3M Perfect-It III vs II compound??

M

MrSelfDestruct

New member
Since I learned how to buff at work I've been using 3M's Perfect-it III Extra cut compound and Swirl mark Remover. I want to buy something that will work as good and with the same results, but for a lower price. How is the Perfect-it II rubbing compound compared to the III extra cut? I know it's cheaper. the SMR is awsome stuff, I don't think I will use anything else I'm mainly wondering about the compound.



Also does anyone know the part number for the 3M double sided wool pad (that goes directly on the buffer, no backup plate) ? Or a similar non-3M wool pad that would work the same but lower priced?



Thanks
 
Not many people still use 3M products. I guess they used to be good stuff, but there's better stuff out there right now. If you have a buffer, I'd go with the Poorboy's SSR line for the same results.
 
Wow... 4 different SMR/compounds... With the Perfect-It III extra cut compound I'm able to get out almost anything, and 3M SMR leaves a perfect shine (IMO). Keep in mind that I work on alot of BAD paint, so using 4 different products would be a bit time consuming. Can you use the SSR3 and then jump to SSR2? or do you still need to use the SSR2.5?



Also I dunno if they sell this stuff readily in Canada... ?
 
jdhutchin said:
Not many people still use 3M products. I guess they used to be good stuff, but there's better stuff out there right now. If you have a buffer, I'd go with the Poorboy's SSR line for the same results.
Click to expand...

Actually, the 3M products rock, and I love them. Unfortunately, I haven't used the PI III line yet, so I can't comment to the original poster's question. I'm still working on my PI II, and whenever I encounter tough paint correction jobs, there isn't anything I'd rather use. It's not a situation of *better* products available, but more of a situation where they aren't hyped like other products available.



Wait for Accumulator to respond to your questions. He has used both extensively and will be able to give you some great input. :bigups
 
Heh heh,yeah, this post is sorta down my alley. I do about 90-some % of my correction with 3M's PI-III products. General comments on the PerfectIt stuff I've used follows:



The PI-III EC 05936 is pretty aggressive stuff. I only use it when I really have to (which is hardly ever these days, unless I buy something that's really trashed) and it doesn't finish out as nicely as I'd like. Still, it *will* do some serious correction. Not for the novice though (IMO). *I* woudn't go straight from this to SMR but that doesn't mean I'm saying that there's anything wrong with doing that if it works for you. I use PI-III RC 05933 or PI-II FCRC after this as I prefer a more gradual step-down and these compounds take out the micromarring faster than doing more work with milder stuff (yep, an extra step that saves me time overall, and leaves less chance of hologramming).



I don't use their SMR at all as I don't want any fillers/concealing when I'm working with a rotary; if I have issues I want to see them. Again, that's just me. I will say that I couldn't get a finish I'd be happy with using only the Extra Cut and the SMR but again, that's just me. FWIW I can't get a finish I'm satisfied with without using something like 05937 after *any* of the 3M compounds, even the milder ones discussed below.



The PI-III RC 05933 isn't nearly as aggressive as the Extra Cut but will still do correction. It finishes out almost ready-to-wax. Unlike the 05936 this can be used by hand/PC/Cyclo, though it's pretty mild that way. It's a good product for people who want something slightly aggressive and IMO the name "rubbing compound" is kinda misleading. I follow it with the PI-III MG 05937 which will leave things good enough for all but the most particular (I use even finer products on the "good" cars and yeah I can tell).



The PI-II Fine Cut RC (39002 in the 16 oz. bottle, forget what the quart size's number is) is very similar to the PI-III RC 05933. Just a bit more aggressive, doesn't finish out quite as nicely, probably because of the "old school" silica-based abrasives (which you don't want to inhale). Like the 05933, I follow with 05937 to get a ready-to-wax finish.



I hesitate to say the the milder RCs will substitute for the Extra Cut as I find the 05936 *very* aggressive and I find those milder products *very* mild. I will say that while the 05936 can save time with major correction, anything *I* feel safe removing will come out with the 05933 and a bit more time. But note that I'm a fanatic about maintaining thick paint and I'd rather leave flaws in than thin the paint too much. And I don't have to work on severely marred cars any more.



No experience with the 3M pads, none with wool pads on a rotary at all. Just a matter of my situation- any car that needs stuff like Extra Cut/wool is beyond the condition I'm interested in. Ah the luxury of only doing my own cars :D
 
Well 3M and Meguiar's are still the only suppliers of polish to the car manufacturers, everything else is just snake oil ! ...LoL Actually 3M products are the benchmark, Meguiar's only got into the OEM market like 7-8 years ago, but their retail side is stronger.



I only have experience with the PI-III RC 05933 and use it as my harshes polish for removing heavy swirls and scratches. It works well, but creates alot of dust.
 
I usually use the PI-III EC for the following:

-5+ year old paint that is all faded

-mild scratches (we have an automatic carwash at work that the dealer's use).. so the demo's are "demolished" after they reach 11,000km... :rofl:

-use on larger scratches (after wetsanding)



Basically I do love how agressive it is, and I NEED it to be.



GM has pretty crappy paint.. especially on cheaper cars like Sunfires and Grand Ams... and the lease returns are never taken care of properly.



The PI-III SMR is great for the demo's that are lighter color and/or not scratched up as bad.. removes/hides them pretty good. I think I might be getting great results with the product because I only use it with the 3M foam waffle pad, which is probably the best you can use with it. I like to spend a fair bit of time with the SMR after the EC compound.. yeah I agree it's a little bit time consuming but I like the results. :)



That machine glaze- is it good to use sealant afterwards? Or just a natural wax?



There is this package (it's not MG, but a final glaze) I'm thinking of getting

http://cgi.ebay.ca/3M-PERFECT-IT-30...ryZ50450QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem



Anyways THANKS FOR THE ADVICE :bigups I think I'll stick with the PI-III products, since that's what I'm used to.



Here's the roof of my car... done with wetsanding, EC, and SMR (and some sealant from work) **original 11 year old paint!**



IMG_2509.jpg




Decklid- I tried to place the bottle in the middle but it was too slippery :P

I painted the spoiler myself with Duplicolor Colormatch spraypaint and clear ;)



trunklid.jpg
 
EdLancer said:
Well 3M and Meguiar's are still the only suppliers of polish to the car manufacturers, everything else is just snake oil ! ...LoL Actually 3M products are the benchmark, Meguiar's only got into the OEM market like 7-8 years ago, but their retail side is stronger.
Click to expand...





I thought the 3M products were knock-offs of Meguiars products. For example, 3M Imperial Hand Glaze is a copy of Megs #7; PI3 Machine Glaze is a copy of #80 Speed Glaze, etc.
 
Black240SX said:
I thought the 3M products were knock-offs of Meguiars products. For example, 3M Imperial Hand Glaze is a copy of Megs #7; PI3 Machine Glaze is a copy of #80 Speed Glaze, etc.
Click to expand...

Nah, totally different. I don't consider either of these two lines "knock offs" of anything. If I had to put a label on these two companies, I'd choose something more like "pioneers".
 
Yeah, I find the 3M polishes/compounds to be utterly different from the offerings from Meguiar's, and I vastly prefer the 3M stuff (while many others prefer the Meguiar's). I really can't overstate how different I've found these product lines. When it comes to glazes/waxes/etc. I find them just as different, and I prefer the Meguiar's stuff. 3M's IHG and Meg's "pure polishes" are designed for the same applications, but they're worlds apart; try them side-by-side some time ;)



MrSelfDestruct- Yeah, you gotta use what works for you, and judging by those pictures, your combo works *great* for you :xyxthumbs Nice match with the Duplicolor too!



I recognize that you're working on "lot cars" and I don't miss those kind of jobs :D Closest I came was an inherited Volvo that was in that sort of condition, and I used plenty of the 05936 on it for my initial passes. It was the first time I really felt that *that* product was exactly right for a job on one of my cars.



The PI-III MG 05937 (which is getting hard to find, but it's still out there) works great before either waxes *or* sealants as it doesn't leave anything appreciable behind. Don't worry about the name, it's not a "glaze" any more than it needs to be used by "machine" :rolleyes though it is pretty nice by rotary though it can sometimes leave (light, easy to fix) holograms. No filling/hiding, so it's not really a direct replacement for the SMR. I use it before the Klasse twins, for example, and using AIO on it never results in any surprises like you can get using AIO after SMR. I've used synthetics like BF and UPP over it with no bonding issues. If you can find any, I think you'd find it an interesting product to try out.



I've never tried the Final Glaze and my (very limited) experience with the PI-3000 line was such that I'm gonna stick with the PI-III stuff. It's more a matter of my being familiar with the PI-III stuff and not having any reason to learn a different line. The PI-3000 RC is a little more aggressive than the PI-III RC 05933 and doesn't finish out as nicely, but it might be interesting for you to try it in place of the PI-III EC 05936; I bet the PI-3000 RC is right in between the two PI-III RCs. I'd like to hear what you think of the PI-3000 stuff.



All these abbreviations and product numbers are enough to make my head spin :D
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top