What Pads Work Best With Your Makita PO5000C Forced Rotation Polisher?

Hello everyone, I just upgraded from a PC 7424XP to a Makita PO5000C polisher. It definitely is a world of difference in how fast it cuts, and the time it saves compared to the PC!!! I just finished doing my first paint correction with it on my girlfriends 2012 Ford Fusion, using the new LC Hybrid pads. I must say, I was really disappointed in the Hybrid pads. The white and red pads worked pretty well for applying Wolfgang Finishing Glaze and Wolfgang Deep Gloss Paint Sealant, however, the grey heavy cutting pad was almost useless with Wolfgang Uber Compound. The grey pad is so dense that it`s hard to even get it primed with product, and it`s so hard it kind of just bounces around and makes the polisher a real handful. I ended up using a LC Hybrid blue wool pad with the compound and it worked OK, but it too was really grabby, wanted to walk a lot and didn`t seem to cut as fast as I would have expected.

Has anyone had experience with the PO5000C, using different pads? If so, what have you found work best on it? I saw someone in another post say that the LC HDO pads worked well for them. Anyone else have experience with them?

Thanks in advance for any replies, they are much appreciated!!!

Matt

Keez/Matt,
Welcome to the Forum !
I have no experience with the Makita PO5000C machine, but have decades in the Rotary Power World and especially the Makita 9227C Rotary.

For everything I do, I have narrowed it down to the Lake Country Hydro-Tech Pad Line, with the Cyan (Blue) pad being the choice for about everything, just using different compounds to get the amount or correction dialed in, and these pads also finish down really well..

The Hydro-Tech Orange pad has less correction ability but also this can be changed with the compound you use and how you use it.. It will because it`s less aggressive, always finish down even clearer if you need to add more clarity after using the Cyan..

When I use my Makita Rotary, I always spray a little pad conditioner to give the foam a little moisture, so that the compound will have a longer time to work the part of the panel, and have never had issues using this process.

What speeds were you using in both modes ??

I have found that unless it`s that awful old urethane airplane paint on a poor neglected airplane, or a giant RV or Bus or something, that require higher speeds, I can do wonders with slower speeds on the Rotary and never have issues with walking, etc... I hardly ever go much past 1,000rpm, but use and adjust how much downward pressure to get the compound or polish married up nicely with the spot on the panel..

I try to get enough downward pressure if needed to correct that spot to get just a little heat but not too much heat, depending on color of the paint, type of paint, make of vehicle, etc...

These L/C Hydro-Tech`s are very easy to use and clean.. they are made of a type of foam that will hold the product longer on the bottom of the pad and take longer to absorb it up like a lot of pads do or perhaps used to do..

When I use this pad, I always take the compound from the cloudy, just applied to the panel etc., stage to almost all removed from the panel, and all the gunk is on the pad. Then stop, and clean the pad off with the pad conditioner and towel, make sure its free of any crap that could damage the next spot or the same spot, and do what has to happen next..

If you decide to try them, you will need a good cleaner for them, and I have had awesome results with the Lake Country`s own Pad Cleaner - Snappy Clean -

If you decide to try these pads, know that they will eventually absorb enough crap that even with the wiping off with a white cotton towel after every pass or so, you will need to throw that pad in a bucket of snappy clean and water, and put a new pad on the machine to keep on going..

I use somewhere between 6-8+ pads on a Detail, but I am very anal about keeping the surfaces clean as possible so I have to wipe less, and that takes away the opportunity to possibly introduce some defects back into the paintwork by wiping too hard or with bad microfibers, etc...

There are lots of things to balance when correcting paint, and with practice, you will get better at recognizing them, and improve your own processes..
We are all here to help !

There are lots of great guys doing awesome work with the newest random orbital machines here too !
They will all be adding their best practices and processes soon..

Dan F

Thank you for the response Dan! I appreciate all of the info I can get! I`m curious as to if the Hydro-Tech pads you`re using on your rotary would also work well on a forced rotation DA polisher like the PO5000C?

keez -
You are welcome !
I think the Lake Country Hydro-Tech pads would work fine with your machine.. Just make sure to keep them at the 5.5" size, nothing bigger.. You want to be able to maximize your downward pressure and rotation on every pass of that spot on the panel..

Bigger pads like the 6.5" size just give you too much more to look out for and take more work to use to me.. And they cost more and take longer to clean and dry.. Like I said earlier, I never use bigger than 5.5" size unless I am doing an Airplane or something really big and flat and even then, it just takes a lot more work to manage that much more foam.
I am sure the argument is that the bigger pad will take less time, but I have yet to find that to be the truth in the real world..

I read the product description of the Lake Country Hybrid pads you are using and it sounds a lot like the description of the Hydro-Tech pads when they first came out over 10 years ago.. How funny is that! :)

I am not sure why these Hybrid pads have that hole in the center, and would not buy them for that reason.
I want as much flat pad surface on the paintwork at all times, to maximize the passes..

Not sure but I think the reason why Lake Country is selling these Hybrids is because they are thicker ( 1.25") and that is supposed to be helpful with random orbitals.. The Lake Country Hydro-Tech pads are 7/8" thick for reference..

I would always want a thicker pad (within reason) for Rotary work because I am putting direct drive and downward pressure on the paint and after a time, this will wear out the pads, but it takes awhile to get to that point..

The other issue I would have with too thick a pad is that when it`s put to work, it may flex some because of the excessive thickness and that takes away some of the work you are doing in the first place, know what I mean ?

It`s the same with those very soft backing plates - they flex and you lose some of your efficiency to the flexing of the part..

I don`t want anything to interrupt, slow down, or lessen the amount of work I am doing on paintwork; I want to be as efficient as possible, as quick as possible, and provide as much clarity and gloss as I am being paid to provide..
Good luck !
Dan F

When I was using a forced rotation tool I also used the LC Hydrotech, and select Hex Logic (made by Buff and Shine) pads. Green for heavy to medium cutting, and blue for light cut to finishing.

Both sets of pads work great on either the PC 7424xp (which I use a lot), and the forced action tool.

About the green pad - if you drag you fingers across the surface, It`s pretty coarse. It has a very open pore structure. The abrasives attach themselves to these loops, which helps remove the paint. With this type of pad, the foam itself aides in cutting the paint. Now, considering all this, this pad has about a medium density, which contours beautifully to surface irregularities, and responds very well to light pressure. The drawback is that the foam tends to absorb product more.

I agree with Dan on everything concerning the Hydrotech line. In my opinion, they are the absolute best pads out there - especially on 8mm - rotary tools. They use way less product than other pads, they make the most efficient use of abrasives outside of microfiber, and from what I`ve seen no other aftermarket pad finishes as nice as the tangerine. Wether I`m using Meguiar`s M205, or Menzerna SF4000, the finish is always stunning.

Personally, I get a lot of mileage per pad. Like Dan said, the residue stays on the surface of the pad, which allows for very easy clean up. I usually knock the gunk off by lightly grazing a pad conditioning brush over the surface as it spins on speed 1. From there I wipe as needed with a microfiber or terrycloth towel. After washing, make sure they`re nice and dry before the next use. The closed cells hold water more than open cell pads. Add some heat from the polisher to the pad, and you can get some steam built up in the foam. This heat will compromise the structural integrity of the foam, and cause the center to collapse. A little bit of vigilance can keep these pads working great for a long time.

These pad lines couldn`t be more opposite from each other, but on my non Rupes tools, they`re all I use. I do not like the standard yellow, and orange foams, because I never get the as good a cut as I do from the green Hex, and cyan hydro. They`re too stiff, and the foam too smooth (with the orange pads at least).

One of my associates has that grey Hybrid pad, and It`s basically a brick. To use it you might need to most some quick detail spray on it to soften it up.

The hybrid pads should be fine with the forced rotation as they have been a go to pad for the flex for awhile, even by mike Phillips.

Thank you to all of you guys for the great information and very detailed replies!!!! I really do appreciate it!!!

Lc thin pros seem the smoothest
Lc hdo and b&s lownpros work well, jis

Just not as smooth as the thin pro`

Sadly my cs2 wool pad turns the Makita into a jack hammer

Quote:

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Originally Posted by nothingface5384

Just not as smooth as the thin pro`

Sadly my cs2 wool pad turns the Makita into a jack hammer

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Nothingface5384 --
With any wool pad or foam/wool pad as the Lake Country Purple Foam/Wool pads, it has to be really clean and fluffed out, and that condition is only going to last a little while before enough of the wool has blown out and the pad stays flat all the time..

Last time I Detailed an Airplane I went through 20-30 L/C Purple Foam Wool Pads, just using M105 to get the paint clean, clear, smooth, and glossy..
The M205 with Foam brought it out better still.. Wool pads just don`t last long before they have to be chucked..

If you ever get to see how Airplane Detailers do it, you will see huge piles of dead pads every night in the hangar.. :)

I don`t get how you experience the jack-hammer effect, but when I ever use the Makita with L/C Purple Foam/Wool pads on anything, I make sure it stays moist under there so it has more time to work, break down the crap on the paint, clean it up, and polish a little..
And on that dirty Urethane paint I have to also put a lot downward pressure on the work all the time..

As you know, anything wool/wool blend etc., gets hot quickly with higher speeds and time on the panel, so I try to avoid all those things except I have learned that at lower speeds, I can work longer, not get the pad and panel too hot, and finish up with a better result..
Dan F