compound shootout?

W

wannafbody

wannafbody
How would you compare cutting ability, finish and dusting?

3m extra cut

HTEC

Presta Ultra cutting creme

Megs Diamond Cut #85

Megs compound #84
 
I have all of the above and this is how I rate them via rotary with wool and foam.



3M Extra Cut 06060 - Fine Abrasive- Great cut, rounds out scratches perfect, removes good amount of defects, little dust which is acceptable. Works excellent with wool.



Presta Ultra Cutting Creme (been using this for 12 years) Abrasive compound that works as a medium to light compound with foam pads and superb cut with wool. Great for removing defects and restoring superb gloss. I love this stuff on a polish pad for medium-light defects on harder paint. On wool this will remove dead dull paint with ease. I just can't let go of this stuff. Great for slow cutting method via polish pad or yellow foam pad.



HTEC - this one is more over rated to me personally, but it does an ok job at removing some defects on certain paints. It is a nice mild abrasive aproach to defect removal. On wool it is a little grabby, but does good at defect removal. With the competition, it does fall short in all the categories for my strong needs.



Megs 84 & 85 - I think Megs makes some great cleaners, but the compounds and polishes are just not up to par with the competition. I do hate the extreme dusting I get and defect removal is not that great. On wool they were dust makers from hell compared to what I am use to. I am not a big fan of these two at all. I know alot of people like these, but please do explore others and you will never look back....trust me!



If I would have to pick the best it would be in order. I will throw some not even listed.



1. 3M Extra Cut 06060

2. Presta Ultra Cutting Creme

3. Menzerna PG

4. 1Z Pro Intensive Polish
 
The 1000 is much stronger. They also had Strata 600 and 800. I am not sure if they still make it, but you can still find it in some stores. Nothing is stronger than those two. They cut SUPER fast. Those will remove OP from most paints.
 
porta said:
I have used a P800 compound, it had some serious cutting power...



Ryan, check you mail.
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Thanks Marcus! I sent you one back. Yes the P800 does have some serious cutting power and on a wool pad it cuts in seconds. Works perfect on those rock hard clears removing scratches and water spots at a low rpm.
 
rydawg said:
The 1000 is much stronger...[than 3M Extra Cut].. They also had Strata 600 and 800. I am not sure if they still make it, but you can still find it in some stores. Nothing is stronger than those two. They cut SUPER fast. Those will remove OP from most paints.
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Interesting. IF the 3M Extra Cut is similar to the old 3M PI-III Extra Cut (05936) it's some serious stuff, in the liquid sandpaper category IMO. If the Presta compounds are *stronger than that* they must be really something! Thanks for posting your take on those compounds.



HTEC - this one is more over rated to me personally, but it does an ok job at removing some defects on certain paints. It is a nice non abrasive aproach to defect removal.
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Heh heh, I think you mean "...nice mildly abrasive approach..". It's not like HT EC isn't an abrasive ;) Sorry to be pendantic but I don't want somebody to read that and jump to an incorrect conclusion.



I use the PI-III EC and the H-T EC, and while I like the HT EC I find it a *LOT* milder than I'd expected. Their grit-equivalent claims are *VERY* optimistic to say the least.
 
I got a little - I mean little! DVD with the 3M UltrafinaSE I bought. Watching it - the compound, polish and final step with Ultrafina are actually steps 3, 4 and 5 respectively. The first steps are sanding with a DA with 1000/1500 grit and then a special 3000 grit disc. OK that's a little more than I care to do, I'll stick with working the compound a bit more and if I get a car that Extra Cut won't touch - then I'll give them the name of my bodyshop friend.
 
JuneBug- Heh heh, that reminds me of my never-ending M3 project (on which I'm using both of the ECs)- my painter saw the car and said I oughta first start with a 1500 wetsand. I didn't do it, but now I kinda think I coulda/woulda/shoulda. Sounds daunting though, huh?
 
Accumulator said:


Interesting. IF the 3M Extra Cut is similar to the old 3M PI-III Extra Cut (05936) it's some serious stuff, in the liquid sandpaper category IMO. If the Presta compounds are *stronger than that* they must be really something! Thanks for posting your take on those compounds.







Heh heh, I think you mean "...nice mildly abrasive approach..". It's not like HT EC isn't an abrasive ;) Sorry to be pendantic but I don't want somebody to read that and jump to an incorrect conclusion.



I use the PI-III EC and the H-T EC, and while I like the HT EC I find it a *LOT* milder than I'd expected. Their grit-equivalent claims are *VERY* optimistic to say the least.
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Their claims to their grit cutting level is a bit misleading, but they do a good job on some paints. I would say they are more like 1500 grit polishes.
 
The HTEC that most use is classified as a leveler. They also have extreme cut in a compound. Never used it, maybe someone has and can chime in.
 
wannafbody said:
what is the difference between a leveler and compound?
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Hi-Temp *does* distinguish between the two, but I forget the details. Is it that one is water-based while the other uses (different) solvents? :nixweiss But as salty pointed out, they are two different products.
 
I know there use to be some serious compounds used at the shop I worked at. At the time, all DuPont lacquar jobs (single stage)had to be compounded the next day with a wool pad, then I went back over it with a glaze we called "pink panther piss" cause it was pink and smelled like cat urine. But, lordy lordy- the cars sure looked good after you wiped that stuff off. Though I'm sure times have changed, I know one shop that is still using that liquid sandpaper with decent results.
 
I have used Presta Ultra Cutting Creme and can say that it works great with wool, but it dusts like crazy and can be a real pain to get off of trim if you dont tape it off.
 
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