Finally purchased my Griot's Garage 6" Random orbital

[KingArnold]

I'll chime in as a Griot's-aholic whose products have served me well. The first thing that jumps out is that I wouldn't go with their old Machine Polishes (1-4). It's old tech polish in comparison with what's out today. It's what I learned on, and while it works it's a bit more labor intensive than other options. If you're just getting your feet wet and don't want to spend a ton, I've had really good luck with their Complete Compound. Willing to invest more? Look on here at reviews of the BOSS creams, they're everything people say they are.

My other Griot's preferences-

Wash Mitt: Microfiber wash mitt

Microfiber Towels: PFM window towels (seriously one of my favorite towels ever). Speed shine towels for general paint use. I've used their normal polish/wax microfibers for their respective jobs, but have heard positive things about the PFM wax towel.

Clay: Recently got the Fine Surface Prep mitt and it's hugely more pleasant than claying. Haven't tried it on perfect paint yet to see if it always requires correction after, but I think it's pretty mild.

Wax: Liquid Gloss Poly Wax if you want a sealant, Premium Carnauba Paste Wax if you're a traditional wax fan.

Pads: I've had fine luck with the standard orange polish and red wax pads, but the thinner BOSS pads are supposed to help boost pad rotation and speed correction. I've played with their Fast Finish microfiber pad and have had good luck with it as well; definitely recommend a pad brush to help keep it clean/fibers stood up (it actually wasn't bad about matting down, but sounds like recommended practice for a microfiber pad).

Machine: GG 6". I've loved mine, and it sounds like a great polisher that you won't grow out of right away vs some of the other cheaper options. I can't speak from experience about those other options though.

My other recommendation would be to spend at least a month pouring over this forum watching discussions and reading about the products you're thinking about. Again, my arsenal is 97% Griot's stuff, so I can't give you proper comparisons against other stuff here, but I can give you an honest opinion about how their stuff has worked for me. Feel free to ping me with any questions you might have.

Looking forward to seeing other opinions also.

John

Instead of the CLAY BAR you use the Fine Surface Prep mitt? Seems pretty cool

[oneheadlite]

Yep, the Fine Surface Prep Mitt takes the place of clay. Nanoskin also makes sponges and towels with the same function; there was a thread recently about them also. If you don't have any clay yet, I would recommend getting a towel to reach smaller areas.

Your BOSS cream (or any polish, really) selection depends on how aggressive you want to go and what you're working with. What car/color are you working with? I tend to be conservative, so I got the Correcting and Perfecting creams. From what I hear though, you'd be safe with the Fast Correcting Cream.

Regarding the Finishing Sealant, it all depends on what you want out a Last Step Product. What kind of longevity are you looking for? Again, search for threads on it and see what you think. It's more of an All In One product (polish+sealant) that lasts a few months. The benefit is when it wears out, it's a single step process when you reapply unless you need heavy correction again. This is where I chose to go with the Liquid Gloss Poly Wax- it has a longer lifespan.

[ski2]

I was reading about these mitts they use instead of clay. Your thoughts?

As I listed in my post (ClayBar: NanoSkin Sponge Nanoskin Autoscrub Speedy Prep Sponge Combo Pack) you can get all the benefits of the NanoSkin mitts at much less cost by using the sponge. For those of us just doing our own cars it's plenty effective and really cuts down on the time it takes to clay the car. Just rinse off after each section and if you drop it just rinse off. You may only need one of the sponges---I use the fine and it is all I need. Don't forget you should first chemically decontaminate with something like IronX first to remove the below surface particles then clay to remove the surface contaminates.

[RonAlv]

Absolutely love my GG-6. I pretty much keep on hand the gg orange, and red pads. My only problem is that I am debating on converting my GG-6 to the 5.5 inch pads, or going for the GG-3" random orbital. I like the 6.5 " pads for larger vehicles, but would like something to get into tight spots as well. I like how Griots kept it simple on pad and wax or compound combinations. Here is a link that may assist you with combinations.

https://www.griotsgarage.com/text/pdf/padproductref.pdf

[oneheadlite]

My only problem is that I am debating on converting my GG-6 to the 5.5 inch pads, or going for the GG-3" random orbital. I like the 6.5 " pads for larger vehicles, but would like something to get into tight spots as well.

I actually just got both of those options - 5.5" conversion kit along with some BOSS correcting pads, and the GG 3" machine with 3" polishing pads and 4" wax pads. I'll let you know what I think of how they compare to the GG6 with 6" and 6.5" pads I've been using all this time.

John

[KingArnold]

Absolutely love my GG-6. I pretty much keep on hand the gg orange, and red pads. My only problem is that I am debating on converting my GG-6 to the 5.5 inch pads, or going for the GG-3" random orbital. I like the 6.5 " pads for larger vehicles, but would like something to get into tight spots as well. I like how Griots kept it simple on pad and wax or compound combinations. Here is a link that may assist you with combinations.

https://www.griotsgarage.com/text/pdf/padproductref.pdf

I think sooner than later I'll get the 5" backing plate as so many members have recommend. I have some heavy swirl marks on mine. I can't wait to get my products and start it. I wanna make some good before and after photos.

[KingArnold]

Yep, the Fine Surface Prep Mitt takes the place of clay. Nanoskin also makes sponges and towels with the same function; there was a thread recently about them also. If you don't have any clay yet, I would recommend getting a towel to reach smaller areas.

Your BOSS cream (or any polish, really) selection depends on how aggressive you want to go and what you're working with. What car/color are you working with? I tend to be conservative, so I got the Correcting and Perfecting creams. From what I hear though, you'd be safe with the Fast Correcting Cream.

Regarding the Finishing Sealant, it all depends on what you want out a Last Step Product. What kind of longevity are you looking for? Again, search for threads on it and see what you think. It's more of an All In One product (polish+sealant) that lasts a few months. The benefit is when it wears out, it's a single step process when you reapply unless you need heavy correction again. This is where I chose to go with the Liquid Gloss Poly Wax- it has a longer lifespan.

WOW. sold on the Fine Surface Prep Mitt. What lubricant spray do you use with the Prep Mitt. I noticed Griot Garage using some sort of spray. I assume it is the speed shine by Griot's Garage. Also, noticed Eagle One makes a Mitt. Price is less expensive than the Griot's Garage one. Probably works the same

[oneheadlite]

Just got a chance to use my mitt beyond the prescribed break in I did on the windows- I'm officially a big, big fan. I think there are a few heavy deposit areas I'll revisit with clay (think: behind wheels), but it got 95% of the job done in way less time than it would have taken me with clay. Up next I'll have it under the lights for the true test of checking for any marring from the process. I'll be doing paint correction anyway, so I'm not too broken up if there was a little bit. And you're correct - I used speed shine, but any clay lube (or your favorite waterless/Rinseless solution mixed to quick detailer spec) will work.

Very true that eagle one has one also; I was able to snag mine during a 20% off sale and it was discounted at the time anyway. To be honest, given my experiences with Griot's and their quality/customer service, theirs is a no brainier for me. Anything through Autogeek gets that same nod though.

John

[VISITOR]

To be honest, given my experiences with Griot's and their quality/customer service, theirs is a no brainier for me. Anything through Autogeek gets that same nod though.

John

[briarpatch]

Just got a chance to use my mitt beyond the prescribed break in I did on the windows- I'm officially a big, big fan. I think there are a few heavy deposit areas I'll revisit with clay (think: behind wheels), but it got 95% of the job done in way less time than it would have taken me with clay. Up next I'll have it under the lights for the true test of checking for any marring from the process. I'll be doing paint correction anyway, so I'm not too broken up if there was a little bit. And you're correct - I used speed shine, but any clay lube (or your favorite waterless/Rinseless solution mixed to quick detailer spec) will work.

Very true that eagle one has one also; I was able to snag mine during a 20% off sale and it was discounted at the time anyway. To be honest, given my experiences with Griot's and their quality/customer service, theirs is a no brainier for me. Anything through Autogeek gets that same nod though.

John

Just picked up one of these mitts myself...and broke it in...but have not had a chance to use it yet....and I used Speed Shine too.....I have some DoDo Juice Ferro Lube I will try it with too