Thanks Mike I very much appreciate the info
No problemo....
I have not used Presta products. I used to hang out on a body shop forum for painters where they really pushed these products hard and dissed anything else. Not sure what was up with that?
I say and I'm open to always trying out any brand of product and the real test is on black paint.
Compounds, or I should say, abrasive technology has really come a long way in the last few years and I mean A LONG WAY.
It used to be after you would compound paint you would remove the initial defects be they sanding marks after wetsanding or wear-n-tear like swirls and scratches, BUT the abrasive technology would leave the paint looking scoured and I mean SCOURED.
Back then this was normal and EVERYONE knew this was normal and that it was expected to do a second and even third follow up step which would be polishing with less aggressive polishes and typically foam pads.
But abrasive technology has changed.
Meguiar's started it with the introduction of M105 which uses SMAT or Super Micro Abrasive Technology. This is an AGGRESSIVE compound that will cut like a son of a gun and finish out like a fine polish.
I was at Meguiar's when it was introduced, I used the beta products, I was blown away by this product when it was first introduced and since then Meguiar's has introduced M101 and M100 which I think both of these products work better than M105.
But that's not the end of the story... after raising the bar for cut and finish quality, they forced everyone else to back into the laboratory and start working on catching up and I'm happy to say that it's this kind of competitiveness that brings about change and WE THE END USERS are the ones that benefit.
All of the products I listed above, Wolfgang, Rupes, Optimum, Mothers, and there are other brands too have introduced new and better abrasive technology in their compounds and polishes and now it's not just Meguiar's that offers an aggressive compound that finishes out like a fine cut polish but multiple companies.
And we all benefit.
My good friend Joe Fernandez who goes by Superior Shine on the forums is one heck of a pro detailer and also a very nice guy. He'll also be our guest at Detail Fest again this year.
That's saying something.
I've known Joe for years and one time he posted something that goes like this,
"It used to be you actually had to be good at this, that is you had to have some skill and experience to make paint look good... now anyone can do"
And I agree with Joe as I used to detail cars back when all we had were caveman compounds that scoured the paint. Technology as come a LONG way since those days. Heck I teach people all the time how to use rotary buffers and dual action polishers that have NEVER used a machine before and their first time out they are getting professional results and a big part of the reason for this is the improvements in abrasive technology, pad technology and tool technology.
Back to you original question...
I have not used Presta products so I don't know if they use good abrasive technology are if they are up to date and can compete head to head with the products I listed above. But the best test and the truest test is always on black paint.
I'm teaching two classes at Detail Fest, one is how to use the Flex 3401 and the other is how to use the rotary buffer and I'm using a black Mercedes-Benz with a Ceramiclear finish for my demonstrations and Wolfgang Uber Compound for the demo.
I am 100% confident of the tools, pads and products to leave the class impressed.
