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What Are Some of the Go-To Polish / Pad Combos?

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My go-to polish / pad combos come from a couple different manufactures.  I like the Lake Country lineup of pads, both the tangerine and cyan hydrotech pads, and also the classic LC flat pads. There are times when a classic pad will work better and times when a hydrotech will outperform the others.  That is why it is necessary for me to carry both lines as I never know how the paint will react in different situations.

As far as compounds and polishes go, my manufacturers range from Meguiar’s, Menzerna, and Optimum (outside use only).  I have switched from the classic 83 / 80 combo to the newest 105 / 205 combo from Meguiar’s.  From the Menzerna lineup, I use a bunch:  Power Gloss, Super Intensive Polish, Intensive Polish, Power Finish and 85rd.

Some of the combos I start off with, based on the color of car, the level of correction desired, the end result needed, and the hardness of paint, are the following:

(most aggressive to least aggressive)

LC Purple Foam Wool pad with Meguiars 105

LC Purple Foam Wool pad with Menzerna SIP

LC orange / Hydrotech cyan with Meguiars 105

LC Orange / Hydrotech Cyan with Menzerna SIP

LC white pad / hydrotech tangerine with Menzerna SIP

LC white pad / hydrotech tangerine with Menzerna Power Finish

LC white pad / hydrotech tangerine with Meguiars 205

LC black pad with Menzerna 85rd

LC blue pad with Menzerna 85rd

Those are my personal go-to products.  I have others that I can resort to based on given situations, but I use those the most.  Hope that helps you to decide between the pad / product choices!

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Eric Schuster Envious Detailing
Eric Schuster
Envious Detailing
Orange County, CA

4 comments on What Are Some of the Go-To Polish / Pad Combos?

  1. Max says:

    How do you like the HT pads and have you ever used a yellow pad before?

  2. Eric says:

    Hey Max,

    I dont use the yellow cutting pads, I would rather just use a wool pad as it runs cooler, cuts faster, and is generally smoother…with that said, i have used them in the past for oxidation removal on the PC and liked the results from that situation. I just find that the marring from the yellow pad is a bit much.

    I like the HT pads a lot. They cut just as well, but finish off better! Basically, you can ALMOST eliminate a step of polishing when time is an issue. comparing orange pad and white pad to Cyan and Tangerine, the HT will give you a tad clearer finish on certain cars.

    Just remember, all cars will react differently based on the surrounding conditions: severity of paint defects, humidity, repainted, etc. I have use a HT tangerine on the same car both inside and outside and it worked differently in each situation…in the sun it would stick and grab the paint more, but a white classic pad didnt, but when pulled inside the garage, the HT worked perfectly…

  3. Jon says:

    Hi Eric,

    Woud you consider using a hydrotech tangerine pad with Menzerna Micro Polish (85rd)?

    Thanks,

    Jon

  4. Eric says:

    blast from the past!!!!

    couple more regularly used options now…

    D300 with MF cutting disc
    surbuf with 105

    How fast the technology changes is astounding!

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