for foam i am using the hexlogic pads from cg, yellow for cut, blk for polish. for wool just a std wool cutting pad. brand varies. some are meguires some are lake country i think. just your basic tan twisted wool from autogeek where i get the 3d compound from.
ill add for those guys on a budget and just need to keep cost down then the m100 compound 68 is using is by far the best i have used for the money. it is good stuff. if an extra 20 bucks per qt doesnt bother you then i would rate these as #1 3d aca500, #2 sonax cutmax #3 meguires m100. the chemical guys compounds are ones that i have not tried at all so im not sure how those compare. a friend of mine had the heaviest cut stuff and it was really gritty which i dont like. gritty usually leaves a swirly finish that you need to work out with a mid grade polish then a fine polish to finish. i really dont want to do 3 steps. shine has recommended these for years but the other reason i havent used them is the packaging size. these are clearly meant for the car owner not a professional shop since they are only avail in i believe 16oz bottles for the largest size. why on earth would a shop or any professional who uses this stuff daily buy a product in those sizes. it should be available in qt or gallons.