SURBUF Buffing Pads

Don't waste your money. they fall apart, they gum up REAL fast, loose
their bristles too quick, and can mar the paint.
 
I have to disagree with USDM. At least in my experiences, I found them to be excellent for applying liquid sealants. What makes them unique is that they don't absorb any product like a foam pad would so you don't waste any. A little really does go a long way when u use this pad which also saves time because you don't have to stop and add more polish to the pad/surface all the time. I do agree that the gum up pretty fast but this can be helped if you clean them quickly after each use before the sealant you are using has time to set. I wouldn't use them for polishing or compounding, but for applying a LSP, they are very good, imo.
 
Bill D said:


I don't mean to be a pain in your ass but can't we discuss Surbuf pads on Detail City without being redirected to Autopia? I am not a member over there, don't care to be and cannot be involved in conversations over there because of this fact.

I choose Detail City and would prefer to discuss things here rather than play musical websites.

I also cannot see your product collection because of my guest status at Autopia. You may want to consider hosting them on the Detail City Photo Gallery as well if you want people who are not members of both websites to be able to see them.

Thank you.
 
We're getting off topic here: I never posted the product collection here because at the time it took any photo we post here to be reviewed prior to posting. I'll look into posting it here again.

Did I get under your skin with the link? :dunno :eek: I don't see what the big deal is with reading content of another forum purely for gathering more information. Heck, I gather info on detailing from 5 seperate sites.

Ill gladly abide by a new rule not to link to other sites.
 
TheSopranos16 said:
I have to disagree with USDM. At least in my experiences, I found them to be excellent for applying liquid sealants.

Then I guess we'll agree to disagree..

I've only used the pads for LSP application (make that two times per
pad) before I began to see them going into failure. First use was ok,
then problems. On second use, they were actually leaving fibers on
the panels , so I switched to another pad- first application came out ok,
but same result afterward. I gently rinsed the pads with some warm water
and my fingers just to remove any more loose fibers. The fibers just
continued to come off in my hands. I figured maybe I got a bad pair of
pads, so I tried my other set (the 2 in the box sets), and got the same
results. It was so bad n the second set that I could begin to see the
base of the pad, and there were a lot of holes there. So one set of pads
got 2 uses before I stopped, and the other set I did not even try. I
contacted CMA about this and all they could tell me was that I was doing
it wrong, and that I was using too much product. Unfortuntely they did
not offer any other productive solutions to my problem....Thanks CMA for
the insightful advise :brick I made several attempts to contact the
manufacturer, but with very little luck.

So I will not question your findings- if you see great results wonderful.
I on the other hand did not. At least not enough to justify buying
them again
 
Well let me add a mixed review to the situation here. I've used surbuf pads by hand and on the PC. By hand it rocks, by PC not so much. I have not seen any of the quality issues that The Sopranos16 reports . Pads hold up fine to being tossed in the washing machine.

With the PC, I did have problems with gumming up. But I was newbie to everything at the time. It may have been my technique.

By hand, I use the surbuf pads with sealants with much success. Seems like I use less product than with a foam applicator. And much less than with a MF or Terry applicator. I still use foam or MF with AIO because it cleans better than the subuf does.

If you are a wood worker - stains and varnishes with surbuf pads are good too. Don't mithink you should mix and match them with your car pads though.

FWIW
 
Just wanted to bring this back up...and also apologize for the tone.
I admit being harsh with my original comments. Indeed the pads are very efficient and do not use as much product as other methods I've tried
(foam pad on pc, foam pad by hand, and mf pad by hand). They also do
offer a bit more even application. But they did not last beyond the
second use, and I really do not want to undo all the previous cleaning
and polishing work just for the sake of a quick wax/ sealant application.

I'm just a bit peeved at the way things worked out with this
product, primarily it's longevity. Dalmore and TheSopranos16, can you
tell me what kinds of sealant or wax you're using with the pads? I
primarily used the pads with AIO and CMW. Is it possible that I should
have not used these? Is it better to apply these by hand applicator?
 
It does sound like you had some bad pads. :dunno I guess that can happen with any product though.

I've used Surbuf pads with AIO, SG, Wolfgangs, UPP, Zymol and RejeX. Washed the pads in the washing machine. Other than a little fading the pad seems much like new.

On the wood working side, I've had problems with latex paints. The pad's bristles get hard and stiff for no apparent reason...
 
USDM, I noticed an occasional fiber coming off here and there, but nothing like what you are describing. Perhaps you did indeed get a defective set of pads. As far as products go, I've used BLACKFIRE, FMJ, UPP and AIO with it, all worked very well. I see your issue with it gumming up, I find that its not so bad while your using the product but it can get bad by the time you are finished. I find the key to avoiding this is to clean them up well. I typically use Simple Green and Greased Lightning to clean the pad. Sealants are the hardest thing to clean off because they can set on the pad, but cleaning them early helps a lot. I hope all this helps.
 
I've been using the SURBUF pads by hand and have applied Griot's BOS. Overall I am pleased in the fact that a) I can use less product (which means easier it's easier to remove), b) it appears to product better results due to it's individual "fingers' getting into all the pores of the paint (maybe it's my imagination).

However, I have to agree with everyone in the fibers to fall off a bit. Clean up is really great cause the foam doesn't absorb the wax. Overall, I'd recommend it over regular foam pads. I haven't tried with with PC however.
 
Well, I finally had a chance to speak to a Gentleman named Elmo,
who sells the Surbuf pads. He convinced me to give the pads another
try. So I will order another set and see if I get any better results.
 
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