Product Review: Grit Guard Universal Pad Washer

[Setec Astronomy]

I'm not sure if it does makes a difference or if I should even worry about it, and that is the reason I asked... But since it is recommended to keep the MFs used with sealer separated from the ones used for polishing, I figured the same rule might apply

Well, I'm pretty new here, I may have missed the threads about sealant contamination. Is there a thread I should be reading? I've been around detailing forums since 2004 and this is the first I'm hearing of it.

 

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

Well, I'm just going by what I have seen the couple times I have had to clean my pads full of sealer, they are impossible to clean well, last time I tried to clean it with citrus cleaner, XMT pad cleaner, dawn and APC+ and hot water and I was not able to remove it all from the pad... Even after all that where ever it touched the sink you could see the water sheeting and beading...

Pad cleaners are primarily for cleaning pads that are used with compounds and polishes. The reason for this is because,

anytime you're abrading the paint you're going to have two things on the face of your buffing pad,

Product Residue
Removed Paint

You need to remove this from the pad in order to work clean and maximize the buffing process as well as avoid swirls.

Most compounds and polishes are water soluble, especially if they are part of a professional body shop line, so these products will clean easily out of and off of your buffing pad in any pad wash with a quality pad cleaning chemical.

Waxes and paint sealants by their very nature are NOT water soluble, think about it... if a wax or paint sealant was water soluble, it would wash off in the rain or during a car wash, then you would be unhappy and even angry with the product.

So the fact that a wax or paint sealant is DIFFICULT to wash out of and off of ANYTHING is a GOOD SIGN... be happy...

Most people that are trying to get built-up wax and sealant out of the inside of their buffing pad are using too much wax or paint sealant... depends upon the product and application... it would be normal to have a cleaner/wax build up because if you're working on a neglected surface you should be using the product heavy or wet, thus a build-up.

But a finishing wax being used over a pre-cleaned and polished surface should not be building up because you're not using that much... so maybe take a look at your process.

Well, I'm pretty new here, I may have missed the threads about sealant contamination. Is there a thread I should be reading? I've been around detailing forums since 2004 and this is the first I'm hearing of it.

It's not sealant contamination, it's wax or sealant contamination, anything that isn't water soluble if it gets into your pad cleaning solution is going make an icky mess... I don't use pad cleaners for cleaning pads used with waxes and paint sealants, just compounds and polishes.

After a day of buffing, it's a good idea to clean your pad wash it THAT DAY as the water will get very skunky smelling and the residue removed from the pads will compact inside the bucket and be harder to clean out.

When cleaned on a daily basis it's a spray rinse and you're done, then you can add fresh water and cleaning solution and be ready to go the next day.

 

[Dubbin1]

Most compounds and polishes are water soluble, especially if they are part of a professional body shop line, so these products will clean easily out of and off of your buffing pad in any pad wash with a quality pad cleaning chemical.

Waxes and paint sealants by their very nature are NOT water soluble, think about it... if a wax or paint sealant was water soluble, it would wash off in the rain or during a car wash, then you would be unhappy and even angry with the product.

That all may be true if you're using just water in the bucket but if you're adding a pad cleaner then it should be breaking up the wax, sealant and compounds.

 

[Shane731]

Give me the results of the orange pad and 2.5 Remember I am looking for the results you get when using the pad AFTER it has been cleaned in the pad washer and completely dry.

OK, got the chance to compare - I used a pad that had been washed in the pad washer and was dry on the trunk lid and half the roof, and a brand new pad (never used) on the other half of the roof. Here's the interesting part - using SSR 2.5 with the pad that had been cleaned in the pad washer produced significantly/noticeably less dust than SSR 2.5 with the brand new pad, even after doing the whole trunk lid and half the roof! The brand new pad was dusting like crazy after just half the roof. Which is really weird, as I was halfway expecting the complete opposite to occur. I did clean the used pad on the fly once or twice. With the new pad, you could just see the dust flying with each section pass. I can't explain it - my only thought is perhaps the softness of the used pad versus the stiffness of the new pad had something to do with it? I don't know, but there you have it.

 

[ROMEO]

OK, got the chance to compare - I used a pad that had been washed in the pad washer and was dry on the trunk lid and half the roof, and a brand new pad (never used) on the other half of the roof. Here's the interesting part - using SSR 2.5 with the pad that had been cleaned in the pad washer produced significantly/noticeably less dust than SSR 2.5 with the brand new pad, even after doing the whole trunk lid and half the roof! The brand new pad was dusting like crazy after just half the roof. Which is really weird, as I was halfway expecting the complete opposite to occur. I did clean the used pad on the fly once or twice. With the new pad, you could just see the dust flying with each section pass. I can't explain it - my only thought is perhaps the softness of the used pad versus the stiffness of the new pad had something to do with it? I don't know, but there you have it.

Is it possible that the dust you were seen was from the pad it self and no from the product you were using?

That is just a guess, I think I have seen a couple of treads here saying that you can get dust from bran new pads.

 

[Dubbin1]

Thanks Shane, I am now interested even more in the washer.

 

[Shane731]

Is it possible that the dust you were seen was from the pad it self and no from the product you were using?

That is just a guess, I think I have seen a couple of treads here saying that you can get dust from bran new pads.

I don't think so - I've used brand new pads with low dusting products as well (think M205, Wolfgang Finishing Glaze) and haven't had the dusting problem. From what I've heard, SSR 2.5 is a high dusting product the way it is (think M105), and usually starts dusting pretty quickly right off the bat. M105 will start dusting pretty quickly as well, although I haven't used it yet in conjunction with a pad that has been cleaned with the pad washer. Hey, if the pad washer helps me keep dusting down, I'm tickled pink. :xyxthumbs:

 

[ROMEO]

I don't think so - I've used brand new pads with low dusting products as well (think M205, Wolfgang Finishing Glaze) and haven't had the dusting problem. From what I've heard, SSR 2.5 is a high dusting product the way it is (think M105), and usually starts dusting pretty quickly right off the bat. M105 will start dusting pretty quickly as well, although I haven't used it yet in conjunction with a pad that has been cleaned with the pad washer. Hey, if the pad washer helps me keep dusting down, I'm tickled pink. :xyxthumbs:

Like I said, it was something that crossed my mind and I figure I would mention it... I was not doubting you at all... :dblthumb2:


And I'm glad to heard your results as I just ordered a grit guard... Im the MAN

 

[Shane731]

And I'm glad to heard your results as I just ordered a grit guard... Im the MAN

Are you referring to a grit guard for your wash/rinse bucket or the pad washer?

 

[ROMEO]

Are you referring to a grit guard for your wash/rinse bucket or the pad washer?

Sorry, I got the Grit Guard Universal Pad Washer...

 

[Shane731]

Sorry, I got the Grit Guard Universal Pad Washer...

Sweet! You'll like it. Word of advice - spritz your pad with the PRS, then only "dunk it" in the water once or twice to prime it - to clean it, just move it around on the small insert, don't keep dunking it in the water. I did, and figured out that that was why I was making a mess. The water and pad cleaning solution is just there for priming - let the grit guard and the insert do the cleaning for you.

 

[ROMEO]

Sweet! You'll like it. Word of advice - spritz your pad with the PRS, then only "dunk it" in the water once or twice to prime it - to clean it, just move it around on the small insert, don't keep dunking it in the water. I did, and figured out that that was why I was making a mess. The water and pad cleaning solution is just there for priming - let the grit guard and the insert do the cleaning for you.

I will make sure to do that... :dblthumb2:

 

[superd]

I was under the impression the pad washer could be used on the fly. I've never used one and thought I remembered seeing a video done by Mike Phillips where he indicated the primary benefit of the pad washer is that you could wash the pad and it could immediately be put back to use. I looked for the video and couldn't find it on the site, is this wrong info? I would like to purchase one, but the main reason was so I could do more "on the fly" cleaning without having to change pads.

Can a pad be put back into use immediately after cleaning in the pad washer? Y or N

Feed back please :doh:

 

[Dubbin1]

I was under the impression the pad washer could be used on the fly. I've never used one and thought I remembered seeing a video done by Mike Phillips where he indicated the primary benefit of the pad washer is that you could wash the pad and it could immediately be put back to use. I looked for the video and couldn't find it on the site, is this wrong info? I would like to purchase one, but the main reason was so I could do more "on the fly" cleaning without having to change pads.

Can a pad be put back into use immediately after cleaning in the pad washer? Y or N

Feed back please :doh:

I say no, the water left in the pad really needs to dry out first.

 

[Shane731]

I was under the impression the pad washer could be used on the fly. I've never used one and thought I remembered seeing a video done by Mike Phillips where he indicated the primary benefit of the pad washer is that you could wash the pad and it could immediately be put back to use. I looked for the video and couldn't find it on the site, is this wrong info? I would like to purchase one, but the main reason was so I could do more "on the fly" cleaning without having to change pads.

Can a pad be put back into use immediately after cleaning in the pad washer? Y or N

Feed back please :doh:

No - it's just too damp to use right away. However, if you just prime the pad once or twice (max), use the grit guard insert to clean the pads (don't keep dunking the pad back in the water), and then let it spin dry (I put it on speed 6 to spin dry), it'll only be damp, and should be ready to go again within a relatively short amount of time.

 

[Setec Astronomy]

Since I only have a small amount of time left to get this on VIP...I'm thinking, all the pad cleaning products say you need to rinse them out with water. But with this device, whether you use some Snappy etc. in the bucket, or spray some sort of cleaner on the face of the pad, you're never doing a fresh water rinse, you either have Snappy in the pad or the spray cleaner diluted by the fresh water in the bucket.

That may be fine for some applications, but surely for critical ones you'd want to rinse the pad under running water, which would mean a much more involved process--thoughts?

 

[Dubbin1]

Since I only have a small amount of time left to get this on VIP...I'm thinking, all the pad cleaning products say you need to rinse them out with water. But with this device, whether you use some Snappy etc. in the bucket, or spray some sort of cleaner on the face of the pad, you're never doing a fresh water rinse, you either have Snappy in the pad or the spray cleaner diluted by the fresh water in the bucket.

That may be fine for some applications, but surely for critical ones you'd want to rinse the pad under running water, which would mean a much more involved process--thoughts?

:iagree:
Since I have plenty of pads and will never run out on a detail I decided to try letting the pads soak in snappy clean for a couple of days. That's even less work then the pad washer Today is day 2 of that soaking and they are looking great. I'll give them a quick rinse in fresh water and be done.

 

[Setec Astronomy]

Thank you Dubbin, you just saved me from buying the thing (and of course the other stuff I would have bought that I don't need), especially since I stocked up on the DP pad cleaner powder when it was on BOGO a few weeks ago.

 

[davey g-force]

Great review Shane! Thanks for taking the time to do this...

 

[Junkman2008]

Sweet! You'll like it. Word of advice - spritz your pad with the PRS, then only "dunk it" in the water once or twice to prime it - to clean it, just move it around on the small insert, don't keep dunking it in the water. I did, and figured out that that was why I was making a mess. The water and pad cleaning solution is just there for priming - let the grit guard and the insert do the cleaning for you.

Another very important thing about the process of cleaning your pads is that you do not want to turn your polisher up more than 1/5th the maximum speed the polisher. Following this rule will leave you dry when cleaning your pads, as you can see in my videos on the first page of this thread. Also, I rinse my pads in a separate bucket once I'm done in order to remove any remaining soap in the pads.

In order to speed up the drying of the pads, I stick them in a washing machine with the face of the pads facing outward and use the last spin cycle of the wash to force excess water out of the pads. This speeds up the drying time significantly.

Since I have plenty of pads and will never run out on a detail I decided to try letting the pads soak in snappy clean for a couple of days. That's even less work then the pad washer Today is day 2 of that soaking and they are looking great. I'll give them a quick rinse in fresh water and be done.

You realize that over time, soaking the pads like that will cause the Velcro backing to slowly fail...