**9/28/06 Update**
I was given permission by Eric Dunn at Lake Country to “let the cat out of the bag�. For this detail (and many others) in the past month or so, I used the new Lake Country CCS Pads ( http://lakecountrymfg.com/featured.html ). Thanks to Eric at Lake, he gave me a couple samples to test out prior to its official introduction. To date, they have only been used in the OEM market.
So far, I could estimate the use of these pads on at least 10 different vehicles. They come in various shapes and sizes, but I was using the 6� pads in 1� thickness. The cut levels I had were the Orange Cutting, White Polishing, and Black Finishing. I used them with a 5� Lake Country flexible backing plate. These combos were used on the rotary and PC at various speeds (mentioned in threads).
Here are the main things I took from these pads…
Pros
- Small diameter allowed for easy maneuvering
- Flat pad design allowed to equal contact, easy control, and complete polish coverage
- Dimples allowed for storage of extra polish. Basically, you’d buff your 3’x3’ area, for instance, and once the polish/compound went to translucent, but you still had a few defects remaining, you’d turn off the machine, and press the pad against the surface in various locations to “re-bead� the panel, and then continue buffing.
- Dimples spread out heat from friction allowing a more effective buffing pass. I find that with standard flat foam pads, it makes the surface so hot on the rotary after 5 passes with compound that I have to move to the next panel, wait for the initial to cool, then come back, ultimately wasting time. These dimples act like air cooling pockets keeping the surface only very warm, at max. I was able to do my standard 5 overlapping passes with Hi-Temp Extreme Cut, then switch off, “re-bead� with the CCS technology, and continue buffing until it was ready for a final polish.
- Lake Country pads, in my experiences are always of the highest quality. After 10+ vehicles, none of my pads have any nicks or cuts and the backing Velcro works great. For reference, I machine wash/dry my pads after each use.
Cons
- Honestly, I was hard pressed to find a con in comparison to other pads I’ve used (Edge, Meguiars, Lake Country Concaved), however, I wish I had the thicker version (1.5� I believe) to use with the PC. The PC, as any regular user knows, flattens out pads a bit and that little extra cushion would’ve been nice.
Just to end off, I like these pads so much that my standard Lake Country 7.5� Concaved series have been stowed away, probably for good. I don’t even bring them on the road with me anymore. The success rate with these has surpassed anything I’ve used and I will continue using them.
If you have any further questions, please feel free. Thanks.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I have been corresponding with a gentleman more recently about having me out to detail his car. He was a little far for me, but was willing to pay extra for my travels. Further, he wanted a really thorough exterior detail done. The way I understood it was he wanted the finish as close to perfect withOUT having to wetsand. He mentioned some defects via email but I got a little more awake when I arrived.
Having tried out another detailer recently, he already had a sour taste in his mouth about the "pros" out there. The only reason he chose me was because of the countless details he's seen (pics) and recommendation from one of my better clients. I knew I had my work cut out for me and if I came through, I'd have a client for life.
I started this detail at 1pm and finished just before 7. If you know of my previous work, you know that 6 hours on an exterior of a tiny car is wayyyyyyyyy longer than I'd usually take, but like I said, the owner wanted more or less, perfection.
Here is a shot of the previous detailer's work:
To the lower left of the screen, notice the large circle of haze. He said he watched the detailer hold the buffer continously on that one spot. It must be that new technology buffing from the M5 Boards :rofl :rofl :rofl
Anyways, the surface was hologrammed, swirled heavily, had a couple R.I.D.S., lots of tar from Auto-Xing, some overspray from an "ok" repaint, tinted clear on some panels, mild oxidation in some random areas, and just general soil. My finals for this beautiful (when done) car were:
-CG Wash (top scrubbed with brush)
-Zaino Z18 clay with CG Wash as lube
-P21s Wheel Cleaner on wheels x 2
-TOL Tire Cleaner on tires/wells/undercarriage x 2
-Rinse/Dry
-Hi-Temp Extreme Cut/ Optimum Car Polish via rotary and a LC Orange Pad @ 1700 rpm x 2
-Menzerna PO106FF via PC and a LC Orange Pad @ 6 x 2
-Zaino Z-PC and #0000 Steel Wool on the exhaust pipes
-Klasse AIO on wheels
-Stoner's Invisible Glass for the windows
-Zymol Japon Wax by hand (client supplied/requested)
-Zaino Z16 on tires x 2
-CD-2 Engine Detailer in wells x 2
To the pics
Before (oxidized mirrors)
Before (swirling and spot oxidation)
Before (battered fender)
After
I was given permission by Eric Dunn at Lake Country to “let the cat out of the bag�. For this detail (and many others) in the past month or so, I used the new Lake Country CCS Pads ( http://lakecountrymfg.com/featured.html ). Thanks to Eric at Lake, he gave me a couple samples to test out prior to its official introduction. To date, they have only been used in the OEM market.
So far, I could estimate the use of these pads on at least 10 different vehicles. They come in various shapes and sizes, but I was using the 6� pads in 1� thickness. The cut levels I had were the Orange Cutting, White Polishing, and Black Finishing. I used them with a 5� Lake Country flexible backing plate. These combos were used on the rotary and PC at various speeds (mentioned in threads).
Here are the main things I took from these pads…
Pros
- Small diameter allowed for easy maneuvering
- Flat pad design allowed to equal contact, easy control, and complete polish coverage
- Dimples allowed for storage of extra polish. Basically, you’d buff your 3’x3’ area, for instance, and once the polish/compound went to translucent, but you still had a few defects remaining, you’d turn off the machine, and press the pad against the surface in various locations to “re-bead� the panel, and then continue buffing.
- Dimples spread out heat from friction allowing a more effective buffing pass. I find that with standard flat foam pads, it makes the surface so hot on the rotary after 5 passes with compound that I have to move to the next panel, wait for the initial to cool, then come back, ultimately wasting time. These dimples act like air cooling pockets keeping the surface only very warm, at max. I was able to do my standard 5 overlapping passes with Hi-Temp Extreme Cut, then switch off, “re-bead� with the CCS technology, and continue buffing until it was ready for a final polish.
- Lake Country pads, in my experiences are always of the highest quality. After 10+ vehicles, none of my pads have any nicks or cuts and the backing Velcro works great. For reference, I machine wash/dry my pads after each use.
Cons
- Honestly, I was hard pressed to find a con in comparison to other pads I’ve used (Edge, Meguiars, Lake Country Concaved), however, I wish I had the thicker version (1.5� I believe) to use with the PC. The PC, as any regular user knows, flattens out pads a bit and that little extra cushion would’ve been nice.
Just to end off, I like these pads so much that my standard Lake Country 7.5� Concaved series have been stowed away, probably for good. I don’t even bring them on the road with me anymore. The success rate with these has surpassed anything I’ve used and I will continue using them.
If you have any further questions, please feel free. Thanks.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I have been corresponding with a gentleman more recently about having me out to detail his car. He was a little far for me, but was willing to pay extra for my travels. Further, he wanted a really thorough exterior detail done. The way I understood it was he wanted the finish as close to perfect withOUT having to wetsand. He mentioned some defects via email but I got a little more awake when I arrived.
Having tried out another detailer recently, he already had a sour taste in his mouth about the "pros" out there. The only reason he chose me was because of the countless details he's seen (pics) and recommendation from one of my better clients. I knew I had my work cut out for me and if I came through, I'd have a client for life.
I started this detail at 1pm and finished just before 7. If you know of my previous work, you know that 6 hours on an exterior of a tiny car is wayyyyyyyyy longer than I'd usually take, but like I said, the owner wanted more or less, perfection.
Here is a shot of the previous detailer's work:
To the lower left of the screen, notice the large circle of haze. He said he watched the detailer hold the buffer continously on that one spot. It must be that new technology buffing from the M5 Boards :rofl :rofl :rofl
Anyways, the surface was hologrammed, swirled heavily, had a couple R.I.D.S., lots of tar from Auto-Xing, some overspray from an "ok" repaint, tinted clear on some panels, mild oxidation in some random areas, and just general soil. My finals for this beautiful (when done) car were:
-CG Wash (top scrubbed with brush)
-Zaino Z18 clay with CG Wash as lube
-P21s Wheel Cleaner on wheels x 2
-TOL Tire Cleaner on tires/wells/undercarriage x 2
-Rinse/Dry
-Hi-Temp Extreme Cut/ Optimum Car Polish via rotary and a LC Orange Pad @ 1700 rpm x 2
-Menzerna PO106FF via PC and a LC Orange Pad @ 6 x 2
-Zaino Z-PC and #0000 Steel Wool on the exhaust pipes
-Klasse AIO on wheels
-Stoner's Invisible Glass for the windows
-Zymol Japon Wax by hand (client supplied/requested)
-Zaino Z16 on tires x 2
-CD-2 Engine Detailer in wells x 2
To the pics
Before (oxidized mirrors)
Before (swirling and spot oxidation)
Before (battered fender)
After
.
. The 100mph shot against a BMW and Saab on the way home cured that quickly :getdown .
