@@kwl189 not seen that, what did win? It should have been gyeon bathe+
I’m with Nick here Jon can be a little bias towards BH as they pay him to promote them but I do really think Gs is a very pleasant product to work with and every bit as powerful as Surfex 👍
@@GMDetails Agreed. At the end of the day, the job being done and done well comes first to me every time. People have said that on Jon’s videos for a long time that he’s paid to promote Bilt Hamber. For the most part all I’ve been is interested in his mega tests and tips and tricks he comes out with. Though increasingly there are noticeable absentees from the mega tests which make it hard to fully decide conclusively the best product to go for now.
Just finished my bottle with of mcquires this came at the perfect time
Glad to be of service 👌😂
Good test!, how about using a foam over the products to help stop them from drying out in the sun and allow them to dwell longer?
Great suggestion! Thanks 👍
Jon from Forensic Detailing did a similar test a few years ago in which Surfex came out on top. However, he is a die-hard Bilt Hamber fan and not the most objective source for this kind of comparison.
Would love to see the same two products tested against each other on traffic film, grease and damage on plastics.
Something to think about for the winter 👌
Cheeky little video mate👍👍. I have 5ltrs of GS already on my shelf and it's fantastic at everything it's thrown at just like you mention. I've not tried Bilt Hamber before so maybe when I've run out of GS I'll try the Bilt Hamber.
I may even become one of those fanboys 🤣🤣
Thanks Paul, I can see you as a BH fanboy in time 😂😂
@@GMDetails I've got a few more brands to try before I fall into that rabbit hole 🤣🤣
They are both brilliant products. But I've always found the Surfex to just be a bit more potent overall and versatile personally.
It is what it is mate, very similar but I did like the Greenstar better in this wee test 😅
@@GMDetails everything Koch do is banging to be fair.
Especially their compounds and polishes.
I've used GS on the interior and engine bay but never the wheels. Will be giving it a try next time
Let me know how you get on mate 👍
@@GMDetails of course, may give it a blast tomorrow before it gets too warm
Big fan of greenstar also- Yes the 5litre is more expensive but I feel it is worth it as it can be used internally and externally as I am sure BH can... I feel more confident with GS though.
I’m seeing this as a popular reply Chris!, thanks mate 👍
Thanks for that. I did exactly the same test as you and found GS to be soundly beaten by Surfex at 10:1. And at 4% it performed the same as Autofoam. As such i haven't bothered using GS again. Having watched this, i will try the same set of tests again. Very odd. Anyway, thanks again and i shall definitely report back
That’s odd maybe you mixed up the bottles 😂😂 seriously we can’t all get the same results every time and possibly I could have used the products on all 4 wheels to get a clearer result but was only a wee quick test 👍
Green star all the way for me, so cheap to buy, excellent for interior cleans too. My plan on Sunday if the weather allows me to is try it in a foam lance on top of a layer of it in a pump sprayer 🤔
Let me know how that goes please?
@GMDetails will do, never managed it there a never had enough left 😂 got another bottle coming on Wednesday so give it a go this weekend 🤞
Might be a stupid question but at 10-1 is that 10 parts water to 1 part product
More 9 parts water (better for it to be filtered or deionised water depending on how hard your tap water is) and 1 parts product. E.g 900ml water to 100ml product
@@kwl189 .... I'm in Scotland with nice soft water
@@petersmith7126 Ah lovely. Love Scotland and Scottish water. Welsh water is also pretty good. Tap water should be fine. Filtered water seems to get Surfex to foam up more. Deionised might do better but depends which one you get and if you are bothered by foam.
Hi Peter yes 10-1 is 10 parts water to one part product so 45ml of either product to 455ml water or just round up to 50ml 450ml water for the non ocd 😅
@@GMDetails .... Thank you so much for the prompt reply
Worth noting that Green Star is an APC whereas Surfex is a degreaser, so I guess their cleaning surfactants make up are different and focused on different things?
Surfex ans Greenstar are designed for the exact same purposes Mick, both will degrease and clean many things but you’re right in that they’ll probably have different surfactants in them
$28 bucks without postage for 1litre of GS in Australia, I have some and will try it out on the old man's ute.
Double what it is in the uk after converting currency 😳
@@GMDetails Prices have always been crazy but now it's a joke on something's.
i use surfex hd , but at 5% with agitation works well enough at that ratio.
It does indeed as my other video showed but I thought I’d try both at 10-1 this time and although it didn’t clean the brake callipers it did good on the main wheel face and barrel 👍
GS is a brilliant under rated product, mainly due to the forensic Jon and the BH fanboys
Very true 🫤
👍
👌
Valet Pro Bilberry is what yiu beed for the wheels and rubber.
Both BH and Koch Chemie are great but Bilberry does a better job.
Bilberry is dedicated wheel cleaner tbf.. try BH auto wheel or infinity wax incinerate, sometimes I just use what I’ve got to hand… like an app or KKD citrus.
Why does he need Bilberry when both of these are cheaper per 1L and 5L, they both just cleaned a wheel perfectly at 1:10 and have many other uses 🤷🏻♂️
Problem with the likes of Infinity wax Incinerate is it’s too bloody strong!!, for a maintenance clean like this don’t you agree it is best to always use the least aggressive first ?
@@GMDetails yeah definitely and incinerate stinks 😷 but it is amazing stuff.
@@gillywash1487 The Billberry works better on the tires in my opinion, and more specifically the degreasing part.
The price is somewhat relative and we should not do for those few cents.
I buy the Gs per ten liters and that makes it cheaper, the Gs is safer and more versatile, and can be used for multiple purposes. Unlike the Bill ... . The BH needs little further explanation.
If it meets your expectations that is the most important thing.
Surfex HD isn't a wheel cleaner, I don't understand why you are using it as one ?
BH make a product called 'Auto Wheel' the clue is in the name.
😂😂😂😂 are you for real?, do you even understand what cleaning chemicals are for ?
@@GMDetails Well, seeing as I worked in the motor trade as a valeter at a main dealership, and have been a hobby detailer for about 20 years, I think I can safely say yes.
In fact, I'd wager I probably know a lot more than you do.
Of course you 'can' use Surfex HD to clean wheels, or anything else, but why would you when it is an all purpose cleaner not specifically designed for wheels, and there ARE specific wheel cleaners which are designed for wheels ?
You 'could' use washing up liquid to clean wheels, I mean, it's a cleaning chemical isn't it.
You still haven't answered my question, is it because you don't have an answer ?
Sorry was away for the weekend there , so ‘why am I using an APC as a wheel cleaner? Well, both Surfex and Greenstar are indeed All Purpose’ cleaners so wheel cleaning falls within that category whereas to use Auto Wheel every time is not only vastly expensive it’s not good for the metal to be hit with acid every wash (don’t even think about saying Auto Wheel is ph neutral 😂 )
If you find using auto wheel suits you then I’m not going to argue you shouldn’t , this video shows me using what I want and there’s already dozens of comments with people agreeing with me that they use it too!!, there’s absolutely no need to use ‘dedicated’ wheel cleaners and those that are are generally the stronger versions of APC anyway 🤷🏻♂️
Auto wheel is an aggressive fallout remover wheel cleaner. You would use it every 3-6 months, not every wash. Being very experienced (apparently) you really should know this hence Surfex is your maintenance wheel cleaner from the BH range. Being a degreaser/ALL PURPOSE CLEANER it's perfectly normal to use for cleaning wheels & it does a great job.
@@BrianW1612 I use auto wheel every wash, not because I 'need' to, but because I 'want' to.
There are no downsides to using it every wash, other than it costs a bit more.
If I wanted to just use a less harsh cleaner, I'd use a cheaper brand wheel cleaner, and use Surfex HD as an general all purpose cleaner for trim and plastics.
Experience over many years has taught me this, not just reading reviews most of which are paid promotional videos/articles.
Unlike you, I obviously DO know from experience, and not just what some bollox I read on the internet.
Auto wheel is not only a very strong iron remover, it is also a great cleaning product too.