Up Close & Personal: Sonax Perfect Finish

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Nick McKees37

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Sonax Perfect Finish

I'm a tough sell. Period. I can't tell you how many times I've repeated those words while negotiating for a car or while trying to get a better deal on girl scout cookies (those girls are tough as nails). Needless to say, when I first heard about Sonax Perfect Finish, often referred to as the best thing to come out of Germany since the BMW M5, I was indeed skeptical; I think I said "I'll believe it when I see it." Little did I know, the quality of life was about to improve.



If you've been living under a rock or have been too busy mixing your own concoction to polish paint (water and sand doesn't work no matter how hard you try) and haven't heard of Sonax Perfect Finish, let me give you a synopsis:

Sonax Perfect Finish is a medium-cut polish with a name that explains it all! Sonax Perfect Finish is finally available in the US after years of countless phone calls and emails from gloss-crazed car care enthusiasts demanding that Germany’s best car polish become available on our shores. Rest assured the formula is unchanged – Sonax Perfect Finish, accurately described as a medium-cut polish with the finishing ability of an ultra-fine polish, is in stock and ready to polish your vehicle to a perfect finish!

Sonax Perfect Finish is the quintessential example of a one-step polishing compound. A traditional polishing system requires a second finishing step from a finer polish to maximize gloss and clarity. That’s not the case with Sonax Perfect Finish! Sonax Perfect Finish, when paired with the appropriate foam or microfiber pad on a dual-action or rotary polisher, is capable of impressing even the most discriminating enthusiast with its cutting and finishing abilities, eliminating the need for a multi-step system.

A quality polish is defined by its abrasive technology. It was imperative early on in the development of Sonax Perfect Finish that it cut and finish better on all paint systems - OEM and aftermarket - than any other medium cut polish. While the road to perfection was a long one, Sonax managed to develop a polish that provides the perfect finish on all paint systems, including those that are hard and soft. Whether you’re working on super-soft Japanese paint or rock-hard German paint, Sonax Perfect Finish will indeed provide the perfect finish.
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The opportunity to detail a swirled-out black Lincoln Town Car presented itself last weekend and I deemed this the perfect opportunity to put Sonax Perfect Finish to the test. My goal was simple: work smart, not hard. I had absolutely no interest in performing 2 steps so Sonax Perfect Finish was the obvious choice.

Since my goal was to get the paint as close to perfect in as little time as possible, I paired Sonax Perfect Finish with the vaunted Rupes LHR 21ES Big Foot Random Orbital Polisher equipped with a Rupes Yellow Foam Polishing Pad.

Rupes LHR 21ES - The Ferrari of Polishers



If you've read this far you obviously have an interest in achieving perfect paint, which probably means you've already heard of the Italian-bred Rupes LHR 21ES. Just in case you haven't, here's what you need to know:

The Rupes LHR 21ES Big Foot Random Orbital Polisher sets the benchmark to which other random orbital polishers are compared. Rupes, a world-renowned Italian tool maker that has been manufacturing innovative power tools since 1947, set out to develop the smoothest running, most capable random orbital polisher the industry has ever seen. After years of strenuous research and development, the LHR 15ES and its big brother, the LHR 21ES Big Foot Random Orbital Polishers were born.

The Rupes LHR 21ES Big Foot Random Orbital Polisher gets its name from its massive, industry leading 21 millimeter throw. The throw of the machine indicates the size of the orbit the pad makes. Consider this: a conventional random orbital polisher has a throw between 4 and 8 millimeters. The advantage of a larger throw is that more surface area is being covered as you polish. This means you’ll be able to remove swirls, scratches, water spots and other paint defects in considerably less time. The Rupes LHR 21ES utilizes a 6 inch hook and loop backing plate designed to accommodate 7 inch pads – the perfect size for polishing horizontal and other large body panels.

The Rupes LHR 21ES Big Foot Random Orbital Polisher ensures a perfect finish with its random orbital motion and exceptionally large throw. One of the biggest advantages of the LHR 21ES is that no swirls or holograms (also referred to as buffer trails) are instilled into the paint as you polish. A conventional rotary/circular polisher, while very effective at polishing paint to remove defects, leaves swirls and holograms in the finish as a result of its direct drive, circular motion. Simply put, the Rupes LHR 21ES Big Foot Random Orbital Polisher leaves you with a perfect finish that’s free of swirls and holograms – all without the risk of burning through the paint. The Rupes LHR 21ES is so easy to use that even a novice can have the polisher mastered after only one panel!
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The "Test Spot" Reveals All

Before you tackle an entire vehicle you want to perform a test spot. Performing a test spot allows you dial in your pad and chemical combination to ensure you achieve uniform results on the entire vehicle. Mike Phillips is an advocate of the test spot and he knows a thing or two about creating a perfect finish.

Excuse the picture quality as they were taken with my iPhone4.


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Sonax Perfect Finish, even when paired with a foam polishing pad, immediately impressed me with its exceptional cutting and finishing abilities. Not only that, it was very easy to work with.

The owner of the vehicle was in a fender bender a couple years ago and the front fender/driver's side door was repainted at a body shop. Check out the before and after:

Before Sonax Perfect Finish:

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After Sonax Perfect Finish:

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Sonax Perfect Finish, paired with the Rupes LHR 21ES Big Foot Random Orbital Polisher, enabled me to save a considerable amount of time by eliminating a second finishing step. The Lincoln Town Car turned out great and the owner was very pleased. The LSP of choice was Opti-Coat 2.0.


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Sonax Perfect Finish truly is a polish with a name that explains it all. While its price of entry may leave you scratching your head, consider that fact that it essentially replaces two separate products for most applications. When you factor the time and money you save, it starts to look like a bargain. Maybe I shouldn't be such a tough sell after all...

Sonax Perfect Finish 4/6 1000 ml.

Rupes LHR 21ES Big Foot Random Orbital Polisher

Optimum Opti-Coat 2.0 Permanent Paint Coating
 
Very nicely done Nick. In my limited time with this it has raised an eye brow as to how well it works.

I still need to get some more seat time with it to see what it has to offer in terms of abilities.
 
Great review with excellent write up and pictures to go along with it. What type of pad did you use to achieve those results, just curious?
 
Nick,

Great review. However I am not able to purchase a Rupes at this time, and do own a GG & PC with a 5" backing plate and several LC flat pads. Would these work just as well with the Sonax?

Thanks Nick

Larry
 
Italian Guy said:
Great review with excellent write up and pictures to go along with it. What type of pad did you use to achieve those results, just curious?
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Nick did mention that he used the Rupes yellow foam pads.
 
I would like to know what you used to clean the paint of oils prior to OC?
 
Excellent review Nick! I have considered this for my butter soft black Toyota but the cost has me hesitant. Nonetheless it will probably be my next polish for the arsenal.
 
Great review, Nick! That price point is somewhat daunting even to someone who COULD justify spending the coin/using that amount of product. I've heard great things about it but, like you, I'm a tough sell as well when I'm getting crazy results with m205/Meg's polishing MF disc. Not bashing but I'm just being stubborn. lol.

I did buy the hype with M101 even before it was being sold in the states so I did in fact pay a ton for it. I'm sure I'll bite the bullet soon enough to try it out but we shall see. Thanks again for spending the time!
 
Great review Nick !!!! I just picked some up and can't wait to give it a try.
 
I think for anybody that struggles with black paint this product is for you. It may cost a bundle but time is $$, and this product will easily pay for itself if time is worth anything to you.
 
silverfox said:
I think for anybody that struggles with black paint this product is for you. It may cost a bundle but time is $$, and this product will easily pay for itself if time is worth anything to you.
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One of the reasons I picked it up. Can't wait to try it on my black 350z !!!!
 
silverfox said:
I think for anybody that struggles with black paint this product is for you. It may cost a bundle but time is $$, and this product will easily pay for itself if time is worth anything to you.
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OK you had to twist my arm. :) I'm looking foward to giving it a go. I've almost bought it through another outlet in the past so I won't have too much of a problem throwing some cash AG's way.
 
Larry S said:
Nick,

Great review. However I am not able to purchase a Rupes at this time, and do own a GG & PC with a 5" backing plate and several LC flat pads. Would these work just as well with the Sonax?

Thanks Nick

Larry
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Larry,

Absolutely! I would suggest the Lake Country TANGERINE Hydro-Tech Polishing Pad.

DP 08 GXP said:
I'm curious how this would compare to Menz PF2500?
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I feel confident saying that Sonax Perfect Finish cuts more and finishes nicer than Menzerna Power Finish.

swanicyouth said:
I would like to know what you used to clean the paint of oils prior to OC?
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I used Wurth Clean Solve followed by a 15% IPA solution.

silverfox said:
I think for anybody that struggles with black paint this product is for you. It may cost a bundle but time is $$, and this product will easily pay for itself if time is worth anything to you.
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Well said! :dblthumb2:
 
I would reckon that Sonax Perfect Finish is more similar to PO106FF(SF4000), finishing is almost the same, but SPF seems to cut slightly more on the same pads.
 
GRexer said:
I would reckon that Sonax Perfect Finish is more similar to PO106FF(SF4000), finishing is almost the same, but SPF seems to cut slightly more on the same pads.
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I feel SPF finishes down better than SF4000. It's the perfect polish for paints that are in fair to good condition.
 
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