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  1. #21
    Super Member Dr Oldz's Avatar
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    Re: Advise for flex noob

    Yes. You want the pad slightly bigger than the backing plate as a safety zone. For example if your buffing around a mirror, you want to have that extra bit of foam there just incase you hit the mirror. The foam pad won’t damage the mirror but the backing plate will.

    General rule of thumb is a foam pad about a half inch bigger that the backing plate.
    J
    For the PC and GG machines 5.5 inch 7/8 inch thick pads are most effective for those machines hence why the 5 inch backing plate. Follow me?
    Jim

  2. #22
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    Re: Advise for flex noob

    Quote Originally Posted by Dr Oldz View Post
    Yes. You want the pad slightly bigger than the backing plate as a safety zone. For example if your buffing around a mirror, you want to have that extra bit of foam there just incase you hit the mirror. The foam pad won’t damage the mirror but the backing plate will.

    General rule of thumb is a foam pad about a half inch bigger that the backing plate.

    For the PC and GG machines 5.5 inch 7/8 inch thick plates are most effective for those machines hence why the 5 inch backing plate. Follow me?
    thats what I thought, yeah. thanks.

  3. #23
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    Re: Advise for flex noob

    Quote Originally Posted by Shadowworldz View Post
    thanks for your thoughts. I doesnt come with a backing plate though..
    Also keep in mind I don't need lots of 'cutting' power as it would be used to maintain a new paint.

    ~~SD~~
    Ok, I am almost about to order...lol

    So my choice will be the PC 7424xp..and like the 3M 05776 Hookit 6" backing plate... or should I really go for a smaller backing plate (5")?? I would just go with the larger 6" [pads...!?! Just dont get why I should use a 5" b.p. on a 6" DA polisher???
    Was looking at the lake country pads (gotta shoot for some brand for now..lol)... so my project will be to clean, seal and wax NEW PAINT. (would u do some polish before too?) So the RED or BLACK seems to be suitable...they are soft... they have SO MANY different ones it's really confusing... also anyway like those microfiber pads from LK or just stick with foam??

    thanks for your time buddies. I am getting there.... LOL

    ~~SD~~

  4. #24
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    Re: Advise for flex noob

    With the smaller backing plate you get an easier polisher experience. It will stall less and when needed to get a greater cut. With a smaller backing plate the free spinning DA gets higher opm. You get a more powerfull and easier to maintain the pad rotation that way.

    The 5" backing plate you use the 5.5" pads and 6" backing plate 6.5" pads. And to complicate things some pads say 5" or 6" pads but have a safety to the backing plate too. Unfortuneally it's not a standard measurement. It would been easier to just has the size of the velcro to go after.

  5. #25
    Mike Phillips
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    Re: Advise for flex noob

    Quote Originally Posted by Shadowworldz View Post

    Still don't understand why I should use a 5" plate with a 6" DA??

    You want the 5" backing plate so you can turn and churn 5.5" pads.

    Smaller pads fit the body panels better than 6.5" pads. Keep in mind, you're not supposed to buff on edges or raised body lines, thus smaller pads FIT the different shapes of panels on modern cars better than larger pads.

    Smaller, thinner pads rotate better than larger thicker pads (in most cases), so you'll get better correction and polishing action from smaller pads.

    Also - just to note - the NAME --> Griot's Garage 6" Random Orbital Polisher - the 6 means it comes with a 6" backing plate. They could have just as easily included a 5" backing plate and then called it the Griot's Garage 5" Random Orbital Polisher.

    I have sent more than one e-mail to Griot's recommending they change this tool to come with 5" pads and then also change the box graphics and all marketing materials to reflect this change to no avail. Keep in mind, just last weekend I was teaching a class AT Griot's Garage and we used the Griot's Garage 6" Random Orbital Polishers and we put 5" backing plates on all of them except when machine sanding.


    Also, here's an article I wrote about this tool, it is FULL of TONS of INFORMATION and a video that will make learning how to use this tool easy.


    Here's what you need to get into machine polishing - Recommendations for a beginner by Mike Phillips



    Hope that helps....


    Also for what it's worth, I've used all the tools everyone is talking about in this thread and probably more, and when I need to knock a car out fast, (and that's most of the time), I always grab the BEAST. I always say in my classes,

    "The little things are the big things"


    And I find 8mm gear-driven orbital to do more correction faster than 5mm gear drive orbitals. I find 5mm gear-driven to be smoother, but not faster. Again, I've used them all and I'm all about speed with top notch quality.




  6. #26
    Mike Phillips
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    Re: Advise for flex noob

    Quote Originally Posted by Shadowworldz View Post

    (hope I dont get all the hate I got when I posted about a question about a windows cleaner 1 year back...lol..or not so-lol)

    ~~SW~~

    That should never happen on this forum. When I first came here in 2009 we had a couple of "special people" on this forum that we eventually shoved out the door because they were flat out condescending and rude to forum members, both new members and existing members. Since those days, my personal goal has been to make this a fun, friendly and just as important, helpful forum.

    There are plenty of other forums as well as other social media platforms where you get treated like a second class person but this will not be one of them.


    Thanks for coming back and asking a great question.



  7. Likes dlc95, bigchunk liked this post
  8. #27
    Super Member dlc95's Avatar
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    Re: Advise for flex noob

    Quote Originally Posted by Shadowworldz View Post
    Yeah, seems like the Porter is the one I will go with 'cause for the price it seems like the best deal. Still confused about the backing plate/pads. Do I need to get a 5" or 6" backing plate? The pads need to be one size up? Like 6" pads for 5" backing plate?? Can I run the Porter with an extension cable?
    thanks my friends.

    ~~SD~~
    I know others have chimed in with great information, but I don't want to look like I've ignored ya!

    The plates and pad are designed to work together, regarding size.

    That means that with the products offered her at AG are compatible across the board to an extent.

    The "5 inch" plates, and "5 inch" pads are already sized out to work together. The plate actually measure out just under 5", and the pads just over.

  9. #28
    Super Member dlc95's Avatar
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    Re: Advise for flex noob

    Quote Originally Posted by Shadowworldz View Post
    Ok, I am almost about to order...lol

    So my choice will be the PC 7424xp..and like the 3M 05776 Hookit 6" backing plate... or should I really go for a smaller backing plate (5")?? I would just go with the larger 6" [pads...!?! Just dont get why I should use a 5" b.p. on a 6" DA polisher???
    Was looking at the lake country pads (gotta shoot for some brand for now..lol)... so my project will be to clean, seal and wax NEW PAINT. (would u do some polish before too?) So the RED or BLACK seems to be suitable...they are soft... they have SO MANY different ones it's really confusing... also anyway like those microfiber pads from LK or just stick with foam??

    thanks for your time buddies. I am getting there.... LOL

    ~~SD~~
    When possible, I like to match the pads and plates from the same manufacturer.

    If you want to go with Lake Country pads, get the Lake Country plate.

    Get the 5" plate and 5.5" pads.

    The Lake Country Hydrotech were recommended. These foams are some of my favorite foams. They have an excellent cut to finish ratio. They get excellent rotation, and with diminishing abrasives, they help ensure maximum abrasive cycling. I tend to avoid recommending them to newcomers because their unique closed cell foam construction lends them quicker deterioration under normal usage. With more experience, extra care can be taken to reduce wear, and get many uses out of them.

    I would instead recommend the Lake Country SDO line. Like the Hydrotech, they're a simple three pad line up. The foams are more rigid like the Hydrotech, but instead of being a closed cell, they're open, and from what I've found generally more durable.

  10. #29
    Junior Member JFire72's Avatar
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    Re: Advise for flex noob

    I was going to start a new thread, and this one is almost what exactly what I would have started, minus the machine part anyway. So I hope it's ok if I piggy back off you here.

    I have not used Lake County pads before, and I just placed an order for 3 of them. My thinking here was this:

    I have light marks on the paint, and reading through the website description of them, I went with an orange pad. I did that for the light marks and have a heavy correcting polish in case the correcting polish and next pad up didn't work on them.

    My next pad is green, and was to correct the light marks, or to go over what I did with the orange pad. I was going to use the correcting polish on this pad.

    My last pad is white, and was for the finishing polish. I am starting to think I should have gotten a black pad for this one.

    My final step after these 3 was to apply my sealant, and I do that by hand using Wolfgang.

    I did this whole process on my Durango this past weekend, and when I was finished, I decided to try out different pads. I am doing my Charger next week at some point, so I have a couple of days to order more pads if necessary.

    Any thoughts?

    Edit:

    I just got the car I'm about to do about 2 months ago, and its brand new, never been touched. I've washed it a few times, but it hasn't been polished or protected yet, hence the minor markings. My idea of light/minor is one that you have to look at up close and in several different angles to find and see it. They aren't ones that you can point out and say to someone, ya I have a mark there.

    Hope this makes sense, and you can see the reasoning behind my choices.

    Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

  11. #30
    Super Member Markymapo's Avatar
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    Re: Advise for flex noob

    I just got into detailing 3 months ago and went with flex 3401. Used it in Mike Phillips class along with griot n rupes. I went with the Flex and am enjoying it, easy to use.

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