To Menz or Megs???

S

slickwilly

New member
Starting to get back into the detailing thing (non-professional, meaning no clients), so it will be my collection and maybe a friend/neighbor here and there. I'm currently equipped with a PC and some Megs products (step 2 polish, no.26, nxt 2.0, clay, gold class wash, couple of 5.5 LC orange, couple of 6.5 white and gray LC), but not something that really has correction.



I'm looking into taking advantage of AG's MemDay special and wanted to order some new product.



Is it really overkill to get both the Menz power twins (SIP/Nano) and Megs power twins (105/205)?



Will the product degrade over time?



After much reading, it looks like some products work better than others, depending on paint type, condition, etc. I'd be looking at detailing Vettes, Nissans, Hondas, Chryslers, Lexus, Toyota.



I was specifically looking at the Menz 5.5 pad kit and then also purchasing Megs 105 and 205 with the order.



:thx
 
slickwilly- While neither one would be a bad choice, I think that in your case I'd go with the M105/M205. For one thing, IMO they'll be easier to get the hang of and will easily cover a wider range of applications. *BIG* emphasis on the ease-of-use though, I'm not in favor of telling typical enthusiast-type users that they need to "master" products.



I *would* recommend 4" pads though, but if the 5.5" ones work for you (big "if" IMO) then OK.



The shelf-life of products like these is almost infinite IME. Protect them from freezing and *really* high temps and you'll be OK. I use lots of stuff that's many years old, some of my products are from the 1980s (!) and they still work fine. I've stockpiled discontinued polishes/compounds that I like and I'm confident that they'll stay good for a long, long time.
 
First of all, I think you need to figure out what works for your car... for softer clear coats, M105 is too much in most cases, but it's still good to have around... also for softer clears, M205 might be too abrasive to finish down well.



I would suggest you go with what Accum said, and get the M105/M205 combo, but add to it 106ff/fa and/or FPII from Menzerna. These finish down better than anything I've tried (I have yet to try ultrafina, which people says is pretty much the best finishing polish) and not much in the Meg's line up will compare.



Other than that, you should be fine with 5.5" pads especially if most of your work will be maintenance polishes now and then on yours and a few other cars, meaning you don't need many smaller pads for unexpected correction details... I would however get 1-2 4" orange pads just in case.



Oh and I really wouldn't consider SIP/106ff "power twins"... it's a good combo for a 2-step but IMO doesn't compare that well with M105/M205 or M95/M80 (which is what I use a lot) since M105 and M95 cut much better/more than SIP but finish out the same, if not better at times.



Long story short, my suggestion is M105, M205, FPII with 2-4 white 5.5" LC pads, 1-3 orange 5.5", 1-2 black 5.5", 1-2 orange 4"...
 
lecchilo- That's a good point about M105 being a bit aggressive; it's not something people need to/should reach for every time. Ditto for why something like FPII can be a better choice than M205 in some cases. From 'vettes' to Toyotas is quite a wide range of clearcoats! Heh heh, there's just no way to really simplify this stuff beyond a certain point, huh?



One thing I will disagree with you about is the Menzerna 106FF. After the *VERY* weird, unexpected concealing it did on my Yukon (when ebpcivicsi used it), I would recommend that beginners use something else instead. I'll skip rehashing the weirdness of what I experienced, but it's sure not something I'd wish on anybody and I'm trying to keep this recommendation very user-friendly.
 
Accumulator said:
lecchilo- That's a good point about M105 being a bit aggressive; it's not something people need to/should reach for every time. Ditto for why something like FPII can be a better choice than M205 in some cases. From 'vettes' to Toyotas is quite a wide range of clearcoats! Heh heh, there's just no way to really simplify this stuff beyond a certain point, huh?



One thing I will disagree with you about is the Menzerna 106FF. After the *VERY* weird, unexpected concealing it did on my Yukon (when ebpcivicsi used it), I would recommend that beginners use something else instead. I'll skip rehashing the weirdness of what I experienced, but it's sure not something I'd wish on anybody and I'm trying to keep this recommendation very user-friendly.
Click to expand...



True... it's a good polish but probably not very user friendly as it not only has potential at concealing but if you use too much you'll be working it forever as well as have a hard time removing it. FPII is even finer and, IMO, easier to use.
 
Thanks for the feedback guys. I took another look and will probably wait on the Menzerna SIP/Nano until I can get some more experience and practice, since it does use diminishing abrasives. I also took a look at my pads I have now and the 2 orange 5.5's are flat and the 4 (2 each) white/gray 6.5's are CCS.



How does the following order look?



1. Megs Swirl Free Kit (M105, M205, 2 MF towels, 2 Orange 5.5 CCS)

2. 3 pack of White 5.5 CCS pads

3. Menz PO87MC (Micro Polish)

OR

Menz PO85RD (Polish)

4. Wolfgang DG Sealant 3.0



So item #3, not sure which is better or should I say, not sure which one would be better for my situation.
 
well, to put it simple...my go to process for most cars I see goes like this:

megs 105 via lc orange pads

menzerna SIP via polishing pad

menzerna FPII via finishing pad



now obviously I would have to change things up depending the clear, the conditions, etc...like the porsche, sip, fpii, fpii - no 105 as it was going to be TOO aggressive as lechillo mentioned...
 
I was in your shoes at one point in time, I decided to go with the whole Menz line up, and I mean it all. from soap to all the polishs to FMJ. I have NO regrets. I am going to give 1z a shot though.
 
slickwilly said:
Thanks for the feedback guys. I took another look and will probably wait on the Menzerna SIP/Nano until I can get some more experience and practice, since it does use diminishing abrasives. I also took a look at my pads I have now and the 2 orange 5.5's are flat and the 4 (2 each) white/gray 6.5's are CCS.



How does the following order look?



1. Megs Swirl Free Kit (M105, M205, 2 MF towels, 2 Orange 5.5 CCS)

2. 3 pack of White 5.5 CCS pads

3. Menz PO87MC (Micro Polish)

OR

Menz PO85RD (Polish)

4. Wolfgang DG Sealant 3.0



So item #3, not sure which is better or should I say, not sure which one would be better for my situation.
Click to expand...

87MC has a cut of 1 vrs. 85RD with a cut of 1.5. Your order looks good, but I would still add a couple of 4" orange pads for heavier correction.
 
slickwilly said:
How does the following order look?



1. Megs Swirl Free Kit (M105, M205, 2 MF towels, 2 Orange 5.5 CCS)

2. 3 pack of White 5.5 CCS pads

3. Menz PO87MC (Micro Polish)

OR

Menz PO85RD (Polish)

4. Wolfgang DG Sealant 3.0



So item #3, not sure which is better or should I say, not sure which one would be better for my situation.
Click to expand...



I dunno which of the Menzernas you should go with...depends on the paints in question. But that PO87MC (which I really need to try some time) is, AFAIK, *SO* gentle that I really wonder if it might be gilding the lily at this point :think:



As Legacy99 said, I'd get some more 4" orange pads. But then *I* would be getting almost all the pads in 4".



Oh, on hard clear (maybe the Corvette?), I've been having very good results with 4" *wool* pads and M105 via PC. The wool pads in question are made by Edge for Cyclo. Just something to keep in mind if you find you need them.



I wouldn't get the Wolfgang sealant, but hey...I've never used it so that might be unfair. I get the feeling it's not in the super-durable category (e.g., KSG and FK1000P) nor is it extra-special in any other way (e.g., UPP = slickness, BF= carnauba-like darkening). Eh...maybe I'm just being a wet blanket :nixweiss
 
lecchilo said:
True... it's a good polish but probably not very user friendly as it not only has potential at concealing but if you use too much you'll be working it forever as well as have a hard time removing it. FPII is even finer and, IMO, easier to use.
Click to expand...



I'd consider the 106s to be fairly user friendly. I agree, though, that FPII would *definitely* be the better choice for beginners. It breaks down faster and comes off easier. I also think that it finishes *slightly* better than 106, but not by much.
 
Thanks again for the feedback guys...I ended up just getting a bit of everything...:xyxthumbs



What I've also decided to do is to visit the local junkyard and find some good candidates for correction and practice, learning the in's and out's of these products...which works best with what pads on which finishes, etc.



Better to practice on some scrap panels than a buddy's car...:bolt
 
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