I got the opportunity to try some of Rupes new MF pads and a polish and compound (KeramiK Gloss and Zephir) though so far I've only used the yellow (fine) MF pads and Keramic Gloss, which is a polish. I also got the 5" backing plate they make specifically for microfiber pad use that is supposed to make the Rupes run more smoothly. The MF pads are a bit lighter so the backing plate is apparently a bit heavier to keep the rotating weight the same. I've used other brand MF pads on my Rupes, haven't noticed any extra vibration vs foam. And with the new backing plate, it seemed smooth enough,although when switching back to my 6" BP to use some foam pads I realized the bolt holding the BP on wasn't 100% tight...oops!
The microfiber pads are slotted and the backing is much firmer than either the Meguiars or Optimum MF pads. The edges extend a good half inch beyond the edge of the backing plate so you have more cushion to avoid having the backing plate come in contact with edges. Even the "fine" yellow MF pad seems to have more cut than Meguiars MF cutting disc but the finish is still excellent. The KeramiK Gloss polish (along with Zepher) are designed to work with the harder German paints, I was cautioned they aren't meant to be used on softer finishes.
Here is the tail gate of a Volkswagen GTI (which was the only place there were really any swirls) before I started:
And after:
Generally on those swirls on a VW, I would have used Meguiars M100 and a Meguiars MF cutting disc followed by Optimum Hyper Polish and an Optimum MF cutting pad to get the same results. Very impressive so far. Long work time, little to no dusting. Only drawback is the firmness of the MF pads makes working on very curvy cars difficult because the pad can't follow the contours as easily so on those areas, switching to the appropriate foam pad would be a better choice.
The microfiber pads are slotted and the backing is much firmer than either the Meguiars or Optimum MF pads. The edges extend a good half inch beyond the edge of the backing plate so you have more cushion to avoid having the backing plate come in contact with edges. Even the "fine" yellow MF pad seems to have more cut than Meguiars MF cutting disc but the finish is still excellent. The KeramiK Gloss polish (along with Zepher) are designed to work with the harder German paints, I was cautioned they aren't meant to be used on softer finishes.
Here is the tail gate of a Volkswagen GTI (which was the only place there were really any swirls) before I started:
And after:
Generally on those swirls on a VW, I would have used Meguiars M100 and a Meguiars MF cutting disc followed by Optimum Hyper Polish and an Optimum MF cutting pad to get the same results. Very impressive so far. Long work time, little to no dusting. Only drawback is the firmness of the MF pads makes working on very curvy cars difficult because the pad can't follow the contours as easily so on those areas, switching to the appropriate foam pad would be a better choice.