Visor Treatment - RainX

[Disco Dan]

For those of you who have not seen this product yet, you can apply it to your visor and windows even mirrors and it repels water really well ! (http://i461.photobucket.com/albums/qq333/disco_dan69/Picture4-2.jpg)

I was so impressed I took a little video clip of two windows side by side, the left treated with rainx the right with nothing. I then cleaned both windows using a standard car cleaner product and tried it again... remained 100% effective! At $10 with free car cleaner it was well worth it.

I cant wait for it to rain!

Here is the video clip (ignore the odd colour, camera does not pick up my paintjob well!).


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I have no affiliation with this company/product other than being a first time buyer and user of it.

[Badjelly]

I'm a great fan of RainX for car windows, and have now put it on all the windows, not just the windscreen. It does tend to leave smears, so you have to use a bit of elbow grease.

Haven't tried it on the helmet visor yet; still happy with Pledge.

PS: there are 2 RainX products: the stuff that makes the water stream off for the outside and anti-fog for the inside. I presume we're talking about the outside stuff.

[Max Preload]

I've used if for many years in the cage - you don't even need the wipers on at anything over 80km/h in torrential rain - the wind just blows the rain off the screen. The only problem with it is it causes the glass to fog much easier in the cold on the side it's applied to.

[Disco Dan]

Oh thats interesting, cheers. My windscreen fogs up easily anyway, even get condensation on the inside as I have a little leak and get wet carpets.

Was certainly very impressed, and since my wipers stop working over about 70k because the wind puts too much strain on the motor - I should be able to drive mway speeds in the rain now!! :niceone:

[Neon]

Meh. Tried both the original stuff and anti-fog on me visor through last winter. IMO Pledge is just as good (my fav is lemon..mmm lemon fresh), is cheaper and doesn't smear. Car windows it works a treat though.

[slofox]

So where 'dya get it from?

[vifferman]

I had heard / read that RainX was not to be used on bike visors - wrecks the plastic or somesuch.

[Burtha]

I bought some for my hubby's old car and it worked wonders. I also haven't tried it on visor and don't own pledge so I will be interested to see how well it works on my visor come next rain.

[Tank]

If you look carefully at the reflection you can see that Disco Dan was wearing a mankini.

[Disco Dan]

If you look carefully at the reflection you can see that Disco Dan was wearing a mankini.

and if you make it full screen and really look close... you can see the faint bump of an erection too no doubt... :rollseyes:

[BOGAR]

Yes Rain-X works great on cars as long as you keep applying it. (i love the stuff, very easy to see in heavy rain @ anything over 80kmh) but i found it didn't work / last on my old bike visor. Let us know how it goes. Planning to try the pledge trick on a now old visor.

[Tank]

and if you make it full screen and really look close... you can see the faint bump of an erection too no doubt... :rollseyes:

RainX is good stuff - but I dont see anyone getting that excited over it.

[Maha]

Do you people not have windscreen wipers???

[BOGAR]

Do you people not have windscreen wipers???

You don't need them if your on the highway and have a fresh coat of rain-X on. :clap::cool:

[Badjelly]

Do you people not have windscreen wipers???

Not on my side windows, no.

[Disco Dan]

Do you people not have windscreen wipers???

Oh yes, but only one speed - 'on' or 'off' and the 'on' setting slows right down to 'grinding halt' when the wind/car gets over about 70kmph.

[Max Preload]

Do you people not have windscreen wipers???

On my visor? No. In the cage... yes, good quality silicone ones. But nothing compares with the clarity of a windscreen that's treated with Rain-X.

[3umph]

but i found it didn't work / last on my old bike visor. Let us know how it goes. Planning to try the pledge trick on a now old visor.

me to...

put it on my visor the day before I left for woodstock and rain on the way it was no different to not having any on...

car windows are shit hot

[Maha]

Not on my side windows, no.

Good thing, when it rains and you are driving, the rain does not really settle on the side windows eh?


On my visor? No. In the cage... yes, good quality silicone ones. But nothing compares with the clarity of a windscreen that's treated with Rain-X.

Wow what an advert....but wait, theres more....:niceone:

Oh yes, but only one speed - 'on' or 'off' and the 'on' setting slows right down to 'grinding halt' when the wind/car gets over about 70kmph.


Thats hardly the rains fault is it??

[Max Preload]

Wow what an advert....but wait, theres more....:niceone:

Having tried both with and without, I can vouch for the effectiveness. Have you tried both?

[Maha]

Having tried both with and without, I can vouch for the effectiveness. Have you tried both?

Only on the inside, works well as a demister!

[Badjelly]

Thats hardly the rains fault is it??

Grasping at straws, are we?

[Disco Dan]

Or try this... lol

<img src="http://cens.com/cens/news/2008/NPIC_6014.jpg"

[marty]

i've used rainx on my Arai for years without issue. soft perspex may be an issue but good quality polycarb is pretty bomb proof. Pledge is OK for stopping fogging inside, but nothing beats Palmolive dish wash liquid. Rainx has proved the best product for not allowing fog condensation to build up - a turn of the head beads it off real fast.

[NZsarge]

Oh thats interesting, cheers. My windscreen fogs up easily anyway, even get condensation on the inside as I have a little leak and get wet carpets.

Was certainly very impressed, and since my wipers stop working over about 70k because the wind puts too much strain on the motor - I should be able to drive mway speeds in the rain now!! :niceone:

Dude! Might be time to get a new car eh?

[Disco Dan]

Dude! Might be time to get a new car eh?

No way, 26 year old car is still going fine thank you.

[MarkH]

Dude! Might be time to get a new car eh?

Crazy talk - any money spent on a new car would be better spent on the bike!
A better option is to sell the car.

[saltydog]

i've used rainx on my Arai for years without issue. soft perspex may be an issue but good quality polycarb is pretty bomb proof.

It says on the back of the bottle not to use on plastics...but maybe its ok? I use the it on the cage but thats all. Pledge.... I tryed it on the boat, works fine, but nice expensive visor I dont think so. Bars bugs and water in one of those small adomisers from payless plastics. Small and compact and fits into top pocket....

[Tony W]

Nikwax is the equivalent product for bike visors.

[Pixie]

I had heard / read that RainX was not to be used on bike visors - wrecks the plastic or somesuch.

Polycarbonate manufacturers (GE for example) warn against using RainX.

99% of visors are PC

[Pixie]

i've used rainx on my Arai for years without issue. soft perspex may be an issue but good quality polycarb is pretty bomb proof. Pledge is OK for stopping fogging inside, but nothing beats Palmolive dish wash liquid. Rainx has proved the best product for not allowing fog condensation to build up - a turn of the head beads it off real fast.

PC becomes extremely weak in the presence of many chemicals,including Pledge.
That's why PC manufacturers forbid the use of most household glass cleaners and polishes - anything that contains alcohols (most glass cleaners,RainX is acidified isopropynol) or petroleum distillates (most polishes)

Sabic (formerly GE Plastics) recommend soapy water for cleaning and Johnsons Paste Wax,Novus Plastic Polish #1 or Mirror Glaze Plastic Polish To polish scratches.

The weakness caused to PC doesn't usually affect it's optical properties but it does affect a visor's ability to prevent an object prenetrating a rider's brain.

Riders without brains will carry on using Pledge and RainX

[Big Dave]

>> but nothing beats Palmolive dish wash liquid. <<

A Pinlock visor beats everything.

[Rosie]

Nikwax is the equivalent product for bike visors.

+1 Nikwax Visorproof is very good.

[vifferman]

PC becomes extremely weak in the presence of many chemicals,including Pledge.
That's why PC manufacturers forbid the use of most household glass cleaners and polishes - anything that contains alcohols (most glass cleaners,RainX is acidified isopropynol) or petroleum distillates (most polishes)
Now the last time said on KB that something or other affected polycarbonate, I spent a long time on teh Interdweeb researching this and turned up nothing of any substance.
Can you provide some data or a link to back this up? (I'm not trying to refute what you said, but I've switched from using Plexus on my visors to using Pledge - it's cheaper and seems to do a better job).

[Mort]

Not sure what RainX will do to a which is why I never use it on a Helmet. On a car it needs to be applied regular or it becomes patch (which is a pain). It works but you need to keep applying it.... eventually I got fed up and used some washing liquid in the washer bottle :)

[Max Preload]

Not sure what RainX will do to a which is why I never use it on a Helmet. On a car it needs to be applied regular or it becomes patch (which is a pain). It works but you need to keep applying it.... eventually I got fed up and used some washing liquid in the washer bottle :)

I apply Rain-X to the car windscreen by putting it in the washer bottle, along with Philm-off.

[MarkH]

Now the last time said on KB that something or other affected polycarbonate, I spent a long time on teh Interdweeb researching this and turned up nothing of any substance.
Can you provide some data or a link to back this up? (I'm not trying to refute what you said, but I've switched from using Plexus on my visors to using Pledge - it's cheaper and seems to do a better job).

I have not had a problem with Rain-X and have not tried many chemicals on polycarbonate, however I can 100% confirm that some chemicals will drastically weaken polycarbonate. Whatever is in Lectraclean will definitely weaken polycarbonate as well as MEK.

When I used to race RC cars I had plenty of scraps of polycarb around from when I cut out the RC Car bodies, I also had battery & motor connectors made out of polycarb. Spraying Lectraclean into the electric motor and having it run down to the polycarb connector was bad, there was a metal spring inside the polycarb providing tension and the polycarb crumbled when the Lectraclean ran onto it. Playing around with engine cleaner, MEK & CRC Lectraclean with scraps of polycarb let me see the effect - the best trick was to bend the polycarb so it was under pressure then spray it with the chemical, tough resiliant polycarb became brittle crumbly polycarb!

I have found Rain-X to be not all that great on plastic, though I do like how it works on glass, so I will avoid using it on polycarb from now on.

[Big Dave]

You get a small bottle of rain-x (or similar) in the box with a Shoei X-spirit helmet.

[Sharry]

Meh. Tried both the original stuff and anti-fog on me visor through last winter. IMO Pledge is just as good (my fav is lemon..mmm lemon fresh), is cheaper and doesn't smear. Car windows it works a treat though.

I read on a thread last year that lemon pledge was good for fogging on the visor. I bought a can of orange and put it on my visor.
Next day I had a brand new purple jumper on and put my helmet over my arm and at one point held against my body. Now I have a bright orange line across the front of my jumper and one on my sleeve that wont wash out :mad:
I will never use pledge again.

[Big Dave]

I will never use pledge again.

Nice irony!

[cs363]

Now the last time said on KB that something or other affected polycarbonate, I spent a long time on teh Interdweeb researching this and turned up nothing of any substance.
Can you provide some data or a link to back this up? (I'm not trying to refute what you said, but I've switched from using Plexus on my visors to using Pledge - it's cheaper and seems to do a better job).


There's a whole list of what effects other chemicals have on polycarbonate on good old Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polycarbonate

About half way down under "Interactions with other chemicals"

[cs363]

A Pinlock visor beats everything.

X 2, I am totally converted to these things. They are the shit. :yes:

[MarkH]

There's a whole list of what effects other chemicals have on polycarbonate on good old Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polycarbonate

About half way down under "Interactions with other chemicals"

That list does back up my own experience with some chemicals, MEK for instance is right there on the list of what will damage polycarbonate (mind you, MEK will damage lots of things).

So Rain-X is probably safe then, but many other chemicals are not. I will definitely be more careful about what goes on my visor in future.

[cs363]

So Rain-X is probably safe then.


Well according to Rain-X's UK website I would have to say no to the above:


"Q.Can it be used on transparent plastics?
A.Generally no. The increasing variety of various coatings applied to plastics makes it impossible to pre-test for compatibility under all conditions, and users should satisfy themselves by treating an area outside the normal area of vision. Please note that constant, repetitive use should be avoided due to the possible formation of stress cracking, especially on clear, curved sections. "

I'm pretty sure that rain-X has some sort of spirit/alcohol based carrier that evaporates off, I would imagine that this would be the problem. Probably wouldn't effect high quality visors but some of the cheaper model helmets with less resilient visors could have issues.

Personally I use the pinlock visor for anti-fog and lemon Pledge for cleaning/polishing the visor and have never had a problem.

[Pixie]

Now the last time said on KB that something or other affected polycarbonate, I spent a long time on teh Interdweeb researching this and turned up nothing of any substance.
Can you provide some data or a link to back this up? (I'm not trying to refute what you said, but I've switched from using Plexus on my visors to using Pledge - it's cheaper and seems to do a better job).

I tried to find some up to date info on the web too,mainly on the Sabic website ,without success.

The info I quoted is directly off the protective film that is still on a sheet of GE LEXAN I have at home.

As for the Pledge, I would read the can,if it contains petroleum distillates (most waxes do) I would avoid it.
If you want to test what long term exposure does to a visor,get an old one,regularly cleaned with Pledge, you have used and replaced,bend it double - if it snaps or cracks it has suffered deterioration.If it doesn't the cleaner was probably ok.
Most grades of PC will not snap even if bent back and forwards dozens of times.
Its this property that makes PC ideal for helmet visors and shells and bulletproof glazing.

[Pixie]

There's a whole list of what effects other chemicals have on polycarbonate on good old Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polycarbonate

About half way down under "Interactions with other chemicals"

What to believe?
Wiki says methanol and Isopropanol are ok
My Lexan sheet says they are a no no.
RainX says be wary on plastics.
My Nolan manual says"Helmet and visor may be seriously damaged by some common substances without the damage being visible.Use only lukewarm water and mild soap to clean helmet and visor.
I have a PC lab container with ethanol in it that the alcohol has made go a milky colour.

S'funny...KBers will get bent out of shape six ways from sunday if they hear of a scooter rider wearing a miniskirt.Then they will tell you it's ok to slap any old chemical on a $1000 helmet in direct conflict with the manufacturer's recommendations.

[cs363]

What to believe?
Wiki says methanol and Isopropanol are ok
My Lexan sheet says they are a no no.
RainX says be wary on plastics.
My Nolan manual says"Helmet and visor may be seriously damaged by some common substances without the damage being visible.Use only lukewarm water and mild soap to clean helmet and visor.
I have a PC lab container with ethanol in it that the alcohol has made go a milky colour.

S'funny...KBers will get bent out of shape six ways from sunday if they hear of a scooter rider wearing a miniskirt.Then they will tell you it's ok to slap any old chemical on a $1000 helmet in direct conflict with the manufacturer's recommendations.


Yep, I hear what you are saying and while Johnson & Johnson have this to say re: Pledge:

Q: What ingredients are found in Pledge® polish and Pledge® Wipes?
A: Pledge® polish and Pledge® Wipes contain gentle cleansing conditioners to help you loosen and gently remove fingerprints, smudges, and dirt. Both give your wood furniture the care it deserves—bringing out and helping to preserve its natural beauty without the use of chlorofluorocarbons (CFC's) or wax

I would imagine that over a (long) period of time it may well have an adverse effect. Though personally I've never had a problem using it on a variety of (admittedly high quality) helmets/visors. As generally stone chips, random scratches and the like usually dictate replacement long before any other reason. :)

[cs363]

Further investigation yielded this: http://www.shoplet.com/DRA94399CT_Office_Supply_contents_of_pledge_furnit ure_polish.html

Which names ammonia as the main cleaning ingredient of Pledge. As you will no doubt have seen this is on the list of products that can damage polycarbonate it tends to add weight to Pixies post.
Though I still haven't found any issues with my Arai visors using Pledge.....all very interesting!

For more interesting reading try Googling 'is Pledge safe on plastic?'

Seems it has a worldwide following from motorcyclists for use on visors and windscreens.
Also, in other information Pledge is recommended for plastic laminates so..... I is confused! :)

[Okey Dokey]

I must be really paranoid because I only use plain water to clean my helmet & visor. AGV put some sort of antifog on the visor which works great and I have never had a fogging issue with it.

I wouldn't want to risk trying rainX on the visor myself.

[MarkH]

Though I still haven't found any issues with my Arai visors using Pledge

But would the problem be obvious? What if the pledge weakened the visor, but without an impact you never knew? The potential is there for harmful chemicals to reduce the safety of your visor without you knowing it and the only way you would find out is if something happened and the visor failed just when you were relying on it to protect your face (e.g. birdstrike).

I think that from now on I will play it safe by only using products that are intended to be used on plastic (preferably ones designed for helmet visors).

[vifferman]

Further investigation yielded this: http://www.shoplet.com/DRA94399CT_Office_Supply_contents_of_pledge_furnit ure_polish.html

Which names ammonia as the main cleaning ingredient of Pledge.
It doesn't smell in the least bit of ammonia.
Also, I find it strange that Pledge say there's no wax in it - WTF is that waxy stuff it deposits on whatever you're polishing with it? I suspect they're just playing with semantics.

As for bending an old visor I've been using Pledge on - I've only recentlyish started using it on my relatively new Shoei visor. The AGV was only ever treated to water, warm soapy water, or Plexus.

[cs363]

But would the problem be obvious? What if the pledge weakened the visor, but without an impact you never knew? The potential is there for harmful chemicals to reduce the safety of your visor without you knowing it and the only way you would find out is if something happened and the visor failed just when you were relying on it to protect your face (e.g. birdstrike).

I think that from now on I will play it safe by only using products that are intended to be used on plastic (preferably ones designed for helmet visors).


I guess I should have been clearer on that - I've got an old visor here and I've done the Pixie flex test and no signs of stress etc.
It should be noted that regardless of chemicals applied etc your visor cannot be relied upon to protect you from all foreseeable impacts (hence such statements being on the packaging of visors and goggles) they are after all, just a thin piece of (admittedly impact resistant) plastic. Their main reason for being is to keep crap out of your eyes and wind protection.

[cs363]

It doesn't smell in the least bit of ammonia.
Also, I find it strange that Pledge say there's no wax in it - WTF is that waxy stuff it deposits on whatever you're polishing with it? I suspect they're just playing with semantics.

As for bending an old visor I've been using Pledge on - I've only recentlyish started using it on my relatively new Shoei visor. The AGV was only ever treated to water, warm soapy water, or Plexus.


Yeah I know, the ammonia thing came as a surprise to me (though that is a US website, always possible our Pledge may have a different formulation) and as regards the waxy stuff - buggered if I know, I'm no scientist, lol.