Polishing compound

GJSZ51

GJSZ51

Member
I have been using 3M Perfect it II. After wet sanding. What is anyone else using and your experience?

gjs
 
I havent used 3m in probably 7 or 8 years. Once I found 3D, wizards and menzerna I see no reason to ever go back. 3M is a mess to clean up IMO.

Out of the three I listed, Id say that 3D is probably the best compound/polish combo. Just my opinion though, I am usually wrong!
 
I have 3d's (2 step) and their single step, Menzerna, Sonax and Chemical Guys compounds and polishes. I am becomming partial to either Menzerna or Sonax, for me they remove 3000grt scratches better leaving a cleaner Finnish for the final polishing step.

I use and recommend the Chemical Guys polishing spray on foam pads it really keeps the material from drying and clumping on the pad and part so you can buff longer. What I have found is if you are painting next to something being polished it will cause fisheye so I would caution that it isn't 100% body shop safe in that regard but doesn't cause lasting issues like a silicone detailing spray or wax. It seems to wash or wipe off easily unlike silicone spray or waxing dust in my testing and does not hurt fresh paint in any way that I have found.

The 3d single step seems to not cut as well or finish as well as their 2 step kit so that one would be my least favorite of the ones mentioned.

Menzerna and Sonax would be my top goto brands. Of those 2 Sonax nudges to the top. I wet sanded and buffed a fresh black hood and fenders with Sonax, sprayed pad conditioner on Chemical Guys pads (orange for cutting and black for polish) wiped off residue pulled outside after washing and a swirl free finish is what the result was no hand glazing or anything needed.

As for wool pads if I have a large area I use a 2" thick Round-Up pad it really cuts great and leaves a finish that is easily followed up with a foam pad.
 
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That 3D stuff is the best cutting compound I've used. I took the advice of a few on here. After I used it, I threw all my 3m in the trash. Even half full bottles. Trash. I also like sonax

I would add that, I did keep the blue 3m ultrafina....for swirls
 
i tend to treat compounds like sandpaper. i use all the steps . i use 3 compounds and 3 pads . has worked well for me for many years . this was really important in the early days of polyurethanes . damn stuff buffed like concrete . imron 300s was impossible to buff after a week .
i used rm red mud back then on wool pads . load the pad until it was slick .
 
Yes these one step systems out, i dont care who makes them, they are all crappy and cant compare to a typical 2-3 step. Maybe in the detailing world they might be ok but for colorsanding and buffing, forget it
 
Just keep in mind,
The compounds made in the last five years are all great to a point, but this is not like the old days where white wool was your cutting pad.

So the most crucial thing is to make sure you have a cutting step #1 pad in the brand you buy. And a step 2 and 3.
Color will vary by brand.
 
i've been using the lake country pads for a long time . the work horse is the orange pad . i use white/yellow/orange/black . sometimes i can start with orange .
 
AAE said:
Looking forward to hearing your thoughts.
Click to expand...
Ok so I did a side by side test of the 3D yellow wool pad versus the black twisted wool Presta pad with 5 day old SPI single stage and ACA 500. The ACA wool pad won hands down. It was so much faster it was amazing. Will be a huge time saver for me.

3dproducts.com

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Fast cutting – High efficiency 3D’s wool cutting pads with rotary polishers are the fastest and most efficient pad and tool combo for removing sanding marks, deep swirls, scratches, oxidation, and water spots. The fibers of wool cutting pads are forms of abrasives. These fiber abrasives offer...
3dproducts.com 3dproducts.com

Don
 
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