Well it's pretty simple. Having learned and mastered the Meguiar's M80 series system--M80 with the rotary and the W8006 pad solved most polishing problems. If I needed to get more aggressive, I could either do more passes, or go to M83 or M84 with a cutting pad.
When using the PC, your polishing potential is limited to W8006 and M80 or M83 or M82. It's great for certain types of defects but its limited. Essentially it's a fool proof system for anyone learning the PC, but to stay within the system really requires you to move to the rotary for more correction capability.
In the Prima system, like other systems that utilize the Lake Country pads, the polishing chemicals and pad choices give you more correction potential. Although they have a very aggressive yellow pad, very rarely have I needed it whereas I've been able to remove sanding marks and defects with the LC orange pad either on my rotary or on the PC/UDM.
In comparisons where I've polished out a black Corvette with the PC vs Rotary, the rotary polished out a panel about twice as fast as the PC with Prima. Using the Meguiar's system on the PC had no effect, and you will find these comments on the MOL forum all the time, that Corvette paint is too hard for the PC.
One of the things I try to let people understand about speed comparisons between using the PC and RB is that while the initial polishing and removal of defects is faster with the RB, it also splatters quite a bit, so proper prep is essential on the RB, so you have to figure in time to tape, protect, and clean up. Also you need to follow the RB up with the PC to remove holograms, so the average time between using the PC or RB probably actually is a wash.
However, I still use the RB first over the PC because on long jobs, that initial verification of correction that I'm trying to achieve--the nearly flawless finish--having immediate gratification is important to me. But for those that have plenty of time or don't have RB skills, the PC with the Prima system can do incredible results--much further than what you could do with Megs alone.
There's another thread here on Autopia asking about whether the PC can remove sanding marks.
http://autopia.org/forum/machine-polishing/93625-pc-wetsanding.html#post961534
I've posted pictures of test spots on a sanded hood I polished the other day using the PC and UDM, something that MOL will say you can't do with a PC--which is correct, you couldn't do this with their system.
For this Cayman S, the fact I used only one polish--Prima Swirl and two pad types--LC Orange and LC White to achieve the finish I desired made for finding the proper combination a no brainer.
If I had used the Meguiar's system, I might have compounded the finish using M84 and a W7006 cutting pad, and followed it by M83 and or M80 before getting to the PC with M80 then getting to LSP. Just more steps and more mess to get the same results.
I still use the Meguiar's system, but I find that I like and prefer using Prima more and more over Megs everytime that I use it.
Richard
Redbird74 said:
Richard, would you mind expanding on your thoughts of switching from Meg's to Prima and where you see the pros/cons of the products and the techniques used to get results from them? I'm new to polishing and still trying to master the Meg's system, but curious about others.
Haha, it's ok. I remember your posts and thank you!
TH0001 said:
Just realized my post wasn't very complimentary. I have followed your work from the old Meguiars Online days and your work on the Mustang and Camaro where very inspiring. You do amazing work!!!
