I’ve been doing some work on my vintage Honda motorcycle these days. You know how it is with these old bikes, after sitting outside for a while the rust just seems to accumulate on everything.
All the engine casings, bolts, nuts, even parts of the frame had that reddish coating that we all hate to see. It was time to really deep clean everything and get rid of the rust for good before putting her all back together.
I’ve used different rust remover products in the past with mixed results. Some worked better than others.
This time I wanted to try out the two I kept hearing were the best – Evaporust and Metal Rescue. Figured I’d test them both head to head and see which one does the better job on motorcycle parts, like engine casings and brake parts.
So I’m gonna lay out how I compared Evaporust vs Metal Rescue. Share with y’all which one I thought was more effective for derusting all the nooks and crannies of these bikes.
Maybe it can help some of you guys out there tackle rust on your rides this spring too. Always good to get these vintage Hondas and Yamahas back in top shape.
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Here is a table comparing the key details of Evaporust and Metal Rescue:
| Evaporust | Metal Rescue | |
|---|---|---|
| Active Ingredient | Chelating agent | Carbonyl compound |
| Solution Consistency | Thin, slight-yellowish liquid | Clear liquid, thins out over time, takes on darker color |
| Performance on Heavy Rust | Fully removes rust | May leave some rust behind |
| Ease of Use | Ready to use liquid, simple submersion | Same easy liquid submersion process |
| Safety | Non-toxic, gloves recommended | Also non-toxic and skin safe |
| Smell during Use | No noticeable odor | No noticeable odor |
| Cost per 32oz Bottle | More or less $30 | More or less $40 |
| Value for Money | Lasts longer per jug, better performance long-term | Solution breaks down faster, may need 2 bottles for same jobs |
| Recommendation | Top pick for motorcycle rust removal | Still highly effective but not as long-lasting as Evaporust |
Evaporust Overview
Evaporust is made with something called a “chelating agent” in its formula. Now, I’ll be honest – I didn’t exactly know what a chelating agent was before doing this comparison.
Basically, it allows the product to break down rust at a chemical level. Evaporust uses one called “Na2EDTA” which is pretty good at penetrating rust and dissolving it away.
Evapo-Rust ER012 Super Safe – 128 oz., Non Toxic Rust Remover
FEATURES WE LIKED
- Non-toxic and water-based solution
- Effortlessly removes rust
- Non-corrosive rust remover
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Directions for Use
Evaporust is pretty straightforward to use. Being a liquid, it’s ready to go right out of the bottle which is nice.
All you got to do is fully immerse or submerge the rusty parts. Then it’s time to let the chemistry do its thing.
For light surface rust, leave parts soaking for 2 hours. If it’s more heavily rusted, you can leave it in overnight or up to 12 hours.
Remember those rusted out engine casings I mentioned? They got a good overnight soak. Really seemed to do the trick at getting into all the nooks and crannies.
One thing to note – check on your parts periodically if soaking for the full 12 hours.
In my experience, once the rust is mostly gone, Evaporust doesn’t seem to do much more overnight. No need to leave stuff soaking that long once it looks clean.
Is Evaporust Safe?
One thing I really like about Evaporust is how non-toxic it is. Being around all kinds of chemicals and fluids working on bikes, that’s definitely a priority.
It won’t harm your skin if you get a little on your hands. Of course, as a precaution they recommend wearing gloves. Especially, if you’ll be submerging parts for a long time.
But the fumes aren’t something you need to worry about like with stronger chemical strippers or brake clean. I did the soaking in my garage with no issues.
No stinky smells permeating my whole house afterwards either! I’ve even seen folks online say they’ve used Evaporust without any problems.
Now compare that to using acid-based rust removers – those you definitely want respirators and ventilation for. Evaporust is so much safer and easier to handle.
No hassling with protective gear. Just gloves as a shield from the messy rusty parts. Your skin and lungs will appreciate not getting exposed to gnarly chemicals, that’s for sure.
In the end I felt totally comfortable using Evaporust without much risk. As long as you don’t chug the stuff, it’s about as non-hazardous as these products get.
SEE MORE: Head to Head: Evaporust vs Vinegar for Motorcycle Rust Removal
Performance on Sheet Metal and Bolts
I’ve got to say, Evaporust really lived up to the hype when putting it to the test on my motorcycle parts.
Obviously there was rust all over the broken down engine casings from being outside all year. But some surprise problem areas were the rusted out bolts too.
No matter how careful you try to be, Mother Nature still finds a way to cause rust!
Anyway, I soaked those casing pieces overnight since the rust was pretty bad. Came back out the next day and it was insane how much Evaporust had already chewed through.
The reddish coating that was all over the nooks and crannies had mostly disappeared. There were still a few stubborn spots that got a few extra hours of soaking.
But man, the difference was like night and day. You could finally see the bare metal shinning underneath again.
All the details of those phinished casing surfaces were brought back to life. Really restored them rather than having me pull out the sand blasting gear.
Even stuff with hard to reach rust spots, like the bolts I mentioned, Evaporust penetrated deep. Left them looking brand new under the microscope so to speak.
No hammering or filing needed to remove stubs of rust. Just a simple chemical process thanks to that quality Evaporust formula.
Safe to say it blew me away with those results. No wonder so many people swear by it! Really did the job of refurbishing those parts for reassembly.
Convenience of Ready-to-Use Liquid
One thing I really appreciated about Evaporust is that it’s ready to go right out of the bottle. No mixing, no waiting, no hassle – just uncapped and submerged my parts.
Being a motorcycle guy, I don’t always have a ton of extra time to devote to projects. So the convenience of a product that’s already diluted saves me steps.
Plus no worrying about getting the measurements wrong if I was to mix my own solution. It’s as easy as could be.
Just dunk and forget until it’s time to rinse. The liquid consistency made it a cinch to get Evaporust into all the nooks and crannies too.
Possible Darker Residue Left Behind
Now the one tiny downside. Sometimes Evaporust could leave parts a bit darker than when I started. Almost like a smoky gray tint.
Obviously not a deal breaker since the rust was gone. But it wasn’t a perfect bright shine immediately after like I expected.
Nothing a little fine steel wool couldn’t buff back to normal either. And honestly, it’s a pretty minor trade off for how well it did zapping that rust away.
The protection of clean metal is worth having to do a quick polish afterwards in my book!
Metal Rescue Overview
Like Evaporust, Metal Rescue contains a chelating agent to chemically remove rust.
Specifically, it uses something called a “carbonyl compound” which apparently works pretty similar to the chelating agent in Evaporust.
Both seem to be very effective at penetrating rust and breaking it down at a molecular level.
Workshop Hero WH290487 Metal Rescue Rust Remover
FEATURES WE LIKED
- No acids, no caustics
- Safe for drains or sewer systems
- Does not change metal properties
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Directions for Use
In terms of how to use it, Metal Rescue is about the same as Evaporust. Being a liquid, you just submerge your parts like I did with the engine casings and assorted hardware.
Then, leave it to soak based on the rust severity, a few hours up to overnight. Simple as can be with these types of products.
How Safety is Metal Rescue?
Metal Rescue gets a thumbs up on the safety front too. The company says it’s non-toxic and won’t harm your skin with direct contact like Evaporust.
But gloves are still a good idea long term. I didn’t notice any odors either using it in my garage workspace.
Overall, both these rust removers pass the safety test with their user-friendly formulations.
Performance Compared with Evaporust
From everything I’d read online prior to testing these products, folks seemed to say Metal Rescue performed about the same as Evaporust at removing rust. And in my experience soaking parts with both, I’d have to agree.
Using it on those engine casings and hardware I’d previously tried Evaporust on, Metal Rescue made similarly fast work of the surface rust and deeper rusty spots.
Within a few hours I was really impressed by how much cleaner the parts looked.
Some of the bolts that were heavily corroded even surprised me with how well Metal Rescue broke it all down after soaking overnight.
It must have those strong rust-dissolving chemicals working just as effectively.
There wasn’t really anything Metal Rescue couldn’t tackle that Evaporust had. Both restored rusted metal back to a nice polished shine with equal skill as far as I could tell.
Between the two, rust really stood no chance.
SEE MORE: Best Chain Cleaner for Motorcycle: Ultimate Grime Busters
Drawback of Metal Rescue Solution
One small possible downside I noticed with Metal Rescue is that the solution seemed to deteriorate quicker than an Evaporust jug over multiple uses.
When I first started soaking parts, the Metal Rescue looked and worked just like the Evaporust. Nice and fluid enabling full coverage of nooks and crannies.
But after a few batches of parts, it began to take on a darker, almost used motor oil appearance.
The liquid also seemed to thin out more over time. To the point that I worried heavily rusty parts wouldn’t get cleaned properly. Unfortunately it fizzled out before I could finish all my projects.
Compare that to the Evaporust, which is still going strong many uses later without breaking down much at all. The liquid remains consistent batch after batch.
Now granted, Metal Rescue is still very effective while the formula holds up. But the shorter lifespan means it may not go as far overall for bigger jobs.
Evaporust vs Metal Rescue: Head to Head Test
Alright, it was time to really see how these rust removers stacked up against each other.
I gathered a variety of rusted parts that were typical problem areas on bikes. Things like engine casings, brake rotors, and even some rusty spokes on a wheel.
Parts Selected for Rust Removal Test (engine cases, wheels, etc)
I removed any loose flakes of rust with a wire brush to get an even test surface. Then, labeled each part to keep them organized between the different soaking containers.
That way I could reliably assess Evaporust vs Metal Rescue using the same rusty samples.
The casings had that surface rust overcoat that’s so stubborn. Rotors were splotchy orange all over. Wheel spokes were practically red at this point.
Time to start soaking and see which one came out on top! Really curious how they’d stack up side by side. Fingers crossed for some impressive before and after comparisons to share with y’all.
Setting Up the Soak
I filled two containers, one with Evaporust and one with Metal Rescue. Then, carefully submerged the labeled parts, making sure to shake off any excess liquid.
Most got a good overnight soak based on how gnarly the rust was. But some less rusted pieces only needed a few hours. Either way, I was curious to see how the products compared side by side on the same samples.
Visual Differences During Soaking
Checking in over the soak time, I noticed a few visual differences between the two solutions. The Evaporust stayed clearer, while the Metal Rescue took on a darker, murkier color quicker.
Something else that struck me was tiny bubbles forming on parts in the Evaporust.
It made me wonder if that had to do with the chemical reaction dissolving away rust. The Metal Rescue solution didn’t seem to bubble up as much.
Most importantly, both were making progress removing rust visible to the naked eye. The true test was yet to come once I rinsed everything off.
Results After Soaking
After overnight soaking, I was ecstatic to rinse the parts clean and see how Evaporust vs Metal Rescue compared. Removed each one carefully.
Looking at the parts side by side really told the story. Both products did an impressive job on the lighter rusty parts. But where Evaporust shone was on the more heavily corroded items.
The rusty spokes especially, Evaporust left them virtually bare metal again. Whereas a few spots stubbornly held on with Metal Rescue. The engine casings also came out with less residue left over using Evaporust.
The Clear Winner Is…
Don’t get me wrong, Metal Rescue is no slouch at zapping rust. But in my testing, Evaporust proved a bit more thorough at fully dissolving away even the deepest rust layers.
It restored parts back to like-new condition a little better in the problem rust areas. No lingering marks remained. Metal Rescue was still great, just not quite as potent it seems.
Have to give my vote to Evaporust as the top rust removing product based on these results. Really lived up to its great reputation!
SEE MORE: The Ultimate Guide to How to Remove Rust from Motorcycle Chain
Cost Comparison: Evaporust vs Metal Rescue
To give a fair assessment, I checked the typical costs for Evaporust and Metal Rescue at multiple stores online. Here’s what I found:
A gallon of Evaporust runs around slightly more or less $30, depending where you buy. Metal Rescue in similar sizes was priced more or less $40 on average.
As I mentioned before, the Metal Rescue solution breaks down faster with multiple uses. Meanwhile, Evaporust lasts through many refillable baths and full projects.
When you consider you may go through two bottles of Metal Rescue for the same amount of rust removal, you have to think of the costs even more. Evaporust just keeps on working batch after batch.
Overall Value Champion: While not a huge difference between the two, I found Evaporust to deliver better value for the money. It has a slightly lower initial price and the longer-lasting formula goes farther in the long run for heavy rust jobs.
Performance is king as a motorcycle guy. So if Evaporust also restores parts to like-new better in problem areas, that seals it as the top budget-friendly pick too in my book!
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Making a Choice Between Evaporust vs Metal Rescue
After thoroughly testing Evaporust and Metal Rescue side-by-side, it’s clear both are excellent rust removers. But there can only be one top recommendation.
Summarizing the Results: Evaporust delivered more consistently thorough rust removal. It restored parts back to like-new condition even in severe spots. While Metal Rescue worked well too, some deep rust remained.
Evaporust also offers better value long-term since a single jug lasts longer. Its solution stays consistent batch after batch.
Tips for Best Performance: No matter which you use, remember warmer temps help the chemistry work faster. Give heavily rusted parts more soak duration too. 12+ hours often does the trick.
The Winner is…: If you wrench on motorcycles like me, quality and performance are top priority. Which is why I have to recommend Evaporust as the best choice hands-down. It earns its reputation as the top rust removing product on the market.
