One Step Product & Machine Advice

[xxxc5]

Hi Mike,

Hope this finds you well!!

It's been about 7 years since I've been on the forum. I took a break from detailing and maintaining my vehicles to devote all my time to growing my business. Now that everything is running smoothly and I have more free time, I'm ready and eager to start detailing my vehicles again.

You have always given me great advice tailored for my vehicles in the past. I wanted to chat with you at SEMA but you were quite busy at the Sonax booth. Also, I thought it might be more beneficial for forum members to be able to read your response.

I have 2 vehicles that I want to one step polish and seal. My daily driver is an immaculate light beige metallic 2002 BMW X5 that is parked outside 24/7. My recreation offroad/rally/overland vehicle is a meteor gray 2010 Porsche Cayenne S Transsyberia (1 of 600). This is garaged and only used on weekends/days off/vacations. Although unique and rare in the Porsche community, this is by no means a show car or garage queen. I drive it hard both on and offroad as it was designed and intended.

With this being said for both vehicles, it makes no sense to me to do a 2 or 3 step correction for vehicles that are being used in environments that are not conducive for maintaining a 85%-100% swirl and blemish free finish. Additionally, I live in Las Vegas where washing vehicles is illegal. I have to rely on my local boutique auto spa to wash my vehicles. An AIO topped with an additional sealant for longevity or a one step correction topped with a sealant makes sense to me. I want a quick and easy regimen that I only have to do 1-2 times per year. My current polisher is a 1st generation (10750) Griots Garage 6" Random Orbital Polisher. If I'm being completely honest, it worked well, but was extremely loud and fatiguing. With all the polisher advancements over the past seven years, I'm not opposed to purchasing a new one. I want to work as quick as possible.

Based on your stellar review and demonstration, I am leaning heavily towards the BLACKFIRE One Step topped with either BLACKFIRE Paint Sealant or BLACKFIRE BlackICE Hybrid Liquid Wax (whichever has the longest durability). For machines, after reading many reviews and watching videos, I think either the Griots Garage BOSS G15 or G21 (depending what is going to work better on my particular vehicles) will suit me well. Of course I would love a RUPES or FLEX, I just don't think I'm experienced enough to correctly extract the performance these machines have to offer. Also, I feel Griots is more forgiving with using non-Griots chemicals whereas with RUPES you need to be really experienced to do so. I don't want a learning curve or have to experiment. I want to hit the ground running and get it done. For pads, I would go with the BOSS yellow, orange and black pads. I would primarily use the One Step with the yellow pad with the exception of doing a pass with the orange pad and One Step before the yellow pad and One Step on the hood/roof/trunk. I read this tip in a post you wrote. And of course, I'd use the black foam with the sealant. Fortunately, both my vehicles have very forgiving colors. Swirls and blemishes don't stand out, it's actually a bit of work to find them.

I've laid out what I think may work for my particular situation and vehicles, what do you think Mike? Any and all advice and recommendations are greatly appreciated.

Looking forward to hearing from you!

Thanks!!!
Steve

[Billy Baldone]

Welcome back. If you are currently looking for a machine, you can't go wrong with either a Boss, Rupes, or Flex. I personally have a Boss 21,Flex 3401, and Flex 15mm. I am currently shopping for a rotary, and the Rupes is so far the choice i am leaning toward. As for Blackfire one step, it really is that great. For pads that work across the board, Lake Country is a staple for most on this forum. I have been disappointed with the Boss pads. Hope that helps. Good luck

[dcjredline]

I dont think there is a bad AIO in the AG store so you cant go wrong picking your favorite brand by name IMO.

Machine would depend on your budget. ~$400 Flex, Rupes, or Boss. ~$200 Porter Cable, Griots G9, etc

[Desertnate]

I dont think there is a bad AIO in the AG store so you cant go wrong picking your favorite brand by name IMO.

Agree. I really like the results I saw from Griots One Step Sealant and new Blackfire AIO seems to be getting rave reviews these days.

The downside to AIO's, as I see it, is their longevity. Fortunately for you, your climate in Vegas will allow you to apply a spray sealant year-round which negates the need for having an LSP which will survive months on it's own in harsh conditions. With continual applications of a good spray sealant your LSP may never actually wear out because it's continually being topped up.

[Bobby B.]

Welcome back to AutogeekOnline! The Blackfire One Step topped with the new Blackfire BlackICE Hybrid Liquid Wax is an awesome combination. I've always been a huge fan of the Flex XC3401 VRG polisher, but the new Rupes LK 900E Mille is also a great quality polisher. If you're only using the polisher once or twice a year then I would look at the new Griot's Garage G9 polisher.

BLACKFIRE One Step, BLACKFIRE Total Polish & Seal, polish and wax, cleaner wax, car polish (https://www.autogeek.net/blackfire-total-polish-seal.html)
BLACKFIRE BlackICE Hybrid Liquid Wax (https://www.autogeek.net/blackfire-liquid-blackice.html)
Flex XC 3401, FLEX Orbital Polisher,flex XC 3401 VRG dual-action polisher,flex XC3401VRG,Dual Action polisher,FLEX buffer (https://www.autogeek.net/flex-orbital-polisher.html)
RUPES BigFoot LK 900E Mille Gear Driven Polisher (https://www.autogeek.net/rupes-mille-gear-driven-polisher.html)
Griot?s Garage G9 Random Orbital Polisher (https://www.autogeek.net/new-griots-polisher.html)

[Mike@DedicatedPerfection]

Welcome back Steve. You cant go wrong with the BlackFire One Step. I havent used the updated version but the previous generation was a breeze to work with. The topper is going to be up to you.

For machines it will come down to $$$. The new Griots G9 is unbeatable at its price point and then some.

I would also look into alternative wash methods so you can maintain them at home. Waterless or Rinseless washing or a combination of both.

[Mike Phillips]

Hi Mike,

Hope this finds you well!!




I am well and so busy.... can no longer keep up with all the job duties I do.





It's been about 7 years since I've been on the forum. I took a break from detailing and maintaining my vehicles to devote all my time to growing my business. Now that everything is running smoothly and I have more free time, I'm ready and eager to start detailing my vehicles again.





Welcome back and congratulations! :cheers:






You have always given me great advice tailored for my vehicles in the past.



Thank you for the compliment. I started typing out advice, answers and how-to information back in 1994 that I can document. That was back on the Usenet Newsgroups.

This is before Microsoft Word so there's lot of spelling mistakes as well as horrible horrible grammer, formatting and structure mistakes. It's something I wrote for the rec.autos.misc on the Usenet Newsgroups in 1994. Someone in charge of the mr2.com website found it and created it to be an .html page.


How to Polish Paint by Hand (http://mr2.com/TEXT/paint_polish.txt)

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/722/1994_Article_Usenet_Newsgroup.jpg








I wanted to chat with you at SEMA but you were quite busy at the Sonax booth.



Correct. As long as I was demonstrating I was capturing crowds and then talking shop. :)





Also, I thought it might be more beneficial for forum members to be able to read your response.



I appreciate it.






I have 2 vehicles that I want to one step polish and seal. My daily driver is an immaculate light beige metallic 2002 BMW X5 that is parked outside 24/7. My recreation offroad/rally/overland vehicle is a meteor gray 2010 Porsche Cayenne S Transsyberia (1 of 600). This is garaged and only used on weekends/days off/vacations. Although unique and rare in the Porsche community, this is by no means a show car or garage queen. I drive it hard both on and offroad as it was designed and intended.

With this being said for both vehicles, it makes no sense to me to do a 2 or 3 step correction for vehicles that are being used in environments that are not conducive for maintaining a 85%-100% swirl and blemish free finish.

Additionally, I live in Las Vegas where washing vehicles is illegal.



That last sentence will probably interesting to those that read this thread into the future. And Las Vegas isn't the only place where it's illegal to wash your car in your driveway.





I have to rely on my local boutique auto spa to wash my vehicles. An AIO topped with an additional sealant for longevity or a one step correction topped with a sealant makes sense to me. I want a quick and easy regimen that I only have to do 1-2 times per year.




One tip I share with people that must rely on others to wash your car is to purchase your own wash mitts and then provide them to the staff at the car wash. When they are done washing your car, collect the wash mitts, take them home, wash and dry them and then store them until it's time to wash the car again. Also tip the folks washing your car. They may think your nuts but at least you'll know where the mitts have been.






My current polisher is a 1st generation (10750) Griots Garage 6" Random Orbital Polisher. If I'm being completely honest, it worked well, but was extremely loud and fatiguing. With all the polisher advancements over the past seven years, I'm not opposed to purchasing a new one. I want to work as quick as possible.




Does it look like this?


Car Detailing History - First Generation Griots Garage Polisher (https://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/car-detailing-history-vintage-and-antique-car-waxes-and-buffing-tools/111028-car-detailing-history-first-generation-griots-garage-polisher.html)

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/3466/First_Gen_Griots_02.JPG







Based on your stellar review and demonstration, I am leaning heavily towards the BLACKFIRE One Step topped with either BLACKFIRE Paint Sealant or BLACKFIRE BlackICE Hybrid Liquid Wax (whichever has the longest durability).



I would highly recommend the BLACKFIRE One Step and chase it with the BLACKFIRE BlackIce Liquid Hybrid Wax. I used this recently on a couple of cars and it's a great combo.







For machines, after reading many reviews and watching videos, I think either the Griots Garage BOSS G15 or G21 (depending what is going to work better on my particular vehicles) will suit me well.

Of course I would love a RUPES or FLEX, I just don't think I'm experienced enough to correctly extract the performance these machines have to offer. Also, I feel Griots is more forgiving with using non-Griots chemicals whereas with RUPES you need to be really experienced to do so. I don't want a learning curve or have to experiment. I want to hit the ground running and get it done.



For your purposes, I'd go with the new Griot's G9


Review: Griot's G9 - 9mm Orbit Stroke Random Orbital Polisher by Mike Phillips (https://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/product-reviews-by-mike-phillips/124412-review-griots-g9-9mm-orbit-stroke-random-orbital-polisher-mike-phillips.html)


Griot's G9 - 9mm Orbit Stroke Random Orbital Polisher

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/3894/Griots_G9_El_Camino_000b.JPG







For pads, I would go with the BOSS yellow, orange and black pads. I would primarily use the One Step with the yellow pad with the exception of doing a pass with the orange pad and One Step before the yellow pad and One Step on the hood/roof/trunk. I read this tip in a post you wrote. And of course, I'd use the black foam with the sealant. Fortunately, both my vehicles have very forgiving colors. Swirls and blemishes don't stand out, it's actually a bit of work to find them.



I'd recommend getting a 5" backing plate for the G9 as it comes with a 6" backing plate. Then get these pads.


For most polishing work with the BF One Step

6 Inch Yellow Light Polishing Foam Pad (https://www.autogeek.net/6-inch-yellow-pad.html)

For anytime you need more aggressive cutting,

6 Inch Maroon Medium Cut Foam Pad (https://www.autogeek.net/6-inch-maroon-pad.html)

And to machine apply the wax or sealant


6 Inch Soft White Finishing Foam Pad (https://www.autogeek.net/6-inch-white-pad.html)







I've laid out what I think may work for my particular situation and vehicles, what do you think Mike? Any and all advice and recommendations are greatly appreciated.

Looking forward to hearing from you!




Well... I'm not a YouTube Influencer, so what do I know?

:laughing:






Thanks!!!
Steve



Thank you for your trust.

If you don't think you'll like the Griot's G9 then I'd recommend the SUPA BEAST or the CBEAST. Both are great tools. If you're not in a hurry, going cordless is NICE. If you want to plow through a car as fast as humanly possibly, then the SUPA BEAST.


NEW FLEX XCE 3401 Corded and Cordless Polishers! (https://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/ask-mike-phillips-your-detailing-questions-/123864-new-flex-xce-3401-corded-cordless-polishers.html)


If you've been buffing out cars with a Griot's polisher in the past you can handle the BEASTS.



Here's the NEW chassis design for the Corded and Cordless FLEX XCE 3401s

Note the ALUMINUM Head has been removed.

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/3819/NewFLEXXC_004.JPG



:)

[luvmyrv]

Would you place the BF One Step topped with the BF Liquid Hybrid wax ahead of say using Pinnacle Advanced Finishing Polish and Pinnacle Liquid Souveran?

[xxxc5]

Thanks Mike and everyone for the quick replies!! Pardon not inserting quotes, I'm still learning how to not respond like an infant. I'm not very inclined with these sorts of things.

Great tip on the wash mits for my local auto salon. Fortunately, they are the top choice in Las Vegas and do everything right, including new mits for each wash/customer, foam cannon, air dry, etc. Their procedure is better and safer than what I could do, if I could. And I'm able to watch the whole process from their museum showroom.

I'm going to get the BLACKFIRE One Step along with BLACKFIRE Blackice Liquid Hybrid Wax.

The Griots G9 looks perfect for me. All the videos on this polisher sold me immediately. I'll give this a spin and if I find myself hooked and detailing more frequently, I'll give the new Flex's a try. Never can have too many tools.

Mike, quick question regarding the pads you recommended. I understand and completely agree with you on the 5" backing plate. That's what I'm running on my second generation G6 (I stand corrected, thanks for that post to show me what I have exactly). Shouldn't I be using 5.5" pads instead of 6" to help maximize the power and cut of the machine? Wouldn't 6" be too big for this backing plate and also more difficult to use over body panel contours? Sorry, I know, elementary question.

[Mike Phillips]

Mike, quick question regarding the pads you recommended. I understand and completely agree with you on the 5" backing plate. That's what I'm running on my second generation G6 (I stand corrected, thanks for that post to show me what I have exactly).

Shouldn't I be using 5.5" pads instead of 6" to help maximize the power and cut of the machine?

Wouldn't 6" be too big for this backing plate and also more difficult to use over body panel contours?

Sorry, I know, elementary question.




Good question,


The Uro-Tech pads I recommended are approximately 5/3/4" and the G9 has plenty of power to turn and churn them. Check out this brand new article on 5.5" to 6" foam pads for the Griot's G9 polisher


Foam Pad Options for the Griots G9 Polisher (https://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/how-to-articles-by-mike-phillips/125082-foam-pad-options-griots-g9-polisher.html)


For the Uro-Tech, I like the maroon, yellow and white. You can pretty much tackle any project with these three pads. The blue pads in the Uro-Tech line seem to bowl-in when they get too hot.

Any of the pads in the above article will work with the 5" backing plate on the Griot's G9 Polisher


:)

[xxxc5]

Thanks Mike this article is immensely helpful. All makes sense now.

I have one last question for you in regards to the GG 5” backing plates. In your G9 review (fantastic article btw) you state that you used the “older” GG 5” backing plate (part # 10550) that was designed for the G6 because the newer plate designed for the G9 (part# 10555) was not available yet. AG carries both plates, however, the newer plate specifically for the G9 (part number 10555) is out of stock with no back in stock date. Not wanting to wait, I purchased my G9 with the older plate (10550) which you used with the G9. Do you think I will have an issue using the older plate or should I source the newer plate directly from GG? I asked this in the AGO GG section last week and did not receive a response from AG. I do not want to take short cuts or limit the equipments’ capabilities with incorrect accessories. For what it’s worth, on the GG website, when you search for the older part number, you are redirected to the newer part number so it definitely appears that the older part is out of production and no longer supported.


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