Help School Me On Pads

L&I Detailing

L&I Detailing

New member
So as ive begun taking my detailing to the next level and from reading on here as well as other places ive seen it not only comes down to the products and buffers used but a lot has to do with the pads you choose as well.

Working predominately on boats pad choice isnt as much of necessity I feel so ive always really just used a variety of wool pads and recently have begun using 3m waffle pads. But as the boats become more expensive so do the owners cars that they want done as well and would like to up my pad game. I have used meguiars pads and they work well but i feel there is still room for improvement and see a lot of guys on here using lake country and microfiber pads.

So if anyone could give some insight on how to choose the proper pads I would greatly appreciate it. I know its a broad question but any help would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Austin
 
L&I Detailing said:
So as ive begun taking my detailing to the next level and from reading on here as well as other places ive seen it not only comes down to the products and buffers used but a lot has to do with the pads you choose as well.

Working predominately on boats pad choice isnt as much of necessity I feel so ive always really just used a variety of wool pads and recently have begun using 3m waffle pads. But as the boats become more expensive so do the owners cars that they want done as well and would like to up my pad game. I have used meguiars pads and they work well but i feel there is still room for improvement and see a lot of guys on here using lake country and microfiber pads.

So if anyone could give some insight on how to choose the proper pads I would greatly appreciate it. I know its a broad question but any help would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Austin
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On pads you want a cutting, polishing and finishing pad. Depending on how aggressive you want to go will determine which you use.With a cutting pad and heavy cut polish or compound you can correct marring pretty well. Then you could follow that up with the polish pad with a light cut polish.

I like the lake country pads the most, very well made and durable.
 
L&I Detailing said:
So as ive begun taking my detailing to the next level and from reading on here as well as other places ive seen it not only comes down to the products and buffers used but a lot has to do with the pads you choose as well.

Working predominately on boats pad choice isnt as much of necessity I feel so ive always really just used a variety of wool pads and recently have begun using 3m waffle pads. But as the boats become more expensive so do the owners cars that they want done as well and would like to up my pad game. I have used meguiars pads and they work well but i feel there is still room for improvement and see a lot of guys on here using lake country and microfiber pads.

So if anyone could give some insight on how to choose the proper pads I would greatly appreciate it. I know its a broad question but any help would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Austin
Click to expand...

The first thing to consider is what type of machine you are using. If you are using a rotary polisher then you want to stay away from microfiber pads as the benefits they offer are primarily directed at DA polishers.

Lake Country offers a large selection of foam types and pad types to suite your needs. It really comes down to personal preference. Here is a link to a thread that shows the cutting power of the different Lake Country pad types.

http://www.autopiaforums.com/forums...e-country-all-wool-foam-comparison-chart.html

For rotary use I like using the 6.5 inch CCS Lake Country pads for foam.

For moderate cutting power I like the Orange Pads.

For polishing/swirl removal I like using the White pads.

And for final polishing I like the Gray pads.

For a DA polisher I like using the hydro tech 5.5 inch Low-Profile pads.

For cutting I like the Cyan.

For polishing I love the Tangerine.

And for finishing I prefer the Crimson.
 
For boats .....on a flex rotary, I use a hybrid wool pad to remove the oxidation, a meiguires purple foam pad to polish and an orbital with green or white pad to spread sealant or wax.
 
Thanks everyone for the input! Will probably place an order soon with a variety of pads to test out and see for myself just how well they work.
 
Todd Helme said:
For a DA polisher I like using the hydro tech 5.5 inch Low-Profile pads.


For cutting I like the Cyan.

For polishing I love the Tangerine.

And for finishing I prefer the Crimson.
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Hey Todd, I'm looking into these hydro pads for finishing with my PC DA polisher. I would be following up after using a white pad with my rotary. Would the Tangerine finish well, or would you recommend only using the crimson? I would most likely be using it with Menzerna Super Finish 4000.

Thanks!
 
are you going to the poorboy's bbq / detailing weekend in nyack on 7/7?

I'm planning on going. went last year and it was fun for a day off. I know you're not too far away either.

I've got a variety of pads and I'd let you play around with whatever you like. CCS, flat, hydrotech, megs mf cutting / finishing
 
Refined AD said:
Hey Todd, I'm looking into these hydro pads for finishing with my PC DA polisher. I would be following up after using a white pad with my rotary. Would the Tangerine finish well, or would you recommend only using the crimson? I would most likely be using it with Menzerna Super Finish 4000.

Thanks!
Click to expand...

If you are finishing with the rotary I would go with a gray finishing pad.

If you are finishing with a DA then I would go with the crimson pad.

The reason is that the tangerine and white are close in cutting power, and while the tangerine does finish slightly better then the white pad, it is very redunant. I always like to use the finest pad I can when finishing, not only to remove the minimal amount of material necessary, but also to give me the best chance at a high-gloss finish.
 
Todd Helme said:
If you are finishing with the rotary I would go with a gray finishing pad.

If you are finishing with a DA then I would go with the crimson pad.

The reason is that the tangerine and white are close in cutting power, and while the tangerine does finish slightly better then the white pad, it is very redunant. I always like to use the finest pad I can when finishing, not only to remove the minimal amount of material necessary, but also to give me the best chance at a high-gloss finish.
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Thanks. Got some in the mail, can't wait to see how they work!
 
Gurge said:
are you going to the poorboy's bbq / detailing weekend in nyack on 7/7?

I'm planning on going. went last year and it was fun for a day off. I know you're not too far away either.

I've got a variety of pads and I'd let you play around with whatever you like. CCS, flat, hydrotech, megs mf cutting / finishing
Click to expand...

I didnt know about that, ill have to look into it and make the trip and check it out for myself. Ill keep you posted!
 
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