MF Pads, which one and why?

cardaddy

cardaddy

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Whasup guys? :D

With the risk of going down the same road again, (although never found the answers I'm looking for with previous threads) I will attempt to start yet another thread on Microfiber Pads.

Anyone that's read my posts knows I have a decent amount of pads on hand, (especially for a weekend warrior type). :laughing: That being said; if I don't get my hands on some MF pads I'm going to go nuts! ;)

My wifes Denali in Red tint coat metallic (sorta' a candy apple looking deal) has its fair share of type 2 water spots on the hood and roof. I've lightly buffed it with 105/205 as a trial to see how it'd come out. No swirls, but.... then topped with M21 / UW / M26 and while it's slick, passes all hand and baggie tests, I still know it has etching.

I want to do a bit better and hit it with 101 and MF pads. (Plus.... my 99 Caddy D'Elegance which I have no room in the garage for, yet doesn't get driven 500 miles a year needs some love too.) :o

I planned on grabbing both cutting AND polishing pads but am starting to wonder if I really need polishing pads. I mean, I've got maybe 85± assorted foam pads, mostly LC, 4, 5½, 6½ flat & CCS that can accomplish the polishing duties. But hey, if polishing with them is a good thing, AND is something that will work with the products I'll likely use, (205/UP, WGDGPS, WGTSR 3.0, Griots etc) it might be worth a try.

The bulk of the work needs to be cutting though and thats why I'm asking. I see any number of choices for pads, Surbuf, Optimum, Lake Country and of course Meguiar's. I'm only interested in 5½" units and would really like some input.

I've read everything where some guys say they had pad failures. Most of those seem to be from 1; speed to high, 2; too much product and of course, 3; too much pressure. I've got a handle of that after working with 5½ flats and the GG. It would likely melt one of those suckers in 90 seconds if you loaded it to dripping, set it on race speed and let-er-rip while leanin' hard on it. :laughing: I just want a pad that'll provide maximum cut with the 101 short of having to wet sand the darned entire top of the Denali.

So what say we: (In order of importance)
  1. Who's used what?
  2. Would you use them again?
  3. Most importantly, how durable are the pads you recommend?
  4. How did it turn out?
  5. What compound/polish did you use them with?
As usual, thanks guys in advance for what I hope is great information, and something I can put together before the close of business tomorrow to get an order in. :p (After all, new BOGO's coming out tomorrow..... whispers mf towels, 460 mf towels, 530 mf towels) :buffing:
 
I've no experience with MF pads but I do know 101 was designed for foam pads.
You'd have much more cut with 101 on a foam than 105 on a foam.
You'd have much more cut with 105 on a MF than 105 on a foam.

I'd suggest trying 105 with MF before taking the plunge and buying a bottle of 101.
 
dooyaunastan said:
I've no experience with MF pads but I do know 101 was designed for foam pads.
You'd have much more cut with 101 on a foam than 105 on a foam.
You'd have much more cut with 105 on a MF than 105 on a foam.

I'd suggest trying 105 with MF before taking the plunge and buying a bottle of 101.
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Yeah, I know 101 has more cut, which is exactly what I need. I've used 105 for some time now, and am looking very forward to trying out 101. Just hate how unpredictable 105 is related to the working time(s). One paint may be 2+ section passes, another you're lucky to get 1 full pass. Solution of course is to make smaller sections. ;) It's still a PITA though.

Just figured with my 2 worst cars I can experiment with MF pads and the combo of 101 / 105 / UC and probably will pickup a 16oz bottle of MF correction compound to try as well. In case you've not seen it, I've found (while experimenting) I can prime a pad with UC, then use the 3 pea sized drop method of 105 and get it to do pretty well (overall). I can then take that pad and do most of a hood with it, cleaning on the fly and all. From what I've seen so far on 101 though it just works, and works well, with longer working times. That's what makes it so interesting, albeit it's not exactly cheap. :dunno:
 
I use Meguiar's MF pads with Menzerna FG 400 all the time with great results. I have used a few other MF pads but still go back to Meguiar's.
Todd
 
Cut it with microfiber, and finish it with foam.... best of both worlds!
 
Thanks guys, I had the Meg's pads in my cart and started reading threads where guys said they just don't hold up. I honestly don't care what they cost as they are all close price wise. I'm just not going to go through beta testing on 2 ~ 3 different brands if ya' know what I mean.

I don't need them all the time and will probably only order 4 this time around to see if I can do the correction on my hard GM "type 2 water spots" with them.

While I've got y'all here.... ideas on clay replacement, heavy contaminate removal pads anyone? Up to very agressive, but not all the way to wet sanding perhaps?

I say that because I get this nagging feeling I might need more on a project or two in the near future. :dunno:
 
A yellow lc pad would be the most aggressive. However an orange pad should be enough. For clay replacement I like Mothers or Meguiars. They work great and are readily available at most auto part stores
 
PapaSmurf said:
A yellow lc pad would be the most aggressive. However an orange pad should be enough. For clay replacement I like Mothers or Meguiars. They work great and are readily available at most auto part stores
Click to expand...

+1

I prefer Meg's white consumer clay over mothers. Mother' clay is really really mild, doesnt clean as well as Meg's. Its not as pliable as Meguiars.

If you need a bit more cleaning ability, upgrade to Meguiar's professional mild clay (blue), or you can use some Clay Magic which works really well.
 
PapaSmurf said:
A yellow lc pad would be the most aggressive. However an orange pad should be enough. For clay replacement I like Mothers or Meguiars. They work great and are readily available at most auto part stores
Click to expand...

Sorry, meant as a new product *instead* of clay. I use Meg's white mostly, as well as blue, and have used Mothers in the past. Have a block of Griot's that's not been opened yet btw.

I was thinking along the line of nanoskin and such, just not up to date on what all is out there.
 
Sorry I guess I misunderstood lol. Myself personally, I would try Thx CG claybar washmit. I really want to try it
 
I came in here hoping for the answer to another question so I'll ask it now.

Meguiars vs Optimum vs Lake Country

Which microfiber pad and why?

I've used the Optimum and it was good but it fell apart after one car. The microfiber just peeled away from the foam.
 
brianch said:
I came in here hoping for the answer to another question so I'll ask it now.

Meguiars vs Optimum vs Lake Country

Which microfiber pad and why?

I've used the Optimum and it was good but it fell apart after one car. The microfiber just peeled away from the foam.
Click to expand...

Can't say about all of them, but I went ahead with the Meg's pads and of course their backing plate. That combo seems to run cooler than using their pads with the LC backing plate FOR SURE! I even measured it with my IR thermometer. ;)

The biggest thing about MF pads is pulling them away from the surface, using LOTS of air to clean them, and clean them after EVERY section pass. Don't do more than a single panel with one either. For that matter I've yet to do an entire hood or roof with one. Just clean it and sit it aside to cool and grab another one.

First time I used 4 for a vehicle, (with constant cleaning). Next time I took my time and cleaned between all passes, let them stay cool and managed to (with a break) half way through only use 2. ;)
 
I have used the megs and had one delaminate from the velcro, but i think that was user error, picked up some lc ones to try out talk about a lint monster! I need to toss them in the wash tonight befor i try them out, as recomendation i can't really give one as i have not used them enought
 
I've only used megs mf pads so can't compare but I can give u my experience with them..
I was like u wasnt sure which ones to get or if even to get them..
But I jumped on board with megs for both pads compound and finish wax.
I have used them on two cars one was a new black z71 the other a white caddy. And I used the cutting disc with m205 on the black truck and finished with a foam pad. Turned out really good.
The caddy needed more correction so I tried uc witch cutting disc but needed more cut. So I used the correction compound and it was just right then used the finishing pad and wax and it turned out a lot better than I expected..
To me megs pads are the one to get. Of course knowing how to use them is most important I've read a lot of people saying they fell apart only to later read they had something wrong..

Sorry I couldn't offer comparisons but I hope this helps some.

Sent from my SCH-L710 using AG Online
 
I have used the Megs MF discs and have had great success with them. Now there is a learning curve to use them properly.

What I have found is that you must clean them nearly after every section you do. Cleaning with compressed air is the best way. I have tried the brush method and even after cleaning them and using very little product the pads would become over saturated.

I found myself switching the pads often in fear of the pads becoming too hot causing the Velcro to separate from the foam.

The saying that goes "A little bit goes a long way" when dealing with product and MF pads is VERY true. After the pad is primed, four pea sized dots is all you need for the section. After working the section clean those pads.

Speed 4 is the max with these pads. Anything above that you run the risk of failure and or the pad becoming warped.

Thats my 2 cents about the MF pads. They are great once you get how to use them.
 
akj said:
I've only used megs mf pads so can't compare but I can give u my experience with them..
I was like u wasnt sure which ones to get or if even to get them..
But I jumped on board with megs for both pads compound and finish wax.
I have used them on two cars one was a new black z71 the other a white caddy. And I used the cutting disc with m205 on the black truck and finished with a foam pad. Turned out really good.
The caddy needed more correction so I tried uc witch cutting disc but needed more cut. So I used the correction compound and it was just right then used the finishing pad and wax and it turned out a lot better than I expected..
To me megs pads are the one to get. Of course knowing how to use them is most important I've read a lot of people saying they fell apart only to later read they had something wrong..

Sorry I couldn't offer comparisons but I hope this helps some.

Sent from my SCH-L710 using AG Online
Click to expand...

Thoryamaha919 said:
I have used the Megs MF discs and have had great success with them. Now there is a learning curve to use them properly.

What I have found is that you must clean them nearly after every section you do. Cleaning with compressed air is the best way. I have tried the brush method and even after cleaning them and using very little product the pads would become over saturated.

I found myself switching the pads often in fear of the pads becoming too hot causing the Velcro to separate from the foam.

The saying that goes "A little bit goes a long way" when dealing with product and MF pads is VERY true. After the pad is primed, four pea sized dots is all you need for the section. After working the section clean those pads.

Speed 4 is the max with these pads. Anything above that you run the risk of failure and or the pad becoming warped.

Thats my 2 cents about the MF pads. They are great once you get how to use them.
Click to expand...

:iagree: PLUS :iagree:

The Megs system is really nice. Going from working with at least a dozen different (foam) pads of 2~3 colors to 4 MF pads (and a lot of air) on a single vehicle is something to behold. :) Wasn't sure about the finishing pads and wax at first, but on a hard clear they finish out quite well. :xyxthumbs: Don't work well on my Infiniti paint (for finishing) but on factory GM cars (so far) they've both done well.
 
Thoryamaha919 said:
I have used the Megs MF discs and have had great success with them. Now there is a learning curve to use them properly.

What I have found is that you must clean them nearly after every section you do. Cleaning with compressed air is the best way. I have tried the brush method and even after cleaning them and using very little product the pads would become over saturated.

I found myself switching the pads often in fear of the pads becoming too hot causing the Velcro to separate from the foam.

The saying that goes "A little bit goes a long way" when dealing with product and MF pads is VERY true. After the pad is primed, four pea sized dots is all you need for the section. After working the section clean those pads.

Speed 4 is the max with these pads. Anything above that you run the risk of failure and or the pad becoming warped.

Thats my 2 cents about the MF pads. They are great once you get how to use them.
Click to expand...

+2 very well said :)
 
cardaddy said:
Thanks guys, I had the Meg's pads in my cart and started reading threads where guys said they just don't hold up. I honestly don't care what they cost as they are all close price wise. I'm just not going to go through beta testing on 2 ~ 3 different brands if ya' know what I mean.

I don't need them all the time and will probably only order 4 this time around to see if I can do the correction on my hard GM "type 2 water spots" with them.

While I've got y'all here.... ideas on clay replacement, heavy contaminate removal pads anyone? Up to very agressive, but not all the way to wet sanding perhaps?

I say that because I get this nagging feeling I might need more on a project or two in the near future. :dunno:
Click to expand...
Tony,

Make sure the Meg's MF pads you're buying have "made in the USA" stamped on the back. The adhesive has been upgraded on these pads. If you buy old stock, you will be more than disappointed. The Meg's MF pads give the best performance, but the first run, there was major problems with the adhesive delaminating. The "made in the USA" improved adhesive is MUCH better! They do not delaminate. With this improvement, the Meg's MF pads are hands down the best!!! :dblthumb2:
 
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