Optimum polishes noob friendly?

N

Neo62381

New member
Well, I finally saved up enough to get a PC. As I am a complete noob to polishing, but have read just about every post in this forum (detailing is my life, lol), I was just wandering, theres so much hype about the Optimum polishes, and I can tell that they do a really great job just by looking at others posts. However I do realize that they have a much longer working time, my question is would this be a good first polish combo for me to use on my Intrepid R/T or would I be better off sticking to somethiing like the SSR's for a while until I get the feel for the PC?



Any help would be greatly appreciated :bow
 
I havent used the SSR's, but I can tell you that Optimum is very easy to work with, very forgiving and produces great results by PC (look the thread I posted yesterday with the blue BMW). I think you'll be happy with Optimum.
 
Just get the Optimum Detailing Kit at Autogeek. $50 for Optimum Compound, Polish, Wax a buffer pad and some MFs. I think you'd be set with that kit and your PC. Aside from the price difference, the lack of dusting I get from Optimum make it my choice over the SSRs or any other polishes for that matter.
 
I'd go for the optimum's too. If you find the polish is taking too long just move up to the compound on a less aggressive pad (unless you need an aggressive one). They're pretty newbie friendly because they don't dust, won't flash quickly, and are hard to mess up with. The only advice I can give you is if you find the polish oily when you wipe it away, use less, or spend more time working it. Cheers.
 
When first using my PC I found the SSR range easier to use by PC, the working time of Optimum IMO takes more mastering.
 
I don't think you will ever go wrong with Optimum polish. In the past I have tried polish and compound from Poorboy, 3M, Menzena and Meguiar, I would say OP is the easiest to use and gives good result too.
 
I did find the optimum to be pretty mild by PC, but with the right pad you can do good swirl removal. There is a slight oily residue, I find if you let the residue sit for a couple minutes then it dries and just wipes away easily.
 
I'm a newbie and used SSR2.5 and then later tried Optimum Compond. SSR2.5 is easier to see it go thru its stages as it breaks down, however it does dust more and gum up the pad more than Optimum Compound. SSR2.5 is slightly more aggressive than OC. I would choose OC over SSR2.5 but not by much.
 
Optimum polishes are very noob friendly, just remember to use less than you think you need. Once the pad is primed with product, maybe 3 pea sized globs are all you need per section.



As with any polish, if it is difficult to wipe off, you used too much and/or didn't work it long enough.
 
Scottwax said:
Once the pad is primed with product, maybe 3 pea sized globs are all you need per section.
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Holy crap! No wonder it was taking soooooo long for me to break it down, I was using..... lets just say a bit more than 3 pea sized globes. LOL thats why I read this forum all the time. You keep on learning. BTW even though it took me for ever to break it down, it gave me excellent results and I wont use anything else to get out swirls and I used it with a pc(I've never used a rotary but want to) I say go with Optimum.
 
I get my OPT stuff at obsessivedetail.com. they have pretty good prices (I think better than autogeek) Customer service there is really good too.
 
Are the Optimum residues as easy as the SSR residues to remove? Also, do the Optimum polishes smell nice like the SSR's? I know smell isn't that important to most people, but I like it!!! Thanks in advance...
 
I have found that SSR2.5 will get more swirls out then OP....but then you have to deal with the dust. Stick with the OP to start and then, once you get the feel for it start trying other polishes.
 
ConglomrationAL said:
I get my OPT stuff at obsessivedetail.com. they have pretty good prices (I think better than autogeek) Customer service there is really good too.
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+1:xyxthumbs
 
membim said:
Are the Optimum residues as easy as the SSR residues to remove? Also, do the Optimum polishes smell nice like the SSR's? I know smell isn't that important to most people, but I like it!!! Thanks in advance...
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Optimum wipes off very easily as long as you don't use too much (as with any product). Optimum polishes really don't have a noticable scent. Suits me just fine. Some products have way to strong a scent, IMO.
 
I'll go against the grain here...I haven't used my OP all *that* much but IMO it's not the most newbie-friendly product I've ever used, not by a long shot.



IMO if somebody wants to make their getting acquainted with the PC go as easily as possible while still getting good results, they oughta look into 1z brand polishes. I know plenty of people with *zero* experience who were thrilled by their results with the 1Z and who also said it was just *so* easy.
 
Accumulator said:
I'll go against the grain here...I haven't used my OP all *that* much but IMO it's not the most newbie-friendly product I've ever used, not by a long shot.



IMO if somebody wants to make their getting acquainted with the PC go as easily as possible while still getting good results, they oughta look into 1z brand polishes. I know plenty of people with *zero* experience who were thrilled by their results with the 1Z and who also said it was just *so* easy.
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Accum, what amount do you use with the 1Z polishes? Do you do the ring around the pad for the first 1x1 foot area and then a few small blobs for each 2x2 area? I've been using Optimum so much lately, I think I forgot how much to use with polishes where you *generally* use more product.
 
I've been thinking about the Optimum line myself. I have used Griot's polishes, and moved on to the SSRs.



To get my feet wet with Optimum, I'm going to try the sample-sized Optimum products that Excel Detail has. It looks like just the ticket for someone wanting to try Optimum.
 
Nimble said:
Accum, what amount do you use with the 1Z polishes? Do you do the ring around the pad for the first 1x1 foot area and then a few small blobs for each 2x2 area?
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That's about right- a ring or "X" and then enough to keep visible polish on the area being worked. To be honest I've never really given it that much thought...if you have too much 1z on the pad you can just expand your area of operation, it has a long work time and conversely, if you end up with too little on the pad you can't really *over* work it because as it breaks down/flashes off it basically turns into cleaner wax. Heh heh, sorta funny that I can't say exatly how much I use :o but the way it doesn't seem to matter is one reason why it's so user-friendly.



Overall, I probably use too much of it myself as I always end up getting my Cyclo's pads all loaded up with it, but that might just be the nature of the product, what with all the oils and waxes it has in it :nixweiss
 
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