3M over DACP?

[mlebarron]

What is a comparable product in the 3M line to DACP? Would anyone really recommend one over the other for any reason? The 3M is a lot easier for me to get a hold of, but if the DACP is better, I can get that instead.

[Accumulator]

I`ve never tried DACP. While most all abrasives probably "break down" a bit during use, *I* prefer to use ones that would NOT really be classified as "diminishing abrasives". Hence *MY* 3M equivalents to DACP are PI-III FCRC (the aggressive part of DACP) and PI-III MG (the mild part). Except for extreme cases (BAD scratches, or, conversely, show-type near-perfect finishes), these two products pretty well cover most applications for me.

[mlebarron]

I assume PI-III FCRC is Fine Cut Rubbing Compound. I`ve found PI-III Rubbing Compound, and PI-III Extra Cut Rubbing Compound. Is the first one the Fine Cut? Or is Fine Cut specifically specified? Do you have the product number for the Fine Cut? That would make it easier to find.



I`m not really sure what you mean by "dimishing abrasives." The abrasives in DACP get "finer" as you use it? Is that a correct understanding?



Thanks,

-Michael

[Accumulator]

Originally posted by mlebarron

...I`m not really sure what you mean by "dimishing abrasives." The abrasives in DACP get "finer" as you use it? Is that a correct understanding?



Yes, you are correct. Sorry, looks like my answer was a bit sloppy. You are ALSO correct that the PI-III Rubbing Compound I was referring to is NOT called "fine cut" or anything else that would indicate its aggressiveness...guess I`m just in the habit of typing "FCRC" :o The "Extra Cut" is probably too aggressive to use except under unusual circumstances. I ASSUME you`re working with basecoat/clearcoat paint.



Part numbers (for quarts) of the 3M products I mentioned:



PI-III Rubbing Compound = 05933

PI-III Machine Glaze = 05937

[butchdave]

Originally posted by Accumulator

Sorry, looks like my answer was a bit sloppy. ... I`m just in the habit of typing "FCRC" :

I would guess that Extra Cut is what I know as Fast Cut - which always caused confusion to me when someone just calls it FC - do they mean Fine Cut or Fast Cut :confused: :)

[imported_Duff]

Originally posted by butchdave

I would guess that Extra Cut is what I know as Fast Cut - which always caused confusion to me when someone just calls it FC - do they mean Fine Cut or Fast Cut :confused: :)



i think some of the Acronyms on the forum cause as much confusion (especially for newbies), as the amount of time they save us.



3M products for example. They have a PI-II and PI-III line. Some posts i have seen refer to PIII.

Is that a PI-II, or P-III.......

Perfect-It II or Perfect III.

Capital i`s and 1`s look the same!



Maybe it`s just me :nixweiss or that i`m a newbie. Perhaps when i use the products enough i would just automatically know what users are refering to already. i`m a huge fan of 3M products, back in high school days, PI-III products weren`t even out yet. Still something new to me.

[Accumulator]

Good points about the potential confusion. As I use up the last of my (old) PI-II Fine Cut Rubbing Compound, I`ll have less inclination to type the "FCRC".



And yes, I really do think we should standardize the Perfect It-II/III as PI-II and PI-III. But then I always muddy the waters when discussing Platinum because I (as a dog lover) prefer PUPP to UPP, so who am *I* to talk :p

[CharlesW]

Your using the manufacturers part numbers seems to be the thing that would be of most benefit to me.

Both 3M and Meguiar`s have so many products within their respective lines with similar, and sometimes confusing names, that the name of the product really doesn`t tell me much.

The part number definitely gives me something to work with.



Charles:wavey

[imported_Duff]

Originally posted by Accumulator

Good points about the potential confusion. As I use up the last of my (old) PI-II Fine Cut Rubbing Compound, I`ll have less inclination to type the "FCRC".



And yes, I really do think we should standardize the Perfect It-II/III as PI-II and PI-III. But then I always muddy the waters when discussing Platinum because I (as a dog lover) prefer PUPP to UPP, so who am *I* to talk :p





What!? You detail your car with a pupp?? You sicko, i thought you are a dog lover!~ ..... btw how does it compare to the Klasse twins? =)



Honestly, i think PI-II FCRC is perfectly clear. :up To someone new to 3M, they could easily research it to be Perfect-It II line (via acronyms list). Then, the only possibility under that line would be the Fine Cut compound. Even if they thought it was "Fast Cut Rub Comp" like butchdave said, it just doesn`t exist. =) On the other hand, FCRC comes in 2 flavors, liquid and paste format. :nixweiss Don`t have to go to the extreme to spell out the whole product name.



Everybody seems to just refer to it as FCRC... and now i just automatically know what they are talking about.



CharlesW:

Yes, the product numbers really do help clarify and get rid of the ambiguities. Meg`s #7... no further questions! Haha but 3M has like ~3-5 product numbers for each product depending on the size! What`s up with that.

[CharlesW]

Originally posted by Duff

CharlesW:

Yes, the product numbers really do help clarify and get rid of the ambiguities. Meg`s #7... no further questions! Haha but 3M has like ~3-5 product numbers for each product depending on the size! What`s up with that. But...., at least I will have the correct product. Now, all I have to do is find the right size. Having the wrong size container won`t get me in near as much trouble as having the wrong product will. :)



Charles:wavey

[Accumulator]

Well, *I* usually assume that *I* know what everyone`s talking about with stuff like the FCRC, but then I`d totally forgotten about the FAST Cut.. Also, I DO think we can get so acronymized that newbies feel too overwhelmed to go study (and some would think of "study" as a bad word) up on the acronym list. The same goes for studying up a given manufacturer`s product list.



SOOO....I`m gonna try to remember to put a part# with the first reference to a 3M product in any given post. If it gets to be too much of a pain (or if I get hassles about "what`s the diff between your # and #nnnn-pint size") I`m gonna give up on it, but I expect it`s more likely that I`ll just memorize the numbers. Sizes? The two products I`m most likely to recommend will be quarts. I`ll try to do the same with Meg`s stuff (FI= #34, DACP= #83, etc.).



I wanna do everything I can to make/keep the University forum as newbie-friendly as possible, so we`ll see how this goes.