Yes, you can absolutely use our 6" pads with the Griot's orbital. Our 6" pads are measured across the backside (velcro side). They can be attached to any orbital via either a 5" backing plate or a 6" backing plate, assuming the backing plate has the velcro (aka "Hook and Loop") backing.

This one was a shorter answer so I thought I'd start with this one. One down... on to the next!

-Heather

 

I think i know what I am getting in the spring!

 

no problem, Heather! thanks for stepping in for Nick to get all
the orders out.

 

jep!

 

Nick sounds like a slacker...I wonder if Ken could be of help...

 

It's hard to say... I don't have any of the Griot's pads here and have never used them. After reading and re-reading their descriptions, I've concluded that they are too vague to determine anything concrete.

From what I can "best guess", the Griot's orange pad is most similar to our white pad and the Griot's red pad is most similar to our black pad.

Either pad should work fine for applying Epic. I would say that the least dense pad would be the best choice for any liquid wax, including Epic. My guess is that the Griot's red pad, which seems to be the least dense of his pads, would be the best option. Still, I don't think you should've run into any problems using his orange pad either though.

Our orange pad is a "light cutting pad" and is moderately aggresive. Unless you're using a cleaner-wax, I wouldn't suggest using it for wax application. It is primarily used with non-abrasive paint cleansers (to really "muscle-up" the cleanser) and abrasive polishes, like swirl mark removers.

From what I can tell, the Griot's orange pad is quite different from our orange pad.

FYI: Our pads are all made by Lake Country manufacturing. Lake Country is known to be the very best in automotive pad manufacturing. They are supposedly the only foam pad company which specializes exclusively in automotive polisher pads. From what I'm told, other companies simply take filter foam of varying densities and cut them into polisher pad shapes. Lake Country prides itself on designing foam pads specifically for polishers. They've been around since 1977. Here's a link to their website: http://www.lakecountrymfg.com You'll see they make gads of polisher pads and accessories. We continuously test their new pads and figure out what is best for all of you detailing nuts out there!

-Heather

 

I'll have to tell Nick you said that!

Actually, he has been out of commission due to a neck/back problem since last week. Yesterday was his first day off narcotics so he's making progress! Today he's actually doing a little bit of work again but he's very slooooow moving.

Either way, Ken is MORE than welcome to come work for us. Just fly on over, Ken... it's much warmer here in Denver than it is in Chicago! You can apply Epic to your heart's content on most days, as long as our super-intense sun is out! We could even put you up... on a Monster Fluffy cot! (Monster Fluffy cot = a giant pile of Monster Fluffies!)

-Heather

 

Very unlikely, I'm sorry to say. Certainly, applying it with a polisher versus by hand... the polisher will allow you to apply it thiner and therefore it would help a little. But the pad style is not going to help you apply it at cold temps.

-Heather

 

Well thats not fun! My younger sister had back surgury this summer, so i know how much fun narcotics can be as an outsider. He needs to get better and not do that again! its painful!

BTW, I cant remember if I thanked you for the gift in my last order. I get new wheels tomorrow and hope to test it out.

 

That was actually kind of weird... too serious for you! Who are you?? I don't know you anymore.



-Heather

 

Unfortunately much of Epic's cold temp sensitivity is directly linked to so many of its benefits... like the unique look and durability.

But, that doesn't mean we just give up! Our chemists are always trying new variations and we've mentioned the temp issue to them, on behalf of our northern customers. They're quite innovative so you never know!

-Heather

 

Side note...I hope ImagoX doesnt read that....or its all I am going to hear about at breakfast tomorrow is how he wants the Monseter Fluffy cot and Bunny outfit.

 

I just wish there was a cold weather detail spray or limited water wash to do in the garage. Back of the MINI is covered with road grime right now...but with a high of 42 and no heated garage..I cant clean it.

 

On a related side note... where is ImagoX?? He hasn't been posting for days!

I agree though... once he hears about a Monster Fluffy cot it's going to be trouble!!

-Heather

 

Not sure, If he doesnt show for breakfast tomorrow I am going to call him. I will let him know you are worried...on second though...I will just see what hes up too.

 

You need a friend with a heated garage!

Too bad you're not in Denver... we rent out our heated DP bay for just pennies. You get heat plus all of our gadgets and stuff to play with.

You could roadtrip out but then it would just get dirty again on the way back. Also, I just remembered our Alfa is in pieces all over the bay.

Yeah, you need to find a friend with a heated garage!

-Heather

 

Thank you, Heather! (been in and out of meetings myself today)
I think i will need to order some black pads for Epic next time.

Please tell Nick we all wish him a speedy recovery!!

thanks for the job offer! so i can have Epic for breakfast, lunch,
and supper.

 

Oh oh oh, I hear me being paged! Hmmm sorry a bit late--been busy detailing....

Pad shape is really a preference thing. I like the regular non angled ones, but then again, that's just what I'm used to. I've polished out hundreds of cars and I've never wished for a better pad than what I've used.

Prima Impressions from an Experienced Pro
Btw, if anyone is using the Meguiar's pads for the DP products and a PC, I like to use the yellow W-8006 polishing pad with Swirl & Finish, and the tan W-9006 finishing pad for Amigo and Epic. Although The W-8006 pad with Amigo also works well. While Swirl and Finish don't HAVE to be used together, for the work I do---polishing out black paint to be as flawless as possible, it's a necessary step.

One more Meguiar's type conversion. This isn't entirely accurate, but it's based on my current experience with DP products.

Cut is very similar to #84
Swirl is very similar to #83
Finish is very similar to #80/82
Amigo is very similar to #82/#7
Epic is very similar to #21 Synthetic Sealant

Prima Clay is more brittle and stiffer than Meguiar's. Breaking it into little chunks and kneading it requires more effort. The consistency reminds of a Power Bar.

Cut breaks down very quickly though it feels quite abrasive at first.

Swirl is very effective at removing swirls, but with the rotary buffer it has a tendency to get gummy--makes for hard removal. I'd have to say the aggressiveness is less than #83, but the workability is similar to #83.

In the Meguiar's line #80 is the easiest polish to work with as it doesn't get gummy and can be worked in the paint for a very long time. Finish is like that but it tends to be stickier initially.

All of the liquids tend to be thicker and less runny than Meguiar's which is good and bad. Bad means more shaking is necessary to get the product out of the bottle. Can't very well lay it on it's side to prevent it from settling to the bottom because well, the round bottles tend to roll away. Good because you can put the product on a vertical panel of the car and it won't drip away before putting the buffer to it--this applies to professional use only. With a PC you put the product on the pad first.

Conclusions?
I've now used Prima exclusively on two black cars--one a show car for this weekend and another that's a daily driver. Overall I'm quite impressed with the products. My reputation is very important, and I need products that will offer me consistent results. So far using the full line of products has allowed me to do what I've been doing with Meguiar's. There are still some "improvements" that could be made--but I'm already discussing those with Heather.

I bought 8 bars of the clay, but I've got mixed feelings. The stiffer bar is a downside because after working all week on cars, I don't want to use anything that requires more work than what I've already got. The softer and easier to knead clays are more desireable from a professional stand point since my fingers are already sore. The clay works as good as any other clay however.

Right now my two favorite products are Amigo and Slick with the monster fluffies. I plan on replacing all my MF towels with the Monster Fluffies.

Richard

 

Now that's a recommendation from the top! Great info Richard but can you discuss the differences between Swirl and Finish a little more for those of us not familiar with the Meg #'s? For my only frame of Meg reference - where would you put Scratch-X in this mix?
I did my wife's Expedition last weekend and had a chance to compare the effectiveness of Finish, Zaino Z-PC and Scratch-X on the glossy black pillars. They were all quite swirled and some moderate scratches.
I began with the DP white pad and Finish - didn't even make a dent in the scratches and only slightly improved the swirls. Next Scratch-X on the same pad with the same results though the swirls were addressed slightly better. Then I did the Z-PC and it was even better than the others, but still the swirls were there and the scratches untouched. I then switched to the DP orange pad and began again with the Finish - the swirls disappeared very quickly and the scratches became far less visible. I ran out of the Z-PC so couldn't try it on the orange pad, but the Scratch-X seemed to do about the same as the Finish.
So my results seem to indicate that Finish and Scratch-X are about the same when used on the orange pad. Is your impression that these two products are equivalent or is Swirl a better match to Scratch-X?

BTW, using the PCDA cut four hours off the time required to detail this beast and I actually was able to remove the swirls and 75% of the scratches (4 wheeling in the mountains sure does a number on the paint!). I was so ignorant to think that I could do a similar job by hand as I could do with the PCDA .

Chuck

 

thanks, octaneguy. it does appear those pads are merely a preference
thing. i'll stick to the ones i have for now to get consistency first, then
try other shapes, i suppose.

hey, so you do like Epic. that's good. cause i like it too and will
continue to use it. the only thing for me is the app temperature.

let me know your thoughts on Nero. that's my favorite out of all the
Prima's ive tried so far. Im going to try Amigo and their black pads next
time around. and for my shelf collection, Clarity. i too
like IPP (monster fully) and going to try their Platinum MF towels this
weekend for QD. i got like 6 of them this week. hehehe.

 

Kenchan - I used the Clarity today with the DP glass microfiber and I was very happy with both products. No streaking and with the supper short/tight weave of the glass towel, you needed very little Clarity to get rid of the smudges and dirt. I think it is a keeper.
I guess Octaneguy is ignoring my Finish v. Swirl v. Scratch-X question above.

 

While I normally have a ton of emails, PMs, and forum posts to keep track of, I didn't respond to your post because I was working on a "Progress Review" of the Prima products which I had posted here.

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ad.php?t=84706

I felt showing the products in use would be beneficial. As to your direct questions.

I listed the products in the order of aggressiveness in my Meguiar's comparison list. So Cut is more aggressive than Swirl which is more aggressive than Finish.

When or whether you use Finish (the Prima instructions seem to imply that Finish isn't always necessary for all paints)--depends on what you are trying to achieve.

For my tests, I used the color that's the most challenging...Black, and because I was trying to achieve a flawless or as close to flawless finish as possible, I used the products necessary to remove swirls and remove polishing marks so that the application of Amigo and Epic would be to a highly polished surface.

For most people, using Swirl, then Epic is probably good enough, but it wasn't for me.

So once again, look at my list which is listed from Aggressive to Least Aggressive

Cut is very similar to #84
Swirl is very similar to #83
Finish is very similar to #80/82
Amigo is very similar to #82/#7
Epic is very similar to #21 Synthetic Sealant

Which ScratchX did you use? ScratchX was recently released about a month ago, and was formulated for PC use (it says on the tube that it's new). Before that it was only to be used by hand---the formulation wasn't effective with the PC, so you should clarify what you were using.

ScratchX is less aggressive than #9 Swirl Remover 2.0 which is less aggressive than 82--so that would put ScratchX somewhere in the ballpark of Amigo to Finish. Amigo on it's own isn't really aggressive--the pad choice determines aggressiveness much more than the chemical.

Btw, as far as pads go, I've only been using the Meguiar's pads. There are only two applicable pads, and only one of them has any cutting power, the other is strictly for wax application. I'll have to get a hold of some LC pads to do further comparisons.

Richard

 

Sorry Richard, I've been gone for a day and I have since found your Prima Review - very informative and well written. How shinny can you actually make a car anyway: that reflection photo with the owner is amazing!
So ScratchX; mine said something like "improved for rotary polisher" or something like that so it must have been the new release. But as I suspected it would appear that ScratchX and Finish are about the same as far as abrasiveness. I think I'm going to get some of the Prima Swirl and then follow that with Amigo and Epic. I guess if you have light swirls then the Finish product is probably enough but on the Expedition I was polishing for quite a while to get some of the deeper swirls out. Nothing touched the scratches, but I didn't expect anything I was using to address the scratches.
Thanks again for your comparisons and for your excellent Prima review. I'm looking forward to the follow-up.

Chuck

 

The PC is what I call a finishing tool, although it has the capability to do more than just finish, it takes a lot of time, and the right combination of pad to product selection.

Even with the rotary buffer, not all scratches can be fixed/removed. In most cases, a scratch can be improved by minimizing the effect. Think of a scratch having a sharp V edge that catches the light. If you buff it correctly, you can round off the V edges so that it doesn't catch the light. The scratch remains, but its less noticeable, and that's often all that you can expect.

With that in mind, the PC will do a major improvement over what could be done by hand. I would definitely be using Swirl. Although I haven't extensively used Cut with a PC, it is effective and the abrasives do break down very quickly when used with the rotary buffer. And while the instructions don't specifically recommend it for swirls, considering that it's more aggressive than SWIRL, it might be the only other option in the Prima line. Maybe Heather will chime in on this or atleast I can do further tests.

My feeling is that you're better off choosing the most aggressive polishing/cutting pad option on the PC and using Swirl, because Cut will haze the finish, and you must follow it with Swirl.

I'm still learning about the different levels of aggressiveness and their effectiveness with the PC since the Meguiar's system which I'm used to only has one pad that polishes (cuts) and one that finishes (for applying wax/glaze)--and you choose the level of aggressiveness through chemical selection.

re: Shininess
Considering that no matter what color of a modern paint you work on, you're polishing the same color every time--clear. So making a car as reflective as possible means making the clear as transparent as possible. On a dark color like black, the effect is of a mirror. On a lighter color like white, you won't get that kind of reflection.

re: Expedition
Like I said above, I would be starting with Swirl, then experiment with pad choices, and then maybe see if Cut provides any improvements---again considering you have to follow that with Swirl to remove any haziness. Remember to always work in a small spot--your test spot. Use proper technique--pad pressure, spreading the product out, working it in, etc... all of those things are covered in my DVD.

Richard

 

thanks, MiniMaybee! i have the DP glass MF and i think
im going to get another one so that i can continue to use one
while one's in the laundry basket.

so looks like im going to keep Amigo, 2 black pads, Clarity, and glass MF
in my wish-list for now.