So idk why I thought of this but when we read about polish X and it says it works best with pad Y at speed Z, does this mean that the polish has been designed to work best with the cells of padY?
I don't know about the CELLS of the pad but it could be true of the pad design and/or foam formula overall.
For example in the RUPES line they offer their UHS SYSTEM which is one product matched to one pad. My own experience has been that overall this system works really well but on softer paints, because the pad is so aggressive the pad can cause micro-marring BUT that's when the pad is fresh and thus dry and clean. As the pad becomes wet with the product it softens up LIKE ALL FOAM PADS and then it's not an issue.
I think in my RUPES book I explained all of this.
Meguiar's used to have out their SOLO System which was one chemical and 4 pads and you adjust the cut or the polish you're trying to get by using a different pad.
So there is some truth that SOME companies do offer dedicated products to specific pads but in the big picture, like Jeff stated the most important part of ANY paint polishing project and procedure, (that's two things), is to start out by doing a Test Spot.
The Test Spot by the way, is a term I coined back in the 1990's as a teaching aid for teaching people how to polish paint. It's very rewarding to see this initial procedure adopted by the detailing world as I see the term used everywhere now days including IDA Test Exams.
Just a tidbit of history and of course... I have an article on that...
If this is the case then would using a more aggressive pad reduce the effectiveness of polishX? Or am I just thinking way to far into this whole scenario which I tend to do alot.
It's easy to "think" too much into car detailing and that is the norm but YES you can increase the cutting action of any product by using aggressive pads. I wouldn't recommend trying to make a non-cleaning finishing wax remove swirls and scratches by using it with a grey ThinPro foam pad because that would be ridiculous.
The most important thing for ANYONE working on any car paint is to use compounds, polishes and cleaner/waxes, that is the products that we all use to work on paint that contain abrasives, to use brands and products that use great abrasive technology.
I do my best to teach people this because it truly is the most important factor when it comes to polishing paint. It is the abrasive technology that is in contact with the paint. Not a person's technique and not the tool. Pad choice is important but the magic or the tragedy starts and finishes with the abrasive technology.
I think I'm right on this topic but according to my own poll... I'm wrong...
:laughing:
