Foam Pad Options for the Griots G9 Polisher

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Foam Pad Options for the Griots G9 Polisher


I get asked a lot of questions in general and also in specific. This article will present pad options for the new Griot's Garage G9


For most of us, when using this type of tool on modern or new cars, the 5" backing plate with smaller pads is the way to go simply because the smaller pad diameter tends to fit the body panel designs of new and modern cars better than larger pads. Byt this I mean, most car hoods, fenders, doors and fenders are not simply large flat panels. Instead they have a SHAPE and the shape will include a raised body line. Besides any raised body lines you will also have the EDGES of the panel to contend with. Because it's a good practice to NOT buff on edges or body lines, smaller pads will fit modern car body panels better than larger pads. This is important with any brand of free spinning, random orbital polisher as the key to great paint correction is to maintain pad rotation. Smaller pads rotate better than larger pads when buffed curved body panels.

>>>This space reserved for pictures of body panels with raised body lines<<<



Currently, I have a good selection of Lake Country, Buff & Shine and Griot's BOSS pads in the garage that I use for our car detailing classes and projects. I've had the chance to use a lot of different pads with the new Griot's G9 and at the time I'm writing this article, I tend to like a tick thicker foam pads than the thin BOSS pads. The thin BOSS pads are great, but the G9 has so much power you don't really need to abide by the old saying, thin is in when it comes to choosing pads for the G9.



As such, I've been liking the Buff & Shine Uro-Tech pads to date and that's because their just a tick thicker than the BOSS pads, the Lake Country ThinPro pads and the Meguiar's foam discs. The B&S Uro-Tech pads are also just a few 8ths wider in diameter than the LC SDO and HDO pads. The RUPES 6" or 150mm foam pads are also a good match as are the Griot's NON-BOSS foam pads.

Here's a boat load of pictures to show you most of the 5.5 pads available at Autogeek that are a good match for this tool.



Griot's Foam pads
Because it's a Griot's tool, let's look at Griot's pads first.


Griot's 5.5" Universal Foam Pads
Griot's offers a set of 3 different foam pads in 4", 5.5" and 6.5" from Griot's. I'm only showing the 5.5" below. These pads are 15/16" thick. We can just call it an inch.

G9_pads_08.JPG




These Universal pads measure in at 5 1/2" in diameter

G9_pads_12.JPG





Griot's 5.5" BOSS Foam Pads

These are the very thing foam pads introduced originally for the BOSS long stroke polishers. They measure 9/16" thick or thin, depending upon your perspective. We can just call it a 1/2 inch.


G9_pads_13.JPG



The diameter measures 5 1/4"

G9_pads_14.JPG







Lake Country SDO, HDO and Buff and Shine Uro-Tech pads

Didn't mean to lump these two brands together and will take dedicated pictures of the two brands ASAP, but for now, at least you can see them and their widths.

From left to right
5.5" Lake Country SDO, 5.5" Lake Country HDO, 6" Buff and Shine Uro-Tech

G9_pads_01.JPG





The Lake Country 5.5" SDO measures approximately 5 3/8"

G9_pads_02.JPG




The Lake Country 5.5" HDO measures approximately 5 1/2"

G9_pads_03.JPG




The Buff and Shine 6" Uro-Tech measures 5 5/8"

G9_pads_04.JPG






RUPES 150mm or 6" foam pads
Yeah yeah yeah I know, RUPES don't like to co-mingle. :laughing: Whatever... RUPES makes great foam pads and this particular size fits the Grit's G9 really well.


G9_pads_17.JPG



The RUPES 6" pads measure in at 5 3/4" wide

G9_pads_18.JPG





RUPES Mille Pads - SUPER THIN

These pads are intended to be used with the 5mm gear-driven RUPES Mille, kind of like the FLEX 3401 only with a 5mm orbit stroke length whereas the FLEX 3401 has a 8mm orbit stroke length.

G9_pads_15.JPG



They measure in at 5 7/16ths" wide

G9_pads_16.JPG






Lake Country ThinPro 5.5" pads
Lake Country makes these exclusively for Autogeek, (I think), and these pads are great on tools like the Porter Cable, Meguiar's MT300, Harbor Freight, and the Torq 10X, etc. Basically, the 8mm to 10mm free spinning random orbital polishers.

G9_pads_21.JPG



The ThinPros measure in at 5 7/16ths inches wide

G9_pads_22.JPG




Here's all the super thin pads side by side from a horizontal point of view

G9_pads_23.JPG




The RUPES Mille is the thinnest

From left to right,

Thinpro, Griot's BOSS, RUPES Mille and Meguiar's
G9_pads_24.JPG





All of the above pads fit any 5" backing plate with a little extra velcro on the back side to help you CENTER the pads.

G9_pads_05.JPG


G9_pads_06.JPG


G9_pads_07.JPG





You also need to get one of these,


Griot's Garage G9 - 5 inch Vented Backing Plate
Griots_5_inch_G9_Backing_Plate.jpg





On Autogeek.com


Griot's Garage G9 - 5 inch Vented Backing Plate





Griot's 5.5" Universal Foam Pads

Griots Garage 5.5 inch Orange Foam Correcting Pad (2-pack)

Griots Garage 5.5 inch Black Foam Finishing Pad (2-pack)

Griots Garage 5.5 inch Red Foam Waxing Pad (2-pack)



Griot's BOSS Pads

Griots Garage 5.5 inch BOSS Foam and Microfiber Pads




Buff & Shine

6 Inch Buff & Shine Uro-Tec Foam Pads




Lake Country

Lake Country HDO Foam Pads

Lake Country 5.5 inch SDO Pads

Lake Country ThinPro Foam Pad System 5.5 Inch

Lake Country 5 1/2 inch Flat Foam Pads

CCS Smart Pads™ Dual Action 5.5 Inch Foam Pads




RUPES

Rupes 150 mm (6 inch) Foam Pads

RUPES Mille Foam Pads




:)
 
Re: Foam Pad Options for the Griots G9

Continued....


It use to be people would complain because there were so FEW choices for buffing pads.

Now people complain because there are so many choices that it becomes confusing?


Here's my opinion, when it comes to the Griot's G9, because it really has a TON of power, you don't need to go with THIN pads to get and maintain great pad rotation. This means you can go with some of the thicker 5.5" pads options I've shown above.

The thicker pads provide a tick smoother buffing experience to you and your hands when machine buffing anything. And there's a little more SAFETY margin with a tick thicker pad than with the really thin pads. By this I mean, with a little thicker pad, the BACKING PLATE isn't so close to the PAINT.

I would consider myself a professional when it comes to machine polishing with any machine on the market and when I use the Griot's G9 I tend to prefer the thicker pads shown above, not the thin pads.


If you're unsure, start out with a few of the thin pads and a few of the thicker pads and see for yourself which pads you like best before you start investing a lot of money into buffing pads.

I will say that the pads with the hole in the center offer the benefit of better cooling as most of the heat that comes out of the types of tools that use these pads is generated and passed out of the center of the backing plate.

IF the heat is going into AIR then it's not going into your pad.


If you have any questions about which pads to get, please post them to this thread and I'll do my best to answer them.



:)
 
Re: Foam Pad Options for the Griots G9

Mike Phillips said:
***Placeholder****


Saving this post for more pictures of pads



:)
Click to expand...

Hi Mike ,
I thought the Buff / Shine uro-tec was for long throws ?
Is the new G9 considered a long throw ??
Thanks !!!!
 
Re: Foam Pad Options for the Griots G9

KBsToy said:
Hi Mike ,
I thought the Buff / Shine uro-tec was for long throws ?
Is the new G9 considered a long throw ??
Thanks !!!!
Click to expand...

The Griot's G9 is considered a short stroke polisher. I think the dividing line between short stroke and long stroke is 11mm and 12mm - or some fuzzy place thereabouts.


Without going to either the AG store or the B&S Store side and researching I don't know off hand but any features incorporated into a pad for long throw polishers wouldn't be a down side for a short throw polisher.


Plus - the G9 doesn't really care. It's going to turn and churn whatever pad you put on it.


:)
 
:updated:


I've added more pads and some info about them above.


Right now, here's my personal preferences for this tool.


The Griot's 5.5" Universal in Orange, Black and Red
Orange for light cutting/polishing and also applying a one-step cleaner/wax. The black for finishing and red for machine applying a wax or sealant.


The Buff & Shine Uro-Tech in Maroon, Yellow and White
Maroon for cutting, yellow for polishing or using a one-step cleaner/wax, white for fine polishing or machine applying a wax or sealant.


The RUPES - all colors
The blue is really aggressive and the green a few ticks less aggressive. The yellow is good for polishing or applying a one step cleaner/wax and the white for fine polishing or machine applying a wax or sealant.





GET THE GRIOT'S 5' BACKING PLATE

Also - the Griot's G9 comes with a 6" backing plate. My recommendation is to go ahead and bite the bullet and purchase the 5" backing plate right from the start. This way you start out investing in 5.5 and 6" pads istead of investing in 6.5" and 7" pads.

Make sense?



Griot's Garage 5 Inch Vented Backing Plate $19.99


Hope this helps....



:)
 
More....


And if you found this thread and don't know what tool we're talking about, it's this one!


Griot’s Garage G9 Random Orbital Polisher $149.99


In my opinion, this is the best short stroke, free spinning random orbital polisher in it's class. For a free spinning random oribital polisher, it has a LOT of power. If you're new to machine polishing, then perhaps you don't know, the biggest downfall for ANY brand of free spinning random oribital polisher is what we call,


Pad Stalling



Pad stalling is where the pad stops rotating usually due to the shape of the body panel being buffed or the user is making a mistake like too low of a speed setting, not holding the tool so the pad is flat to the surface or pressing down too hard on the tool. The Griot's G9 overcomes these issues as good or better than anything in it's category.



For anyone NEW to machine polishing, before you jump up to the $300.00 to $500.00 tools, this is a great tool to start with. If money is not an object then my personal preference would be for a gear-driven oribital polisher like the FLEX and RUPES units as then pad stalling is never an issue. But - you're now over $400.00 for just the tool. Nothing wrong with jumping head first into a gear-driven oribital, but if you're not even sure you'll like to detail cars using a buffer, then this Grio'ts G9 is a easy way to test the waters at the $150.00 price point. For $150.00 you're getting one heck of a good tool and if you find you don't like detailing cars? You can easily sell it down the road.


TONS of information on the AG store page for this tool.

Griot’s Garage G9 Random Orbital Polisher


And be sure to read my review for this tool and "yes" I tested it out on the BLOWN El Camino you see in the below picture. I don't do mock-up.


Review: Griot's G9 - 9mm Orbit Stroke Random Orbital Polisher by Mike Phillips





Griot's G9 - 9mm Orbit Stroke Random Orbital Polisher

Griots_G9_El_Camino_000b.JPG




:)
 
Mike-
Thanks for that very informative post on pads for the G9. As usual, you go above and beyond to help us out.

Please help me simplify and round out my polishing/finishing pad inventory.

I recently purchased the G9. I also own the GG6 so I own a decent sized stash of thin pro's in orange, white and black. However, I have some HDO pads and as you noted, the thicker pads feel better with this machine.

Can you tell me if my line of thinking for new pads makes sense based on below?
- I have the blue and orange HDO pads ( 6 of each ) so I'm covered in that category ( I also have heavy cutting pads so set there as well )
- Would it make sense to round out my pad selection by picking up some yellow and white Uro-tecs for polishing and finishing? I have one of each of the Uro-tec and they seem really nice.
- If I was starting over I would just get all Uro-tecs as I like them the best but since I have some HDO's I will use the ones I have. I'm an enthusiast so these don't get used all that often.
- for polishing and finishing, is 6 of each the way to go, or do you need less of them when less cut is involved?
- Polishes I use are HD Polish+, Essence, Pinnacle Advanced Finishing Polish and M37 Jeweling Wax. Also use Speed and Blackfire One Step. I've got some big gun compounds as well but don't do that as much anymore.

Like you stated in your post, the pad selection these days can be overwhelming. I appreciate any advice you can give me for polishing/finishing pads based on the above. I figured this is a good time to buy with the sales going on.

Thanks again for the great info on G9 pads.
 
Wknd Dtlr said:
Mike-
Thanks for that very informative post on pads for the G9. As usual, you go above and beyond to help us out.
Click to expand...

No problem. And it's the above kind of info you'll never see on a Facebook Group simply because the text and images in a "message" in a Facebook group cannot be formatted nor can text and pictures be placed in a linear manner.



Wknd Dtlr said:
Please help me simplify and round out my polishing/finishing pad inventory.

I recently purchased the G9. I also own the GG6 so I own a decent sized stash of thin pro's in orange, white and black. However, I have some HDO pads and as you noted, the thicker pads feel better with this machine.

Can you tell me if my line of thinking for new pads makes sense based on below?

- I have the blue and orange HDO pads ( 6 of each ) so I'm covered in that category ( I also have heavy cutting pads so set there as well )

- Would it make sense to round out my pad selection by picking up some yellow and white Uro-tecs for polishing and finishing? I have one of each of the Uro-tec and they seem really nice.
Click to expand...

The yellow (polishing) and the white (finishing or waxes/sealants), pads in the Uro-Tech line are for the most part indestructible. I show this line of pads in all my classes for the first tool set we cover, short-stroke polishers. The pads are used and abused and then washed and dried in traditional top loading washer and front loading dryer. Stacked and stored and then used again. They are very nice pads for any 5" backing plate tool. The darker blue reflection artist pads are also really nice but with heat they bowl-in or deform. The maroon pads are also really nice and don't bowl-in like the blue pads so I show the maroon for any correction work. I've shared this info with B&S too.




Wknd Dtlr said:
- If I was starting over I would just get all Uro-tecs as I like them the best but since I have some HDO's I will use the ones I have. I'm an enthusiast so these don't get used all that often.
Click to expand...

The SDO and HDO pads are actually GREAT pads. I just think they need to be a tick larger in diameter to maximize their ability and usefulness on the Griot's G9 and the CBEAST with it's 5" backing plate. I've shared this with Lake Country.


Wknd Dtlr said:
- for polishing and finishing, is 6 of each the way to go, or do you need less of them when less cut is involved?
Click to expand...

If a person is working on neglected cars with neglected paint then this person needs a lot of cutting pads. It's the cutting or compounding/correction step where you really want to change pads often. DRY foam cutting pads cut better than wet soggy foam cutting pads.

For polishing and finishing, you can definitely get by with less pads.

When it comes to using a one-step cleaner/wax like BLACKFIRE One Step, 3D Speed or Meguiar's Polishing/Wax, you'll use either foam "polising" pads or foam "cutting" pads the same way you use pads when doing correction or compounding work, this means lots of pads.


Wknd Dtlr said:
- Polishes I use are HD Polish+, Essence, Pinnacle Advanced Finishing Polish and M37 Jeweling Wax. Also use Speed and Blackfire One Step. I've got some big gun compounds as well but don't do that as much anymore.
Click to expand...

The blue SDO and HDO foam cutting pads have a smooth feel to the surface, so while they are "cutting" pads, I use these with AIOs. The yellow, blue and maroon pads in the B&S Uro-Tech line also all work great with AIOs BUT like mentioned, the reflection artist blue pads tend to bowl-in when heated. So I tend to use the maroon for really neglected hard paint and the yellow for really neglected soft paint.


Wknd Dtlr said:
Like you stated in your post, the pad selection these days can be overwhelming. I appreciate any advice you can give me for polishing/finishing pads based on the above. I figured this is a good time to buy with the sales going on.

Thanks again for the great info on G9 pads.
Click to expand...

You're welcome and you can never have too many pads.


:)
 
Wow, Mike - that was an awesome response!

One quick follow up question....Is the white Uro-Tec pad useful for something like Essence or Advanced Finishing Polish on a well maintained vehicle, or is it really just for wax application? Trying to mimic something like the Carpro Gloss pad. I appreciate your patience with my questions becasue as an enthusiast I don't get a whole lot of time to experiment and I'm trying to get away from having a million random pads in my cabinet that don't get used!

Thanks again, Mike.
 
Mike Phillips said:
:updated:


I've added more pads and some info about them above.


Right now, here's my personal preferences for this tool.


The Griot's 5.5" Universal in Orange, Black and Red
Orange for light cutting/polishing and also applying a one-step cleaner/wax. The black for finishing and red for machine applying a wax or sealant.


The Buff & Shine Uro-Tech in Maroon, Yellow and White
Maroon for cutting, yellow for polishing or using a one-step cleaner/wax, white for fine polishing or machine applying a wax or sealant.


The RUPES - all colors
The blue is really aggressive and the green a few ticks less aggressive. The yellow is good for polishing or applying a one step cleaner/wax and the white for fine polishing or machine applying a wax or sealant.





GET THE GRIOT'S 5' BACKING PLATE

Also - the Griot's G9 comes with a 6" backing plate. My recommendation is to go ahead and bite the bullet and purchase the 5" backing plate right from the start. This way you start out investing in 5.5 and 6" pads istead of investing in 6.5" and 7" pads.

Make sense?



Griot's Garage 5 Inch Vented Backing Plate $19.99


Hope this helps....



:)
Click to expand...

What is the difference between the GR-10550 and the GR-10555 backing plates? They are both 5 inch backing plates.

RamAirV1
 
RamAirV1 said:
What is the difference between the GR-10550 and the GR-10555 backing plates? They are both 5 inch backing plates.

RamAirV1
Click to expand...


Good question by the way.

For anyone with the same questions, click the link below to go to my how-to article on swapping out the 6" for the 5" backing plate. Here's the link,


Backing Plate Swap - 5 inch backing plate for the Griot's Garage G9



And then in post #8


I include the Griot's Video where Jeff Brown goes over all the differences and improvements to the new style backing plates. Really interesting stuff. Jeff put a lot of work into these tools and he's a true gear-head.


Ah heck, I'll just do all the work for everyone....


From the above article....

I believe the differences between the backing plates are shared in this video.



They start talking about backing plates at the 28 minute mark.




:laughing:
 
I am finding that the LC Force pads are pretty damn good all around pads. I don't own a G9 yet but I bet they would work well.
 
Mike Phillips said:
They are a fairly thick pad but I think the G9 could rotate them well.


This is always the challenge when using any free spinning random orbital and that is maintaining pad rotation.


:)
Click to expand...

Can anyone verify that LC Force pads are not too thick for the G9's? Comfort is great with LC Force Hybrid, but wouldn't want to get more pad stalling in exchange...

Also, would it be crazy to use thin pads (say BOSS) on the G8 and use thicker pads (say LC Force) on the G9 for correcting and polishing the same vehicle? My thinking is that the thinner pads can maximize the smaller profile of the G8 getting me to tighter places while a thicker pad can make using the G9 a little more comfortable.
 
Sorry, I don't know how thickness compares to the Lake Country Force pads, but I've used my G9 with the 6.5" regular thickness (non BOSS) Griot's pads, and it has no problem keeping them rotating.

I hate to sound like a broken record (I think I chime in each time this question comes up), but I found the standard thickness 6.5" pads actually stalled less for my doing curvy spots then the BOSS pads, or possibly even standard thickness 5.5" pads. Short throw machines from the past have us so conditioned to thinking that you have to use thin pads to keep rotation up; I don't know if it's the digital speed controller, more power, or both but the G9 really seems to go away from that for me.


Which has been a big relief, because I had accumulated a lot of regular pads for my GG6 before learning thin pads were where it was at. :laughing:

And I don't see any issue using different thicknesses for different machines - the paint will tell you what it needs, and whatever that turns out to be is right. :xyxthumbs:
 
I appreciate the insight! LC Force Hybrid is close to 1.25" thick which makes it one of the thickest. Since all of Griot's pads are between 5/8"(BOSS) and 1"(non-BOSS), I was wondering if their newer G9 will be balanced and still have enough power with the these thick ones. What you said makes sense though. I will have some 5.5" Force pads this weekend, so when it's a little warmer outside hopefully next week, I will be putting them to the test! And, I will be receiving some 3" BOSS pads for the G8, so I will see how easy it is to use two machines with two different pad families on a single vehicle. Thanks again for pointing out the big picture!
 
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