Recommend a foam pad set for a newbie with a Makita?

[carlsson]

I would like to buy a comprehensive pad set for the Makita 9227, which I have not purchased yet. But would like to purchase it all together of course.

Is there a Lake Country series that could be recommended, to get me started on the rotary road?

Thanks

[ENVYMYZ]

I'm not sure if my newb advice will be worth anything, but I will be purchasing a few orange pads for polishing work, and a few red pads for wax/sealant applications.

[Devilsown]

try lake county ccs pads i have all of them from yellow down to black. i have a few white and green as they are my most common used. just remember to keep the speed on the makita down of you will f up the paint take you time and learn how to use it as it will turn out to be your best friend. i gotmy pads from proper auto care

[shine]

I'd recommend the CCS 6.5" pads. Anything bigger might pull you around quite a bit. 4" pads for the tight places.

I would recommend:
-Foamed Purple Wool for heaver cutting; in place of the orange pad, some might say
-White and green for mild/medium cutting/polishing
-The finishing/finessing pads are all very similar (black, blue, red). You don't need every color unless you are really into jeweling or burnishing paint.


Proper Auto Care has a nice selection and prices.
Professional Circular Polishers

The "OEM style" pads are cheaper than the ones with rounded edges.

[Accumulator]

Yeah, I too recommend ~6.5" pads with 4" ones (or 3.5" PFW) for tight spots.

BUT I'd recommend *WOOL* instead of foam for any aggressive work. I'd *MUCH* rather use/recommend wool than, say, orange foam; the wool is just *so* much safer.

The newer-tech wool pads have changed the game

And note that 1Z polishes, which are made for fairly low speed use, are great with the rotary. Wool pads + low speeds = pretty safe

[danponjican]

If you are starting from scratch, I would look at the Edge 2000 system.

[Bigpoppa3346]

The 3M waffle pads for polishing and finishing can be had at an insanely low price and are well regarded on here and other forums. Never used them myself, though.

[David Fermani]

Originally Posted by Accumulator

Yeah, I too recommend ~6.5" pads with 4" ones (or 3.5" PFW) for tight spots.

BUT I'd recommend *WOOL* instead of foam for any aggressive work. I'd *MUCH* rather use/recommend wool than, say, orange foam; the wool is just *so* much safer.

And note that 1Z polishes, which are made for fairly low speed use, are great with the rotary. Wool pads + low speeds = pretty safe

Excellent advise Accumulator Wool is the easiest to learn on and works great.

I'd suggest Lake Country Yellow Wool polishing pad and then a cutting, polishing and final finishing foam. I like both EDGE and LC foam.

[D&D Auto Detail]

I like CCS red, blue, gray, and white, 5.5". I dont like the orange CCS pad. I prefer Megs or Sonus cutting pads instead. Wool is great for cutting as others have mentioned. Its faster and keeps the heat down. They are also easier to control most of the time. I like Megs wool pads. But realize you'll usually need a 3 step polish when using wool.

[David Fermani]

D&D - Do you ever use the LC 6.5 CCS curved pads?

[themightytimmah]

I'd suggest 8" curved blue foam, 6" white polishing, 6" Purple Foam Wool. I prefer the bigger finishing pad, as the extra foam off the backing plate seems to make for softer handling and transitions.

I prefer 6" foam for the white polishing as it is easier to control and less grabby.

I prefer wool for anything more aggressive than white.

[carlsson]

BUT I'd recommend *WOOL* instead of foam for any aggressive work. I'd *MUCH* rather use/recommend wool than, say, orange foam; the wool is just *so* much safer.

The newer-tech wool pads have changed the game

Would that be the purple foamed type, or the twisted wool type? Advantages to each, or is it just totally different purpose between the two?

Wow, so many options out there.