Differences and benefits to hydrotech pads

Ok, but just to be fair I think you should send me 1/2 of them...........................................................Okay to ship now, checks in the mail :props:
 
Rob T said:
This is why I was surprised that Mike said the crimson could be used to follow up after the cyan and remove any remaining haze.
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I was asked about finishing and when finishing you generally want to use you softest pad and a finishing polish, it's the combination of foam, product and the action of the tool the produces the end-result, not just the foam formula.

Theoretically you can use the Crimson for polishing and applying your LSP

In the same way you could use the Cyan or the Tangerine to apply a one-step cleaner wax matching the aggressiveness or non-aggressiveness of the pad variable to match the degree of neglect in the paint you're trying to restore.

To take it a step further, cleaner/waxes are great maintenance waxes for daily drivers, if you're staying on top of your daily driver you wouldn't need a lot of cleaning ability, mostly polishing and protecting so instead of using a cutting or polishing pad you could apply the cleaner/wax with the finishing pad, i.e. the Crimson Pad.

Mike Pennington gave me this analogy a long time ago so I want to give him credit for it because it's a good analogy BUT you have to be old enough to remember Graphic Equalizers.

Graphic Equalizers
GraphicEqualizer01.jpg


GraphicEqualizer02.jpg



The analogy being that you can adjust your pad, product, tool and technique just like you can adjust music using a graphic equalizer and when everything is dialed-in perfect for the paint you're working on you'll get the results you're looking for.

It does mean sometimes playing around a little to find the perfect combination of products and procedures kind of like adjusting a graphic equalizer for a single song so it sounds perfect to your ears.

When everything is right... you'll make beautiful music or in this case a show car finish.


:xyxthumbs:
 
Any updated opinions of the cyan HT pads? How does the velcro hold up on these pads? Does it separate from the foam quickly? I am about to order up some pads for use on both the rotary and the 3401 so I am particularly interested in how the 6.5 inch cyan pads are holding up. Is there a great advantage over the regular orange 6.5 inch flat pads? Do the regular orange 6.5 inch flat pads or the cyan 6.5 inch flat pads last longer as it pertains to the velcro backing coming off?
 
i just used my cyan pad real quick tonight with menzerna Power Finish.
I had a bunch of swirls and scratches from my Dr Colorchip..the rag they give you to remove the excess paint is SOOO rough..I hit it with the Cyan and power finish and it only took a few quick passes with my flex and all the swirls were gone..and this was with almost just the weight of the flex. It def left behind marring so tomorrow I will go over the rest of the car with 85RD and the tangerine or crimson.
 
I wasn't sure if I should try the cyan or stick with what I already know (orange) so I got six of one and a half a dozen of the other. If I don't like the cyan at least I have six orange pads too.
 
FWIW, I'm getting short lives out of the cyan HT pads. They seem to have a fairly low pore count, and they are relatively stiff (compared to open-cell pads). What I'm finding in all cases is the backing plate/Velcro cuts into the pad pretty easily, much worse on the thick pads. I tried cutting a taper back on the Velcro which seems to help, but I wish the Velcro went all the way to the edge. Then, I could cut it back (at a 45 degree angle), and this wouldn't happen.

I'm getting it a little bit of this with the tangerine and none with the crimson, probably because these latter two are more flexible and have much finer pores.

Also, I did have one Velcro backing delaminate (and make a mess). It was with one of the thin pads. It could be that the thinner size wasn't able to handle the heat. It seemed warm to me, but not hot.

If I get a chance, I'll take some pictures. May warrant another thread.
 
I'll be curious to see how these pads hold up to the 3/4" orbit of the Dynabrade attachment that I'll be using them on. I would think that the 5/16" orbit on the PC or GG ROP would be harder on the pads. Thanks for your feedback.
 
3/4" could be a little bit tougher on them, but what I'm seeing is that the pad is fairly stiff. When you apply pressure, the force of the Velcro backing is not very well distributed and causes the closed cells to crack. By cutting back the Velcro at a 45 angle, this seemed to help, but only a little which suggests that it is not the backing cutting into the foam, but just the foam not being too resilient. I'm even using a comparatively smaller backing plate to further reduce that stress, and it is still happening. I'm guessing this is shortening the life for me by about 1/2 or more.
 
When my package arrives I will test them out and post back here how they hold up with the larger orbit of the Dynabrade attachment.
 
I have tried all three 5.5" lo-pro's and so far very happy. As advertised they finish very nicely and soak up the product on the first pass, then a few drops there after.
Tangerine with M205 is my favorite so far, but the crimson for LSP's tops it all! The best part is how well they work on the PC...even the cyan with M105 and a good amount of down pressure.
Sorry I can't really comment on durability as I have only used and washed them a dozen times.
 
rwright said:
What can I say? I love Autogeek! And the way I see it, it's your fault I love the HT pads so you owe me for the 37 pads pictured. I won't count the 30+ that I've tossed! :laughing:
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Richard, I don't have any of the crimson ones yet, so the next time you go to "TOSS" one, please toss it in the mail to me!
 
QUOTE=Dubbin1;401045]I already called dibs on his old pads :D[/QUOTE]

Snooze, you lose...:cry::surrender:[
 
arenared said:
FWIW, I'm getting short lives out of the cyan HT pads. They seem to have a fairly low pore count, and they are relatively stiff (compared to open-cell pads). What I'm finding in all cases is the backing plate/Velcro cuts into the pad pretty easily, much worse on the thick pads. I tried cutting a taper back on the Velcro which seems to help, but I wish the Velcro went all the way to the edge. Then, I could cut it back (at a 45 degree angle), and this wouldn't happen.

I'm getting it a little bit of this with the tangerine and none with the crimson, probably because these latter two are more flexible and have much finer pores.

Also, I did have one Velcro backing delaminate (and make a mess). It was with one of the thin pads. It could be that the thinner size wasn't able to handle the heat. It seemed warm to me, but not hot.

If I get a chance, I'll take some pictures. May warrant another thread.
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I've been using Buff and Shine flats with a PCXP over the past few months and find the foam cracks perpendicular to the velcro which sounds like your experience with the HTs. I just picked up 2 each of the Cyan, Tangerine and Crimson to try, so it will be interesting to give them a go.

I find that if I don't get both the LC and buff and shine flat pads completely dry before reusing them, they heat up quickly and feel warm on the surface. When you pull the pad off the backing plate, the velcro is hot and steamy. I find this happens even more with 4" pads that I use for tight spots. Is this what you experience with the HTs?

I ask as it may mean that I really have to let the HTs completely dry before reusing as I can't bring myself to tossing pads after one use.
 
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