what is the BEST Final Polish For BLACK?? Swirl free

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smokedlights

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Been getting kind of frusterated lately not being able to find a product that works perfectly for me, it seems they each have their very own small flaw when using on black especially..

.. First off im working with new and fresh/soft paint using an orbital..I am using 3m rubbing compound and have no problems there it finishes down very fine and only a very light haze..

I am interested in peoples opinion who have tried a variety of products not someone who uses one product and swears its the best just because they use it.. lol

I am VERY picky I want the absolute highest quality swirl free finish.

I usually use 3m ultrafine polish which is pretty good but the one thing I dont like is that it is so oily that I have to do the entire surface to have it blend in or i have an edge somewhere. ( Im only buffing polishing minute dirt specs etc in fresh paint so no need to do entire panels)

I have recently tried the new slick back by shine supply.. I like how it is not oily, I can buff a spot, wipe it and it blends completely with the surface. However it is only finishing down about 95% as well as Id like it to.. Still super light little swirls in the right light It would probably be good for most people, but as I said im very picky.

I am using 3m blue foam pad (about the softest pad possible). I also have on order some meguiars microfiber finishing pads just to try as well.
 
Menzerna SF3500. Then do an IPA wipedown. But you'll need to move up a little in pad aggressiveness to get out swirls.
 
I like Menzerna 4500 on black paint. I recently have been using Car Pro's Essence, but it does have fillers if that bothers you. I myself was looking for fine finishing polish that hides fine swirls semi permanently to save my clear coat. It's a daily driver and I don't want to have to chase every little swirl every time I polish.

The 3M blue pad is soft, but I do not care for the waffle pattern.

If you do use Essence, get the Car Pro finishing white pad..goes well with Essence.
 
All of the 3M compounds and polishes are designed for straight drive machines not DA machines.

I have used a variety of compounds/polishes and find that Menzerna simply outperforms most other products in a body shop environment.
 
an ipa wipedown is an extra step i dont care to really do.. I need it done and quickly.. least amount of steps.. the 3m and shine supply would both work perfectly if i sprayed a black detailer on them and wiped down afterwards. Its just an extra step Im trying to avoid.. Plus no matter how great my towels anytime they get wet is when the lint takes hold.

more aggressive pad? Will a more aggressive pad be able to finish completely swirl free? If thats the case I could be using a more aggressive bad now on what I have to try but seems backwards..

Fillers dont bother me at all.. I do small black parts.. after the first wash the customer will have swirls in them anyway. I just want swirl free with least effort for the delivery atleast
 
Also from what I hear the new shine supply polish is a knockoff of essence, with a bit more things added. I also should add im using 3''.. so alot of those pads arent available in 3''.. I do like the 3m pad but also not a fan of the waffle, especially on a DA kind of defeats the purpose..
 
Rsurfer said:
I like Menzerna 4500 on black paint. I recently have been using Car Pro's Essence, but it does have fillers if that bothers you. I myself was looking for fine finishing polish that hides fine swirls semi permanently to save my clear coat. It's a daily driver and I don't want to have to chase every little swirl every time I polish.

The 3M blue pad is soft, but I do not care for the waffle pattern.

If you do use Essence, get the Car Pro finishing white pad..goes well with Essence.
Click to expand...

Not familiar much with menzerna, how is the 4500 compared to the above reference of "sf 3500?" Is it oily at all, hard to wipe off the surface at all? Those are two very crucial things for me
 
You really can't find 2 minutes to do an IPA wipedown? I guess I was confused when you said you are "VERY picky I want the absolute highest quality swirl free finish."
 
no I cant this is a production business.. If i do a detail spray it completely burries the shine supply super light swirls, and it will completely lose the oily "edge" of the 3m polish..
I want a polish that finishes down perfect with a regular wipe.. the more times I touch the surface with a towel for the alcohol or whatever else the chance increases I catch a light scratch from the towel..that repeats the surface.

The thing is what I have is 99% well above what any normal person(non professional detailer with an LED light) will notice but its my own OCD that wants the perfection. Truth is I package these items to be shipped after being sold and they probably get more swirls from the packaging process then what either of the polishes I try lol its a bit crazy I know, but I figure for the same amount of work i need a polish that truly performs how I need

What is the main purpose of an alcohol wipe? It surely doesnt help the surface at all, it seems like a crutch for a bad performing polish that is hard to get off the surface or something? I understand it eliminates all polish to see what you "truly" have underneath but a good polish should wipe off easily and completely on its own in my opinion
 
The alcohol wipe is to be sure you are correcting and not leaving polish oils that are filling..
 
ya which in my case, I dont care if they are filling or not. better if they are and to leave them there. But hard to be filling when your using a polish no "no fillers"
The 3m ultrafine polish is absolutely hands down the best I have seen and finishes 100% swirl free, but you can tell a difference on the surface I have polished and one I have not. I have tried to capture it in a photo. A polish that performs as well as 3m on black, but doesnt leave an "edge" would be marvelous.

ok I have taken a photo to show what I mean, it may not be a bad idea to try alcohol on the "edge" but then I am at another step. another thing is to just run the polish over the entire light . which is by no means a major task and what I have been doing to this point.. but as i said its just production and it adds up to more time, and product in the end. Hope the photo helps understand what im facing..the "unpolished" side is completely fresh paint untouched by anything, it is kind of weird how it looks more hazy then the polished paint considering it is brand new paint.


View attachment 48082
 
Try a softer pad, the slick back has almost hardly any cut to it. But I think HD polish+ is about near perfect imo.
 
lane5515 said:
CarPro Reflect with CarPro Gloss Pads.
Click to expand...

Agree and dump 3m rubbing compound on soft paint non cured paint.fg 400 will replace that with very little micro marring if not any,and keep your pads very clean.I just wet sanded a disastrous 13 vette with water marks that cratered into the paint on the whole entire car.wetsanded 2000 fg on wool polishing pad then fg with micro cutting pad on da then HD speed with orange foam pad and topped it of with pwlock.car came out with zero micro marring.
 
I have used CAR PRO Reflect with orange spider pads on my wifes black Merc GLA 45 and it leaves nothing but clear glassy result... as a general polish (it will remove swirls too)
I have also used Scholl S20black + with blue spider pads too and it corrcets and finishes down to practically the same level as the Reflect.. I have a hard time seeing the difference between them....
Thats with a 6 pass, 4 working 2 light...
Both these are easy to use, almost no dust, and almost no residue afterwards... i honestly can't ask for more....
 
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