Mike Phillips
Active member
- Dec 5, 2022
- 51,004
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5” Backing Plates Options for Dual Action Polishers
5” Backing Plates
Backing plates have come a long way!
In my first how-to book, The Art of Detailing, and in the second edition, The Complete Guide to a Show Car Shine I document with pictures what early backing plates looked like and the evolution they went through as using dual action polishers like the Porter Cable 7424 hit the tipping point and went mainstream.
Now there are more brands to choose from and the quality has increased dramatically to withstand hours of extreme punishment in production detailing environments and I know some of you guys reading this completely understand what I mean when I say extreme punishment!
Not all the same
I know it’s easy for the average person to think that all backing plates are the same except for maybe the color or brand stamped on the back but that’s not true. There can be major differences in the material used, the shape and design, whether or not the backing plate is flexible or rigid and whether or not the backing plate has a tapered edge or not. One popular backing plate by Griot’s includes vented cooling holes to allow heat escape.
Differences in hook & loop material
Besides the design of the backing plate there are also differences in the style and type of hook-n-loop material used for the purpose of attaching a buffing pad to the backing plate. There are at least three different styles of hook-n-loop options currently used for backing plate construction that I’m aware of.
For each design of hook there is a matching design of loop material.
Why is this important? Because for the best attachment performance you want to use a matched system, that is you want to use a backing plate that uses a hook design that will form the proper attachment to the loop material of the pads you’re using. If you use mismatched hook-n-loop systems your pad could literally fall off the backing plate because the hooks won’t make the correct attachment to the loop material.
How can a person know what type of hook and loop material backing plates and pads use?
Like car wax companies, backing plate manufacturers and pad manufacturers are not in the business of sharing what they consider to be proprietary information. This means without being an expert in the hook-n-loop industry it can be a tick on the difficult side to know for sure what you’re getting when you make a purchase.
Here’s a tip...
The best way to ensure the hook material on the backing plate will match the loop material on the back of a buffing pad is to simply purchase your backing plate from the same company that manufactures the pads you use. This involves the word trust. You need to trust that the company has done their homework and understands the importance of using matching hook-n-loop material for their brand of pads and thus you don’t have to be an expert on hook-n-loop technology. Let the pad manufacturer own this responsibility.
Backing plate options
Here at Autogeek we carry 4 different brands of 5” backing plates and that fit tools like,
Porter Cable 7424XP
Griot’s Garage 6” DA
Meguiar’s MT300
Each of the companies selling these tools offers either their own line of buffing pads or they recommend a specific brand of pads for their tools and sometimes both. To get the right backing plate for your tool, start by deciding which pads you’re going to be using and then match the backing plate to the brand of buffing pads and you should be able to avoid any attachment issues while getting the maximum performance out of your backing plate and pad choices.
On Autogeek.com
Lake Country 5” Hook & Loop Flexible Backing Plate
Griot’s Garage 5” Vented Orbital Backing Plate
Meguiar’s Soft Buff DBP5 DA Polisher 5” Backing Plate
Buff & Shine Dual Action 5” Backing Plate
Chemical Guys Torq 10FX 5” Backing Plate
If you have any questions or need help you can reach out to me personally at [email protected] or 1-800-869-3011 x206
You can order online at Autogeek.com or get help placing your order over the phone with our friendly customer care staff at 1-800-869-3011
Be sure to check out our friendly car detailing discussion forum at AutogeekOnline.net - That’s where I post car detailing articles and answer car detailing questions.
-Mike Phillips
5” Backing Plates
Backing plates have come a long way!
In my first how-to book, The Art of Detailing, and in the second edition, The Complete Guide to a Show Car Shine I document with pictures what early backing plates looked like and the evolution they went through as using dual action polishers like the Porter Cable 7424 hit the tipping point and went mainstream.
Now there are more brands to choose from and the quality has increased dramatically to withstand hours of extreme punishment in production detailing environments and I know some of you guys reading this completely understand what I mean when I say extreme punishment!
Not all the same
I know it’s easy for the average person to think that all backing plates are the same except for maybe the color or brand stamped on the back but that’s not true. There can be major differences in the material used, the shape and design, whether or not the backing plate is flexible or rigid and whether or not the backing plate has a tapered edge or not. One popular backing plate by Griot’s includes vented cooling holes to allow heat escape.
Differences in hook & loop material
Besides the design of the backing plate there are also differences in the style and type of hook-n-loop material used for the purpose of attaching a buffing pad to the backing plate. There are at least three different styles of hook-n-loop options currently used for backing plate construction that I’m aware of.
- J-hooks
- Barb or Mushroom hooks
- Micro-hooks
For each design of hook there is a matching design of loop material.
Why is this important? Because for the best attachment performance you want to use a matched system, that is you want to use a backing plate that uses a hook design that will form the proper attachment to the loop material of the pads you’re using. If you use mismatched hook-n-loop systems your pad could literally fall off the backing plate because the hooks won’t make the correct attachment to the loop material.
How can a person know what type of hook and loop material backing plates and pads use?
Like car wax companies, backing plate manufacturers and pad manufacturers are not in the business of sharing what they consider to be proprietary information. This means without being an expert in the hook-n-loop industry it can be a tick on the difficult side to know for sure what you’re getting when you make a purchase.
Here’s a tip...
The best way to ensure the hook material on the backing plate will match the loop material on the back of a buffing pad is to simply purchase your backing plate from the same company that manufactures the pads you use. This involves the word trust. You need to trust that the company has done their homework and understands the importance of using matching hook-n-loop material for their brand of pads and thus you don’t have to be an expert on hook-n-loop technology. Let the pad manufacturer own this responsibility.
Backing plate options
Here at Autogeek we carry 4 different brands of 5” backing plates and that fit tools like,
Porter Cable 7424XP
Griot’s Garage 6” DA
Meguiar’s MT300
Each of the companies selling these tools offers either their own line of buffing pads or they recommend a specific brand of pads for their tools and sometimes both. To get the right backing plate for your tool, start by deciding which pads you’re going to be using and then match the backing plate to the brand of buffing pads and you should be able to avoid any attachment issues while getting the maximum performance out of your backing plate and pad choices.
On Autogeek.com
Lake Country 5” Hook & Loop Flexible Backing Plate
Griot’s Garage 5” Vented Orbital Backing Plate
Meguiar’s Soft Buff DBP5 DA Polisher 5” Backing Plate
Buff & Shine Dual Action 5” Backing Plate
Chemical Guys Torq 10FX 5” Backing Plate
If you have any questions or need help you can reach out to me personally at [email protected] or 1-800-869-3011 x206
You can order online at Autogeek.com or get help placing your order over the phone with our friendly customer care staff at 1-800-869-3011
Be sure to check out our friendly car detailing discussion forum at AutogeekOnline.net - That’s where I post car detailing articles and answer car detailing questions.
-Mike Phillips
