The 8 Best Foam Cannons

Editor's Notes

September 03, 2020:

It was a relatively straightforward round of updates, with the majority of our previous selections maintaining their positions. We did entertain the idea of including a couple options from new brands, in order to flesh these rankings out to a proper top-10 list, but we ultimately decided against it, recognizing that the category is saturated with prospective picks that are questionable-quality copies of our existing selections.

However, we did decide on eliminating the HassPro Premium Blaster due to availability issues, and also added the MATCC 3 to our list — a new, top-end option from the company that separates itself from the MATCC 1 and MATCC 2 with its wide-mouth reservoir that eschews the need for a funnel when adding soap and water to it. Last but not least, we removed the MTM Hydro PF22 in favor of the MTM Hydro PF22.2 — a new model that improves on its predecessor’s design with a wide-bottom reservoir that makes it less likely to tip over when standing up. It is a bit pricey, but the PF22.2 is a well-reviewed, Italian-made option that seems to appeal to many professional detailers.

To recap on our June 28, 2019 editor’s note for this page, foam cannons — and therefore all of the selections on this page – need to be connected to a pressure washer to operate, which is quite the additional expense if you don’t already have access to one. If this is the case for you, you might prefer investing in a foam gun, which may not be as effective as a foam cannon, but might also save you some money by simply connecting to your garden hose.

June 28, 2019:

If you have access to a pressure washer, a foam cannon can be an effective and relatively inexpensive way to give a great wash to your car, truck, boat, bike, ATV... essentially any vehicle. Some users even report having success using these devices to wash windows or clean the exteriors of their homes.

Not only do foam cannons allow for a relatively quick cleaning process, they also afford you the peace of mind that comes with knowing you won't accidentally gouge your paint job with a stray piece of gravel – as may occur during hand washing. It's for this reason that these devices are favorites of professional detailers and car enthusiasts alike. It's also worth mentioning: the general consensus seems to be that working with these can be a lot of fun.

A few things to note while shopping for one of these products:

Know the difference between a foam cannon and a foam gun. While the two may sound quite synonymous, the semantic subtlety here should not be slighted. Foam cannons attach to pressure washers. Foam guns attach to garden hoses. Although foam cannons are certainly considered to be the superior option among the two, if your budget finds a household pressure washer to be prohibitively expensive, then you might want to consider investing in a foam gun. The items ranked on this page are all foam cannons, and therefore will all need to be used with a separately-purchased pressure washer.

While all the offerings ranked here are capable of giving your vehicle a great wash, you should expect some variance in product quality between top-priced and bottom-priced options. Common complaints with the inexpensive options include incompatibility with certain pressure washers, and poor sealing between the cannon and its reservoir. Some users have reported solving these issues by sanding down the cannon's male fitting, or improving the seal with a rubber washer from a garden hose. Some top-priced options also claim that their cannons offer longer product-life, via the superior quality of their components, a claim some have backed with one-year and two-year warranties.

And, it's not all about the cannon; you need to consider which soap is best for your purposes, as well. While these cannons can use virtually any soap to properly produce foam (some users even report great success using Tide or common dish soap), their is a wide variety of specialty soaps available online that can help you achieve a superior level of clean for your ride. Several companies with products ranked on this page, including Chemical Guys and Adam's, also produce their own line of specialty soaps. Some of these companies even offer packages, selling their soaps and cannon together as a kit – a possibility worth investigating, as it might offer you the opportunity to save some money on your gross purchase.