Finally purchased my Griot's Garage 6" Random orbital

KingArnold

KingArnold

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I'm excited I finally purchased my buffer. I have two cars that need major buffing of swirl marks. I watched the Griot Garage tutorial and liked the Griot products they were using. Seemed simple enough for a first timer. I need help with recommendations on

Mits:
car soap:
Microfiber cloth:
ClayBar:
Polishers
Wax:
Wax pads:
Polish Pads:

View attachment 50463
I think the Polish 2 and Polish 3 from Griot's Garage seem good, was thinking about purchasing those along with the claybar they have and polisher. Not sure what type of Wax pad I need or Polish pads along with car soap before I use the claybar. Just starting out, any recommendation is very helpful.

Thanks
 
If you are looking to get practically everything I would see what starter kit based on griots takes your fancy...

Then as you progress through them keep an eye on reviews and discussions here and ID the next in line..

The sort of work you are doing ie vehicle condition, level of correction, type of paint, the colour of the paint will all have a bearing on what direction you take....

No rush though... Enjoy... In a years time your have 3 times what you started with and have a process pretty much nailed for your cars...

And before you know it you'll have lost the plot and be wet sanding your car.... Cos it just isn't shiney enough...
 
shadwell said:
If you are looking to get practically everything I would see what starter kit based on griots takes your fancy...

Then as you progress through them keep an eye on reviews and discussions here and ID the next in line..

The sort of work you are doing ie vehicle condition, level of correction, type of paint, the colour of the paint will all have a bearing on what direction you take....

No rush though... Enjoy... In a years time your have 3 times what you started with and have a process pretty much nailed for your cars...

And before you know it you'll have lost the plot and be wet sanding your car.... Cos it just isn't shiney enough...
Click to expand...

:whs:

LOL
 
Great purchase...you will love the GG6. There are many, many choices in each of the categories you listed. The GG6 works well with the BOSS pads and cremes offered by Griots...there are several threads right here on AGO that back that up. As far as clay, I'm not a fan of Griots clay...it's too soft. In my limited experience, I like BlackFire PolyClay better.
 
I'll chime in as a Griot's-aholic whose products have served me well. The first thing that jumps out is that I wouldn't go with their old Machine Polishes (1-4). It's old tech polish in comparison with what's out today. It's what I learned on, and while it works it's a bit more labor intensive than other options. If you're just getting your feet wet and don't want to spend a ton, I've had really good luck with their Complete Compound. Willing to invest more? Look on here at reviews of the BOSS creams, they're everything people say they are.

My other Griot's preferences-

Wash Mitt: Microfiber wash mitt

Microfiber Towels: PFM window towels (seriously one of my favorite towels ever). Speed shine towels for general paint use. I've used their normal polish/wax microfibers for their respective jobs, but have heard positive things about the PFM wax towel.

Clay: Recently got the Fine Surface Prep mitt and it's hugely more pleasant than claying. Haven't tried it on perfect paint yet to see if it always requires correction after, but I think it's pretty mild.

Wax: Liquid Gloss Poly Wax if you want a sealant, Premium Carnauba Paste Wax if you're a traditional wax fan.

Pads: I've had fine luck with the standard orange polish and red wax pads, but the thinner BOSS pads are supposed to help boost pad rotation and speed correction. I've played with their Fast Finish microfiber pad and have had good luck with it as well; definitely recommend a pad brush to help keep it clean/fibers stood up (it actually wasn't bad about matting down, but sounds like recommended practice for a microfiber pad).

Machine: GG 6". I've loved mine, and it sounds like a great polisher that you won't grow out of right away vs some of the other cheaper options. I can't speak from experience about those other options though.

My other recommendation would be to spend at least a month pouring over this forum watching discussions and reading about the products you're thinking about. Again, my arsenal is 97% Griot's stuff, so I can't give you proper comparisons against other stuff here, but I can give you an honest opinion about how their stuff has worked for me. Feel free to ping me with any questions you might have.

Looking forward to seeing other opinions also. :)

John
 
Mits: CarPro Sheepskin Mitt

ClayBar: NanoSkin Sponge Nanoskin Autoscrub Speedy Prep Sponge Combo Pack

Polish Pads: Based on my experience with my GG6 I would suggest you purchase a 5" backing plate from day one--this will allow you to use 5.5" pads which are more effective and easier to control especially on curved panels--also 5.5" pads are less expensive.

Also purchase a 3.5" backing plate so you can use 4" pads in tight spaces like bumpers, b pillars etc.

Make sure you get enough pads--here's an article by Mike Phillips regarding the number of pads you'll need for each step--- http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/ask-expert-featuring-mike-phillips/88109-how-many-pads-do-i-need-buff-out-my-car.html

Take a look at Buff & Shine FLAT pads-very durable and they have a recessed Velcro which adds another margin of safety when working around protruding objects on the car such as around mirrors.

For polishes consider the Griots Boss polishes or HD line of polishes--both are easy to use with long working times, little to no dust and easy removal.

Good Luck!!
 
I've been looking at polishers just now. I read reviews on the wolfgang polisher combo, it seemed pretty good. I'm really interested in the BOSS line of polishers. The BOSS Fast correcting cream and the BOSS Finishing Sealant. If I were to purchase the BOSS product. Would I use the Fast Correcting cream first with the buffer then use the finishing sealant? I have some heavy swirl marks, which one would you recommend?

Thanks
 
shadwell said:
If you are looking to get practically everything I would see what starter kit based on griots takes your fancy...

Then as you progress through them keep an eye on reviews and discussions here and ID the next in line..

The sort of work you are doing ie vehicle condition, level of correction, type of paint, the colour of the paint will all have a bearing on what direction you take....

No rush though... Enjoy... In a years time your have 3 times what you started with and have a process pretty much nailed for your cars...

And before you know it you'll have lost the plot and be wet sanding your car.... Cos it just isn't shiney enough...
Click to expand...

I can already see it coming hah.
 
briarpatch said:
Great purchase...you will love the GG6. There are many, many choices in each of the categories you listed. The GG6 works well with the BOSS pads and cremes offered by Griots...there are several threads right here on AGO that back that up. As far as clay, I'm not a fan of Griots clay...it's too soft. In my limited experience, I like BlackFire PolyClay better.
Click to expand...

I was reading about these mitts they use instead of clay. Your thoughts?
 
oneheadlite said:
I'll chime in as a Griot's-aholic whose products have served me well. The first thing that jumps out is that I wouldn't go with their old Machine Polishes (1-4). It's old tech polish in comparison with what's out today. It's what I learned on, and while it works it's a bit more labor intensive than other options. If you're just getting your feet wet and don't want to spend a ton, I've had really good luck with their Complete Compound. Willing to invest more? Look on here at reviews of the BOSS creams, they're everything people say they are.

My other Griot's preferences-

Wash Mitt: Microfiber wash mitt

Microfiber Towels: PFM window towels (seriously one of my favorite towels ever). Speed shine towels for general paint use. I've used their normal polish/wax microfibers for their respective jobs, but have heard positive things about the PFM wax towel.

Clay: Recently got the Fine Surface Prep mitt and it's hugely more pleasant than claying. Haven't tried it on perfect paint yet to see if it always requires correction after, but I think it's pretty mild.

Wax: Liquid Gloss Poly Wax if you want a sealant, Premium Carnauba Paste Wax if you're a traditional wax fan.

Pads: I've had fine luck with the standard orange polish and red wax pads, but the thinner BOSS pads are supposed to help boost pad rotation and speed correction. I've played with their Fast Finish microfiber pad and have had good luck with it as well; definitely recommend a pad brush to help keep it clean/fibers stood up (it actually wasn't bad about matting down, but sounds like recommended practice for a microfiber pad).

Machine: GG 6". I've loved mine, and it sounds like a great polisher that you won't grow out of right away vs some of the other cheaper options. I can't speak from experience about those other options though.

My other recommendation would be to spend at least a month pouring over this forum watching discussions and reading about the products you're thinking about. Again, my arsenal is 97% Griot's stuff, so I can't give you proper comparisons against other stuff here, but I can give you an honest opinion about how their stuff has worked for me. Feel free to ping me with any questions you might have.

Looking forward to seeing other opinions also. :)

John
Click to expand...

Instead of the CLAY BAR you use the Fine Surface Prep mitt? Seems pretty cool
 
Yep, the Fine Surface Prep Mitt takes the place of clay. Nanoskin also makes sponges and towels with the same function; there was a thread recently about them also. If you don't have any clay yet, I would recommend getting a towel to reach smaller areas.

Your BOSS cream (or any polish, really) selection depends on how aggressive you want to go and what you're working with. What car/color are you working with? I tend to be conservative, so I got the Correcting and Perfecting creams. From what I hear though, you'd be safe with the Fast Correcting Cream.

Regarding the Finishing Sealant, it all depends on what you want out a Last Step Product. What kind of longevity are you looking for? Again, search for threads on it and see what you think. It's more of an All In One product (polish+sealant) that lasts a few months. The benefit is when it wears out, it's a single step process when you reapply unless you need heavy correction again. This is where I chose to go with the Liquid Gloss Poly Wax- it has a longer lifespan.
 
KingArnold said:
I was reading about these mitts they use instead of clay. Your thoughts?
Click to expand...

As I listed in my post (ClayBar: NanoSkin Sponge Nanoskin Autoscrub Speedy Prep Sponge Combo Pack) you can get all the benefits of the NanoSkin mitts at much less cost by using the sponge. For those of us just doing our own cars it's plenty effective and really cuts down on the time it takes to clay the car. Just rinse off after each section and if you drop it just rinse off. You may only need one of the sponges---I use the fine and it is all I need. Don't forget you should first chemically decontaminate with something like IronX first to remove the below surface particles then clay to remove the surface contaminates.
 
Absolutely love my GG-6. I pretty much keep on hand the gg orange, and red pads. My only problem is that I am debating on converting my GG-6 to the 5.5 inch pads, or going for the GG-3" random orbital. I like the 6.5 " pads for larger vehicles, but would like something to get into tight spots as well. I like how Griots kept it simple on pad and wax or compound combinations. Here is a link that may assist you with combinations.

https://www.griotsgarage.com/text/pdf/padproductref.pdf
 
RonAlv said:
My only problem is that I am debating on converting my GG-6 to the 5.5 inch pads, or going for the GG-3" random orbital. I like the 6.5 " pads for larger vehicles, but would like something to get into tight spots as well.
Click to expand...

I actually just got both of those options - 5.5" conversion kit along with some BOSS correcting pads, and the GG 3" machine with 3" polishing pads and 4" wax pads. I'll let you know what I think of how they compare to the GG6 with 6" and 6.5" pads I've been using all this time.

John
 
RonAlv said:
Absolutely love my GG-6. I pretty much keep on hand the gg orange, and red pads. My only problem is that I am debating on converting my GG-6 to the 5.5 inch pads, or going for the GG-3" random orbital. I like the 6.5 " pads for larger vehicles, but would like something to get into tight spots as well. I like how Griots kept it simple on pad and wax or compound combinations. Here is a link that may assist you with combinations.

https://www.griotsgarage.com/text/pdf/padproductref.pdf
Click to expand...

I think sooner than later I'll get the 5" backing plate as so many members have recommend. I have some heavy swirl marks on mine. I can't wait to get my products and start it. I wanna make some good before and after photos.
 
oneheadlite said:
Yep, the Fine Surface Prep Mitt takes the place of clay. Nanoskin also makes sponges and towels with the same function; there was a thread recently about them also. If you don't have any clay yet, I would recommend getting a towel to reach smaller areas.

Your BOSS cream (or any polish, really) selection depends on how aggressive you want to go and what you're working with. What car/color are you working with? I tend to be conservative, so I got the Correcting and Perfecting creams. From what I hear though, you'd be safe with the Fast Correcting Cream.

Regarding the Finishing Sealant, it all depends on what you want out a Last Step Product. What kind of longevity are you looking for? Again, search for threads on it and see what you think. It's more of an All In One product (polish+sealant) that lasts a few months. The benefit is when it wears out, it's a single step process when you reapply unless you need heavy correction again. This is where I chose to go with the Liquid Gloss Poly Wax- it has a longer lifespan.
Click to expand...

WOW. sold on the Fine Surface Prep Mitt. What lubricant spray do you use with the Prep Mitt. I noticed Griot Garage using some sort of spray. I assume it is the speed shine by Griot's Garage. Also, noticed Eagle One makes a Mitt. Price is less expensive than the Griot's Garage one. Probably works the same
 
Just got a chance to use my mitt beyond the prescribed break in I did on the windows- I'm officially a big, big fan. I think there are a few heavy deposit areas I'll revisit with clay (think: behind wheels), but it got 95% of the job done in way less time than it would have taken me with clay. Up next I'll have it under the lights for the true test of checking for any marring from the process. I'll be doing paint correction anyway, so I'm not too broken up if there was a little bit. And you're correct - I used speed shine, but any clay lube (or your favorite waterless/Rinseless solution mixed to quick detailer spec) will work.

Very true that eagle one has one also; I was able to snag mine during a 20% off sale and it was discounted at the time anyway. To be honest, given my experiences with Griot's and their quality/customer service, theirs is a no brainier for me. Anything through Autogeek gets that same nod though.

John
 
oneheadlite said:
Just got a chance to use my mitt beyond the prescribed break in I did on the windows- I'm officially a big, big fan. I think there are a few heavy deposit areas I'll revisit with clay (think: behind wheels), but it got 95% of the job done in way less time than it would have taken me with clay. Up next I'll have it under the lights for the true test of checking for any marring from the process. I'll be doing paint correction anyway, so I'm not too broken up if there was a little bit. And you're correct - I used speed shine, but any clay lube (or your favorite waterless/Rinseless solution mixed to quick detailer spec) will work.

Very true that eagle one has one also; I was able to snag mine during a 20% off sale and it was discounted at the time anyway. To be honest, given my experiences with Griot's and their quality/customer service, theirs is a no brainier for me. Anything through Autogeek gets that same nod though.

John
Click to expand...

Just picked up one of these mitts myself...and broke it in...but have not had a chance to use it yet....and I used Speed Shine too.....I have some DoDo Juice Ferro Lube I will try it with too
 
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