I was intrigued by the ad for the new Surbuf pads at CMA, so I decided to give them a try, I got a pack of four of the small pads. Note: I'm basically a beginner at detailing and only detail my own car, for fun.
I discovered Autopia about a year ago, and since then I have tried the plain round foam applicator pads that everybody knows and loves, terry covered foam pads, and microfiber foam pads. The Surbuf pads are very different from any of those pads.
The first thing I noticed when I took them out of the package was that they look and feel like very high quality pads. They cost 8.95 for a pack of four. That's $4.48 a piece, but they are made well enough to justify the price, I think.
Each pad is rectangular, 3 inches by 5 inches. They are 7/8 inches thick, and fit the hand very comfortably. The bulk of the pad consists of a fairly dense foam core that is 5/8 inch thick. One side of the pad has a very thin layer of what feels like soft felt bonded to it. The other side has the hairs sticking out of it. These hairs are about 2/8 inch long. They feel very soft to the touch. I'm not sure how best to describe how they feel; if you move your hand lightly up and down on the back of your head/neck after a very short haircut, that is sort of how it feels to place your hand on the surface of this applicator.
I decided to try it out by adding some Klasse SG to the hood and front of my white 2002 Honda Accord coupe ( this car already had Scratch-X by PC over the entire car with an Orange power pad, followed by AOI X 1 with the PC and a white Lake Country polishing pad, and SG X 1 with a blue microfiber pad, done about 2 weeks ago). First I spritzed the surface of the applicator with some EO Wipe and Shine. I've followed this procedure before with a microfiber applicator, but I noticed that the same amount of EO on this applicator left the surface feeling really wet compared to spritzing a microfiber applicator, so I patted it with a microfiber towel until it felt just a bit damp. Next, I poured a very thin line of SG from end to end along the 5 inch length of the pad and began wiping it on the paint surface.
I don't think this pad should be used with any pressure, as that will just flatten out the "bristles". With light pressure, you have pretty much just the tips of the bristles contacting the paint, and those tips are lubricated with whatever you are applying to the surface. As a result, this thing just glides across the paint like nothing I have ever used before. It's very pleasant to use.
One thing I wonder, though, is if the pad is applying the product evenly on the paint. Klasse SG is pretty thin stuff, and this pad is kind of like putting it on with a paint brush: each bristle is applying a super thin line of the product. As long as there are enough bristles overlapping each other, I suppose the application will be completely even. Still, I can't help but wonder if the felt side of this applicator would do a better job, at least with SG. It may not be a bad idea to wipe with light pressure to spread the product around, then make another pass with heavier pressure to make sure it's applied completely evenly. In any case, as I was using the Wipe On Wipe Off method, it probably didn't make any difference, as the Wipe Off will have spread the product around.
I don't know quite what to make of this pad. It looks good and feels great to use. I can't say for sure yet if it's a better or worse applicator than a microfiber pad. I'll need to gain more experience with it. Has anybody else tried these pads?
I discovered Autopia about a year ago, and since then I have tried the plain round foam applicator pads that everybody knows and loves, terry covered foam pads, and microfiber foam pads. The Surbuf pads are very different from any of those pads.
The first thing I noticed when I took them out of the package was that they look and feel like very high quality pads. They cost 8.95 for a pack of four. That's $4.48 a piece, but they are made well enough to justify the price, I think.
Each pad is rectangular, 3 inches by 5 inches. They are 7/8 inches thick, and fit the hand very comfortably. The bulk of the pad consists of a fairly dense foam core that is 5/8 inch thick. One side of the pad has a very thin layer of what feels like soft felt bonded to it. The other side has the hairs sticking out of it. These hairs are about 2/8 inch long. They feel very soft to the touch. I'm not sure how best to describe how they feel; if you move your hand lightly up and down on the back of your head/neck after a very short haircut, that is sort of how it feels to place your hand on the surface of this applicator.
I decided to try it out by adding some Klasse SG to the hood and front of my white 2002 Honda Accord coupe ( this car already had Scratch-X by PC over the entire car with an Orange power pad, followed by AOI X 1 with the PC and a white Lake Country polishing pad, and SG X 1 with a blue microfiber pad, done about 2 weeks ago). First I spritzed the surface of the applicator with some EO Wipe and Shine. I've followed this procedure before with a microfiber applicator, but I noticed that the same amount of EO on this applicator left the surface feeling really wet compared to spritzing a microfiber applicator, so I patted it with a microfiber towel until it felt just a bit damp. Next, I poured a very thin line of SG from end to end along the 5 inch length of the pad and began wiping it on the paint surface.
I don't think this pad should be used with any pressure, as that will just flatten out the "bristles". With light pressure, you have pretty much just the tips of the bristles contacting the paint, and those tips are lubricated with whatever you are applying to the surface. As a result, this thing just glides across the paint like nothing I have ever used before. It's very pleasant to use.
One thing I wonder, though, is if the pad is applying the product evenly on the paint. Klasse SG is pretty thin stuff, and this pad is kind of like putting it on with a paint brush: each bristle is applying a super thin line of the product. As long as there are enough bristles overlapping each other, I suppose the application will be completely even. Still, I can't help but wonder if the felt side of this applicator would do a better job, at least with SG. It may not be a bad idea to wipe with light pressure to spread the product around, then make another pass with heavier pressure to make sure it's applied completely evenly. In any case, as I was using the Wipe On Wipe Off method, it probably didn't make any difference, as the Wipe Off will have spread the product around.
I don't know quite what to make of this pad. It looks good and feels great to use. I can't say for sure yet if it's a better or worse applicator than a microfiber pad. I'll need to gain more experience with it. Has anybody else tried these pads?
