So I've been washing my cars by hand for years, but got tired of seeing those nasty water spots drying up on the hood. Figured it was time to test different water filters for my washer setup. Went down to the hardware store last Tuesday afternoon and grabbed three types everyone recommends.

The Setup

Dug out my old pressure washer from the garage first. Hooked up each filter type directly to the garden hose one by one. Made sure to test at the exact same time of day because my water pressure acts weird sometimes. Tried them on my black pickup since water spots show up like crazy on that paint job.

The Filters I Tried

• Type one: Basic sediment filter. Just looked like a white plastic tube with foam inside.
• Type two: Cheap di-style filter. Double canisters that feel way too light.
• Type three: Expensive mixed bed resin thing. Had metal connectors instead of plastic.

What Actually Happened

Started with the sediment filter. Water flow felt normal, but man, drying time was a disaster. Saw streaks everywhere like ghost patterns on the windows. Rinsed with filtered water from my drinking jug just to compare - that actually worked better than this garbage.

Switched to the di-filter next. At first I thought we were winning! Water felt slippery while spraying. Dried half the hood and stepped back expecting magic... nope. Still got cloudy mineral patches near the door handles. Maybe it worked 50% better than tap water? Not worth twenty bucks.

Finally tried the mixed resin filter. Immediately noticed slower water flow - like pouring honey through a straw. But here's the wild part: as soon as it hit the tailgate, the water beaded up and fled the surface. Didn't even need to dry that section! Left it in the sun for thirty minutes just to check. Zero spots. None.

Biggest Surprise

After testing, I shook all three filters over a bucket. The sediment one dumped brown gunk. Di-filter leaked some sandy stuff. But the mixed resin? Nothing came out but clean water. That showed me where my money actually went.

Final Takeaway

If you're battling water spots daily like me, skip the cheap options. I wasted three weekends before accepting that the expensive filter ain't snake oil. Your drying time gets cut by three quarters easy. Yeah it costs more than both others combined, but damn, it just works. Keeping mine permanently hooked up behind the shed now.