How many pads do you need?

[Hakko]

Not so much the different colors, but how many of each?

I just ordered a DA kit with 5.5" pads in orange, white, green, and blue, and CG Swirl Remover and Final Polish. I'm only going to be working on my own two cars, so if I polish every six months, do I need more than one of each relevant color?

We also have a 12-year old beater that I plan to use to get up the learning curve; I won't be polishing it on a regular basis). It has some oxidation in spots. Is that going to put a lot more wear into the orange pad (or do I need a yellow pad or wet sanding to take on the rust)?

[mystic04]

Keep them clean as you use them will help. but having at least 2 of the orange and white would be a plus they are the two most used pads, if one pad gets clogged you can just switch to a new pad. while the used one is soaking to get clean.Ill go thur 2 or 3 pads of orange and white on one car.

[Accumulator]

Yeah, I'd always have at least two of each if only because [stuff] happens and switching pads is a lot less hassle than cleaning them out in the middle of a detail.

The orange pads to wear after a while and become less aggressive. The milder/softer pads seem to last a lot longer.