According to Zaino "rules" you should wash the car after the polishing or paint cleaning phase.
I have used Pinnacle's Paint Cleaning Lotion prior to Zaino with no signs of bonding issues. If anything, I'm guessing it may shorten the "life" of Zaino.
A bunch of people here seem to be using Klasse AIO as a base for Zaino without washing the car. They've reported great results.
It seems the Sonus line is just repackaged stuff from other product lines. I wouldn't trust it as a base for zaino. It may(don't know for sure) have oils and fillers. I used AIO as a base for my z a couple of weeks ago. I obviously can't report any long term findings yet. But so far I haven't noticed anything bad.
I'm not a fan of MF mitts. I prefer Sheepskin mitts. From my experiences, the Mitts I've spent $10-$15 on last longer than some of the $3 specials. The way I figure it, washing the car occurs pretty much every week, so why not spend some $ on a tool you'll use often.