- Thread starter
- #21
I would have just kept using the GG6, it worked pretty good. However the excessive vibrations from the tool are what made me upgrade.
Part time detailer...need advice/help
- Thread starter Craig_K
- Start date
I would have just kept using the GG6, it worked pretty good. However the excessive vibrations from the tool are what made me upgrade.
WRAPT C5Z06
New member
- Nov 12, 2009
- 12,615
- 0
BTW, I wouldn't recommend using MF pads with the 3401. Foam and lambswool pads work best. Leave MF for the free spinning DA's.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
- Thread starter
- #23
That seems to be the general rule of thumb from what I have been reading. The forced rotation machines seem to like the foam or "foamed wool" pads better.
Calendyr
New member
- Jun 9, 2013
- 3,996
- 0
We are in a similar situation you an I.
I work a part time job here in Canada and detail on my days off. During the winter time I work full time and during the warmer months I ask my employer to cut my schedule to 3 days a week instead of 5.
So like you, I started with a tool that vibrates a lot. in my case it was the Meguiar's G110 polisher. I switched to a Rupes Bigfoot 21 and replaced the backplate with the 5 inch one so I could keep using my 5.5 inch pads from Buff and Shine.
Unfortunatelly the backplate from Rupes and the B&S pads don't like each other and the machine tries to throw the pads off the backplate as often as it can. So after some research on the forum people suggested I use either Rupes pads or Lake Country Pro pads for the Rupes. I went with the LC pads and stopped having issues with pads flying off.
Now. If you want to increase the effectiveness of the Rupes machines, you should try Meguiar's Microfiber pads. I just did my first job with them last week and was amazed at how effective they are. It's like night and day with foam cutting pads. Using the D300 compound, I was removing scratches in 2 or 3 passes that normally I would have to wet sand to remove because the foam pads+M105 would not do anything to them. The cutting power is just amazing. Also, it finishes really well. You could skip the polishing step if you wanted. I could not see any noticable haze on the pannel after doing the paint correction. It still polished the pannel but it almost felt like a waste of time
I have not tried the Rupes system. I have read good things about it, but I can't imagine it being as good as the Meg's MF pads, at least for compounds. Maybe for polishing it is better. I have not purchased Meg's Microfiber polishing pads, so I cannot compare them to the foam pads I am using, but since microfiber pads are a lot more agressive, in my mind Foam is better as a polishing pad unless maybe you are doing an AIO like speed or Meg's PRC and your main goal is to remove damage.
I work a part time job here in Canada and detail on my days off. During the winter time I work full time and during the warmer months I ask my employer to cut my schedule to 3 days a week instead of 5.
So like you, I started with a tool that vibrates a lot. in my case it was the Meguiar's G110 polisher. I switched to a Rupes Bigfoot 21 and replaced the backplate with the 5 inch one so I could keep using my 5.5 inch pads from Buff and Shine.
Unfortunatelly the backplate from Rupes and the B&S pads don't like each other and the machine tries to throw the pads off the backplate as often as it can. So after some research on the forum people suggested I use either Rupes pads or Lake Country Pro pads for the Rupes. I went with the LC pads and stopped having issues with pads flying off.
Now. If you want to increase the effectiveness of the Rupes machines, you should try Meguiar's Microfiber pads. I just did my first job with them last week and was amazed at how effective they are. It's like night and day with foam cutting pads. Using the D300 compound, I was removing scratches in 2 or 3 passes that normally I would have to wet sand to remove because the foam pads+M105 would not do anything to them. The cutting power is just amazing. Also, it finishes really well. You could skip the polishing step if you wanted. I could not see any noticable haze on the pannel after doing the paint correction. It still polished the pannel but it almost felt like a waste of time
I have not tried the Rupes system. I have read good things about it, but I can't imagine it being as good as the Meg's MF pads, at least for compounds. Maybe for polishing it is better. I have not purchased Meg's Microfiber polishing pads, so I cannot compare them to the foam pads I am using, but since microfiber pads are a lot more agressive, in my mind Foam is better as a polishing pad unless maybe you are doing an AIO like speed or Meg's PRC and your main goal is to remove damage.
- Thread starter
- #25
We are in a similar situation you an I.
I work a part time job here in Canada and detail on my days off. During the winter time I work full time and during the warmer months I ask my employer to cut my schedule to 3 days a week instead of 5.
So like you, I started with a tool that vibrates a lot. in my case it was the Meguiar's G110 polisher. I switched to a Rupes Bigfoot 21 and replaced the backplate with the 5 inch one so I could keep using my 5.5 inch pads from Buff and Shine.
Unfortunatelly the backplate from Rupes and the B&S pads don't like each other and the machine tries to throw the pads off the backplate as often as it can. So after some research on the forum people suggested I use either Rupes pads or Lake Country Pro pads for the Rupes. I went with the LC pads and stopped having issues with pads flying off.
Now. If you want to increase the effectiveness of the Rupes machines, you should try Meguiar's Microfiber pads. I just did my first job with them last week and was amazed at how effective they are. It's like night and day with foam cutting pads. Using the D300 compound, I was removing scratches in 2 or 3 passes that normally I would have to wet sand to remove because the foam pads+M105 would not do anything to them. The cutting power is just amazing. Also, it finishes really well. You could skip the polishing step if you wanted. I could not see any noticable haze on the pannel after doing the paint correction. It still polished the pannel but it almost felt like a waste of time
I have not tried the Rupes system. I have read good things about it, but I can't imagine it being as good as the Meg's MF pads, at least for compounds. Maybe for polishing it is better. I have not purchased Meg's Microfiber polishing pads, so I cannot compare them to the foam pads I am using, but since microfiber pads are a lot more agressive, in my mind Foam is better as a polishing pad unless maybe you are doing an AIO like speed or Meg's PRC and your main goal is to remove damage.
Thank you for the reply! I think I need to try the Meguiars MF system
Mike Phillips
Active member
- Dec 5, 2022
- 51,004
- 7
Just to chime in....
A few months ago I wrote an article on the topic brought up by Craig.
I like this article not for the information in it but because it documents that I, that is me personally, am consistent with my answers to this very very common questions about buying the RUPES polisher or ANY polisher that is part of a "system"
Here's the first post in this thread,
Great question Craig and I get asked this question so often on the forum, via e-mail and on Facebook that I wrote an article to answer the questions.
FLEX 3401 or RUPES? - A question I get asked a lot! -Mike Phillips
If I want to get a car buffed out as fast as I possibly can and still maintain pro-grade results without holograms then I use the FLEX 3401
A few months ago I wrote an article on the topic brought up by Craig.
I like this article not for the information in it but because it documents that I, that is me personally, am consistent with my answers to this very very common questions about buying the RUPES polisher or ANY polisher that is part of a "system"
Here's the first post in this thread,
Great question Craig and I get asked this question so often on the forum, via e-mail and on Facebook that I wrote an article to answer the questions.
FLEX 3401 or RUPES? - A question I get asked a lot! -Mike Phillips
If I want to get a car buffed out as fast as I possibly can and still maintain pro-grade results without holograms then I use the FLEX 3401