Lake Country 4" VC pads

I

imported_Aurora40

New member
Well, I got my orange, white and grey 4" pads in for my Cyclo today. On initial reaction, I'm not as excited as I was before I got them.



They seem nicer than the Cyclo ones, but don't seem super nice. They have sharp cut edges instead of being rounded over, the white pads have the "dish" offcenter a little, not a lot, but I noticed it right off. The white pads are really pretty firm and take a sec to bounce back after you smish them. They seem much firmer than Meg's polishing pads. The orange pads are firm as heck. Maybe they work better than a regular cutting pad, but they sure feel like a regular cutting pad. I thought maybe they'd be a little squishy but very dense or something. And with the VC shape, it seems like the edges would dig in pretty hard in order for the middle of the pad to touch the paint. The grey ones are nice enough.



I guess my Meg's pads feel more "machined" than these LC pads do. The Meg's have nicely rounded edges, not sharp edges. The LC pads even have some "fuzz" on the edges from cutting. I guess when I hold the LC pad, I feel like I could probably have cut the pad out from a block if I were careful. My Meg's pads feel like I'd need some kind of machine and some skills. The LC pads also don't come in any kind of bag, so I'll definitely have to wash them first.



I dunno, I'm sure they will work fine, but I'm not initially all that impressed. :nixweiss Perhaps using them will change my tune. :xyxthumbs
 
Aurora,



Sounds like you are comparing these to the larger Megs pads? Or did I miss that they make them now in 4" also?



My 4" LC came in a pack of 6 in a plastic bag directly from LC
 
Yes, the larger pads. The 6.5" Megs pads and that PC pad (and the cyclo pads) are the only pads I've ever used. Maybe the larger VC Lake Country pads are nicer? I can see maybe on a 4" pad that you wouldn't want to round the edge too much, but just a tad would be nice.



Mine just came in a paper bag (which is nice that Autogeek does that instead of just tossing the peanuts around the actual product).
 
FYI I got my 4" pads from CMA:



http://www.properautocare.com/4inspotreppa.html



I have assumed they were made by LC (not sure though), but they did come in a sealed plastic bag with "Made in USA" on them.



They are VC pads but the white one isn't stiff like you described, but the orange one is (as I expected from using a 6.5" orange LC pad). They have white velcro that covers the entire back of the pad, the pocket seems centered and they appear well made. The edges are sharp (not rounded) as you described. They do sell for more than the ones at Autogeek so I'm not sure if they're the same pads or not.



BTW, I don't have a Cyclo, I bought these for spot work with the PC.
 
Aurora,



I've been looking and looking and never did see the 4" pads on Autogeek :nixweiss. Mine are VC pads, pretty much exact minatures of their 6 to 6.5" counterparts for the PC/rotary



Eliot Ness,



Yep, i think I have a few of those, and I got them at the time for spot use via PC also. I have a backing plate for the rotary to use them with too
 
Interesting, and a bit off-putting. I'm not a big fan of the VC pads, I prefer them to be more "flat". Hmm...so far I'm gonna keep waiting for more info (and news of the Sonus pads), and just stick with my Cyclo brand pads in the meantime. Truth is, much as I'd like some "nicer" pads, I've never had any problems with the Cyclo ones.
 
Accumulator,



Same here, maybe the Sonus will be even better for me :nixweiss



I will also try those orange Cyclo pads Anthony Orosco mentions
 
Yes, TOL sells the cyclo orange pad. They weren't listed on the site a few weeks ago, but they have them. Ask for Irene.



Autogeek is selling the VC pads for $4.95. What makes them worth almost twice the price as the cyclo pads?
 
Well, to say "twice the price" I dunno. I doubt there are too many products where one is twice as nice as another. But in reality, neither pad is a lot of money. So if it's nicer and I like it more, that's worth an extra $5 even if that's double the price. :wavey
 
Aurora40 said:
Yeah, true. That's kind of how I feel too. But didn't want to discourage anyone from getting them when I haven't even tried them yet.



Hey, I was noticing TOL sells the Cyclo pads, but they list the orange one also. Is this the new Cyclo orange pad? I thoughth it wasn't out yet: http://www.topoftheline.com/porcabfoampa.html
Click to expand...



Not sure who makes it, but my fiance ordered my cyclo with 12 green pads and 12 orange ones from TOL. The orange pads look different from the green pads. The velcro is all the way to the edge and is black in color. The green pads have blue velcro and it does not go all the way to the edge. There is also a bit of orange adhesive left on the outer edges of the green pads.



The orange pads are the hardest pads that I have ever seen. They make the Meguiars red cutting pad feel like silk. I haven't tried them yet, but plan on doing so this weekend.
 
ebpcivicsi said:
The orange pads are the hardest pads that I have ever seen. They make the Meguiars red cutting pad feel like silk. I haven't tried them yet, but plan on doing so this weekend.
Click to expand...





I would be very careful with those. I have the red Megs pad and I find it to be very aggressive. If the orange ones are as hard as you say than:scared
 
Ok, so update. I have used the white polishing pads today.



I used some Pinnacle Advances Swirl Remover on a few spots on teh Regal. One was where some jerk clearly set and dragged something across the trunk. Most likely at her workplace, which is all the more crummy given that they have assigned parking spots. Then I went over the car with AIO and a white pad and eventually a green pad.



Anyway, I have to say, I think these pads are not made for the Cyclo. The foam is very nice, they seem to soak up less product than the Cyclo green pad, and they have a decent feel to them.



But they make the Cyclo wobble around like a PC. I suspect it's due to the non-flat face. The machine was definitely harder to control, enough that I wouldn't feel comfortable one-handing it. But not really as wobbly as the PC. I eventually switched to the green Cyclo pads with the same product just to see, and sure enough it was smooth as silk again. The fact that the Cyclo pads are thinner might also help.



I really think the convex shape is a bad idea when used on the Cyclo. For one, it's a fairly deep dish on a fairly small pad, so the edges really have to smush. The white pad is decently smushy, but I can only imagine what the orange pad would be like. It wouldn't surprise me if the center never touched. And for two, I really think that's why it was more wobbly.



I like the foam of these pads, they are nice. But I'd like the pad itself if it were flat. I'll keep using them, but I'll also be keeping an eye out for a replacement... ;)
 
Aurora40- Thanks again, I'm glad you posted this. FWIW, I keep coming back to just using the Cyclo brand pads. They're not pretty, and the velcro slubs can be a hassle, but I honestly can't think of any time I've had a real *problem* that I'd attribute to those pads.
 
I understand LC does make flat 4" pads. The issues you described that we both now have weren't detrimental for me :nixweiss
 
Hey Bill, do you mean it didn't make yours wobble more? Or just that it didn't bother you? Bufferman said they make 4" flats, but I couldn't find them on their website, and definitely haven't found them for sale anywhere. :nixweiss



Accum, I haven't had any problems with the Cyclo ones either. They really aren't so bad. They seem to clean up well and wear fine too, at least so far.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top