What pads should I be using?

D

Dberube

New member
I have a mix of OPT products, and am looking for confirmation of pad selection. For the record, I have the OPT Polish and Compound pads, however know that I'll need more than the 4 I've already purchased and am looking for recommendations (ie stock up on the OPT MF or purchase a variety of Lake Country or others:br

- Compound II

- Polish II

- Finish Polish

- Poli Seal



As well, what are best practices for pad maintenance? I have the Blackfire Pad Cleaner, however have no conditioning brush. As always, I appreciate your expertise and information. Thanks



Edit - I have a GG polisher
 
Dberube- Welcome to Autopia!



I'm not a big Optimum user, so I'd better leave the pad selection to somebody else. You might check the Optimum Forum site to see what others like.



FWIW, if I were buying MF cutting pads for use with *any* product, I'd get the Meguiar's ones.



GENERALLY... get MF cutting pads or orange foam light-cut pads for compounds. AVOID yellow foam cutting pads! Use milder "polishing" pads for the polishing (heh heh..."duh", huh?) and "finishing" pads for the final polishing (again... :chuckle: ). I wouldn't get too caught up the the endless varieties of finishing pads (black/blue/red) as *IMO* it seldom makes a big diff unless you're dealing with a tricky situation, and if that's the case you need to trial-and-error it anyhow.



I do think the Gold LC LSPing pad is probably pretty special so you might look into that.



I'm pretty stoneage about my pad maintenance; I clean them by hand with APC or Dawn (either regular blue or their Power Dissolver). The brushes can be handy but I like using the air compressor better. You can also rub 'em with a towel. The "use the brush while polishing" to clean the pad is more for rotary use IMO.



The GG polisher is good, I love mine. I'm more about having a bunch of pads so I can just swap 'em out when necessary as opposed to getting really involved with cleaning in the middle of a job. If the compressor doesn't blow it clean I'll often just switch to a fresh one. But that can get a bit pricey!
 
Why not just use the Optimum microfiber pads? I use them all the time and they are great. Not to mention it will simplify your selection process.
 
IHA Mark said:
Why not just use the Optimum microfiber pads? I use them all the time and they are great. Not to mention it will simplify your selection process.
Click to expand...



That was my intent, however, didn't want to start my first project without having the right pads. Now I have a collection of both!



Thanks.
 
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