Poorboys / Menzerna / Optimum Choice

D

D3mon

New member
Ok, so I'm at the online shop and deciding on my choice of polishes. Having read most of the recent posts here concerning all of these brands, can anyone help with choosing one of the three brands?



I'm no professional, but I'm fairly confident using the PC with the Sonus DAS pads so I'd like to continue to use those. My final choice of polishes should definitely not contain any fillers. The ability to work in direct sunlight would be a big benefit as I have no shade/garage to work in. So I guess, the decision is really based on which of the brands is going to be as safe and flexibile as possibile to my skills (as I'm not too hot yet on knowing how long to 'work in' a compound or polish etc.) An effective 'learning/learners' polish I guess?



Can anyone throw in any experiences with these brands from a 'noob' perspective? :bounce
 
I prefer the Menzerna polishes as well. They leave a super reflective, wet finish. However, I always work in the garage. I can't say if they're equally effective in the sun. A lot of people have said that the Poorboy's polishes work well in the sun and they are advertised as effective in direct sunlight.
 
For you I would suggest Optimum polishes. Their long working times tend to be friendlier in the sun than most polishes, and they finish out great. I personally don't like the Poorboy's polishes, they dust and dust some more and I've never been able to achieve my desired results with them. There's an old thread debating if SSR2.5 contained mild fillers since some of us have experienced reappearances of swirls that we previously thought were removed. Maybe you should search for that and take what you will from other's experiences. The Menzerna line is great too, but they have a much quicker working time compared to Optimum...but they finish out great! I find the Menzerna line to cover the cutting range more thoroughly than the Optimum line, so that might influence your decision. If you don't have serious correction to do, I think the Optimum line will serve you well.
 
The Menzerna polishes would primarily be the Intensive Polish (compound) and the Final Polish II (polish) right?



Wow! I know I didn't factor in cost at the outset, but I discovered Menzerna are surprisingly expensive at double the price of the Optimum equivalents, which are 40% more expensive than the Poorboys equivalents.
 
D3mon said:
The Menzerna polishes would primarily be the Intensive Polish (compound) and the Final Polish II (polish) right?



Wow! I know I didn't factor in cost at the outset, but I discovered Menzerna are surprisingly expensive at double the price of the Optimum equivalents, which are 40% more expensive than the Poorboys equivalents.
Click to expand...

I believe the offerings from PBs and Menzerna are 16oz. while Optimum's are 32oz...at least in their smallest amounts. Make sure you check that as well.
 
Considering the sun factor, Optimum or Poorboys may be a better option. I can't say positively because I don't work in the sun.
 
DARKSTI said:
Cant go wrong with Menzerna or Optimum :)
Click to expand...



Agreed...but Optimum is more sun friendly. I have had decent results with Menzerna 106FF mixed with Clearkote's Red Machine Glaze on hot days with hazy sun. Never used it in full sun like Optimum though.
 
I've checked the pricing again:



Optimum £7 / 16oz

Poorboys £10 / 16oz

Menzerna £14 / 16oz



Poorboys has a fine reputation but the dusting would be a major annoyance for me. In addition, the sheer number of products in the 'polishes' range makes me unsure which one to use for a particular job (SSR1, SSR2, SSR2.5, SSR3, Polish w/Carnuba, Polish w/Carnuba Blue, Professional Polish)



The Menzerna range seems to be priced for the professional market, suggesting that it may not give me the best results if my process/technique isn't perfect. Just doesn't 'feel' like a 'noob' product.



So, I'm starting to settle on the Optimum I think. As the cheapest, I'll have plenty of product to experiment/learn with and the range is very simply divided - Hyper Compound / Compound / Polish.



Thankyou for all your input everyone. Let's hope when I get it, I can get it out of the bottle without having to shake it for an hour first!
 
Well I have all three so I would suggest.. all of them....



really your Choice will depend on your finsh.. as I somethimes will not get good results with one line and have to switch up..



when looking at Poorboys remember the Polish with nuba's are one steppers with filler(IE wax) Propolish works like Opt with no abrasives..



Menzerna works SUPER on black..
 
I'd have said Menzerna too, but the sunlight thing means Optimum is really the way to go (imo). Menzerna polishes are not friendly in sunlight, while all Opt products can be used in full *hot* sun.
 
Optimum for price, performance and 0 dusting. :bigups

I recommend Optimum polishes on other car care forums because of those three traits. I do have some Menzerna PO85RD finishing polish reserved for my black RSX :)



I really liked Poorboy's SSR2.5 when it first came out, but after using Optimum Polish my gallon of SSR2.5 collects dust.



If you have the money I'd go Optimum Compound, Optimum Polish and Menzerna Final Polish 2; you should be set for most situations with those three, and it's not that expensive compared to others.
 
With PB you should not use water on pad or surface as that is what causes the dust

Although Optimum range has longer working time and near to same results on most finishes, it's the really bad finishes where menzerna is the better option

Hyper compound is only just a compound, power gloss though damn thick and dusty, is stronger and does not leave haze like hyper

I never finish a car with these so I suggest you invest in either PG or Hyper, PO85RD (IP), PO85RE5 and a fine polish/glaze like clearkote, Prima Swirl or finish or Pinnacle XMT
 
Would Menzerna FPII be a suitable replacement for the Optimum Polish?

(my shopping list would then be Optimum Hyper, Optimum Compound and Menz. FPII)
 
D3mon said:
Would Menzerna FPII be a suitable replacement for the Optimum Polish?

(my shopping list would then be Optimum Hyper, Optimum Compound and Menz. FPII)
Click to expand...

I'm also considering this combo, after further reading it seems like the poorboys have got bad reviews and I'm going to switch over to the optimum compound, polish, and then the Final polish II from menz. ...does that sound good? and how long does the final polish II from menz. last? is it durable and does it leave a good shine?
 
I started detailing my car (black) a month or two ago. I've been going slowly in the polishing stage because the car was in pretty bad shape (was my dad's). So far I've used SFX white and yellow 6" and 4" pads (1 of each at least) with ssr2.5, and I have ssr1 for finishing. The ssr2.5 is pretty easy to work with, but it does dust A LOT.



I asked how you're supposed to apply it on the detailcity.org PB's message board, and you're supposed to use a decent amount of product (a lot more than I thought I'd need, that is) on a DRY pad and work it in for about 3-5 mins.



Problem is, after the first time applying with a pad, the pad becomes dusty as hell and is not perfectly dry anymore. I figured out I had to smack the pad until the dust stopped puffing out (half of which would always conveniently land on my car).



Still, I've gotten pretty good results so far, considering this is my first time detailing. I was able to get out 3000 grit sand marks with one easy pass -- very little weight on the PC. I'm still thinking of trying out Hyper Compound and/or OC and finishing with ssr1. Good thing I got a 32oz bottle of ssr2.5 :/
 
I've decided on the PC, all the correct pads, and I'm just not sure on what polishes/finishing waxes to use, I've had my "view cart" page up now for 2 days deciding on which waxes to use and I still cant decide, should I go with optimum compound, for removing heavier swirls/oxidation/scratches, then optimum polish for applying a quick coat to safely remove any haze or whatever, and remove any more imperfections, and then top it off with a coat of Poorboys EX-P with caranuba, how does that sound?! :nixweiss :help:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top