Help deciding on a replacement polish

G

Gopher

New member
Well, I'm running low on my Menzerna IP and FPII. I originally wanted to replace with SIP and 106, but I've got a lot of real world expenses pilling up (mostly wedding crap) and am looking for opportunities to cut costs.



I'm toying with the idea of trying Optimum Hyper Compound and Optimum Polish as much more cost friendly options as it seems I can do both for a little less than the cost of SIP alone.



I see a lot of autopians use the optimum products, and am curious as to whether the reason is that it is truly a great product to work with, or its just a good "bang for the buck".



For what its worth, the following cars are in my stable.



BMW - Black (hard)

BMW - Silver (hard)

Porsche - Black (soft)

Land Rover- Forest Green (medium)

Acura - Dark blue (soft-medium)

Nissan - Red (medium-hard)



Also, for what its worth I took delivery of a Makita today and have a full line up of LC pads along with a few megs cutting and polishing pads.
 
I would strongly recommend against getting the Optimum products.



I know that others have had excellent results with them, but in my own personal experience, they take a very long time to break down, and the additional time required eliminates any price savings in the initial purchase.



I would recommend getting 3M UltraFina and Meguiar's #105. With just those two and the right pads, you can tackle any job in *half* the time of Optimum, due to their fast working times.
 
themightytimmah said:
I would strongly recommend against getting the Optimum products.



I know that others have had excellent results with them, but in my own personal experience, they take a very long time to break down, and the additional time required eliminates any price savings in the initial purchase.



I would recommend getting 3M UltraFina and Meguiar's #105. With just those two and the right pads, you can tackle any job in *half* the time of Optimum, due to their fast working times.
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I agree, but still like SIP and 106ff.
 
hmm. Very interesting, timmah.



What do you think of the idea of picking up a bottle of optimum polish alone and using that to prolong the life of IP/FP2? I could maybe get a little more life out of my IP and use less that way (preventing dusting and taking it to the zenith). Also, so make my remaining product last longer without the excessive time of optimum by itself?
 
Gopher said:
I've got a lot of real world expenses pilling up (mostly wedding crap) and am looking for opportunities to cut costs.



For what its worth, the following cars are in my stable.



BMW - Black (hard)

BMW - Silver (hard)

Porsche - Black (soft)

Land Rover- Forest Green (medium)

Acura - Dark blue (soft-medium)

Nissan - Red (medium-hard)
Click to expand...



Shoot, with all those cars, what do you need a woman for? Oh wait...I remember! :o :LOLOL
 
They're not all mine, but I take care of them all.



I've got a silver '03 540i and my fiancee has the red altima. The rest are my parents' but I take care of them for kicks.
 
Gopher, I have IP and FFII too, and that's what I use -they work great although IP does dust some. I have 106 and will probably not replace it when it runs out. I just don't see the bang for the buck with that. I tried Optimum a year ago and like Tim said - it takes a long time to break down and personally I'd rather do it faster and wipe up the dust and to take 3X as long and deal with the oil of Opitima - just my opinion guys! One line that I've looked at hard and asked a few pro's here about is the 1Z Einszett line, the term "user friendly" is very appealing to me. Also and while Megs 105 may be next to sliced bread - I couldn't do nothing but make a mess with it - I know "user error" whatever!
 
Interesting. I hear of the Optimum polishes being used so frequently and constantly see results from them in the click and brag, but from the searches I've done and feedback in here, I'm getting turned off to the idea...



I don't have to make the decision immediately, as I can probably work on at least 4 more cars with what I have remaining.



Is it all the Optimum line that lasts forever or the compounds? What about the idea of SIP followed by straight Optimum Polish or a mix of OP and FP2?
 
Yeah, i'd go with some #105 as your compound, maybe some UF or Wolfgang Glaze (PO106FF in a smaller size IMO) for your finish.



I dont like OP or OHC either, course I dont like SIP either, so what do I know.
 
I always scratch my head a little bit when people talk about these problems with Optimum polishes. Maybe I just don't know what I'm doing, and I have the older versions of the OHC and OC, and it's been quite a while since I've used them, but I never found there was much to break down simply because they seem to be more of a lubricant than an abrasive, in that they let the pad do the work. You use a tiny amount. I found them easy to use, but I couldn't get the defects I was trying for out (by PC) with the OHC and OC (which I found indistinguishable, but the newer versions are supposed to have more cut). However, this was on (hard) GM clear.



Some of those who have expressed reservations about Optimum have polished more cars than I ever will, so I am certainly not challenging their observations/conclusions.
 
Wow... I was just looking at a polish chart and my memory was jogged--I have some 3M polishes I've never even used. What do you guys think of FINESSE-IT II MACHINE POLISH? It's reported to have a similar cut to the IP... I have it anyway, so I guess I ought to use it up...



I also have PERFECT-IT SWIRL MARK REMOVER LIGHT CARS... the only light car is my top priority though and I'd probably rather use my Menzerna on it... Hmm... maybe I'll try the 3M on everything but the BMWs... And pick up some finishing glaze if thats what is meant to be equal to 106ff... Only spend $10 and not have to worry about new products for a year or two.
 
If you want the performance and cutting abilities of SIP/106ff I would say it is a no-brainer... go with the SYSTEM ONE X3 polish and a combo pad. With wool it easily cuts as much (more in my experience) as SIP and with the foam side of the pad it finishes as good as 106ff. One bottle of polish and one pad. Doesn't get any more economical than that!
 
Whoa... now I'm confused.. Is it Wolfgang or Blackfire? I'd love to spend $10 on it, but may hold off at $26...
 
Setec Astronomy said:
Shoot, with all those cars, what do you need a woman for? Oh wait...I remember! :o :LOLOL
Click to expand...



LOL, Setec, you almost made me fall off my chair with that one. :) We must be getting old, cause I was thinking the same thing. :D
 
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