Best size pads for 3401

[Sunny_D]

So I recently switched from the g110v2 to the 3401 used it on 3 projects so far and love it. but Im using the megs 7 inch pads on the flex stock 5.5 inch plate they work good but I need new pads anyway its been 3 years on the same set lol. I'm slowly gonna switch over to lake country hybrids. so far I made my first order 3 5 inch orange cutting pads went with 5 inch cause they were cheaper and currently low on funds. But that's why only 3 lol question is for the flex is 5 inch or 6.5 inch better ? i also have the 4 inch and 6 inch plate system coming in. My current pad line up is gonna be 3 5inch orange cutting hybrids 3 megs 7 inch yellow and 4 megs wax pads. Until I make a full out switch to hybrids. Also should I get the blue or white polishing pads for megs 205 ?

[Corey@OptimalDetailing]

I have 6 each of the hybrid orange and white along with 4 blue hybrids.. The blue has worked out great for me in the past with M205. Finished well and cutsdecent. I typically don't use the bluefor much but it is nice to have when doing test spots and some 1 steps.

Wish I could be of more help with other pads but I've strictly used hybrids for my Flex. But Meg 2.0 soft buff pads areally also good quality.

[Just02896]

For correction or polishing, I use only 5" hybrids on my flex. White hybrids are your best bet for general light polishing.

[Mike@DedicatedPerfection]

Hi, welcome to AGO! Congrats on the Flex 3401 purchase!

To effectively use the Meguiar's 7" Soft Buff pads on the 3401 you will need the Lake Country interchangeable backing plate system. This includes a smaller 4" plate and larger 6" plate. The larger 6" plate holds 7" Meguiar's pads perfectly.

The smaller 4" plate from the system will be needed to correctly hold the 5" Hybrid pads.

As for pad size for the Flex it comes down to user preference really, but the ideal way to go is with the Hybrid pads IMO. Either size is fine. While the smaller 5" pads are easier to handle on the 3401, it takes longer to accomplish than what the larger 6.5" pads can cover. I like to use the larger 6.5" pads for large areas and the smaller 5" pads for smaller areas. When the going gets tight, I pull out the PE14 and equip it with 3" pads for intricate work.

For one step correction or following up after a compounding session the white and yellow pads are what's needed.

Here is an article I wrote on maximizing the performance of the 3401, Hybrids, and Menzerna polishes. This tip is for DAT based products such as Menzerna. When you have the money grab some Menzerna FG400 and SF4000.
http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/...brid-pads.html

-Mike