Total Pad Confusion

macfan · 04-20-06, 05:32

This is a little long so thanks in advance for making it all the way through.

Hello everyone! The weather is finally starting to get consistently nice out here in NJ so its time to get back into some serious detailing. It seems that I am going to need a little help here. The more info I look up and read, the more confused I get. I am looking to buy some pads for the PC 7336 I got for christmas (thanks to my mother in law

).

I am down to 2 brands. Sonus and Lake Country. Now is that the confusion sets in. Sonus has the SFX and DAS pads. One site says that DAS are for beginners, then I go to another site that says SFX is better for beginners. Keep in mind that I have never used the PC before but after reading so many good things here, had been itching to get one. LC has flat pads and VC pads and after reading up on those 2 types, I can't wrap my head around what it is that I should be getting.

The only thing that scares me aout the SFX pads is that the backing plate that comes in the kit is the exact size of the pad. I was under the impression that you wanted the backing plate to be a little smaller that the pad. Which brings up the other question...the DAS kit has a 5" backing plate with what looks like 7" pads.

Any help that can be offered would be greatly appreciated.

Joshua312 · 04-20-06, 06:00

Personally I would go with the Lake Country Flat pads from Danase.com (great way to support our site sponsors) he has great prices on them and work great. I think he also has the backing plates, so just pick up a 6" backing plate and the pads are 6.5" I have used everyone but the yellow (coming today) and they have all worked great, I have only had one incident from another site where the orange velcro fell off but they replaced the pad for me and I have never had this problem again! To me the sonus pads are also confusing....hope this helps you out!

NT2SHBBY · 04-20-06, 06:18

i am an SFX guy....very good pads...can't screw em up!

macfan · 04-20-06, 02:58

Thanks for the comments guys. I'll keep on looking up more info so that I can make the right decision. Hopefully my head won't spin out of control trying to find the answer.

Astral · 04-26-06, 07:55

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joshua312

Personally I would go with the Lake Country Flat pads from Danase.com (great way to support our site sponsors) he has great prices on them and work great. I think he also has the backing plates, so just pick up a 6" backing plate and the pads are 6.5" I have used everyone but the yellow (coming today) and they have all worked great, I have only had one incident from another site where the orange velcro fell off but they replaced the pad for me and I have never had this problem again! To me the sonus pads are also confusing....hope this helps you out!

aren't these VC pads supposed to be better though? (whatever better means)

Djmigs · 04-26-06, 07:58

Quote:

Originally Posted by Astral

aren't these VC pads supposed to be better though? (whatever better means)

as with anything its comes down to personal prefrence

mikehn · 04-26-06, 08:27

Whatever brand you decide to go with, if you are a beginner, get the pads that are slightly bigger in diameter than the backing plate. That way, you will have some amount of cushion all around the pad.....in case of a slip.

Solo Cali · 04-26-06, 08:53

I have the LC White pad for polishing. It seems to be a bit stiff IMHO.

I prefer the Meg's pad's (yellow for polishing/tan for finishing). Great pad's, and most of all easy to work with.

tomstin · 04-26-06, 09:09

I prefer the 7.5 inch VC pads from Lake Country. I use the same pads on both the PC and Rotory. They seem to be holding up well and are easy to use. I also have a few Mequiars pads but prefer the Lake Country.

White95Max · 04-26-06, 10:30

Quote:

Originally Posted by Astral

aren't these VC pads supposed to be better though? (whatever better means)

I have one, and I don't like it at all. The Propels and Propel2s are the only pads I use now.

Mosca · 04-26-06, 12:11

And whatever you choose, don't start buying a different brand. You'll wind up with blue, yellow, white, gray, green, orange, and you won't be able to tell the light polishing from the finishing from the medium from the waxing. Just get one brand. They all work.

Tom

Astral · 04-26-06, 12:36

Quote:

Originally Posted by White95Max

I have one, and I don't like it at all. The Propels and Propel2s are the only pads I use now.

what don't you like about the VC pads?

too bad exceldetail is out of propel