Cyclo Bonnets - Cyclo or AG/Cobra Bonnets

[chefwong]

I'm picking up some accessories for my new Cyclo and was wondering....if anyone actually has comparisons of the bonnets from Cyclo direct or the Autogeek/Cobra branded ones.

I'm looking for a couple MF ones to just to remove heavy nuba waxes.

[Accumulator]

Limited experience here, but maybe it'll be better than no response at all.

Never tried the Cyclo ones, but I've noticed a close affiliation between Irene at TOL and Cyclo...so maybe you can do a little connect-the-dots, maybe you can't

I have some Cobra bonnets, but they're fairly old. Maybe the current ones are softer, but mine are *not* soft enough for LSP removal on *some* paints. Generally they're OK though...but still I don't like that they aren't 100% OK on soft paints.

FWIW I use heavy carnaubas quite a bit (#16 and 476S). I remove them via Cyclo using TOL's suede-style MF bonnets. Yeah, they say these are best for sealants but I never have any problems..noting that I put #16 on *very* thin but I'm a bit heavier with the 476S.

IIRC DFTowel sells some bonnets which, which not exactly made for the Cyclo, work OK. That's from a vague memory though, so if you're interested you might want to look into it a bit to see if I'm right/wrong.

FWIW, no matter what I do I still have to do a light follow-up by hand. The bonnets get maybe 95-98% of the LSP...but not always that last tiny bit. FWIW#2, I've tried doing it by hand first and *then* my machine..which is very labor intensive by comparison and doesn't really do it any better, if as well.

[chefwong]

Those were the 2 exact waxes I had the bonnets in mine for.
Just to get the brunt of it, and then I would do the follow-up by hand.

Those nuba waxes can be a chore at times to remove when you're tired already from polishing.

[Changeling]

Originally Posted by Accumulator

Limited experience here, but maybe it'll be better than no response at all.

Never tried the Cyclo ones, but I've noticed a close affiliation between Irene at TOL and Cyclo...so maybe you can do a little connect-the-dots, maybe you can't

I have some Cobra bonnets, but they're fairly old. Maybe the current ones are softer, but mine are *not* soft enough for LSP removal on *some* paints. Generally they're OK though...but still I don't like that they aren't 100% OK on soft paints.

FWIW I use heavy carnaubas quite a bit (#16 and 476S). I remove them via Cyclo using TOL's suede-style MF bonnets. Yeah, they say these are best for sealants but I never have any problems..noting that I put #16 on *very* thin but I'm a bit heavier with the 476S.

IIRC DFTowel sells some bonnets which, which not exactly made for the Cyclo, work OK. That's from a vague memory though, so if you're interested you might want to look into it a bit to see if I'm right/wrong.

FWIW, no matter what I do I still have to do a light follow-up by hand. The bonnets get maybe 95-98% of the LSP...but not always that last tiny bit. FWIW#2, I've tried doing it by hand first and *then* my machine..which is very labor intensive by comparison and doesn't really do it any better, if as well.

If I'm reading you right, you would rather apply those LSP's by hand rather than machine, is that correct?
Change

[Accumulator]

Originally Posted by Changeling

If I'm reading you right, you would rather apply those LSP's by hand rather than machine, is that correct?

Nope, quite the opposite; I *always* apply those two by machine. I don't believe I've *ever* done an entire vehicle by hand with 476S and the last time I did one by hand with #16 would've been before they came out with the white Cyclo finishing pads in the '80s.

I apply *sealants* (KSG and UPP) by hand, and also Souveran (on the Jag). But anything else gets applied by machine.

I'll buff them *off* by hand long before I'll *apply* them by hand...but I haven't done that on an entire vehicle since they came out with nice soft MF bonnets.

On with one Cyclo and off with the other, occasionally doing it by PCs instead just to get some use out of my ~6" pads and bonnets.

[Changeling]

Originally Posted by Accumulator

Nope, quite the opposite; I *always* apply those two by machine. I don't believe I've *ever* done an entire vehicle by hand with 476S and the last time I did one by hand with #16 would've been before they came out with the white Cyclo finishing pads in the '80s.

I apply *sealants* (KSG and UPP) by hand, and also Souveran (on the Jag). But anything else gets applied by machine.

I'll buff them *off* by hand long before I'll *apply* them by hand...but I haven't done that on an entire vehicle since they came out with nice soft MF bonnets.

On with one Cyclo and off with the other, occasionally doing it by PCs instead just to get some use out of my ~6" pads and bonnets.

1. So, you apply hard wax with the white Cyclo finishing pads.

2. And remove with the suede style MF bonnets.

Do you use the bonnets over another type pad (cushion) or what?

How many bonnets on average does it take to remove the wax from an entire vehicle?

Change

[Accumulator]

1. So, you apply hard wax with the white Cyclo finishing pads. Yes.

2. And remove with the suede style MF bonnets. Yes if by Cyclo, but now and then I also use some Meguiar's MF bonnets on the PC for this.

Do you use the bonnets over another type pad (cushion) or what? Yeah, over yellow Cyclo brand cutting pads on the Cyclo and over Meguiar's 7006 cutting pads when doing it by PC. I always use cutting pads under my MF bonnets as they grip the bonnets better and I like the firmness.

How many bonnets on average does it take to remove the wax from an entire vehicle? Two pairs for #16 on the A8, which is a pretty big sedan. But note that I put most of my LSPs on *very* thin. On the Blazer (thicker application of 476S) I used, IIRC, three Meg's Ultimate Bonnets on the PC. I've done it with fewer, but this is a better general answer for others to go by.

[Changeling]

Originally Posted by Accumulator

1. So, you apply hard wax with the white Cyclo finishing pads. Yes.

2. And remove with the suede style MF bonnets. Yes if by Cyclo, but now and then I also use some Meguiar's MF bonnets on the PC for this.

Do you use the bonnets over another type pad (cushion) or what? Yeah, over yellow Cyclo brand cutting pads on the Cyclo and over Meguiar's 7006 cutting pads when doing it by PC. I always use cutting pads under my MF bonnets as they grip the bonnets better and I like the firmness.

How many bonnets on average does it take to remove the wax from an entire vehicle? Two pairs for #16 on the A8, which is a pretty big sedan. But note that I put most of my LSPs on *very* thin. On the Blazer (thicker application of 476S) I used, IIRC, three Meg's Ultimate Bonnets on the PC. I've done it with fewer, but this is a better general answer for others to go by.

Accumulator, I have all except the "Bonnets", I'll get them soon!
Thin= "You have beat in", LOL.

Question: Have you ever applied a hard wax (#16 good example) over the entire vehicle (Cyclo), at one time and then removed it by Cyclo with the Bonnets? If so was there any problems with removal when the whole vehicle was waxed, or should it be done panel by panel?
Thank you, Change

[Accumulator]

Originally Posted by Changeling

Question: Have you ever applied a hard wax (#16 good example) over the entire vehicle (Cyclo), at one time and then removed it by Cyclo with the Bonnets? If so was there any problems with removal when the whole vehicle was waxed...

That's how I *always* do it. I don't do panel-at-a-time. Along the same line, I never worry about the wax setting up too long or stuff like that. Unless I get goofy-thick with the application it's not a problem and I'd rather let it set up too long than not long enough. As you can probably tell, I'm not a fan of W-O-W-O for these situations, not even with Souveran or P21s.

[qadsan]

I'm normally not a fan of bonnets, but I've used the Cyclo branded Suede bonnets to 'apply' hard waxes and they work nice for that. I typically remove wax by hand.

[Accumulator]

Originally Posted by qadsan

I'm normally not a fan of bonnets, but I've used the Cyclo branded Suede bonnets to 'apply' hard waxes and they work nice for that..

That's something I never tried