What's a good back plate for GG BUFFER

[Alex Haramic]

Looking at back plates for the 6 inch GG buffer what's a good size and pads also it says a 5 inch back plate can use 5.5inch pads but I would like a little more clearance than just .5 from the back plate edge but I do want to stick with smaller pads unless using 6 inch pads don't really make a difference just read smaller pads are better like right around the 5 inch

[Evan.J]

Looking at back plates for the 6 inch GG buffer what's a good size and pads also it says a 5 inch back plate can use 5.5inch pads but I would like a little more clearance than just .5 from the back plate edge but I do want to stick with smaller pads unless using 6 inch pads don't really make a difference just read smaller pads are better like right around the 5 inch

The half inch is the norm. Most matches go like this:
4" BP / 4.5" pads
5" BP / 5.5" pads
6" BP / 6.5" pads

5" and 6" Backing Plates on 6.5" pads (Pictures to show safety margin)



Below are the new Lake Country Hydro-Tech 6.5 Inch Foam Pads with backing plates affixed to show the fitting comparison.


The backing plate on the Cyan Cutting Pad is the The Edge DA-500 Backing Plate, which measures 4 7/8" in diameter.

The backing plate on the Tangerine Polishing Pad is the 3M Hook-It 6" DA Backing Plate and it measures 5 7/8" in diameter.




This is to give you an idea as to how much safety margin of foam there is surrounding the 5" and 6" backing plates.

Also just to note, from a quick measuring of all the DA backing plates we care,

5" backing plate = 4 7/8" Diameter
6" backing plate - 5 7/8" Diameter

Exception
Meguiar's W68DA = 5 7/8" Diameter for the Velcro but there is a lip or rubber surrounding the Velcro portion that measures approximately 1/2" so the total Diameter of the backing plate is 6"

You can see the rubber lip surrounding the Velcro in the below picture,



This extra material is a matching design feature for their Softbuff 2.0 Pad System as the entire backing plate nestles inside a perimeter of foam.




I compiled the above because of a question that arose about which backing plate a person should get if they only wanted to get one backing plate but be able to use it for multiple pads. While it's always best to match the best backing plate size-wise to the pad being used, if you're only getting one backing plate whether with an initial purchase or as a replacement, here are two middle prices options,


The Edge DA-500 Backing Plate
Note the Edge DA-500 no longer looks like the image in the store.



Meguiar's W67DA



***Update***

Here's 5" backing plates on 5.5" pads to show how they fit. Shown are the Meguiar's W67DA and the Edge DA 500 on 5.5" Hydro-Tech pads and 5.5" CCS pads

5.5" Hydro-Tech pads



5.5" CCS pads

[Mike@DedicatedPerfection]

Man you are on top of it Evan. Great job.

[Evan.J]

Man you are on top of it Evan. Great job.

Well Mike you know most of the question can be found in Mikes articles its my go to as everything is explained so well:
http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/ask-expert-featuring-mike-phillips/23722-articles-mike-phillips.html

[Flash Gordon]

I like the backing plate that comes with the unit just fine

[Mike@DedicatedPerfection]

Well Mike you know most of the question can be found in Mikes articles its my go to as everything is explained so well:
http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/ask-expert-featuring-mike-phillips/23722-articles-mike-phillips.html

Thanks for refreshing my memory on his extensive list. I may need to read some more as I cant get enough information...

[swanicyouth]

Looking at back plates for the 6 inch GG buffer what's a good size and pads also it says a 5 inch back plate can use 5.5inch pads but I would like a little more clearance than just .5 from the back plate edge but I do want to stick with smaller pads unless using 6 inch pads don't really make a difference just read smaller pads are better like right around the 5 inch

The BP that comes with the machine works fine for 6.5" pads. If you want to use 5.5" pads, get a 5" backing plate. If you plan on using Lake Country pads, you may as well get their plate - as it's priced right and well made (at least their 3" and 6" are).

Ive been using this "Euro Shine" one from Pak Shak:



I'm very happy with it, its both flexible and tough. Oddly, I don't think it's made by LC or BnS - but I could be wrong.