There are several of us who are in the bay area. Years ago .... we met up and actually had a mini detail fest. We all brought our own tools and products to work on a project car. Everyone gets to try out the many different tools, pads, and liquids. It was lots of fun.
It would be great if we can do that again someday...
BTW... I feel your pain on soft german paint. I had a jet black 3 series that was that way. Out of that experience, I since have various dedicated polish removal, final wipe, and coating removal towels. I also want to say that some finicky paint systems simply dont like certain actions of the polishers. I ran in to situations where I couldn't finish down with a long stroke or a gear driven DA and had to use a rotary to do it.