Foam pads vs. MF pads....

Quenga said:
If you're not using them for cutting, you're wasting time and money. I haven't used the Optimum polish pads I bought yet, but I haven't found a need to either. Black/white pads are just fine and much cheaper.



Also, I never burned through any pads. People say not to be too aggressive, and when they don't listen, bam...goodbye pads. I change out pads frequently, swirl them through the pad washer and let them dry. I use about 3 or 4 pad per car this way and just constantly switch them out. When I'm doing a full detail i use 2 DAs to let backing plates and tools keep cool. Worth it.
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I'm actually a big fan of the Optimum polishing pads, while they are more pricey than foam they do offer much more correction for 1 steps. Havn't had a problem with them not finishing well.
 
IHA Mark said:
I'm actually a big fan of the Optimum polishing pads, while they are more pricey than foam they do offer much more correction for 1 steps. Havn't had a problem with them not finishing well.
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Don't ask me why I never thought about using them for a 1-step, lol. I will have to compare that. But, I've used cutting pads for 1 steps with no issues, which is why I don't really see a point in the polishing pads when compared to the price of foam pads. When following up with a polish, I'm not looking for "correction" as mf pads with products like D300/Uno do enough of that.



But good idea on the 1-step. My roommates car needs a detail, I think I'll do some testing on it with these pads!
 
My problem with blowing through the Meg's pads like in the pic I posted was putting too much pressure on them, as I was so used to using the KB method right before I started using the MF pads. You def don't want to put so much pressure on them that your backing plate almost stops spinning like the KB method. I've eased up on them ALOT and still getting excellent cutting power and no longer blowing through the pads. That pic I posted was after half a panel using too much pressure! I mean the paint looked phenomenal after I was done, but the pad couldn't handle it. Eased up and now getting almost the same cutting efficiency without destroying the pad.
 
got the LC MF pads and they cut almost twice as fast as the LC CCS orange pad using the same compound (m105) on the same car at the same speed but with a lighter touch.



all wins in my book
 
ExplicitDetails said:
My problem with blowing through the Meg's pads like in the pic I posted was putting too much pressure on them, as I was so used to using the KB method right before I started using the MF pads. You def don't want to put so much pressure on them that your backing plate almost stops spinning like the KB method. I've eased up on them ALOT and still getting excellent cutting power and no longer blowing through the pads. That pic I posted was after half a panel using too much pressure! I mean the paint looked phenomenal after I was done, but the pad couldn't handle it. Eased up and now getting almost the same cutting efficiency without destroying the pad.
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You must've got them a lot earlier than I did. By the time I bought them, people were already suggesting to use nothing higher than speed 6 and to not bear down on them. Sorry you lost pads, but it helped me! Lol...
 
I just remembered I had these pics. This is the first car I ever put a MF pad to. It was a dealer car that was hacked all to hell, it was so bad I could barely tell it was black when it came into the shop. So I used it to test out the pads for the first time. If you were to ask my helper, he would tell you I was as giddy as a kid in a candy store after the first pass I did with that pad. Can't remember what compound I used, but this was after 2 and 3 passes, depending on the panel with the MF and this is how it finished down without following with foam or polish. I could have gone with a finishing step, but being a dealer car, I didn't. I believe for LSP I used Miami Shine. Very hard paint which helped it finish down this nice.



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FWIW,



The past three cars I have done have been in really bad shape and if it wasn't for MF pads I don't know how long it would have taken me. I use the Meg's pads w/ M105 and a 105/D300 mix to help the work time. With the MF pads I have found you use more pressure than foam. When you do this you will notice you will get ALOT more dusting when you clean the pad(IMO compressed air is the best on MF pads) but the amount of correction you achieve is amazing.



I have pushed my MF pads hard but I have never had one come apart like in the above pic. I know using the correct backing plate is important w/ MF so they cool properly. I used a foam pad last night after correcting w/ MF and I forgot how to prime it. :)



The way Meg's suggests to prime the MF pad seems to be the best way, for me at least. The KB method works awesome for foam but MF seem to be just a little bit different. You can tell once the pad is primed good by the way it looks. I usually alternate between using a brush and compressed air. From my experience when you use compressed air to clean them out you have to add a little extra product because it cleans the pad so well.



If the pad starts to get clogged or the fibers matted down even after you clean them try using a spray of DI water(depending on what compound you are using) If you are using SMAT, M105 or something similar it helps bring back the compound in the pad which can be used again. After that when you use a brush/compressed air the pad will be a little cleaner. It's really hard to explain but after a while you know what to look for on the pad to know if it needs more cleaning, compound, DI or change in technique.
 
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