Educate me...

or you could go to an online seller like autogeek, where you can see alot of the brands avaliable then either do searches here or go the manufacturers web site. also after you look and read here for a while you'll see alot of the guys use the same products, that's usually for a reason, it's a product that works. i've been reading for a while and narrowed it down to buying pooryboys, menzerna, or optimum polishes. but that's just polishes and my .02$.



:usa
 
3wide said:
or you could go to an online seller like autogeek, where you can see alot of the brands avaliable then either do searches here or go the manufacturers web site. also after you look and read here for a while you'll see alot of the guys use the same products, that's usually for a reason, it's a product that works. i've been reading for a while and narrowed it down to buying pooryboys, menzerna, or optimum polishes. but that's just polishes and my .02$.



:usa
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I can understand where you are coming from. When I started reading this site two months ago, I was overwhelmed by all the products and all the dang acronyms used for them. Very rarely did a day go by where I didn't read atleast an hour's worth of threads on this site. On the same token, I have asked a myriad of questions (just take a look at my 100+ posts:laugh: - Or ask Scottwax or Accumulator since I have directed several questions to them).



You have specifically mentioned polishes and being a newbie myself I have been researching polishes myself. I have never once touched a PC, a UDM, or a rotary so I have been trying to educate myself the best I can before I start cutting. By no means do I consider myself more than a novice but, my reading has given me a working knowledge to be able to read the threads and understand what the more experienced guys are saying.



Saying that, based upon my two months worth of reading, I will have to agree with 3wide that Poorboys, Menzerna, and Optimum seem to be the most preferred polishes among the Autopians on hear. I may add Einszett also, it tends to get quite a bit of love too. For me, I have pretty much decided that I am going to go with the Optimum series of polishes due to the recommendations I have received that it would probably be the best for a rookie like myself. With you having detailing experience, it may not be the best choice for you.
 
bert31 - Awesome post, thanks. :) It's just so much stuff they're throwing around it's hard to grasp (wow I sound like a total newb). I'm sure I'll pick up on it but I was just looking for a jump start. With the charts posted and your recommendations it's a start...



Terry
 
Maximal said:
bert31 - Awesome post, thanks. :) It's just so much stuff they're throwing around it's hard to grasp
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Trust me, I know.





Maximal said:
I'm sure I'll pick up on it but I was just looking for a jump start.

Terry
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I understand. I just tend to be the type that before I try something new (like use a polisher) I want to research it and make sure I know what I am doing before jumping into it.
 
bert31 said:
I have pretty much decided that I am going to go with the Optimum series of polishes due to the recommendations I have received that it would probably be the best for a rookie like myself. With you having detailing experience, it may not be the best choice for you.
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What does having experiance have to do with using optimum?



There isnt a product on this earth designed "just for newbs" or "just for pro's".
 
Coupe said:
What does having experiance have to do with using optimum?



There isnt a product on this earth designed "just for newbs" or "just for pro's".
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In a thread I asked people what would be a good polish for someone who has never polished before. Several people mentioned Optimum due to its slow "work in" time whereas other mentioned that Poorboys (while very good) require some polishing knowledge and experience to apply them correctly.
 
Agreed, there isn't a polish for just newbs or just pros. However, there are some that are more forgiving and easier to use than others. When I first started I used Meguiar's #80 & #83. #80 is super easy to work with, where as it took me awhile to figure out #83. There is nothing more frustrating than trying to polish your first car when it just isn't working.
 
It just struck me funny. Im not a newb and i use only the optimum line with my rotary. The way you stated it is it is meant for newbs, that just isnt true.





You will probably end up not liking it if you use it with a DA machine. The break down time is insanely long with a rotary, i couldnt imagine using it with a DA. You would be polishing a fender for days :lol



Any compound and any polish would be fine for a newbie really, they all have their own characteristics and learning curves.



Although IMO you should be lookin at compounds and polishes that where meant more for DA use like danase's abolisher line or XMT. Check out the review on danase's abolisher line. I just used #1 with my PC and dang is that stuff insanely awsome.



But really it dosent matter what line you go with. Either one you will have to learn it.
 
Coupe said:
It just struck me funny. Im not a newb and i use only the optimum line with my rotary. The way you stated it is it is meant for newbs, that just isnt true.
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No where did I say Optimum is meant for newbs, that conclusion itself simply untrue. What I did say is I started a thread a week or so ago asking for opinions for a good polish for a newb with no polishing experience to start out with, several pointed out Optimum's slow "break down time" makes it fairly easy for an inexperienced user to become comfortable using the product. In no way shape or form should that be interpretted to mean that I or they believe Optimum should be for newbs and newbs only. While you may not agree with their advice, that was their opinion. The last person to mention that I should give Optimum a try was Scottwax who added that Optimum is the line he reaches for very often in his detailing business so he obviously was not inferring that Optimum is a "beginner only" polish, I assume he just meant that Optimum is a good one to start with to learn the art of polishing.



Coupe said:
You will probably end up not liking it if you use it with a DA machine. The break down time is insanely long with a rotary, i couldnt imagine using it with a DA. You would be polishing a fender for days.
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Again, the last person who recommended using the Optimum line was Scottwax. From reading his posts, Scottwax does not own a rotary yet still uses Optimum quite often for his customers. As far as how long it takes him ? - I have no clue. When you are a professional detailer, the cliche' time is money must be extremely true for them. I can't imagine him spending an entire day (figuratively speaking) on one customer but maybe he does, I don't know. Maybe he has cornered a market enough that he is able to charge enough to spend that much time with each job. Again, I have never asked him.
 
bert31 said:
With you having detailing experience, it may not be the best choice for you.
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What does this mean then?

If someone with experiance wont like it becuase they have experiance then what else does this imply?
 
Coupe said:
What does this mean then?
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That the positive attribute (per other posters' opinion) of Optimum that it would be a good starting polish for for a newb would not apply to him since he has DA/rotary experience so Optimum may not be his choice of polish since there are numerous other quality choices (Menzerna, Poorboys, Einszett) that he should also be open to since the primary reason I plan to try Optimum does not apply to him.



Coupe said:
If someone with experiance wont like it becuase they have experiance then what else does this imply?
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Never said (nor implied) that someone with experience would not like Optimum . I said since he has experience, Optimum may not be the choice for him (since it (per others' opinion) being a good polish for an inexperienced user would not be of benefit to him that would put Optimum on a rather level playing field with Menzerna, Poorboys, and Einszett as good choices for him also.



My use of "due to your experience, Optimum MAY not be the best choice for you" should not be taken as meaning "due to your experience, Optimum IS not the best choice for you" There are other possibilities that you should consider, you may like them better.



Did this make any more sense? We are REALLY dissecting the work may far more than needed.
 
I think he's saying that people with more experience might be able to work with polishes that might be labeled "tricky" or "difficult" when compared to Optimum.



While there will be an initial learning curve for any product you use, I think being told to go with Optimum as an introduction to machine polishing was given because of the general view that it is easy to work with. Then maybe as he gains more experience, he can try other brands that might have discouraged him if he started out with them earlier on. But again, every product is going to have a learning process no matter what is chosen first. Then, it's just a matter of preference.



Of course, I could be wrong trying to decipher bert31, if so...nevermind.:chuckle:
 
Dailyshine said:
I think he's saying that people with more experience might be able to work with polishes that might be labeled "tricky" or "difficult" when compared to Optimum.



While there will be an initial learning curve for any product you use, I think being told to go with Optimum as an introduction to machine polishing was given because of the general view that it is easy to work with. Then maybe as he gains more experience, he can try other brands that might have discouraged him if he started out with them earlier on. But again, every product is going to have a learning process no matter what is chosen first. Then, it's just a matter of preference.
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WHAT HE SAID!!! (or she possibly, I don't know)
 
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