Which brand of pads for the PC?

gav'spurplez said:
ok, trying to follow everything that is being posted here.



i am using the PC and i have the 6in backing plate. and i am using the 6 in pads. is that a bad thing ?? is there an extra counterweight if you move to the 7 in pads ?? those last set of LC pads shown look to have an indentation for the backing plate.



am i on the right track. :confused:



also, anyone check out the link i posted for the pads that i am using ?? anyone familiar with these pads ??
Click to expand...



If you are using a 6" backplate you should be using a 6" counterweight. A 6" backplate for a 6" pad is way too large, you should switch to a 5" backplate and you should always have a 1/2"+ buffer zone between the backplate and the edge of the pad.
 
gav'spurplez said:
lc pads are the same as the cma pads ??



i am not familiar with the lc pads, other than hearing/reading their name on here. :rolleyes:



but i was suggesting the pads off of propers site ;)
Click to expand...



CMA have a larger velcro backing area on them and I don't "cut" into them like the LC pads. Long story and there is a work around solution I use to get good useage out of those I still have. Long story.

-----

General thoughts for this thread on pads according to my so-so experience and biased opinions....



I'm getting away from the VC pads for the PC and really like the "flat style" contact surface for PCing better. Maybe I'll change back later to VC later as I get more experience but I doubt it. Sonus pads LOOK really good to me and I must try them out. "The Edge" pads are flat, good velcro coverage and priced right, I think, and I like the five grades you can get them in...hope they hold up well and so far so good. I wash them and lots of experts recommend you don't really. Find threads on this point. Meguiar's pads are also flat and they are on the must "try list" and many people like them, also. Just gotta remember about the product sling thing with flat.

Finally, I've yet to use a pads that's just plain bad.
 
i bought my PC from coastal tool, and they include the 6 in backing plate right ?? well that is what i am using with the 6in counterweight. and the 6 in pads. i have had no problems :nixweiss
 
JDookie said:
Here's a look at what's currently being shipped:



5571sonus_pads_version_2-med.jpg
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these are the sonus pads ?? if so, what is the size of the backing plate that is going to be used with those pads. i do not have the flexible backing plate, i bought mine from coastal tool and got the solid backing plate from them :nixweiss



i think i am still confused. my 6 in backingplate, counterwieght and pads have been working ok :o
 
Yes, those are the Sonus version 2.0 pads that I just received earlier in the week. I'm going to use my own 5" backing plate that I got from Autopia a while back but the Sonus DAS Pad Kit comes with the 5" flexible piece that was designed for these pads. I believe you have to use a 5" backing plate because your only other choice would be a 6" and that's too big.



I would also always recommend a flexible backing plate because it won't induce as much stress on the pad as a rigid one will when you start buffing anything other than flat surfaces.
 
i guess, i'll be ordering the sonus kit, over the winter :rolleyes:



i thought the setup i was using was pretty nifty. it works well, on the cars that i have worked on. :nixweiss
 
If you already have a pad selection that's working, why change? If it works, just stick with it.



Why don't you think you will be using the blue pad or the bonnets in the kit? The blue pad is excellent for paint cleansers like AIO, SPC, GEPC, etc. I think it's a wonderful finish polishing pad. The bonnets can be used to remove your NXT or any other wax or sealant. I think you will use everything that comes in the kit, some parts more than others but that's with anything.
 
i think i will stick with the setup i have right now. when i need new pads, i will do some homework on what sonus has out at the time. when using the flexible pad, does it stay firm and solid on the flat panels. i just like the idea of the backing plate i have that is firm and is not "sloppy"



i have had no experience with the flexible backing plate so i am just curious :D
 
It's not anywhere near as *flexible* as you are thinking. All it does is move a little to releave the pressure when you basically apply too much pressure, that's all. IMO, the biggest concern with a rigid backingplate would be damaging the pad itself. In my experience, the pads all perform well on both curved and flat surfaces with both backingplates. If your pad stops performing on flat surfaces, its time to get a new pad.
 
thanks for all of the info. my pads are still doing their job. :xyxthumbs



i might look into the sonus bundle over the winter, maybe put it on my xmas list :bounce
 
Wouldn't LC's white/orange combo (some say the orange is so close to the white's properties it's near useless) be the equivalent of Sonus' blue/green pads?



I'm buying a PC this week (locally), but need to buy pads, and am all confused as to what I should buy. I'll be detailing a few cars on the side, so was thinking 2 sets of LC's would take me farther than 1 set of Sonus...(or do I even need 2 sets? Can I just clean them and keep going??)

Thoughts?:confused: :nixweiss :confused:

My head is swimming in pad colours...
 
you should clean your pads no matter what. but you can get away with 1 set of pads for now.



will you be detailing these cars in the same day ?? probably not



just make sure to clean your pads and let them dry. then you will be good to go :D



2 sets of pads is good if you have different products. i have 2 sets of pads. 1 for megs stuff and 1 for menzerna stuff :xyxthumbs
 
I just used my new Sonus pads the other day and really liked them! I used the green and then black pads. They seem to hold up better than any others i have used.
 
audio1der said:
Wouldn't LC's white/orange combo (some say the orange is so close to the white's properties it's near useless) be the equivalent of Sonus' blue/green pads?



I'm buying a PC this week (locally), but need to buy pads, and am all confused as to what I should buy. I'll be detailing a few cars on the side, so was thinking 2 sets of LC's would take me farther than 1 set of Sonus...(or do I even need 2 sets? Can I just clean them and keep going??)

Thoughts?:confused: :nixweiss :confused:

My head is swimming in pad colours...
Click to expand...



The Sonus Green pad is the main "go-to" polishing pad, like the LC white pad. The Sonus blue pad is very soft, even softer than the Sonus grey pad (the gray pad seems to have the finer textured foam). The Sonus blue pad is now my favorite finishing pad. The foam used in the Sonus and LC orange pads appears to be similar and both are designed for light cutting (just a little more agressive than the polishing pads in both sets).



On the number of pads, personally I would consider buying more if you can afford to. I would buy extra polishing pads (maybe one orange and two Sonus green or two LC white). These are the pads that you will use more often, sometimes one pad is not enough to complete a vehicle and it's a good idea to keep one pad for cutting polishes and one for finishing polishes.



I own the LC pads and the Sonus designed pads, at the moment I do prefer the Sonus pads because of their design, but both sets of pads will get the job done. :)
 
You hit on another question that just popped up in my mind:

Will 1 pad finish an average-sized car in average condition?

I'm thinking I'd need at least an extra pair of buffing bonnets to remove product. I see the Sonus orange bonnets (?) can be used to apply & remove sealants, but it takes me at least 2 MF's to remove sealant- would it not take at least 2-3 bonnets then?



Thanks for all the advice.:up
 
I use 1 pad per product, per pass. So, if I work the whole car with say #83, I throw it in a bucket of soapy water when I'm done. If I make a second pass with #83, new pad and bucket when I'm done. After this, let's say I go over it with #80, new pad and bucket when I'm done, Then AIO, new pad, bucket. You see how this goes? Grab a fresh pad every time you go over the car. So, if you only plan on using one product for one pass, then all you need is one pad. I use anywhere from 1 to 6 pads per detail, just depends on what I'm doing.
 
audio1der said:
You hit on another question that just popped up in my mind:

Will 1 pad finish an average-sized car in average condition?

I'm thinking I'd need at least an extra pair of buffing bonnets to remove product. I see the Sonus orange bonnets (?) can be used to apply & remove sealants, but it takes me at least 2 MF's to remove sealant- would it not take at least 2-3 bonnets then?
Click to expand...



If a car is in reasonably decent condition I usually find one pad per product is enough for the whole car. You can always clean your pad with a soft toothbrush if it becomes caked with product before you're finished. But I'd reccomend that you have extra pads if they become needed.



The MF bonnets that I use are reversible, but I usually do an initial wipe with a MF towel first. If you're going to remove it all with a bonnet then an extra set wouldn't hurt. Nor would extra pads, you can never seem to have too many pads, especially if you start using different product lines. And you want to use the bonnet over a clean pad.
 
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