Flex hybrid pad for Menz 4000?

[spewking]

All of you geekers have convinced me to get a flex 3401 and I can't wait to use it!!
Acquiring pads now and the LC hybrids have a lot of support as the way to go.
I use Menzerna polishes exclusively so I need some advice on the pads to get using 4000. I have a couple of cars in decent shape that will require some light cutting using Menzerna 1500 with a yellow or orange hybrid pad that I will follow up with Menzerna 4000 for finishing polish.
Is your experience/advice to use the black hybrid (no cut) with the 4000 or is the yellow light polishing hybrid pad better for this application? Maybe white is recommended?

Thanks for your help.

[Mike Phillips]

For most paint, if you've finished down properly you can finish our using the black Hybrid pad and be LSP ready.

:dblthumb2:

[RobRabbit2.5]

:iagree:

[Mike@DedicatedPerfection]

Congrats on the your new setup!

I too use Menzerna exclusively with LC pads, and Flex machines.

If you have not seen my "Smack Technique", take a look through it. Plenty of valueable information in it.
http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/auto-detailing-university/77155-my-technique-concerning-3401-menzerna-products-hybrid-pads.html

As for your polishing step, the Orange Hybrid is the most aggressive foam pad while the yellow pad in this line is actually a light polishing pad.

As for finishing up, I would personally use SF4000 on the yellow Hybrid pad as it has plenty of pull to finish up what your first step didn't and will finish up LSP ready.

For me the black Hybrid is more or less dedicated to SF4500 to extract the maximum amount of gloss from the panel after a round of SF4000.

To answer your question specifically, yes you can use SF4000 on the black pad.

[Mike Phillips]

Is your experience/advice to use the black hybrid (no cut) with the 4000 or is the yellow light polishing hybrid pad better for this application?



The yellow hybrid is quite a bit more aggressive than the white polishing pad. It's a stiffer foam, at least until it breaks in.





Maybe white is recommended?

Thanks for your help.


The white Hybrid foam pad is actually a very versatile foam pad. Use it with one of the more aggressive polishes for good light cutting or use it with the SF 4000 for a good light cutting one-step for a 2-step production detailing job.

1st Step = White Hybrid Foam Pad + Flex 3401 + SF 4000
2nd Step = LSP


Kind of like this,

High quality production detailing by Mike Phillips (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/ask-expert-featuring-mike-phillips/76337-high-quality-production-detailing-mike-phillips.html)


Just substitute the SF 400 for the Optimum Finish and then your choice of LSP.


:xyxthumbs:

[spewking]

Mike,
Good idea on the white/4000 combo if initial test spot reveals that will take care of minor finish issues.
If I had to do 2 steps of polishing, say, 1500 with a blue or orange hybrid pad, would the finishing step with 4000 be better with white yellow or black? I am assuming I would need to test this step also...if the first step corrects the paint, I guess I would go to black to have more of a jeweling effect. If the paint needed some additional light polishing/scratch removal, then perhaps the yellow or white with the 4000.

Is my thinking correct?

I am interested in more info on the yellow pad being firmer than the white....it looks like the descriptions point to it being lighter than white.

Thanks to all for the responses.

David

[Mike Phillips]

If I had to do 2 steps of polishing, say, 1500 with a blue or orange hybrid pad, would the finishing step with 4000 be better with white yellow or black?



I'd say from experience you can go right to the SF 4000 with the black Hybrid pad after using the SI 1500 with any of the more aggressive Hybrid pads. I do.

But I test first.





I guess I would go to black to have more of a jeweling effect.



Definitely.

Here's a product I think a lot of people are going to like with the black Hybrid pad on the Flex 3401 or ANY polisher and that's the new Menzerna PP Ultra.

Jewelling Wax (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/ask-expert-featuring-mike-phillips/85290-jewelling-wax.html)





If the paint needed some additional light polishing/scratch removal, then perhaps the yellow or white with the 4000.

Is my thinking correct?



I'd remove whatever it is you want to remove in the first most aggressive step. Get the paint to where you like it as far as defect removal goes because if you don't remove it in the first step chances are good it's going to be their when you wipe off the wax.

If an aggressive pad and product doesn't remove the defects you don't want in the piant.... following with a less aggressive pad and product certainly isn't going to do any better.





I am interested in more info on the yellow pad being firmer than the white....it looks like the descriptions point to it being lighter than white.

Thanks to all for the responses.

David


I've always been a tick confused by the yellow foam formula used to make the yellow foam Hybrid pad. it's firmer and I think the foam is a little sharper than the foam formula used to make the white Hybrid pad. It also doesn't offer the tensile strength that the white and black pads seem to offer. This means, it tears more easily as the foam will tear before it will stretch. Same goes for the orange and blue pad and my guess is that this is normal for cutting pads because it's this characteristic that makes the foam more aggressive.

It's kind of hard to build ALL characteristics into every pad, thus different pads for different procedures.

You can pretty much tackle any product with a collection of Orange, White and Black Hybrid pads. The Blue and Yellow pads are nice to have but the others are must haves. I think I point this out in my new Flex book too....



:)

[Caleb@ImpeccableImage]

I was told the yellow hybrid pad is being discontinued. Can anyone verify this?