Fender Speed Slick String Cleaner

Fender Speed Slick String Cleaner
I have been a long time user of the original GHS fast fret 'speed slick string cleaner', however the last couple of fast fret sticks I have purchased have been disappointing and I found the newer versions are nowhere near as effective as the old ones so I thought I would try this alternative product from fender and I am delighted I did.
For a start the fender stick is so much better because the shape of the application pad is long and thin rather than round which means it is even faster and easier to apply the solution, this shape of pad means you can make a single pass or two at most to cover all the strings at once rather than having to do each string individually.
The cap also holds a small cloth to wipe down the strings after each application to clean the string and remove excess solution.
Secondly and most importantly the lubricant / cleaning solution is as good or better than any of the alternatives.
I tend to use it after I play to clean and preserve the strings but it can also be apply before playing to lubricate the strings and board if your into high speed playing.
I am delighted with this product and have no hesitation in recommending it.

It was the first time using such a product. It was absolutely excellent in cleaning both old and new strings.
I used it almost daily after playing (usually a couple of hours/day) and it kept the strings very clean and shiny as long as I used it. The shape and size is ideal, one or two swipes to apply on the strings and it is very practical to carry in a gigbag (flat and wide). It provides a nice slickness to the strings, just be careful not to overdo it. Mine lasted about 40 days, I wish it would last longer. To be fair, I think I used too much of it during each application for the first couple of weeks and perhaps it wasn't necessary to apply so often.
In a nutshell, it is perfect except maybe for the duration. I tried in parallel with the d'Andrea string cleaner, which cleans well but gave me a "sticky" feel to the fingers. I even tried to refill the Speed Slick with the d'Andrea cleaner so I could take advantage of the convenient packaging and applicator but that resulted in leaking. Next I will try the classic GHS fast fret and if necessary I will update this review.

I've always used Fast Fret for my string cleaner and I have been very happy with it, However I decided to try the big name Fender as it was one Euro cheaper and I reckoned that it would be superior. For about six weeks of use it was doing a great job as the width of the cleaning pad stretched all six strings., making it simple to use Then it decided to dry up even though I was very careful to replace the lid every time I used it and to keep it out of the heat. I have now gone back to Fast Fret and I am waiting for Thomann to bring out it's own product which I am sure would be a big improvement on both Fender and Fast Fret.

I bought this because I saw some players using it. Once I tried it it's a total game changer! My fingers slide through the strings effortlessly and makes playing fast way easier. It also reduces the glide noise significantly. I absolutely fell in love with this.

BIG downside: It lasted for around 6 applications. The product doesn't even have a "tank", it's just the sponge presoaked with product. Considering this is almost €6 and there's no refill bottle available anywhere, I think €6 per application seems like a ripoff. Specially considering the ingredients for this are for sure cheap. It just feels like some oil with maybe some solvent to make it easier to apply and faster to dry. I would never buy it again as it's not worth the money.

I've read in several forums that people uses mineral oil (aka: liquid paraffin) as a replacement, so I will just refill this with that and see if it lives up to the expectations.

There's also quite some reviews about the Musicnomad string fuel being just as good, and it does have a refill bottle availabel here for €7.5. So if the mineral oil doesn't work I'd go with that one.

Fender Speed Slick String Cleaner
I have been a life long user of the original big brand of 'speed slick string cleaner', the classic GHS fast fret, however the last couple of fast fret sticks I have purchased have been disappointing because they have obviously changed the recipe or something and the newer versions are nowhere near as effective as the old one so I thought I would try this alternative offering from fender and I am so glad I did.
For a start the fender stick is so much better because the shape of the application pad is long and thin rather than round which means it is even faster and easier to apply the solution, this shape of pad means you can make a single pass or two at most to cover all the strings at once rather than having to do each string individually.
The cap also holds a small cloth to wipe down the strings after each application to clean the string and remove excess solution.
Secondly and most importantly the lubricant / cleaning solution is as good or better than any of the alternatives.
I tend to use it after I play to clean and preserve the strings but it can also be apply before playing to lubricate the strings and board if your into high speed playing.
I am delighted with this purchase and can highly recommend it.

I have to say it does clean very well, it actually removes grease from the strings and lubricates them to protect them from rust, that's its job and it does it, but...
sadly the plastic is very poor quality and it falls apart very easily if you're not careful, the grey part comes off and it stores a rug inside, which you use to remove the excess after lubricating the strings, but once you put all the parts back together the top black part always get stuck and you have to use some pliers to remove the top, it can get very frustrating and very unpractical pretty quickly, I just ended up keeping the rug laying around inside the case.
Probably the worst part Is that the felt soaked with the lubricant releases lint all over your strings, sometimes it get stuck in the saddles and that's pretty annoying and ugly looking, it's not like you can't play the guitar but honestly for an item branded fender I expected way more quality. I have to say that I like the effect of the lubricant on the strings, it makes them pretty slick, still I wouldn't buy it a second time, I would've liked a more practical metal casing and better quality felt.

This string cleaner provides great protection from my strings, which is great for me as my hands get fairly sweaty when playing which eats through my strings like nobodies business requiring my to restring more often than I can really afford to. My strings feel smooth, fresh and alive after I use this to wipe away any grime from them, however my only real issue with it is occasionally the small cloth that comes with the cleaner can leave little bits of fluff/cotton caught on the strings, particularly in the lower frets where the string is tighter to the fretboard. This isn't a major problem though as the residual bits can be easily removed and don't have any negative effect on the strings.