What Are Some of the Go-To Polish / Pad Combos?
by Eric SchusterMy go-to polish / pad combos come from a couple different manufactures. I like the Lake Country lineup of pads, both the tangerine and cyan hydrotech pads, and also the classic LC flat pads. There are times when a classic pad will work better and times when a hydrotech will outperform the others. That is why it is necessary for me to carry both lines as I never know how the paint will react in different situations.
As far as compounds and polishes go, my manufacturers range from Meguiar’s, Menzerna, and Optimum (outside use only). I have switched from the classic 83 / 80 combo to the newest 105 / 205 combo from Meguiar’s. From the Menzerna lineup, I use a bunch: Power Gloss, Super Intensive Polish, Intensive Polish, Power Finish and 85rd.
Some of the combos I start off with, based on the color of car, the level of correction desired, the end result needed, and the hardness of paint, are the following:
(most aggressive to least aggressive)
LC Purple Foam Wool pad with Meguiars 105
LC Purple Foam Wool pad with Menzerna SIP
LC orange / Hydrotech cyan with Meguiars 105
LC Orange / Hydrotech Cyan with Menzerna SIP
LC white pad / hydrotech tangerine with Menzerna SIP
LC white pad / hydrotech tangerine with Menzerna Power Finish
LC white pad / hydrotech tangerine with Meguiars 205
LC black pad with Menzerna 85rd
LC blue pad with Menzerna 85rd
Those are my personal go-to products. I have others that I can resort to based on given situations, but I use those the most. Hope that helps you to decide between the pad / product choices!
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How do you like the HT pads and have you ever used a yellow pad before?
Hey Max,
I dont use the yellow cutting pads, I would rather just use a wool pad as it runs cooler, cuts faster, and is generally smoother…with that said, i have used them in the past for oxidation removal on the PC and liked the results from that situation. I just find that the marring from the yellow pad is a bit much.
I like the HT pads a lot. They cut just as well, but finish off better! Basically, you can ALMOST eliminate a step of polishing when time is an issue. comparing orange pad and white pad to Cyan and Tangerine, the HT will give you a tad clearer finish on certain cars.
Just remember, all cars will react differently based on the surrounding conditions: severity of paint defects, humidity, repainted, etc. I have use a HT tangerine on the same car both inside and outside and it worked differently in each situation…in the sun it would stick and grab the paint more, but a white classic pad didnt, but when pulled inside the garage, the HT worked perfectly…
Hi Eric,
Woud you consider using a hydrotech tangerine pad with Menzerna Micro Polish (85rd)?
Thanks,
Jon
blast from the past!!!!
couple more regularly used options now…
D300 with MF cutting disc
surbuf with 105
How fast the technology changes is astounding!