Optimum Polish and Meguiars #80 series

**buja** · 04-13-2008, 11:59 AM

thinking of getting the meguiars g220 DA polisher.

havent gotten to the products yet,

but ive short listed optimum and meguiars polishes as they seem to be popular for begineers and are quite fool proof.

which would you guys recommend ?

as for strength wise comparing,

am I right to assume,

Optimum Polish similar to #80

Optimum Compound similar to $83 ???

as for pads, should I stick to the meguiars pads or get the LC CCS pads ?

meguiars does seem a lil more expensive and only has three levels, which is quite straight forward i guess.

or if i go for the LC pads, do I need a separate backing plate or will it just fit onto the g220 without the need to get something extra to get it to fit ?

thanks !

PS: The cars in my family all have relatively soft coats of paint (honda, mitsu)

**metal** · 04-13-2008, 05:26 PM

I havent tried #80, but Ive been using OP for awhile and its a great, long working time medium cut polish. Get some OP and #83 and see how that works out for you. As for pad selection, IMO, the LC CCS pads are way better, and usually cheaper as well. Does the G220 have a hook and loop backing plate on it already? You just need a H&L backing plate thats around half an inch smaller than your pad size so that you don`t hit anything with the backing plate. OP and #83 should be powerful enough for honda + mitsu paints, and will finish down nicely on a polishing pad or finishing pad.

**CleanGSR** · 04-14-2008, 09:51 AM

First, I`d recommend the LC Pads...either the 5.5" or the 5". I use the 5.5" low profile pads and really like them.

I`ve used M80 for pretty long time and always been happy with the stuff. Recently, I went on my usual quest for a new and better product and picked up some Optimum Polish. Used it once (and not even the whole car I don`t think). The working time is drastically longer than M80 by PC. This may seem good except for one fact......you also Have to work it longer than M80 to get the same results.

Another one to add to your list is Optimum Poli-Seal. Now this stuff is a great product. It cuts a little less than 80, but working time is really short and removes things faster. I use Poli-Seal on really light swirling and it makes fast of the job.

Next on my list to try is 1z Hochglanz. I`m not positive on the cut, but I think it`s comparable to 80..maybe a hair less cut. Working it seems to be equally easy with PC and rotary so that`s a plus in the future.

**Accumulator** · 04-14-2008, 12:24 PM

Originally Posted by CleanGSR

..Next on my list to try is 1z Hochglanz. I`m not positive on the cut, but I think it`s comparable to 80..maybe a hair less cut. Working it seems to be equally easy with PC and rotary so that`s a plus in the future.

I`m such a fan of 1Z polishes that I can barely suppress my inclination to tell buja to go that route instead of the Optimum or Meguiar`s.

The 1Z HG seems much milder than #80 to me, but like all 1Z polishes it`s just *SO* incredibly user-friendly! By Cyclo on Audi clear it was strictly a finishing polish, more along the lines of a filler/oil-less #9 or #81.

buja- While others feel differently, I simply didn`t care for OP. The *long* work time simply made it harder, not easier, for me. OK by rotary, but I don`t like it by PC/Cyclo.

I hate to try to mess with your shortlist, but honest-to-god I`d go with 1Z polishes instead of the ones you`re considering. If you need a really aggressive polish/compound you could go with 1Z Ultra/Extra, or their pro-line Intensive, or High-Temp Extreme Cut (which I also find user-friendly). For a medium polish I simply cannot recommend anything that`s more newbie-friendly (yet effective) than 1Z Paint Polish, and if you need something really, really mild their Metallic Polish with Wax is about as user-friendly as any polish ever made.

Sorry for the above suggestion, no hard feelings if you completely blow it off...I just feel better having spoken my mind on something I feel so strongly about.

**CleanGSR** · 04-14-2008, 01:07 PM

Originally Posted by Accumulator

I`m such a fan of 1Z polishes that I can barely suppress my inclination to tell buja to go that route instead of the Optimum or Meguiar`s.

The 1Z HG seems much milder than #80 to me, but like all 1Z polishes it`s just *SO* incredibly user-friendly! By Cyclo on Audi clear it was strictly a finishing polish, more along the lines of a filler/oil-less #9 or #81.

buja- While others feel differently, I simply didn`t care for OP. The *long* work time simply made it harder, not easier, for me. OK by rotary, but I don`t like it by PC/Cyclo.

I hate to try to mess with your shortlist, but honest-to-god I`d go with 1Z polishes instead of the ones you`re considering. If you need a really aggressive polish/compound you could go with 1Z Ultra/Extra, or their pro-line Intensive, or High-Temp Extreme Cut (which I also find user-friendly). For a medium polish I simply cannot recommend anything that`s more newbie-friendly (yet effective) than 1Z Paint Polish, and if you need something really, really mild their Metallic Polish with Wax is about as user-friendly as any polish ever made.

Sorry for the above suggestion, no hard feelings if you completely blow it off...I just feel better having spoken my mind on something I feel so strongly about.

To keep on topic, I`ll first respond to what I bolded. I agree completely and forgot to mention that I traded off my Optimum Polish after that one use on half the car (if that much). I might get a sample when I get the rotary, but too many other products are sparking my interest, so maybe not.

Regarding 1z polishes. What would be their comparison product to M80 and whatever it is, does it finish down as well as M80? I`m guessing the 1z Paint Polish?

(since buja is unfamiliar with the DA`s and polishes he might be interested in learning about many polishes including 1z`s line) << My excuse for getting a slightly off-topic question answered.

**Envious Eric** · 04-14-2008, 01:16 PM

OP takes wayyyyyy too long to break down by PC...almost 5-8 minutes...I dont know about you, but I hate working on a car for 2 hours on the final polishing stage...

my go to on the past few cars only getting two steps, but needing at least 3, has been megs 83/80 with lc orange/megs yellow, that followed up with OCW...leaves damn good results for what was done!!!!

**Accumulator** · 04-14-2008, 01:34 PM

Originally Posted by CleanGSR

..Regarding 1z polishes. What would be their comparison product to M80 and whatever it is, does it finish down as well as M80? I`m guessing the 1z Paint Polish?

Yeah, the 1Z PP is the closest thing in their line to #80 IMO. A bit more cut but usually finishes out just as well. But note that I don`t work on all *that* many different paints :think:

I do like to follow 1Z PP with their milder stuff on some jobs, but it sure wasn`t necessary on the Blazer.