I will be contentious ...
1) sponges are fine, I use them and prefer them to sheepskin mitts, which get clogged and is high maintence
2) snow foam, for me, is a detailing placebo. I've tried all the foams and now believe that a decent apc, appropriately diluted, is more effective at actually pre cleaning.
I do still use it, mainly in the underside of the car and the arches, purely due to cling... But mixed with apc