Dr_Pain
New member
- Nov 28, 2012
- 2,196
- 0
Since joining the Finest team I've been talking with Corey (@CarPro) about the latest and greatest (in a quest to improve my skills and my arsenal), and shared with him one of the biggest limitations I had which is that I am NOTORIOUSLY tough on my polishing pads, especially when doing a heavier correction. He hinted at the fact that CarPro was coming out with a "Flash Pad" which would be a "game changer" in the world of heavy correction. Let's say that I was excited. He described a dense compressible foam pad, which could stand to the kind of abuse I would throw at it. I do have to mentioned that I've destroyed many foam pads due to overheating and overpressuring, so this left me a little weary. My current go-to for heavier correction (which does not require wool) is the Megs MF cutting pad, but I've destroyed a few of those as well due to overheating (long work time and pressure). The heat would basically destroy the glue holding the velcro to the pad. He offered to send my a 3.5" pad to try, and I've never refused a freebie.
The product in question is:
CarPro Flash Pad 6 1/4"
CarPro Flash Pad 3 1/2"
P.S. Corey did send me the 3 1/2" but decided to buy the 6 1/4" for an honest review (where I would use it on large flat panels, curved panels, small sections etc...)
The subject: 2003 50th Anniversary Corvette Z06..... a SWIRLED mess!
Polisher: Flex 3401 w/ 6 1/4"; GG6 w/ 3 1/2"
Compound: Wolfgang Uber Compound Wolfgang Uber Compound
and Menzerna FG400
Process: Flex speed 5, slow arm speed, moderate pressure x 4 passes; GG6 speed 5-6, slow arm speed, heavy pressure (pad still rotating) x 6 passes.
P.S. The GG6 was used on all tight areas (including the scoop, rear valance and mirrors).
The results:
The paint was relatively hard and finished down nicely. I could have called it a day on a one-step correct and the owner would not have known unless looking under high intensity LEDs (and knowing was he was looking for but a polishing step was necessary to "refine" the paint. Comparing this system to the MF cutting pad, I would give this Flash Pad the winning edge. I initially did a test to see how badly the pad would heat up if I were to take a larger section or if I applied a lot of pressure and the Flash Pad passes the torture test in both case. The pad is SUPER firm and does need a little time to "break in" but this is a small set back for a great pad. I purposefully only used 1 pad (or each) to see if it would get clogged (and lose its cutting edge) but every time I took the pad off the paint to reload, inspect and wipedown I was surprised how easy it was to spin it with a pad brush and get back on task. I would not advocate only using one pad because it did require a little more work to get the pad clean enough (later in the compounding) but was able to use the one pad for this large swirl mess. The pad did not collapse on me, it did not get so clogged that it would not correct anymore, the velcro backing did not overheat and fail. I was going for a catastrophic torture test and found my new best friend!!!!
For those interested in the pad, I would say that 4 and 2 pads (6 1/4 and 3 1/2 respectively) would have been my game plan for this car.
P.S. As you can see, this vette has a tinted clean, so there is no way to hide how well the residue will clean off the pad.
I've submitted the Show 'N Shine a while back (CLICK HERE!, but waited to report on those pads because I wanted to answer a few questions first.....
Q) How do they clean up??
A) They clean up exactly like any other pad. Easy as pie, and no trapped residue! The only difference I could see is that you can't really wring them out (there are too stiff)
Q) Are they softer after the first use?? or after the first wash??
A) Not really! The are still very stiff and does seem to maintain the indent of the backing plate (nothing that affects function)
Q) Anything else to report on the pad and its construction?
A) Yes, store them well! I made the mistake of tossing it in my Rupes bag with the polisher, and obviously the polisher shifted and leaned on the pad and left an indent in it (see picture below). It did eventually come back to its original shape, but I was concerned for a second that I had permanently deformed my pad
Q) Any other use for the pad, other than spot correction or as a replacement cutting pad (replacing my beloved MF cutting disc)??
A) I have seen a few posts by Wes (and other CarPro Installers) mentioning using it with Reflect (which is a finishing polish) and was very intrigued. If you know me, I had to test the pad out myself outside of the traditional "cutting world".
So here is how it was tested!! One of my customer came in this weekend with his beloved '69 Camaro SS Show Car and was concerned at her lack luster looks. He described that over the last year since I last polished the car that he had some paint work done (on one of the quarters), and felt that the body shop did not take due diligence in covering/protecting the car. As a result, he ended up with a bunch of microscopic overspray. On reception of the car, he did clay the car which improved the gritty feeling but he was still not happy with the look or feel of his car. He delivered the car to us this weekend and unfortunately we noted the same concerns. We proceeded with a more aggressive claying of the car, and did not notice a great improvement, so opted to do a light polish with an AIO (XMT360.
To make this story short..... HOLY COW!!!! It pulled all kinds of junk off of the paint and the gloss was restored. No marring, no hazing.... nothing but pure gloss!! For those wondering: 1) NO the car is not neglected! She is kept in an A/C'd garage, has never seen rain, 2) And yes he loves his car enough that he will bring it to a professional to take care of it periodically (It was compounded last year (by yours truly)). I was so impressed (and so excited) I had to text Corey! Alright, enough with the blah, blah.... on to the pictures!!! (No processing was used to enhance the pictures!)
Feel free to add your comments, your experiences or to ask questions. Thanks for viewing :dblthumb2:
The product in question is:
CarPro Flash Pad 6 1/4"
CarPro Flash Pad 3 1/2"
P.S. Corey did send me the 3 1/2" but decided to buy the 6 1/4" for an honest review (where I would use it on large flat panels, curved panels, small sections etc...)
The subject: 2003 50th Anniversary Corvette Z06..... a SWIRLED mess!
Polisher: Flex 3401 w/ 6 1/4"; GG6 w/ 3 1/2"
Compound: Wolfgang Uber Compound Wolfgang Uber Compound
and Menzerna FG400
Process: Flex speed 5, slow arm speed, moderate pressure x 4 passes; GG6 speed 5-6, slow arm speed, heavy pressure (pad still rotating) x 6 passes.
P.S. The GG6 was used on all tight areas (including the scoop, rear valance and mirrors).
The results:
The paint was relatively hard and finished down nicely. I could have called it a day on a one-step correct and the owner would not have known unless looking under high intensity LEDs (and knowing was he was looking for but a polishing step was necessary to "refine" the paint. Comparing this system to the MF cutting pad, I would give this Flash Pad the winning edge. I initially did a test to see how badly the pad would heat up if I were to take a larger section or if I applied a lot of pressure and the Flash Pad passes the torture test in both case. The pad is SUPER firm and does need a little time to "break in" but this is a small set back for a great pad. I purposefully only used 1 pad (or each) to see if it would get clogged (and lose its cutting edge) but every time I took the pad off the paint to reload, inspect and wipedown I was surprised how easy it was to spin it with a pad brush and get back on task. I would not advocate only using one pad because it did require a little more work to get the pad clean enough (later in the compounding) but was able to use the one pad for this large swirl mess. The pad did not collapse on me, it did not get so clogged that it would not correct anymore, the velcro backing did not overheat and fail. I was going for a catastrophic torture test and found my new best friend!!!!
For those interested in the pad, I would say that 4 and 2 pads (6 1/4 and 3 1/2 respectively) would have been my game plan for this car.
P.S. As you can see, this vette has a tinted clean, so there is no way to hide how well the residue will clean off the pad.
I've submitted the Show 'N Shine a while back (CLICK HERE!, but waited to report on those pads because I wanted to answer a few questions first.....
Q) How do they clean up??
A) They clean up exactly like any other pad. Easy as pie, and no trapped residue! The only difference I could see is that you can't really wring them out (there are too stiff)
Q) Are they softer after the first use?? or after the first wash??
A) Not really! The are still very stiff and does seem to maintain the indent of the backing plate (nothing that affects function)
Q) Anything else to report on the pad and its construction?
A) Yes, store them well! I made the mistake of tossing it in my Rupes bag with the polisher, and obviously the polisher shifted and leaned on the pad and left an indent in it (see picture below). It did eventually come back to its original shape, but I was concerned for a second that I had permanently deformed my pad
Q) Any other use for the pad, other than spot correction or as a replacement cutting pad (replacing my beloved MF cutting disc)??
A) I have seen a few posts by Wes (and other CarPro Installers) mentioning using it with Reflect (which is a finishing polish) and was very intrigued. If you know me, I had to test the pad out myself outside of the traditional "cutting world".
So here is how it was tested!! One of my customer came in this weekend with his beloved '69 Camaro SS Show Car and was concerned at her lack luster looks. He described that over the last year since I last polished the car that he had some paint work done (on one of the quarters), and felt that the body shop did not take due diligence in covering/protecting the car. As a result, he ended up with a bunch of microscopic overspray. On reception of the car, he did clay the car which improved the gritty feeling but he was still not happy with the look or feel of his car. He delivered the car to us this weekend and unfortunately we noted the same concerns. We proceeded with a more aggressive claying of the car, and did not notice a great improvement, so opted to do a light polish with an AIO (XMT360.
To make this story short..... HOLY COW!!!! It pulled all kinds of junk off of the paint and the gloss was restored. No marring, no hazing.... nothing but pure gloss!! For those wondering: 1) NO the car is not neglected! She is kept in an A/C'd garage, has never seen rain, 2) And yes he loves his car enough that he will bring it to a professional to take care of it periodically (It was compounded last year (by yours truly)). I was so impressed (and so excited) I had to text Corey! Alright, enough with the blah, blah.... on to the pictures!!! (No processing was used to enhance the pictures!)
Feel free to add your comments, your experiences or to ask questions. Thanks for viewing :dblthumb2:
