I've officially put my mind in a blender looking at all the pad choices. I've put about a dozen different pads in my cart only to change my mind on which ones I need.
I have an alpine white BMW, Sonax PF, and a Harbor Freight DA.
What pads should I use?
I get wanting to keep it simple, I type this a lot on this forum and say it all the time.
KISS = Keep it Simple Simon
Don't turn something that should be easy into Rocket Science.
I believe the HF polisher comes with a
6" backing plate? If so, just be sure to get 6" or 6"5 pads. These tend to be fairly large pads for the HF polisher to maintain pad rotation, so be sure to mark the sides of your pads to make it EASY for your EYES to monitor pad rotation.
If the pad ain't rotating you ain't doing anything but wasting time.
This how-to article has more information in it that a year's worth of reading on any other social media platform.
How to use the Harbor Freight Polisher to remove swirls and scratches
Has links to 5" backing plates. I'm not going to tell you how to spend your money but one thing I tell everyone that buys any free spinning random orbital polisher, (an brand), and that's what the HF polisher is - is to START OUT by swaping to a 5" backing plate so you then INVEST your pad dollars in SMALLER pads instead of building up a supply of huge pads.
That said, I'll make a pad recommendation for 6" backing plates below.
I don't want all that crap in my garage though, that's way too many options. Trying to keep it simple and not going for perfect correction, it's my daily driver and I just want it to look clean and glossy. Just by polishing it once and washing it a few times a month it it's going to look better than 95% of the cars on the road.
You have thought this through and came to a wise decision and process. You could make it even simpler by using a great one-step product instead of using a 2-step approach.
I’ll make this as simple as possible for you after reading all of this thread. Get some LC Hydro Tech Tangerine pads. They will cut and finish great for you.
Single 5 1/2 x 7/8 Inch Hydro-Tech Tangerine Ultra Polishing Foam Pad
I agree with everything you wrote Jim but my experience is closed-cell phone pads have less tensile strength and thus tear easier and thus don't last as long. This is why I never use them anymore. I remember when they first came out and I like them because they were thin and cool looking. But in my experience, they simply don't last as long as an open cell pad.
Here's an article I wrote when Lake Country first introduced their Hydro-Tech pads. Hydro meaning WATER and the implication has been, or is that because they are closed cell they will not load up with liquids as fast as an open cell style of phone and while this may be true - it's irrelevant because they will still fill up with liquid. Just use the same pad on an entire hood and then feel it and you'll feel or see that the liquid in the compound, polish or cleaner/wax you're using will have penetrated INTO the foam regardless of the tiny little membranes sealing the cell wall structure of the foam.
BUT NOW - because they are closed-cell, it will me a lot more difficult to get the liquid junk out of them. A double edged sword.
I actually cover this in my how-to book,k,
The Complete Guide to a Show Car Shine on page 72 and 73
The Complete Guide to a Show Car Shine said:
Elasticity - Tensile Strength
Elasticity is another way of referring to the tensile strength of foam.
Tensile strength is a measurement of how far foam will stretch before it will tear.
Open cell foam pads tend to have higher tensile straights than closed cell foam.
Example: Hydro-Tech pads (closed cell foam), have lower tensile strength and will tear and wear more easily than Lake Country CCS pads and/or Lake Country flat face foam pads, both of which are open cell foam.
Do they work great! You bet.
Do they last as long as an open cell pad in the same circumstances? No, at least not in my experience.
Remember, whenever we're all using orbital polishers of any type, at HIGH SPEED the action from the tool to the pad is a VIOLENT action - it will wear pads and even backing plates out over time.