Ordered a Griot's 3" Polisher

**Jbirk** · 02-24-2019, 03:48 AM

Ordered my first mini polisher, a Griot's 3 inch. I am mostly a hobbyist, so I cannot justify buying an expensive Flex or similar.

At any rate, my other machine I have had since 2014 is the G110v2, and it is okay. I bought it because I always trusted Meguiar's because back in the day they had the 80 series and their diminishing abrasives nobody had anything that even compared except maybe 3M for rotary. I always trusted Meguiar's... probably has a lot to do with Mike Phillips. That said, after my father bought the Griot's 6 inch machine I must say it is vastly much better being a smaller machine that is more powerful and keeps the pad rotating.

I am one of those who maximizes what I can get out of such a machine usually jacking up the power to 6 almost standing on the pad to get as much correction as possible at times. I also like the fact it has a lifetime warranty, and I think Griots treats their customers right just like Meguiar's from what folks say. When I bought my first machine I changed to SMAT 105 and 205 were the predominant products along with everything SMAT. They were amazing.

While they are great, I have recently changed to 5" Lake Country Pads in 2015 and Menzerna 2018, so I am really not much of a Meguiar's guy except that I still have a lot of their stuff and their machine.

What do you think of the Griot's 3? What are the best pads for it?

**SNP209** · 02-24-2019, 04:53 AM

If you are going to use the Griot's Garage 3" (GG3) as a 3" polisher, then thinner pads would be what I would recommend to keep pad stall to a minimum.

Something like these: Lake Country ThinPro Foam Pad System 3.5 Inch 6 Pack - Your Choice!
Or these: Griots Garage 3 inch BOSS Foam and Microfiber Pads - 6 Pack

Since you mentioned you like to get as much correction as possible, I would just get a 3" backing plate (Griot's makes a nice one), and attach it to the GG6 (or is it the Meguiar's?) you already have. This will allow you to have much more power on tap for 3" polishing duties compared to the GG3 and will give you more flexibility when it comes to your choice of pad.

Where the GG3 shines is for 2" polishing duties. Griot's makes a 2" conversion kit for the GG3 and also has 2" pads as well. This will definitely come in handy for those tighter areas that are encountered!

**RaptorGT** · 02-24-2019, 09:43 AM

I love my 3 inch Griot's. Great for hard spots my Flex can't get or too hard to get.

I use lake county pads. On Auto Geek site they are GR-B3-COMBO. I got 2 orange, 2 white, 2 black. I recommend once the pad is on the backing plate to put a magic marker line on the edge of the pad so you can see of it is spinning or pushing too hard on it and just is viberation.

Andre

**rangerbay** · 02-24-2019, 10:04 AM

Originally Posted by SNP209

If you are going to use the Griot's Garage 3" (GG3) as a 3" polisher, then thinner pads would be what I would recommend to keep pad stall to a minimum.

Something like these: Lake Country ThinPro Foam Pad System 3.5 Inch 6 Pack - Your Choice!
Or these: Griots Garage 3 inch BOSS Foam and Microfiber Pads - 6 Pack

Since you mentioned you like to get as much correction as possible, I would just get a 3" backing plate (Griot's makes a nice one), and attach it to the GG6 (or is it the Meguiar's?) you already have. This will allow you to have much more power on tap for 3" polishing duties compared to the GG3 and will give you more flexibility when it comes to your choice of pad.

Where the GG3 shines is for 2" polishing duties. Griot's makes a 2" conversion kit for the GG3 and also has 2" pads as well. This will definitely come in handy for those tighter areas that are encountered!

Well said. I love my gg3 with the 2" backing plate. Cuts good, finishes great. Really good on sanding and polishing headlights. You do need to use speeds 5&6 or it gets a little weak.

**hmardown** · 02-24-2019, 11:10 AM

those 3'' red pads are only good enough to put on wax. I just ordered some yellow & orange pads, should be better. what I like about the three inch pads is that you can easily use them to apply products by hand. you're right about the 3'' polisher being more affordable. I myself couldn't justify one of those pricier ones either. although I wouldn't turn it down if someone gave me one. the three inch polisher are so much easier to use on bumpers, mirrors & A pillars. good luck
hmardown

**gspam1** · 02-24-2019, 09:01 PM

Originally Posted by SNP209

If you are going to use the Griot's Garage 3" (GG3) as a 3" polisher, then thinner pads would be what I would recommend to keep pad stall to a minimum.

Something like these: Lake Country ThinPro Foam Pad System 3.5 Inch 6 Pack - Your Choice!
Or these: Griots Garage 3 inch BOSS Foam and Microfiber Pads - 6 Pack

Since you mentioned you like to get as much correction as possible, I would just get a 3" backing plate (Griot's makes a nice one), and attach it to the GG6 (or is it the Meguiar's?) you already have. This will allow you to have much more power on tap for 3" polishing duties compared to the GG3 and will give you more flexibility when it comes to your choice of pad.

Where the GG3 shines is for 2" polishing duties. Griot's makes a 2" conversion kit for the GG3 and also has 2" pads as well. This will definitely come in handy for those tighter areas that are encountered!

Complete agreement with SNP209. With the original thick Griot's 3" pads, all I could do was spread wax or the machine would stall. With thin pads, or microfiber pads, you can actually polish with the machine. Mine is set up with the 2" backing place and pads, and can be really handy at times.