I use the 4" pad on my PC all the time for my MINI and the Expedition. A lot of places on both where the bigger pad is just a PITA. Plus, since the pad is smaller your efforts are more focused in both area and force so you can get away with less time or softer pad. I have the orange, white and black LC pads from DP and the 3-1/2" Velcro backing plate.

 

[quote=MiniMaybee;1516492]...A lot of places on both where the bigger pad is just a PITA. Plus, since the pad is smaller your efforts are more focused in both area and force so you can get away with less time or softer pad. quote]

Good point, MiniMaybee.

He's absolutely right- The smaller pads focus the pressure and are therefore only recommended in those tight and/or curvy areas where the bigger pads can be a pain.

If you use the smaller pads in the larger open areas then you will likely get some waviness in the paint (which, by the way, is very easy to fix if it happens to you accidentally- just go over the area with your standard 6.5" pad and usually the same product).

This is why we sell the 6.5" pads as the standard set and the smaller 4" pads as accessories to the standard set. The smaller pads are too limiting to use as your exclusive general purpose pads.

-Heather

 

For what it's worth, the Metabo (Griots copy) polisher with an orange polishing pad and Swirl will remove a significant amount of paint if you focus it long enough. I had mistakenly wetsanded through the clear coat of some paint, and once the paint was exposed, I put the little polisher on the "hole" and in just a few seconds the hole was twice as large and my pad was covered in base.

This is just a warning, that as safe as the random orbital is, I think spreading the pressure over a larger area is safer than focusing it on a small area--so don't go crazy with the smaller polishers!!

 

I would guess that they are threaded the same but I don't honestly know.
In fact, I thought that the Griots RO does not have a detachable backing plate; in other words, you have to use their backing plate simply because it does not come off. I'm not sure though.

Does someone out there know if the Griots RO's backing plate comes off to begin with?

-Heather

 

You guys are scaring me, this talk of burning thru the paint!

Maybe some parameters are in order, in the name of prevention?

 

Wasn't trying to scare--just relay experience---I made a boo boo this week, and the Metabo amplified the boo boo very quickly. This is all after I had a blast polishing out all the little areas like on the front bumper and doors that are difficult to get with the PC---I wasn't sure how fast it was cutting. Just don't be lulled into thinking that just because it's smaller, than it's just as safe as the PC. FWIW, I was using Swirl and the Griots orange polishing pad.

Richard

 

Cliffnotes version:

Metabo is to OG as Krypronite is to Superman.

 

ML- im pretty sure griots made that unit like their other units where it's a
fail safe system for weekend detailers. just start out with light pressure
and lower speed and keep an eye how quickly the swirls get polished out.
that's all.

 

Actually, the lower the speed the more work the polish will do. If you got some nasty swirls try turning down the orbits and Swirl will do more work.

 

i said light pressure. you dont want product flying around with light
pressure and high speed.

 

To a point that is---lower speeds within the recommended range---putting it on speed 2 isn't going to be as effective as say speed 4--but speed 6 may cause the polish to break down before it's had a chance to actually do anywork-so yes, lower speeds are better.

As long as you smear the product on the paint, and keep the pad flat, for the first second or two, the product shouldn't fly around even with light pressure or high speed. It's when you have a blob of product that you turn it on at speed 5 or 6 and it splatter everywhere. Been there myself. (I'm referring mostly to the smaller polisher here btw, though it applies to any RO)

Richard

 

What speed would you recommend (or at least guess, to give me a starting point) using for polishing with the 3-inch?

And I do agree, the Griot's one looks exactly like that one you posted, but red.

 

yah, i like to spread product on the panel before i turn the orbital
on, but some people just go at it without doing that. kinda like
turning on your shaver or electric tooth brush while wet.

lol

 

without trying it i won't know for sure, but if i bought one and
was going to try, i would use 3 and make 4-5 passes using a
small amount of Polish3 with about a 1 sec rev time.

if that doesnt do much, i would do same speed, but 2 sec rev
time (add more pressure).

if that doesn't do anything try 4 and 1 sec rev, etc.

there's a lot of reasons why you dont want to start out with a
higher speed but im too lazy to post it now.

 

Lazy. Me too.

A conversation I had with myself last week:
*looks into box/bucket/bag/something that has a bunch of random items inside, including sealed package of PW touch-up paint*
Self: "Hmm. Someday I'm going to need that paint and I'm not ever going to remember it's here."

Today:
Self: "Now where the he** is that paint??"

I told myself so. *cusses*

 

Well ML, all you have to do is post it and the collective "we" will remember it for you.

ML: "Now where the he** is that paint??"
We: In the box fool, now go clean out that box and organize your towels while you are at it.
(We can be a bit demanding)

 

Ohhhh no, my towels are well organized. Actually, my whole cabinet is well organized. But I threw the paint in a box/bag/whatever of stuff that needed to be moved...somewhere (I SERIOUSLY have no memory left!)...and I can't remember where :impatient

What I really need to do is roll the detailing cabinet and the MINI out into the street, and burn down the house. That'd solve a lot of my organization issues

 

now this could be kinda fun to watch.

 

Hey, if using the orbital scares you, just go old school. I still think by hand is the best way to wax.

 

Wax - perhaps. Polish - no way!

 

I do wax completely by hand. I'm not exactly a big buff girl so the PC is not the easiest thing in the world for me to control. So I only use it for polishing - I leave waxing and removal for manual labor.

 

waxing by orbital for me is much faster on the larger areas.

 

Well I *thought* we were talking about the smaller 3" RO which in my mind has more potential for damage than the normal RO that we call the PC.

And yes as others have said, the RO for polishing is way better than by hand--and I still like the RO for applying wax as well.

 

I FOUND IT!

It was on one of the jet skis I have no idea how it got there.

Now I can't find the cable to my digital camera...

 

Kinda becoming ML's random thought thread.