The Aggressiveness Order of SMAT Products - This might surprise you!

[Mike Phillips]

The Aggressiveness Order of SMAT Products - This might surprise you!


Super Micro Abrasive Technology = SMAT
From left to right, the most aggressive to the least aggressive SMAT products

From the most to the least aggressive...

M105 Ultra-Cut Compound/M95 Speed Cut Compound = The same in abrading power
Ultimate Compound
ScratchX 2.0
M86 Solo Cut & Polish Cream
D151 Paint Reconditioning Cream
SwirlX
M205 Ultra Finishing Polish
​

Now instead of SCANNING... (like we're all prone to do on discussion forums), read the below very carefully.

The order shown here is relative, to the idea that if all things were equal, if all influencing factors could be controlled and be identical when using these products.

That of course is impossible because some of these products are only recommended for use with a rotary buffer while some of these products are only recommended for use by hand or with a dual action polisher. So if we were to follow the manufactures recommendations then we wouldn't be able to compare all of these products side-by-side because in some examples they cannot be used in an equal manner.

Does that make sense?

This article is just to give you a GENERAL idea for the aggressiveness of these products when relatively compared to one another. The way a product is applied, (by hand or machine and if by machine the type of machine), and the application material used to apply the products, (foam, wool, wool/acrylic blend, cotton, microfiber), are both HUGE factors that will and do affect how aggressive a product is or isn't.

So keep this in mind when considering which product to choose and use for your detailing project.

Also keep in mind this is a very diverse group of products, all of these products except the D151 PRC are products with the dedicated purpose of removing below surface defects like swirls, scratches and other etchings and blemishes.

The D151 is a one-step cleaner/wax that has the ability to remove below surface defects, polish the paint to a high gloss and then leave behind a coating of protection.

Any questions?

 

[Shane731]

Why do most people choose M105 over M95, if they have the same cut? Does M105 offer certain advantages? I've just never noticed anybody using M95 in their details.

 

[Mike Phillips]

Why do most people choose M105 over M95, if they have the same cut? Does M105 offer certain advantages? I've just never noticed anybody using M95 in their details.

Good question!

Hang tight while I finish editing another new article and post it and then I'll link this article to the new article and then new article to this article.

The SMAT Pack - Everything you ever wanted to know about Meguiar's SMAT products...


Here's a portion of the new article.



M95 Speed Cut Compound - Refinishing Industry
On the Autogeek.net store

M9532 Speed Cut Compound - 32 ounces
M9501 Speed Cut Compound - 1 gallon


M95 Speed Cut Compound

My comments...
M95 is a fast, aggressive cutting compound formulated and targeted primarily for use with rotary buffers and wool pads to remove sanding marks out of fresh paint in body shops. The difference between M95 and M105 is they are both fast cutting, aggressive compounds able to remove #1200 Grit Sanding Marks but M105 offers more ability to finish out to a higher gloss with less swirls. M95 is more like an old-school brown compound and priced at a lower price point for the market this product caters too...


M95 Speed Cut Compound was introduced in December of 2007 and as of the writing of this article there have been no public announcements to any formula changes although Meguiar's history is to improve formulas when technology becomes available, they just don't make an announcement about it all the time. At this time, unlike M105, M95 is only recommended for use with a rotary buffer ONLY.

Official label copy
Speed-Cut Compound for fast results.

Method of application: Rotary Buffer Only

Directions:
Always work on a cool properly cured paint surface. Shake well. Work on section at at time. Set rotary buffer to approximately 1500-2000 RPM's. Use with Meguiars Wool Pad. To prime new or dry pads, mist on M34 Final Inspection. Apply M95 Speed-Cut Compound directly to the paint surface and begin working in a 2' x 2' area with overlapping passes. Continue working until defects or sanding marks are removed. Wipe remain residue with a Meguiar's M9910 Ultimate Wipe Microfiber Cloth prior to polishing. For final polishing, choose the appropriate Meguiar's foam pad and your favorite Meguiar's polish.

• Paintable - Safe for use in the paint shop environment
• Safe - VOC compliant formula
• Safe on all paint finishes including Scratch Resistant Clear coat Finishes.

Tips

• For best results use with Meguiar's W50000 Double sided Wool Pad
• For pad maintenance and ultimate results, clean pad frequently
• For optimum results, on OEM paint use a lower seed setting (1200 - 1500), and less pressure. For less aggressive cutting us Meguiar's W7000 Foam Cutting Pad

My comments...



A lot of people want to know what the differences are between M95 and M105, here are the technical differences,

• M105 can be applied by hand, DA Polisher and Rotary Buffer, M95 is recommended for use with a Rotary Buffer Only.
• M105 is SMAT only, M95 is SMAT and DAT
• M105 has the ability to finish out to a higher level of gloss and clarity with less swirls than M95

 

[Grizzly]

Why do most people choose M105 over M95, if they have the same cut? Does M105 offer certain advantages? I've just never noticed anybody using M95 in their details.

M105 finishes out nicer than 95. 95 is more old school and is forumlated only to be used with a rotary buffer.

 

[WRAPT C5Z06]

Why is solo cut recommended for a rotary polisher?

 

[Mike Phillips]

Why is solo cut recommended for a rotary polisher?

The So1o line is targeted at body shops and historically these shops predominantly use rotary buffers for all their cutting and polishing steps....

From the Solo FAQ

Who is the Solo System for?
It is specifically designed for paint & body shops in the automotive refinish industry. Within this segment, there are a variety of user expectations. Shops that finish with higher grades of paper (1500 grit DA or finer), and are looking for a simple, state of the art technology, So1o may be the answer.

On the other hand, shops that are using lower grades of paper (1500 grit by hand or coarser) and gritty "rocks in a bottle" compound technology; Solo may not suit them.

While some shops will continue to use a multi-liquid process, including ours, there are many shops that will welcome the benefits of our new "one-liquid" option.

Good question and for what it's worth I've had good luck using the M86 Cut & Polish Cream with both foam pads and microfiber pads with DA polishers. Always do a Test Spot before doing an entire car.


:xyxthumbs:

 

[OGauge4Me]

Mike:
I am detailing my sisters car this weekend. This is basically a spare car and the entire family uses and abuses the car.

I had a bottle of D151 Paint Reconditioning Cream in my supply cabinet so I used the product with a yellow pad. I did a claybar after a wash first. Also my sister must have a hotline to the county department of public works and gets daily updates to which roads were recently tarred because the white car was a mess.

I was not really interested in removing deeper scratches but rather the swirl marks. The D151 did an outstanding job of removing the swirl marks and cleaning the paint. I was cleaning the pad after every two body panels due to dirt build up on the pad.

I followed up with a pass of Megs #7 to hide some of the less deep scratches and it did a decent job. I finished the detail with two coats of Pinnacle Liquid Souverän and called it a day.

For a quick removal of swirl marks and a deep cleaning of paint it is hard to beat the D151 product.

 

[bigez]

Do we know where D300 fits into this scale?

 

[rdockery_3]

Where would ultimate polish fall in line at or is it not a SMAT product?

 

[swanicyouth]

Someone once said a DAT polish will always finish down better than a SMAT polish on black(dark) cars because the abrasives of the DAT polish get completely broken down, and the SMAT abrasives won't change. Is this true? When working on a black car, do DAT products offer an advantage for use as finishing polishes?

 

[silverfox]

I think there may be some truth in saying that some DAT finishing polishes giving you that little extra finished look that everybody strives for. Example is PO85rd which is in a class by itself, but having said that I think that overall either type of polish has its pros and cons all things considered.

 

[truckbutt]

I think there may be some truth in saying that some DAT finishing polishes giving you that little extra finished look that everybody strives for. Example is PO85rd which is in a class by itself, but having said that I think that overall either type of polish has its pros and cons all things considered.

How does 3M Perfect It Ultrafine compare to P085RD?

 

[DaveT435]

Thanks Mike...that was very helpful. I know the UC and UP and recommended for DA's. I'm working with a Lexus and have heard the paint is pretty soft and easy to work so I should be ok with the UC and UP. I do have a pretty good assortment of pads so I can get more cut that way.
Mike do y'all ever set up a small booth at car events?? A little bit of late notice but Texas Motor Speedway has Friday night drags with a Shine-N-Show competition and parade. Every Friday night until July 27th...just wanted to pass that along in case y'all are interested in that kind of stuff. I mean when you look at the demographics in this area...and you would have people from Dallas, Fort Worth, Arlington...then of course a lot of these guys are in car clubs. Could open up a pretty big market for you.

 

[mhphoto]

Thanks, Mike! This really helps me decide which to get. Where does Ultimate Polish and ColorX fall on this continuum?

 

[mhphoto]

Also, this Autogeek chart shows #95 as being more abrasive than #105. Which is right?

 

[Capa1970]

Thanks for the info, Mike. Where would D300 fall?

 

[Mike Phillips]

How does 3M Perfect It Ultrafine compare to P085RD?

Applied using only a rotary buffer? One thing about most 3M Professional Body Shop products is they are only recommended for use with a rotary buffer, somehow 3M missed the entire DA Revolution that started in the late 1980's.

3M Perfect-It 3000 Ultrafine Machine Polish, 3M Ultrafina, 3M perfect it ultra fine polish, 3M Machine Polish

Thanks Mike...that was very helpful. I know the UC and UP and recommended for DA's.

I'm working with a Lexus and have heard the paint is pretty soft and easy to work so I should be ok with the UC and UP. I do have a pretty good assortment of pads so I can get more cut that way.

Sounds good, always test the least aggressive product first just to make sure.

Mike do y'all ever set up a small booth at car events?? A little bit of late notice but Texas Motor Speedway has Friday night drags with a Shine-N-Show competition and parade. Every Friday night until July 27th...just wanted to pass that along in case y'all are interested in that kind of stuff. I mean when you look at the demographics in this area...and you would have people from Dallas, Fort Worth, Arlington...then of course a lot of these guys are in car clubs.

Could open up a pretty big market for you.

Great question... we already have the above "online" market. Going after the demographic of people that attend car shows is a little different. I've set-up and worked at car shows all my life mostly doing the hands-on demonstrations while others do the selling, so I have a little bit of experience with working at car shows.

Trying to do classes at car shows only works if they are very tightly compressed because when guys go to car shows they don't want to go to school, they want to walk around, look at cars, drink a beer and re-live their glory days with the cars they've owned.

Thanks, Mike! This really helps me decide which to get. Where does Ultimate Polish and ColorX fall on this continuum?

ColorX is a DAT product so it doesn't fall into "this" line-up. But overall aggressiveness relative to the other products pictured I would put it between PRC and SwirlX.

I need to update this thread and add the new Meguiar's SMAT products. Lots on my plate right now but will try to get to it.

Also, this Autogeek chart shows #95 as being more abrasive than #105. Which is right?

M95 uses two kinds of abrasives, costs less and doesn't finish out as nice as M105, chances are good what you've read is a typo because I received my info direct from Mike Pennington and he is the guy that would know as he works very closely with the Meguiar's chemists and Jason Rose.

What I typed on the first page is,

M105 Ultra-Cut Compound/M95 Speed Cut Compound = The same in abrading power
​

Even if M95 was more aggressive, because it won't finish out as nice which one to choose is a no-brainer, at least for me...

Thanks for the info, Mike. Where would D300 fall?

Since I have this article on about a half a dozen forums, let me update it with a new picture and add all the new products before SEMA hits, then if needed I'll update it after SEMA.

My guess is D300 is going to fit between the Ultimate Compound and ScratchX 2.0 as shown in this original picture for this thread.


Super Micro Abrasive Technology = SMAT
From left to right, the most aggressive to the least aggressive SMAT products

From the most to the least aggressive...

M105 Ultra-Cut Compound/M95 Speed Cut Compound = The same in abrading power
Ultimate Compound
ScratchX 2.0
M86 Solo Cut & Polish Cream
D151 Paint Reconditioning Cream
SwirlX
M205 Ultra Finishing Polish
​

Now instead of SCANNING... (like we're all prone to do on discussion forums), read the below very carefully.

The order shown here is relative, to the idea that if all things were equal, if all influencing factors could be controlled and be identical when using these products.

That of course is impossible because some of these products are only recommended for use with a rotary buffer while some of these products are only recommended for use by hand or with a dual action polisher. So if we were to follow the manufactures recommendations then we wouldn't be able to compare all of these products side-by-side because in some examples they cannot be used in an equal manner.

Does that make sense?

This article is just to give you a GENERAL idea for the aggressiveness of these products when relatively compared to one another. The way a product is applied, (by hand or machine and if by machine the type of machine), and the application material used to apply the products, (foam, wool, wool/acrylic blend, cotton, microfiber), are both HUGE factors that will and do affect how aggressive a product is or isn't.

So keep this in mind when considering which product to choose and use for your detailing project.

Also keep in mind this is a very diverse group of products, all of these products except the D151 PRC are products with the dedicated purpose of removing below surface defects like swirls, scratches and other etchings and blemishes.

The D151 is a one-step cleaner/wax that has the ability to remove below surface defects, polish the paint to a high gloss and then leave behind a coating of protection.

Any questions?

 

[M64]

Any questions?

I have one!

What is D151 compared to Meguiars M66 Quick detailer?

 

[Mike Phillips]

I have one!

What is D151 compared to Meguiars M66 Quick detailer?

D151 = SMAT Product
M66 = DAT product
​

About the same in aggressiveness, I'd give the edge to D151 due to the abrasive technology.

 

[M64]

D151 = SMAT Product
M66 = DAT product
​

About the same in aggressiveness, I'd give the edge to D151 due to the abrasive technology.

Wow that was a fast reply!
Thank you! :dblthumb2: