Polish - Swirl remover ?

[TomG]

What is the difference between a swirl remove and a polish? Arent they both abrasive products to remove a top layer of the clear?

[budman3]

I think these words are different to different people. I personally think that they are the same thing, well because they do the same things. Same thing with a compound, its just a stronger polish or swirl remover in my book. But some people think polishing the paint is waxing and buffing could be removing product or doing polishing. It confuses me when people use different terms for the same thing or using the wrong term completely.

[Sherman8r44]

The term polish *can* also refer to a pre-wax cleaner, which is chemical and non-abrasive

[jaybs02]

When I think of a swirl remover, I think of some type of mechanical abrasive such as the SSR`s or DACP.
When I think of a polish, I think of a chemical cleaner such as Propolish or AIO

When polishing you are trying to brighten the appearance, when removing swirls you are correcting a flaw by removing a layer.
But not that one won`t occur while doing the other. Thats just my humble take on it.

Hope I didn`t confuse anyone other than me.

Happy Holidays
"J"

[JaredPointer]

In my book, polishing includes the steps of removing paint imperfections. Polish can be either chemical or abrasive, and can sometimes be both wrapped in one package. Polishing usually doesn`t include any type of paint protection, although that`s not always the case. That`s just my take on it.

I agree that many people have different meanings for the same terms in the detailing world. Examples would be things like polishing, waxing, swirls (marring), swirls (holograms), etc. It can be confusing sometimes.

[TomG]

So in terms of polish - What would be the difference between a Menzerna "final Polish" and a KAIO polish??? Are they both basically the same type of product?

[jaybs02]

FP is a polish ONLY, KAIO also adds protection

"J"

[TomG]

Do they both have the same cutting characteristics. In terms of paint cleaning will they so the same job?

[jaybs02]

Not having used FP I can`t give you a valid comparison

"J"

[CharlesW]

As far as what a product is called by the manufacturer, it`s about as confusing as figuring out what color of pads are for what use.
Just a couple of examples.
Meguiar`s NXT Tech Wax which actually seems to be a synthetic and thought to be a sealant by many.
Zaino Polish which is definitely a sealant by most peoples definition, but the manufacturer refers to it as a polish.

FWIW, my feeling is that a polish does just that. Polishes the paint. Some do it with abrasives, some do it with chemical action.
To me, swirl remover is just a polish that is a little more aggressive in what it does.
Keep in mind that swirl removers vary a great deal as to their aggressiveness.
If in doubt, contact the manufacturer as to what product in their line will work best for you.

Charles