Narrowed my Polish search help me decide please

B

Buddha92SLC

New member
I've done my research using the search engine and I am starting to go crazy making a decision. I've used Meguiars in the past, and liked it a lot. They have now come out with 105/205 and I have yet to use those products. If it makes a difference... these polishes will be used primarily on my garage queen only. It is a dark burgundy pearl paint that is about 1.5yrs old medium clearcoat hardness.



I'm planning on buying a complete set of polishes:



Heavy cut

Medium cut

Fine cut

Polish

Glaze (no cut filling only)



I've narrowed to the following brands but my brain is on overload.



Meguiars

Optimum

Poorboy's World

Chemical Guys



Please list what brands of these polishes you have used and if you like them or not. Why do you like them or not? I have no experience with Optimum, Poorboy's, or Chemical Guys. I'd like to stick with one brand unless you think that a certain product is hands down better than another.



I realize that the replies will be opinionated. That is what I am looking for.



Thanks in advance,

Zac
 
I've used Meguiars 105 and 205. They're both great and deliver what they advertise. I've also used optimum which is a good price and very user friendly. Heard good things about poor boys 2.5 and there are some sales going on with all PB stuff right now.. might be worth looking at. Check out menzerna as well. this is very popular stuff, but don't go for the cheap ones. I would also consider adding an All in One polish like Optimum poli-seal, Klasse AIO, duragloss, XMT etc...
 
Two produts

Menzerna Power Finish PO 203

Menzerna Polish PO85RD

and Red Moose Glaze

then your LSP
 
I see Menzerna is not on your list. IMHO, Menzerna has several polishes that set the standard for polishes in their categories.



Heavy: M105



Medium: Menzerna Super Intnesive Polish, Menzerna Intensive Polish, M205



Light: Menzerna PO106FF, PO106FA, M205, 3M Ultrafina



Finishing Polish: Menzerna PO85RD (the finest finishing polish in the world for hard clear coats), Menzerna Final Polish II aka Micro Polish (the finest finishing polish in the world for medium and soft clear coats), Ultrafina, M205, PO106ff
 
Great post, Supe!



SuperBee364 said:
I see Menzerna is not on your list. IMHO, Menzerna has several polishes that set the standard for polishes in their categories.



Heavy: M105



Medium: Menzerna Super Intnesive Polish, Menzerna Intensive Polish, M205



Light: Menzerna PO106FF, PO106FA, M205, 3M Ultrafina



Finishing Polish: Menzerna PO85RD (the finest finishing polish in the world for hard clear coats), Menzerna Final Polish II aka Micro Polish (the finest finishing polish in the world for medium and soft clear coats), Ultrafina, M205, PO106ff
Click to expand...
 
Thanks keep em' coming. I checked out Menzerna products but they seemed a bit pricey compared to the others. It also appeared by their website that they were specifically designed for the Mercedes cermaic clearcoats. This is what steered me away.
 
I have

Poorboys SSR2.5 and SSR 1.

Meguiars 105 and 205.



I feel that either of these lineups is great and fairly easy to work with.



you cant go wrong with menzerna but they are more expensive and tend to be a bit finicky to work with

at times.
 
Buddha I would highly recommend Meg's polishes and Menzerna PO85 or FPII for finishing... Meg's #80 is a great all around polish that I've been using on every detail lately and if used properly doesn't really dust at all... M83 is a bit more aggressive and dusts a bit but is very comparable with Menzerna SIP in terms of cut, SIp has a bit better finish and dust is similar, but since you need to follow each with something finer, I'd go with M83... Their more aggressive polishes are also great, M105 and M95 (I use M95 a lot as well)... they cut very well and finish down really clean for how aggressive they are.



In short, I'd recommend picking up some new M105, M83, M80 and Menzerna po85rd... I'd get Meg's #9 or Menz 106ff/fa if using a RO instead of rotary, as I've found po85rd to really make no difference via RO.



Definitely stick with these two so your head stops spinning a bit haha
 
Buddha92SLC said:
If it makes a difference... these polishes will be used primarily on my garage queen only. It is a dark burgundy pearl paint that is about 1.5yrs old medium clearcoat hardness.



I'm planning on buying a complete set of polishes:



Heavy cut

Medium cut

Fine cut

Polish

Glaze (no cut filling only)
Click to expand...



If you are using this on a 1.5yo garaged car with good paint then you won't need the heavy and medium cut compounds. :nono:



Light polishes are all going to be pretty similar. Just get some Meg's swirlX, and use the money you save to apply more wax. :)
 
GoudyL said:
If you are using this on a 1.5yo garaged car with good paint then you won't need the heavy and medium cut compounds. :nono:



Light polishes are all going to be pretty similar. Just get some Meg's swirlX, and use the money you save to apply more wax. :)
Click to expand...



Sorry to :argue with ya, but I completely disagree with that statement. There are *huge* differences between light polishes. Some light polishes simply won't work on certain clear coats. Others work, but not as well as some. Having a selection of light polishes makes it more likely that you'll be able to match the polish to the particular car you're working on. Unfortunately, one size doesn't fit all in *any* polish category. I wish it did; I'd only have three polishes in my inventory.
 
SuperBee364 said:
Sorry to :argue with ya, but I completely disagree with that statement. There are *huge* differences between light polishes. Some light polishes simply won't work on certain clear coats. Others work, but not as well as some. Having a selection of light polishes makes it more likely that you'll be able to match the polish to the particular car you're working on. Unfortunately, one size doesn't fit all in *any* polish category. I wish it did; I'd only have three polishes in my inventory.
Click to expand...



For the OP's situation (1.5yo garaged car), I don't think he's going to find anything that is incredibly much better than SwirlX. :tumblewee



So from that perspective, they are all roughly the same. Of course polishes are different based on the combination of abrasives, lubricants, gloss agents, working ability etc.
 
Sorry to confuse gentlemen. These will be used primarily on my garage queen, however they will also be used on other autos as well. Like my truck, daily driver, girlfriends car etc. I guess I should have said that from the get go.
 
SuperBee364 said:
Sorry to :argue with ya, but I completely disagree with that statement. There are *huge* differences between light polishes. Some light polishes simply won't work on certain clear coats. Others work, but not as well as some. Having a selection of light polishes makes it more likely that you'll be able to match the polish to the particular car you're working on. Unfortunately, one size doesn't fit all in *any* polish category. I wish it did; I'd only have three polishes in my inventory.
Click to expand...



+1



In my quest to find those magic 3 polishes, I keep finding reasons to add more polishes. Some day I'll trim the fat but for now, I'll ad as I discover combinations to the 4 part puzzle: which polish on what type of paint with what pad on what machine.





Right now my big kick is finding products that work well in the sun-



And my vote is for the optimum line or poorboys as I feel they are not too fussy to work with.
 
SuperBee364 said:
There are *huge* differences between light polishes. Some light polishes simply won't work on certain clear coats.
Click to expand...



Please tell us more about the differences - which light polishes do and don't work on which clear coats?
 
ShinyChevy said:
Please tell us more about the differences - which light polishes do and don't work on which clear coats?
Click to expand...



I'll do my best... Keep in mind that I try to split light polishes into two categories: "Light" polishes and "finishing" polishes. To me, a finishing polish is one that is just barely functionally abrasive. One that is meant to do nothing more than remove the very lightest holograms and increase the gloss. Light polishes are one step above that, capable of removing some light swirling.



Some light polishes manage to finish down so well that they go cross-category and fit in the finishing category, as well.



Light polishes:



PO106FF: Very good on hard clear coats. On very soft clear coats, it can hop, jump, stick, and give yucky results. This isn't consistent; sometimes it'll work well on soft clears, sometimes it won't. 106 can be a very fussy polish sometimes, but when it works, it's easy to use, has good bite and finishes down well. Same with it's cousin PO106FA.



Optimum Polish: very good on medium and softer clears. About worthless on hard clears. OK defect removal, finishes down decently. Way too long of a working time.



1Z Hoch Glanz: Fast and easy, but *only* on hard clears. Will trash soft clears. Leaves nasty *compounding* type haze on soft clears. Has about as much correcting ability as 106FF. Works well with a PC.



3M Ultrafina: One of my favs. Works OK on hard clears, but will more than likely require two applications. Works fantastic on medium and soft clears. One of the only polishes capable of finishing out holo free with a rotary on Bentley-soft clear. Fairly decent defect removal ability, and finishes down darn near as well as a dedicated finishing polish. Very fast. Four passes and you're done. Extremely easy to use. This stuff is "Bubba Proof".



Menzerna Final Polish: Reminds me of Optimum Polish. Similar characteristics. Gotta work it a long time.



M205: With a PC, this stuff rocks. Very good correction, even on hard clears (just work it a bit longer). Finishes down to an amazing gloss *on hard clears*. On soft clears with a PC, it'll finish down well, too. But with a rotary, I can only get it to finish down well on hard clears. Very good correction ability. Some of the best I've seen in a "light" polish.



"Finishing" Polishes:



Menz PO85RD: IMO, this is the finest finishing polish on the market for use on hard clears. It can be used on softer clears sometimes, too, just don't be shocked if it doesn't perform well on soft stuff. Insanely long working time. Easy to use as long as you're using it on hard clears. Has almost zero correcting power. It'll get out light holograms, but don't expect it to do much swirl removal, unless you're working medium or soft clear.



Menz Final Polish II, aka Micro Polish: IMO, this is the very finest finishing polish on the market for use on soft clears. Very easy to use. Has no game when it comes to correction. It's just barely able to get out holograms. Another absurdly long working time polish. Work it a *long* time to get best gloss out of it. Multiple applications are required to really get the best out of it. Will finish down holo free with a rotary on even the very softest clear. Plan on packing a lunch if you really want to get the best out of FPII; you'll need multiple applications, and you'll need to work each application a long time.



Polishes that cross-over to finishing: PO106FF, PO106FA, UF, M205



Edit: Of course, this isn't meant to be a comprehensive review of all polishes out there. Just my quick opinion on some popular products. YMMV, etc.
 
GoudyL said:
For the OP's situation (1.5yo garaged car), I don't think he's going to find anything that is incredibly much better than SwirlX. :tumblewee



So from that perspective, they are all roughly the same. Of course polishes are different based on the combination of abrasives, lubricants, gloss agents, working ability etc.
Click to expand...



Honestly, I'm not trying to pick on you, but I disagree again. :)



Whether you're doing one car or a hundred, the process of chosing the very best polish for the car is the same: educated guess, and keep trying different products until you find the magic combo for that car(s). Yes, there are some polishes that work OK on a wide variety of paints (UF is a good example), but there still isn't a one size fits all. SwirlX is good, but I'd challenge your SwirlX finish with my 85RD or FPII or UF finish anytime. :)
 
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