What polish has the absolute lightest cut?

Deanski said:
Yes 85RD is low, but you can also look into "AIO" type cleaner/polishes as most are based on chemical than abrasive cleaning.



One glaze I wish I still could get is Liquid Ebony. That was one hell of a glaze for dark car finishes. Now, Menzerna also makes a glaze as well. Most glaze all do the same thing, some have more clay than others for filling. Meguiars, 3M, and others all have good glazes it's just what you're trying to match it with. If you use a sealant, a glaze is out of the question, but if waxing, it's your best friend. Zymol also has glazes as well, but also have wax in them. Notice Zymol labels some of the waxes "glaze"?



For light "cleaning" an AIO is your best bet. Or if you do run into some issues, then 85RD will be fine. I know as Porsche paint is very soft, so I too have to careful.



For now, I just use AIO type polishes for any cleaning, but switch to 85RD and a finish pad for those pesky marring swirls or whatever AIO will not take off.



Same for wetsanding, I have paper that goes down to 12,000 grit. Used for orange peel leveling. Also for metal work to bring it to a mirror finish.





Try not to stress over some light marring as it will be almost impossible on a black car finish unless you shoot it with a Ceramiclear.



Regards,

Deanski
Click to expand...



Actually, the only "glaze" that zymol has is HD-Cleanse. The other "Estate Glazes" are real waxes with no glaze to them at all. It's kinda like Zaino calls their sealant's "show car polishes", when they aren't polishes at all. But anyway, yeah... the "Glazes" that zymol sells are nothing more than wax, with HD-Cleanse being what we would think of as a traditional "Glaze". And it's a real PITA to use.
 
Yep... Try Sonus SFX-2 or 3 (thy 3 with a blue pad 1st) or FPII (Menz PO87MC). I used PO97MC on my TL this spring with a blue pad and it did a pretty good job. Your best bet will be to try something and move from there.
 
Been following this thread because I too keep my vehicle in great shape and only need to lightly polish it once or year or so. I have been using FPII but recently switched to 3M Ultrafina. I find the Ultrafina to be as light if not lighter than FPII. Works great with the Porter Cable. Wonder why it hasn't been mentioned in this thread about lightest polish?
 
Anthony A said:
Been following this thread because I too keep my vehicle in great shape and only need to lightly polish it once or year or so. I have been using FPII but recently switched to 3M Ultrafina. I find the Ultrafina to be as light if not lighter than FPII. Works great with the Porter Cable. Wonder why it hasn't been mentioned in this thread about lightest polish?
Click to expand...



I thought UF was closer to 106FF in terms of cut.
 
lest we forget :



3mswirl.jpg
41YDB31N23L._SL500_AA280_.jpg
 
Anthony A said:
Been following this thread because I too keep my vehicle in great shape and only need to lightly polish it once or year or so. I have been using FPII but recently switched to 3M Ultrafina. I find the Ultrafina to be as light if not lighter than FPII. Works great with the Porter Cable. Wonder why it hasn't been mentioned in this thread about lightest polish?
Click to expand...



Hmm.. Think I'd have to disagree with ya on that one, Anthony. I find that Ultrafina is very similar to PO106FF as far as cut is concerned. FPII is the very lightest cut that Menzerna offers, and is way, way, way, more gentle than Ultrafina. Even PO85RD (Menz's second finest polish) has quite a bit more bite than FPII.



Ultrafina has enough bite to it to clean up fairly well after compounds; holograms/buffer trails, it all cleans up nicely under UF. FPII wouldn't stand a chance at that kind of clean up.
 
i'm in the same situation as the OP, nice little honda with the paint corrected and now just trying to maintain it. having said that, would poliseal be a good choice compared to ultrafina or menz's offerings?
 
The 'lightest' cut is largely subjective. I would say the easiest and fastest solution would be to use Poli-Seal. It will accomplish light polishing/cleaning and leave good protection. In addition the look is fantastic.
 
SuperBee364 said:
Hmm.. Think I'd have to disagree with ya on that one, Anthony. I find that Ultrafina is very similar to PO106FF as far as cut is concerned. FPII is the very lightest cut that Menzerna offers, and is way, way, way, more gentle than Ultrafina. Even PO85RD (Menz's second finest polish) has quite a bit more bite than FPII.



Ultrafina has enough bite to it to clean up fairly well after compounds; holograms/buffer trails, it all cleans up nicely under UF. FPII wouldn't stand a chance at that kind of clean up.
Click to expand...



I compared the two side by side on the hood and they were close if not identical. There certainly was not a huge difference as you suggest.



If you watch the 3M video that comes with a bottle of Ultrafina they exlain how to use it and they clearly say, in fact stress, that you cannot skip using 3M Swirl Mark remover after compounding and before Ultrafina because Utrafina will not clean up the compounding marks. It is strictly a finishing polish. 3M Swirl Mark Remover is very light also and if that is more agressive than Ultrafina than Ultrfina must be very light which is my experince with it.



Just to clarify I am using it with a Porter Cable 7336 not a rotory.
 
Anthony A said:
I compared the two side by side on the hood and they were close if not identical. There certainly was not a huge difference as you suggest.



If you watch the 3M video that comes with a bottle of Ultrafina they exlain how to use it and they clearly say, in fact stress, that you cannot skip using 3M Swirl Mark remover after compounding and before Ultrafina because Utrafina will not clean up the compounding marks. It is strictly a finishing polish. 3M Swirl Mark Remover is very light also and if that is more agressive than Ultrafina than Ultrfina must be very light which is my experince with it.



Just to clarify I am using it with a Porter Cable 7336 not a rotory.
Click to expand...



Interesting... but from my experience, Ultrafina can definitely clean up compounding marks when I use the PC. :nana:
 
Anthony A said:
I compared the two side by side on the hood and they were close if not identical. There certainly was not a huge difference as you suggest.



If you watch the 3M video that comes with a bottle of Ultrafina they exlain how to use it and they clearly say, in fact stress, that you cannot skip using 3M Swirl Mark remover after compounding and before Ultrafina because Utrafina will not clean up the compounding marks. It is strictly a finishing polish. 3M Swirl Mark Remover is very light also and if that is more agressive than Ultrafina than Ultrfina must be very light which is my experince with it.



Just to clarify I am using it with a Porter Cable 7336 not a rotory.
Click to expand...



My bottle says "...Ultrafina SE (Swirl Eliminator) is designed to quickly and effectively remove the leftover fine swirls from machine polishing..." I've never used them side by side, but in my experience Final Polish 2 is lighter than Ultrafina and 106ff. Never used 85RD.
 
Denzil said:
Interesting... but from my experience, Ultrafina can definitely clean up compounding marks when I use the PC. :nana:
Click to expand...



I'm just telling you what the video says about the compounding marks. I have seen the video posted here take a look for it and watch it. My bottle came with a little mini DVD of it. They really stress/emphasize how mild it is and that you absolutely need to use Perfect it 3000 Swirl Mark Remover before Ultrafina. SMR is not that aggressive at all so what does that say about Ultrafina? In 3M's Perfect It 3000 product line you have Extra Cut Rubbing Compound, Rubbing compound, Swirl Mark Remover, and now Ultrafina in that order of aggressiveness.



I was just curious why Ultrafina wasn't mentioned in this thread about lightest cut. It is an ultra fine finishing polish but it seems it is considered much more aggressive than that here. Where would you place it on the abrasive scale in your opinion?
 
I consider Ultrafina and 106FF similar. Both finish really well, but also have some ability to remove fine swirls. On the other hand, FP2 really can't remove any visible imperfections, it just enhances gloss. That's my experience.
 
Anthony A said:
I compared the two side by side on the hood and they were close if not identical. There certainly was not a huge difference as you suggest.



If you watch the 3M video that comes with a bottle of Ultrafina they exlain how to use it and they clearly say, in fact stress, that you cannot skip using 3M Swirl Mark remover after compounding and before Ultrafina because Utrafina will not clean up the compounding marks. It is strictly a finishing polish. 3M Swirl Mark Remover is very light also and if that is more agressive than Ultrafina than Ultrfina must be very light which is my experince with it.



Just to clarify I am using it with a Porter Cable 7336 not a rotory.
Click to expand...



Not to be :argue, but I've also done alot of comparison of these polishes with the rotary using all sorts of different pads. I gotta stand by my earlier statement: UF has *alot* more cut than FPII and PO85RD. It is very similar in cut and finish to PO106FF. I think alot of the rotary heads here have similar opinions. IMO, there's as much difference between FPII and UF as there is between 106FF and SIP. In other words, *alot*.



The title of the OP's post was "What *polish* has the lightest cut?" Not AIO's or chemical based cleaners. Adding in the different glazes, AIO's, chemical cleaners muddies the water alot. However, if the question is simply what pure abrasive based polish is the most gentle, then I'd still have to give the nod to FPII.
 
Meguiar's ColorX on a finishing pad. Has some abrasive but is finer than even #9 and #82. Plus you have a protective layer.



I have been playing around with the new D151 from Meguiars. That's the new AIO from them. It has WAY more cut than M66. I would even say more aggressive than #83 but finishes down very nice. Following that with a layer of ColorX might be a good solution for really soft paints.
 
SuperBee364 said:
Not to be :argue, but I've also done alot of comparison of these polishes with the rotary using all sorts of different pads. I gotta stand by my earlier statement: UF has *alot* more cut than FPII and PO85RD. It is very similar in cut and finish to PO106FF. I think alot of the rotary heads here have similar opinions. IMO, there's as much difference between FPII and UF as there is between 106FF and SIP. In other words, *alot*.



The title of the OP's post was "What *polish* has the lightest cut?" Not AIO's or chemical based cleaners. Adding in the different glazes, AIO's, chemical cleaners muddies the water alot. However, if the question is simply what pure abrasive based polish is the most gentle, then I'd still have to give the nod to FPII.
Click to expand...
I agree, as I posted earlier that FPII has a cut of 1 which is the least aggressive of all the Menz polishes.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top