The Best Battery Operated Sprayer for Car Detailing
I haven’t said much until now about what I think is the best battery-operated sprayer out there - the Solo 260-Li . This little beauty has become my favorite battery sprayer; I plan to use it for a few specific applications.
My chase for the perfect sprayer bottle began many moons ago when I purchased several different sprayer heads and bottles from a few different suppliers. I can’t recall how much money I spent, but it was definitely in the thousands. Part of the chase is ponying up the capital (time and money) to obtain the prize. I was willing to make the sacrifices, resulting in solutions.
Why You Want A Solo 260-Li Powered Sprayer
This sprayer was designed to be used as a garden and household tool. I’m using it for car detailing. I’ll talk about the different ways I’ve been using it and how it’s performed later in the article, but I want first to tell you why I fell in love with this thing:
- It increases productivity and is more efficient than a regular spray bottle. One of the biggest qualifiers for me when I use a new product is how much time it will save me and how effective it is. Using a battery sprayer like this saves me a ton of time and does a fantastic job doing what I intend for it to do.
- It eliminates finger fatigue. Because you won’t have to pump the sprayer repeatedly, you’ll have a more comfortable experience using this thing. One of the issues I ran into in the past with some sprayers was they would become uncomfortable in a short period of time because of the tension built into them. Now, with us carrying Pressol bottles, the Solo sprayer, and even the Marolex pump sprayer, we don’t have these issues anymore.
- Battery life. This is probably the most important thing people want to know about before purchasing this sprayer. I owned my Solo sprayer for almost a year, and I’m not exaggerating when I tell you that I’ve never charged it. Mind you, I use it regularly but in short spurts. Solo states that you can run it for 60-minutes straight before it needs to be charged. I haven’t experimented with that but using it for as long as I have and never having to charge it makes me believe that claim is valid.
- Atomization. I’m nerding out here a little when I talk about atomization, but it’s something that’s important to me. It’s incredible. I can adjust the tip to get a wide or direct spray pattern. This is useful because it makes this thing universal. Whether you want a fine dust or sting jet output, just make the necessary adjustments to the nozzle, and you’re good to go.
The Design: Not The Best Looking Sprayer But Who Cares
I’ll be the first to say that this thing is not as nice looking as our Pressol bottles. Despite that, it’s functionally better than the Pressol stuff. Now, I have no intentions of replacing all my Pressol sprayer bottles with these just because of looks, but having a few (Solo sprayers) in my garage locker cabinet makes a lot of sense.
The bottle is 1L (or 1000 mL) with an ergonomically shaped handle that has a smooth, silver button for operation. It has a tough plastic body that feels super durable and will easily withstand any beating you put on it. I don’t tend to abuse this thing, so my guess would be if you’re using this judiciously, it will last you the rest of your life. The only thing I can see potentially failing is maybe the sprayer itself.
Other design specs I like:
- The spray nozzle tip. By a long shot, this nozzle tip is better than the ones on the Pressol bottles. It sounds like I’m talking down on the Pressol bottles, but those serve a different purpose. I still love them. The Viton seals inside this spray bottle make it chemically resistant, so the chances of you blowing through these nozzles are minimal.
- The threads. You get a nice, tight seal with this thing, and that’s because of the well-designed threads. I have yet to experience any leaking from this bottle, which speaks to the threading quality.
- The red button. I don’t know why, but there’s something satisfying about pressing that little red button. I think it’s because it operates right on the dime when you press it and stops immediately when you let it go with no pee pee dribble afterward. It’s the little details I pay the most attention to - this is one that was the cherry on top.
- The weighted tube. If you've ever used any kind of spray bottle with a weighted tube, it's great. No matter how you hold this thing, the metal ball at the end of tube shifts directions so that your liquid/solution can still funnel through it.
I’m a snob for finding products that look and function great. I may be breaking the rules on this one because, as I’ve stated before, it’s not the best-looking bottle, but who cares when it adds value.
How I’m Using It
I have a few different uses for this bottle. In fact, I have three different uses for them, and they all work extremely well.
- Drying aid. Using our drying aid in the Solo sprayer is a dream. Because I’m using this solution on my entire vehicle, I want to have it in this battery-powered sprayer for maximum efficiency. If you’re not privy to drying aid, it’s a product that assists with the drying process. It adds lubrication and protection to your paint; if your car is ceramic coated, you’ll have a slicker surface and more hydrophobic properties. You’d apply this after you’ve dried your car with a leaf blower.
- Waterless wash. If you’re not familiar with how a waterless wash works, check out a video I did where I discussed both rinseless and waterless washes. Using a waterless wash in this bottle works so well. Spraying down an entire car can be pretty fatiguing using a regular spray bottle; this thing makes it so enjoyable. One press of a button, and you’re spritzing away.
- Glass cleaner. Using a glass cleaner like Invisible Glass works perfectly in this sprayer. Again, it’s all about how much coverage I can get with minimal effort. Not only am I using this to clean my car windows, I’m also using it around the house as a house cleaner - an idea I stole from my mom. Invisible Glass is a great cleaning product because it has Isopropyl alcohol in it. If you decide you want to use the Solo sprayer with this glass cleaner and a few microfiber towels to clean your counters, furniture, and appliances, you can with ease.