Grit Guard The Original Red Bucket Insert - 10" Diameter Car Wash Bucket for Car Washing, Detailing Compatible with 3.5, 4, 5 and 6 Gallon Buckets - Made in the USA

Easy to use, snug fit

I tend to work on a lot of grimy stuff-- cars, tools, whatever. In recent years I've tried to move toward water-based cleaners. They're typically less hazardous to both people and environment, less expensive, can be cleaned up with water, and are not as difficult to dispose of. For a while I had a home-brew parts washer made from a stainless sink and a fluid pump. It took up too much real estate, the pump tended to froth up the cleaner too much, and I didn't use it enough to justify its footprint. I scrapped it and decided to replace it with something simpler. What could be more simple than a bucket? I filled a 5 gallon bucket with 4 gallons of water-based cleaner, dropped a Grit Guard in the bottom, and screwed a Gamma Seal lid on it to keep evaporation under control. I keep a pair of rubber gloves and a scrub brush next to it. Any time I need to clean something really grimy, I dunk it into the bucket and scrub away. All the mess stays in the bucket where it belongs. The grit and dirt sink to the bottom and the cleaning solution stays clean for a lot longer. I can do anything up to about the size of a cylinder head with no trouble. Anything bigger gets dragged into the yard and attacked with the pressure washer. For a while I was using Purple Power degreaser. It cleans well but it attacks some metals and REALLY dries your skin out. It can also make some plastics brittle, but not the Grit Guard. It lived at the bottom of a bucket of Purple Stuff for a couple of years without getting brittle or discolored. When it was time to change the solution out I replaced it with LA's Totally Awesome from the dollar store. It cleans pretty well, doesn't attack metals, isn't as harmful to your skin, and is about $4 a gallon. I use it full strength and it hasn't affected the Grit Guard at all. The last time I cleaned my wash bucket out, I removed a good half inch of mud and sludge from the bottom. That's a layer of sludge that DIDN'T get stirred up every time I washed something in the bucket.

Simple item, does the job. Good thing to have while washing cars and keeps the debris at the bottom pretty well.

Does just what it says and is pretty sturdy. If I keep it out of the sun I expect it'll last forever. Knocked off one star because like others have said, it didn't go all the way to the bottom of a Home Depot 5-gallon bucket. Not a huge deal of course, because it fits nice and tight, but that combined with the height of the "legs" means you have to put a lot of water in the bucket just to get up to the level of the fins, then more water on top of that to be usable. Yeah, it'll hold a bunch of crud under there, but if your vehicle has *that* much dirt on it you should probably knock it off with a brush or something first. I'll probably try to cut the legs down by half and see if I like that better.

Very good quality!

Overall, this is a great product! I purchased two of them to incorporate the two-bucket car-washing system that most car enthusiasts recommend. I must say that I am pleased with the performance of these grit guards - they seem to trap debris at the bottom of the bucket very well. Again, for extra protection, I would recommend that you do use two buckets (with a grit guard in each) - one for rinsing and one for washing. This will vastly decrease your chances of leaving scratches on your car while in the process of washing it. Of course, don't forget a high-quality wash mitt. I purchased the Home Depot 5-gallon (orange) buckets and the grit guards fit perfectly. I am sure there are always slight size variations in both the buckets and the grit guards, so it's possible that you may experience a looser or tighter fit. The grit guards fit quite snugly at the bottom of the Home Depot buckets that I purchased. In fact, when pouring water out of the buckets at the end of the wash, the guards stay in place and I don't even worry about them falling out (unless I gave the bucket a nice shake). If you're worried about getting scratches on your car while washing it (like I am), I'd recommend that you invest in a grit guard to put your mind at ease. This specific one is sturdy (the plastic feels strong and durable) and I suspect it would take a lot of abuse to break or damage the guard. I've had mine for a few months now and I don't foresee having to replace them anytime soon. When it comes to quality, it's hard to beat these guys.

Literally made the name, it’s a classic and worked perfectly! Well worth the money

Have not used it yet. Fit in my Home Depot 5 gallon bucket. The color matches and I believe it will work fine.

Hält gut und macht was es verspricht

Glad I bought these and not the expensive ones. Good fit in the bucket, and they do their job and keep grits out of my wash water . Nothing to complain about.

Esta bien construido, se siente resistente y cabe a la perfección en cubetas de 19lts.

Did what I needed it to do

Product look OK but this is not really required to serve the purpose .. for the grid purpose one can use a net or perforated plastic basket instead of buying this high price item.