Foam vs Wool vs Microfiber Pads

Z

ZeroDfx

Member
I`m an amateur enthusiast who has been using a full range of 6" and 3" LC foam pads on my PC 7424 for years now. But I often see comments and discussions that include the use of wool pads and microfiber pads. Can someone please give me a quick tutorial in the differences, and why one might choose a wool or microfiber pd over a foam pad? Are there similar color coded levels of aggressiveness with wool and microfiber pads? Are these pads more intended for professional detailers who face a wider variety of paint correction challenges?
TIA, I look forward to your thoughts.
 
I have limited and more recent experience with wool pads, specifically the newer Rupes yellow-medium and blue-coarse wool pads and I find them to correct very well and finish down fairly well. These are now my favorite pads for medium to coarse corrections. The big advantage of wool is that it stays cool better than microfiber but especially foam. Downside is you need to clean more often as the fibers get matted down. However, another upside is that you can blow out the fibers with compressed air, which restores them, cools them, and removes debris such as clear coat and spent polish. A quick hit with compressed air to rejuvenate the pad and then a quick hit with a pad brush (I like the Rupes pad brush best) and the wool pad is ready for more very quickly. I usually need less wool pads for correcting a car as the compressed air removes a lot of debris that usually embeds deeper into a foam pad. Notice there aren`t many "fine" wool pads as the fibers often leave some telltale marks and not always but often needed to be followed up with a fine foam finishing pad for a final gloss. But depending on the paint (hardness and color), the Rupes yellow wool pad can do a full correction by itself.

I also like microfiber due to the compressed air cleaning aspect. In my experience they don`t correct as well as the wool but do well on their own. And like wool pads, you may need to follow up with a fine foam pad. Not everyone likes microfiber, especially those that are professionals that may want to do a true one pass correction and polish. Professionals don`t care that you might not need as many microfiber pads to correct, they just want the quickest and best one-step correction. Though not all professionals only do one-steps so I don`t want to cast too wide of a remark.

Foam pads usually finish down better than the wool and microfiber as you don`t have any concerns with fibers getting matted. But foam pads don`t clean as easily since you really can`t use air effectively, you mainly just use a quick pad brush and change pads more often. One downside of foam compared to wool as foam will keep heat in more readily. So while foam doesn`t mat fibers and can polish longer, due to heat build up, you likely want to keep your passes down between quick stops to clean the pad with a pad brush.

These are broad remarks so should be considered guidelines. Regarding colors, they are all over the map, even between foam pads by different vendors. Wool is usually skewed to the more coarse correction with some medium. Microfibers are usually cut or fine. Foam has as many colors and focuses as there are colors in a rainbow. :)

To leave you, I used to be a fan of microfiber pads and kept a polishing pad if needed but after having recently used the Rupes blue and yellow wool pads, those are my favorite workhorses now. I still keep foam pads as they have their need but the Rupes wool is what I grab for first now. But it also depends on how much correction is needed as well as the paint. If little correction is needed then I`d grab a foam pad for light cutting/polishing or a polishing pad and maybe adjust the polish/mild compound to adjust the cut. All depends on what the paint tells you with test spots. Always start less aggressive and only go aggressive enough to correct the paint`s defects.
 
I have only been doing this for about 13 years, but there have been lots of changes/advancements in that time. I started with the large 6" foam pads for the PC, but quickly switched to 5" pads. I also used the Meg`s MF pads & Polishes when they first came out, and was amazed at how much better they corrected and finished down compared to foam.

The down side to the MF pads is they get very hot (I melted my Rupes backing plate with one), so the trick is to rotate 2 pads to let one cool off after you clean it.
The constant cleaning is a downside to both MF and wool.

But the upside to wool is they run so much cooler. I am able to work a larger area, do less passes, and correct + finish as well (or maybe better) than with MF pads. And since they do not heat up, you can keep using the pad after a quick cleaning.

After MF or wool you may need to finish the work with a foam pad on some paints.

If you are looking for recommendations for purchase - start with coarse + fine wool, coarse + file foam, and skip the MF pads. You will need more pads for correcting (all wool and coarse foam), and fewer finishing pads.
 
mc2hill said:
The down side to the MF pads is they get very hot (I melted my Rupes backing plate with one), so the trick is to rotate 2 pads to let one cool off after you clean it.
The constant cleaning is a downside to both MF and wool.
Click to expand...

WHOA. That is crazy hot!

you used two pads for the entire car? I like to use way more. Less cleaning and fresher pad.
Wool does tend to run cooler, though.

Here`s a pic of the pads I used on a Honda CRX (small car).

pads1.jpg



and for those interested, here`s an aggressiveness chart from Lake Country with some of their pad lines. you can see and compare the cut levels across the foam, MF and wool pads.

pads2.jpg
 
Heh heh, I bet I`ve never done *one* entire panel with just one pad...except *maybe* for the Finishing Polish. Anyhow...

I used wool pads on RO/DA machines back before today`s compounds came out.

they (Cyclo brand ones, that *MIGHT* be the same as the Blue/Yellow Rupes ones since it`s the same Co. these days) upped the cut, but never finished out all that great (not that I expected them to).

These days, my compounds (e.g., M101 or even ol` M105) cut so well, even on hard clear, that I neither want, nor need, anything that aggressive.
 
All wool pads will correct fast and also remove a lot of clearcoat because they correct fast...

When the big "microfiber" pads hit the Detailing world over 10+ years ago by now, I think, I was unimpressed, but to be fair, tried them, and they also corrected fast but to do that, you remove more clear coat to get there... You usually need a finishing pass with something else too.. I also noted they heated up a lot and did not like that part at all..

Yes, the Industry did come out with ventilated backing plates that helped get rid of the heat and that was perhaps great for those that use microfiber very successfully..

A lot of great people have learned how to use and manage microfiber pads and I am happy for them !

Since I am only using Rotary Power, and am very familiar with wool and rotary, (which is the Only way to paint correct Airplanes), I have found 1 great wool/foam pad that fills all my needs on the rare occasion, I need to go to that level of correction and clear coat removal..

That is the Lake Country Purple Foam Wool pad in all sizes, that has been around longer than 10+ years too...

My only Foam Pads that have been just great on all other corrections and also finish down really great have been the old Lake Country Hydro-Tech foam pads, that I affectionately renamed, the "Hydro-Shreds" when they first came out, because, well, they shredded a lot using them on my Makita..

But they fixed that, and they are still the only pad I ever need for about everything... 3 flavors - Cyan = best cutting and finishing, Tangerine less cut and better finishing and Crimson = no cut, great for applying LSP, etc., if you use a machine for that..

Have used a lot of the Cyan pads on new Tesla cars that come pretty much full of paint defects from Tesla, and Tesla has no desire to fix this either, since they say they are selling "electric cars, and this is what you get", to their Clients... :) Sad.. :)

I only use Lake Country Snappy Clean to clean all pads and have never had an issue, only excellent results from this powder that comes in handy envelopes... It cleans them all great, with no issues..

I`m also with Just Jesus = I use A Lot of pads to paint correct and finish all vehicles; sometimes 12 or more... And I clean the pads a lot with small, white, towels, and pad conditioner all the time, just to extend the pad life, and see what is coming off out of the paint...When they are done, they go into the bucket with 3 gallons of water and an envelope of Snappy Clean..

And, I measure in Microns a lot, after each pass to know exactly how much in Microns I have removed, and I strive to remove as little as possible...

Dan F
 
Stokdgs said:
... That is the Lake Country Purple Foam Wool pad in all sizes, t

I only use Lake Country Snappy Clean to clean all pads and have never had an issue, only excellent results from this powder that comes in handy envelopes... It cleans them all great, with no issues....
Click to expand...

Love those Purple Foam Wool pads! They`re great on the gear driven Flex 3401.

Hmm. I suspect Snappy Clean is what is found in those little jars that are sold by Autopia under the different house brands. Yellow powder!
I do enjoy using that to clean my pads. I used to use sprays in the bathroom sink, and while effective, too much time spent.

Fast forward to this last weekend, and I have the Lake Country pad washer bucket. Haven`t tried it, but have hopes that it will save me time and energy.
 
JustJesus said:
Love those Purple Foam Wool pads! They`re great on the gear driven Flex 3401.

Hmm. I suspect Snappy Clean is what is found in those little jars that are sold by Autopia under the different house brands. Yellow powder!
I do enjoy using that to clean my pads. I used to use sprays in the bathroom sink, and while effective, too much time spent.

Fast forward to this last weekend, and I have the Lake Country pad washer bucket. Haven`t tried it, but have hopes that it will save me time and energy.
Click to expand...

Mi Hermano !
Hope you and yours are all safe and well !

Glad you also like the Purple Foam Wool Pads = I have always had great results from them. They even finish down pretty nicely too.

You Lucky ! Let us know how that L/C Pad Washer Bucket works.. It would have to really speed up the process and that is always great.
The Snappy Clean has always been a White Powder but some coloring can change it any color you want, right ? :)
Dan F
 
I like the Griots fast finishing MF pad. They recently changed the foam interface to a more dense foam. The earlier ones were a bit too soft and overheated quickly. The center hole helps a lot. Cuts good and finishes down nicely with a mild polish.
 
JustJesus said:
WHOA. That is crazy hot!

you used two pads for the entire car? I like to use way more. Less cleaning and fresher pad.
Wool does tend to run cooler, though.
Click to expand...

I use a total of 4-6 MF pads per car, but rotate 2 pads at at time.
I think when I first tested the wool pads on an SUV I used just 2 5.5" pads, and one 3" wool pad for smaller areas, but skipped the roof - lots of windows, so was really just polishing the doors and hood.
 
Thank you very much for your comprehensive responses as to the differences in pads and under what circumstances you choose to use each type.
Given that I have completed my basic paint correction years ago and I`m in more of a maintenace mode, I think my foam pads will continue to serve me well.
Thanks again.
 
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