There are a couple of things that seemed to make Reflect work amazing for me... all of this came from the instructions Corey gave me after I expressed frustration to him about using the polish.
Initially I was having issues with Reflect leaving marring, sometimes even on harder paints. This was very annoying to me, and I let my ego get the best of me so I just brushed it off as a "product issue" not a technique issue.
I explained to Corey that I was priming my pad, then using 2-3 pea size drops of product just like I do with most other polishes. I was also using it with a finishing pad - often a black LC flat pad.
After some discussion, it was explained to me that Reflect is unique in that
very little product is required, and a firmer pad (note firmer, not necessarily more aggressive) is often preferred as it helps to break down the abrasives quicker.
I then proceeded to test a section with the following technique... I did not prime the pad, but instead used 4-5 very small drops of product spaced around the outer face of a yellow Rupes fine pad. I then worked the product for two passes on speed 4 with some pressure on my Rupes LHR21. I finished with one pass (you can do 2 if needed) at speed 2.5-3 with no pressure. After these 3 passes, the product had almost disappeared on the surface, and I was left with a perfect finish! I then proceeded to another section and this time just used 3 small drops of product (don't need as much after the first section or two) and used the same technique and again got perfect results.
I have continued using this method with incredible results. The finish is just awesome... noticeably better than other polishes on certain paints.
This photo shows how Reflect really amped up the color and clarity in this paint. The right side is after heavy cutting... the finish is still pretty darn good, and unless I had showed you this 50/50 you'd probably think it was about LSP ready. The left side was polished with Reflect using the same process mentioned above.
So, key points for using Reflect being:
- Use Very Little Product
- Use a 'Firmer' Finishing Pad
- Use a longer throw DA if available
- Start with moderate pressure and slightly faster machine speed
- Finish with no pressure and slower machine speed
- Wipe away effortlessly
- Smile
** It is probably worth noting that I only use Reflect as a fine polish after compounding. I have never attempted to use it as a one-step, though I know many people have done so with great results. I am not sure if this process will allow for maximum defect removal needed in a one-step so you may have to alter the process in that situation**
