Certainly. I completely agree with your post.
I saw that the thread starter is new around here, and could be new to detailing. When someone in the general public says "That'll buff right out" they aren't talking about enhancing shine, they're talking about removing a scratch, scuff, etc...
So that's what I took his question to mean.
I apply LSPs by hand, and the rest by machine. To remove the excess product, I grab a MF towel and do it by hand. Everything after application is done by hand.