Sonüs SwirlBuster™ Foam Polishing Pad - any one tried it?

[Alfisti]

Like many, I`ve seen this advertised on this board and am curious as to how it performs compared to what we normally use.



http://us.st11.yimg.com/store1.yimg.com/I/autopia_1883_31842



http://www.autopia-carcare.com/sonsbfpp.html



Has anyone had experience with it yet? I like the idea of the “Polishing Pocket� grooves. What grade of foam is it? Similar to SFX (?) something?

[SilverLexus]

Interesting design...I wonder about that also...

[Pats300zx]

I just ordered one.... :)

[SilverLexus]

Look forward to your experience with it Pat. Definitely something new...

[Alfisti]

Yeah, keep us posted Pat. :bigups

[TGates]

I`m going to wait for the new polish first and then order both, hopefully as a package *hint* *hint* David.

[Mike-in-Orange]

I picked one up at the Autopia Clinic back in January and finally had a chance to use it a week ago. First off, it is a bit thicker than a standard Sonus DAS orange pad, and feels just a bit stiffer as well. I could load it with a bit more product than usual and not get a bunch of slinging. I used Meg`s #80 on part of the hood of my Miata, and then some SystemOne polish on the trunk. I found I could carry a lot of product and work it for a good long time. I felt it gave me really good results, especially with the SystemOne Polish which I used for the first time. I used it on a PC 7424 at speed 5 with a 5" backing plate.



(NOTE: I should tell you that my niece`s fiance is the son of the folks who own SystemOne and he gave me a few bottles of this stuff to try out. I was impressed, but I`m also not anywhere near the detailer of guys like ScottsWax or Accumulator or others here. All I can say it worked very well for me and my admitedly limited abilities. Although that might actually be saying a lot! Anyway, I thought I should be up front about this product.)



Back to the Sonus Swirl Buster pad. Overall I do think it offers an extra edge over a more conventional pad and I was very pleased with the results. If I can get rid of swirls with it, and quite quickly at that, then anyone should be able to.



Here`s the part I hate to tell you about though: when I went to wash it I used my usual method of soaking in a bucket of warm soapy water, then squeezing out the product collected in it. I didn`t let it soak for more than 5 minutes and while working the product out I noticed the velco backer was just falling off. My other Sonus DAS pads have actually gone through the washing machine a couple of times without the slightest hint of failure. Like I said, this just soaked in a bucket of warm water for no more than 5 minutes before the velcro started peeling away and more than half of the surface came loose. I immediately contacted David B, who asked that I contact Customer Care, and Lynn responded very quickly and had a new one sent to me next day. If this is the level of customer service I can expect from Autopia in the future, they`ve got a customer for life. Things can always go wrong, but how the supplier/vendor/manufacturer responds to problems is the real measure of quality in my book. DavidB and Co are just top notch.



I think those of you with far greater experience than I have, with a more discerning eye than I have, will find this pad to everything it claims to be.

[Alfisti]

Thanks for the feedback Mike. :up



A couple of questions, if I may. 1) Did you have a chance to try the new pad to see if the velcro is ok...I guess I`m asking if the velcro failure is a one-off or a product flaw. 2) Is the foam similar to the Sonus DAS pads or the SFX? 3) OK, three questions! Whichever foam its similar to, which pad does it correspond to? Is the colour indicative of the aggressiveness? (Oops..that`s four...sorry)

[DM101]

Don`t need polishing right now but I placed some wax on it and went to it. It is very stiff. you have to use a lot of pressure to make it work good. Being so stiff it was harder to clean. The jury is still out for me.......

[Mike-in-Orange]

Thanks for the feedback Mike. :up



A couple of questions, if I may. 1) Did you have a chance to try the new pad to see if the velcro is ok...I guess I`m asking if the velcro failure is a one-off or a product flaw. 2) Is the foam similar to the Sonus DAS pads or the SFX? 3) OK, three questions! Whichever foam its similar to, which pad does it correspond to? Is the colour indicative of the aggressiveness? (Oops..that`s four...sorry)

1) Nope, haven`t had a chance to use it yet but if the weather holds this weekend I will.

2) I`d say it`s a bit firmer than the orange DAS pad (it`s also a thicker pad) - I have not used the SFX pads so I can`t compare to that line

3 (a&b :chuckle:) ) This is a pretty dense, and therefore pretty aggressive pad. Orange in color, just like the most aggressive DAS pad.



Was that really four questions??