New Found Life With Optimum Microfiber Pads And The Flex 3401...

Setec Astronomy said:
But Bunky...when the Meg's MF system came out, it had a 6" pad for the Flex...dig up the video on here with Mike Phillips, Mike Stoops, and Jason Rose, and they say they have the 5" pads for the DA, the 3" pads for the air sander, and the 6" pads "...for your Flex machine". So they had them from day 1, it's just that no one who used them seemed to like them...and that may still be the case...as far as we know Mark is the only one to try the Opt MF's on the Flex...and we all know he likes to change his opinion :D
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I do remember the launch and it was the early reviewers that generally made reports of less than ideal results using the Flex so maybe it was a surprise to Meg's but it did not change their launch plans. I had heard it had been years in the making anyway so they did have market timing to deal with since I think they knew others would launch similar products.

Yes, we know Mark but I am optimistic because Chris clearly responded positively about when it was first launched.
 
Bunky said:
Yes, we know Mark but I am optimistic because Chris clearly responded positively about when it was first launched.
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Yeah, you're right, Chris said he used the MF pads with the Flex...but he has to like Optimum stuff, right? ;)
 
I don't have a problem with Meguiars 6" mf on the Flex at all. Clean often and be sure to remove extra product often as well.
 
SpoiledMan said:
I don't have a problem with Meguiars 6" mf on the Flex at all. Clean often and be sure to remove extra product often as well.
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I've only used the 5" Meg's pad on the 3401. While the 6" might work a bit better, I still think the interface foam is too dense to use with the 3401. Optimum cutting pads use a thicker foam and less dense
(suits the 3401 better). Will this cause less cut than the more dense Meg's cutting pads? I dunno.
 
I often use the Meguiar's DA Microfiber Finishing Discs for cutting with M101, M105, and D300.

Sometimes the taller and more pliable foam allows the disc to glide along more smoothly.

That's all. :bolt:
 
Chris@Optimum said:
I'm glad we were able to redeem the Flex for you Mark. When you said balding, I though you meant shedding. The fibers laying down is reduced with the Hyper sprays and they will actually stand back up as you use the product...and of course fluff/blow them out between panels.
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So the sprays have something in them that reduced the fibers from laying down ....????? Hmmmm

I'm with KB on this one... No issues with Megs MF - use the 6"all the time with the Flex and it is much faster than foam
 
Kevin Brown said:
I often use the Meguiar's DA Microfiber Finishing Discs for cutting with M101, M105, and D300.

Sometimes the taller and more pliable foam allows the disc to glide along more smoothly.
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Oh sure, muddy the waters some more! :p
 
Setec Astronomy said:
Oh sure, muddy the waters some more! :p
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Meguiars claims the finishing and cutting MF is the different, I'm not so sure about that. I went with the Optimum discs because they offer 4.25" cutting pads for the 3401. I should be receiving them today. :righton:
 
07 z-oh-6 said:
Meguiars claims the finishing and cutting MF is the different, I'm not so sure about that. I went with the Optimum discs because they offer 4.25" cutting pads for the 3401. I should be receiving them today. :righton:
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I thought Meguiar's...wait...I was going to say they said the MF was the same and only the foam was different...but I think that was clarified that the MF is the same between the cutting and finishing but there is a difference in the (fiber) density.

If I'm recalling correctly, the Opt pads were originally supposed to have the exact same MF between cutting and polishing, but after more testing they were changed to be very different.
 
Setec Astronomy said:
I thought Meguiar's...wait...I was going to say they said the MF was the same and only the foam was different...but I think that was clarified that the MF is the same between the cutting and finishing but there is a difference in the (fiber) density.

If I'm recalling correctly, the Opt pads were originally supposed to have the exact same MF between cutting and polishing, but after more testing they were changed to be very different.
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Ahhhh, ok, so the MF is the same, but the density is different. That makes more sense.

OPT did say the MF was the same for cutting and polishing. I had no idea they changed between the two, though.
 
07 z-oh-6 said:
Ahhhh, ok, so the MF is the same, but the density is different. That makes more sense.

OPT did say the MF was the same for cutting and polishing. I had no idea they changed between the two, though.
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This is how I remember it--Jason Rose said the MF was different--but people said, but Jason, they look the same--and he replied that the tufts themselves are the same, but one of them has more than the other.

Chris said, before the pads were released, that the MF was the same. However, after the delay in the cutting pads, and the rework of the polishing pads, I thought he stated that they had gone to a coarser MF on the cutting pads. Anyway, that's just the way I remember it...maybe if I get the gumption, I'll search for some quotes.
 
Setec Astronomy said:
This is how I remember it--Jason Rose said the MF was different--but people said, but Jason, they look the same--and he replied that the tufts themselves are the same, but one of them has more than the other.

Chris said, before the pads were released, that the MF was the same. However, after the delay in the cutting pads, and the rework of the polishing pads, I thought he stated that they had gone to a coarser MF on the cutting pads. Anyway, that's just the way I remember it...maybe if I get the gumption, I'll search for some quotes.
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Gooooood info! I'm sure Chris will chime in on OPT part.
 
Ok...for the Meg's pads it's in the video on this page: Meguiars DA Microfiber Correction System, paint polishing system, car polish, car detailing system, compounding system, remove scratches . Jason and Mike talk about the MF difference between the cutting and finishing pads at about 6:30. The "MF has a different density and a different pile length..."



And here's what Chris had to say about it in this thread: http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum...optimum-mf-system-almost-here.html#post601651

Chris@Optimum said:
We also gave the Cutting Pads a more aggressive microfiber than we saw with the Beta pads:

Beta (top)

3c9fcb8c.jpg
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Setec Astronomy said:
Ok...for the Meg's pads it's in the video on this page: Meguiars DA Microfiber Correction System, paint polishing system, car polish, car detailing system, compounding system, remove scratches . Jason and Mike talk about the MF difference between the cutting and finishing pads at about 6:30. The "MF has a different density and a different pile length..."



And here's what Chris had to say about it in this thread: http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum...optimum-mf-system-almost-here.html#post601651
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:props: :props: :props:
 
Setec Astronomy said:
Yeah, you're right, Chris said he used the MF pads with the Flex...but he has to like Optimum stuff, right? ;)
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OK, here's where you'll have to trust me. If I don't like a product...even Optimum, I won't talk it up. I continued to use M105 until the latest version of Compound II outperformed it for my uses. I've preferred Instant Detailer as a WW compared to Opti Clean...but love Opti Clean on interiors. And it's only been recently that I've stopped using a cheaper APC and gone to OPC only. I do a lot of BETA testing and some stuff works...and some stuff just isn't ready for prime time. Like the new Meg's Rinse free, just seems like watered down soap to me compared to ONR...I didn't like it at all compared to ONR. Back to the pads, It doesn't have to be about Meg's vs. Optimum...these pads are cheap enough to buy both and make your decision. I really prefer the Optimum MF pads for my machines and polishing style.

Setec Astronomy said:
This is how I remember it--Jason Rose said the MF was different--but people said, but Jason, they look the same--and he replied that the tufts themselves are the same, but one of them has more than the other.

Chris said, before the pads were released, that the MF was the same. However, after the delay in the cutting pads, and the rework of the polishing pads, I thought he stated that they had gone to a coarser MF on the cutting pads. Anyway, that's just the way I remember it...maybe if I get the gumption, I'll search for some quotes.
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You don't have to look it up. Ours were the same initially, but we actually changed both the Cutting Pads and the new Polishing Pads to different materials with the current refresh. And the thicker foam interface with open cell foam (compared to Meg's closed cell) run cooler and are less grabby probably because the polish/compound isn't prematurely dried out from the generated heat of the machine and it's movements. We took a lot of time to dial these in and it has paid off. You can also appreciate that we (Optimum) upgrade our offerings to new versions when the technology is available instead of continuing to sell the old versions and just adding new part numbers.
 
Well put Chris. I think I will be investing in a few opt pads soon for the old flex. I feel like I'm missing out on the MF bandwagon as there's been a lot of positive feedback.
 
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