Review: 3D AAT Rubbing Compound and Finishing Polish

[mjlinane]

Review: 3D AAT Rubbing Compound & Finishing Polish

Introduction:

After a minor ordering mishap, I PM'ed Nick who immediately corrected it - the usual fantastic Customer Support we are used to from PBMG. He also sent me some products to review. These are the first two I'm setting fingers to keyboard to.

Thanks again to Corey for providing the format.

Products



Product Claims:

From Autogeek site - 3D AAT Rubbing Compound 8 oz.

"Adaptive abrasive technology is the next generation of polishing compounds

3D AAT Rubbing Compound is a silicone-free, body-shop safe polishing compound that is designed to annihilate 1200 grit sanding marks, swirls, scratches, water marks and other imperfections that hinder the gloss and color of your paint. Formulated using Adaptive Abrasive Technology (AAT), 3D AAT Rubbing Compound removes the aforementioned defects without hazing or dulling the finish. As a matter of fact, 3D AAT Rubbing Compound finishes better than most fine-cut polishes!

3D AAT Rubbing Compound will change the way you look at compounds altogether. Put it this way: if we sanded and compounded a black panel and told you that a rubbing compound was used to remove the sanding marks, you wouldn’t believe us – plain and simple.

3D AAT Rubbing Compound offers a level of cutting and finishing action that is unheard for a product capable of removing 1200 grit sanding marks.

3D AAT Rubbing Compound is a water-born product. What this means is that the compound can be re-activated with a light mist of water. This is a great way to perform an extra pass or two without having to add more compound to your buffing pad.

3D AAT Rubbing Compound can be applied with any type of polisher – rotary or dual action – with foam, wool or microfiber pads.

During our testing of 3D AAT Rubbing Compound, we were very impressed with the long buffing cycle and easy wipe off. 3D AAT Rubbing Compound is so concentrated that you don’t even have to prime your buffing pad. Three dime-sized drops of compound is more than enough product to compound the entire hood of a small sedan.

To create a finish with an even more impressive distinction of image, follow AAT Rubbing Compound withAAT Finishing Polish and prepare to be amazed!"

And - http://www.autogeek.net/3d-502-8.html

"Adaptive abrasive technology is the next generation of polishing compounds

3D AAT Finishing Polish is worth getting excited about. This fine-cut polish delivers a long, smooth buffing cycle that will leave you grinning from ear to ear by the time you finish your first section pass. Formulated using Adaptive Abrasive Technology (AAT), 3D AAT Finishing Polish is capable of removing light swirl marks and DA haze from the softest paint systems while still delivering a flawless finish. 3D AAT Finishing Polish is silicone-free and body-shop safe.

With dozens of different polishes and compounds to choose from, it’s not often that we get overly excited over a new polish. Sure, there’s a lot of great choices out there, but few stack up to the incredible finishing ability of 3D AAT Finishing Polish. Adaptive Abrasive Technology enables AAT Finishing Polish to create a flawless finish on any paint system, hard or soft.

3D AAT Finishing Polish is as easy if not easier to wipe off than most high-end carnauba paste waxes. 3D AAT Finishing Polish doesn’t streak or smear, and it will not build up a film on your microfiber towel. One or two passes with a Gold Plush Jr. will remove all residue, displaying a finish that will make you think you’re looking at a mirror. 3D AAT Finishing Polish is the show car polish you’ve been looking for!

3D AAT Finishing Polish is so concentrated that you don’t even have to prime your buffing pad.Three dime-sized drops of polish is more than enough product to compound the entire hood of a small sedan. 3D is so confident in their abrasive technology that they confidently state that AAT Finishing Polish can finish hologram free with a soft foam finishing pad on a rotary polisher. Now THAT’S impressive!

Perfect paint has never been as easy to achieve as it is with 3D AAT Finishing Polish."

Details:

1.- Packaging: Plastic squeeze
2.- Directions: Clearly labeled
3.- Viscosity: Thick
4.- Color: Compound - white, Polish - yellow
5.- Scent: Compound - none really, Polish - sweet
6.- Dilution: N/A
7.- Price at time of review: Compound - $19.99 8oz, Polish - $19.99
8.- Manufacturer: 3D
9.- Made in: USA

Other Products Used:

Compound - Griots Garage BOSS G21 + GG Orange BOSS pad & RUPES Mini + 4" Orange
Polish - RUPES Duetto + LC 5.5" Cool Wave White
Grit Guard Pad Washer
ONR
MF

Test vehicle:

2010 VW Passat in Mocha Anthracite Metallic. 120K+ miles. Light swirls. Hard paint.

Preparation:

Decon'ed with my normal process using CG CW + OPC, Carpro IronX Snow Soap and Speedy Prep Pad + ONR (clay lube dilution).

Application:

Machine applied. Wash pad in pad washer + ONR. 3-4 pea-sized dots. Work it in a 2x2 area. Wipe with a clean MF. Rinse and repeat.

Observations:

Compound - Freaking amazing stuff. Typically, to remove swirls in VW paint generally takes rather aggressive stuff - maybe Megs M100 or M101 on MF or the like. Here, 3D AAT Rubbing Compound was magic - on an orange pads, no less. No exaggeration, 1 spreading pass, 1 right-left super-slow-mo pass and 1 up-down super-slo-mo pass. That's it. Swirls gone. Easy wipe off. Will dust if overworked so don't. You don't need to. Keep pad very clean. Working time isn't long but you don't need it. Note - could be related to the ONR but who cares. You don't need it. Finishes pretty much LSP ready on hard VW paint. Part of the reason I was able to do a full 2-step polish was this step was super fast.

Polish - Nice sweet scent. Spreads far. Long working time. Not super easy but pretty easy wipe off - seemed to take one wipe to pick up the oily stuff and then another to get the residue, which came absolutely clean. (Most polishes seem to do the reverse where I pick up most with the first wipe and then chase an oily film for a while.) Adds gloss. Will update when I have a car with softer paint.

Video of results



Does it meet its claims? Except for the long working time on the compound, yes. Did not try to extend with water because didn't feel I needed to and the shorter time could have been related to the ONR.

Pros (Compound):

1.- Fantastic, fast acting cut
2.- Excellent finish
3.- Easy wipe off
4.- Isn't exactly cheap but for what it does, it is a bargain.

??? (Compound):

1.- None.

Cons (Compound):

1.- I only have 8oz.

Pros (Polish):

1.- Excellent finish
2.- Pretty easy wipe off.

??? (Polish):

1.- None.

Cons (Polish):

1.- None.

Final Observations and Summary:

I absolutely loved 3D AAT Rubbing Compound. Ive had good results with some other heavy cut compounds (Megs M101 & M105, Menz FG400) but this one worked so fast and so easy - on an ORANGE PAD - that I'm not sure I will want to use anything else. (I will because a still have a goodly amount of those others but wont be that happy about it. ) Actually, like most things in life, I'm sure there will be paints when M101 or FG400 will work better. Haven't tried on an MF pad yet but can only imagine.

I liked 3D AAT Finishing Polish. If that sounds restrained, it is only because of how fantastic the Rubbing Compound was. As noted above, think will need a softer paint to determine if it is as great in its own way as the Rubbing Compound.

Comments and questions are encouraged. Thanks for viewing!

[ascarbo27]

nice wright up thank you for this

[Bunky]

Mike, How would you rate the cut of the finishing polish compared to other finishing polishes?

[mjlinane]

Thanks ascarbo27.

The Compound finished so well that it would be hard for me to say for sure. Need to try on softer paint for a better feel for that aspect. Here, it really just amped up the gloss.

[EDG89]

I like these twins, fast cutting and great finish, there is so much work time beyond 4 passes.

So far with DA it has been a success, I use DA-21mm & LC HD Pads.

But with Rotary after 4 passes, I get very dry residues (little spots) on paint to difficult to remove. Any recommendation?, I use LC CCS Pads.

[Eldorado2k]

Typically, to remove swirls in VW paint generally takes rather aggressive stuff - maybe Megs M100 or M101 on MF or the like. Here, 3D AAT Rubbing Compound was magic - on an orange pads, no less. No exaggeration[/FONT][/COLOR]

An actual side by side test with the same pads, on the same paint, would've given this part of the review some validity.

[RPM_BR]

I'm also a big fan of 3D AAT Rubbing Compound, it is a killer on hard paints.
You can use it with wool, mf, hard foam, it cuts a lot, an aggressive compound but with a nice finishing.
The 3D rep I talked with said it to me that it is similar to the HD Cut, but with an 'aditive' added which he couldn't explain any further.
But it has too much cut for soft to medium paint systems, I would stay away, unless you work only few passes, with a lot of caution.
Pretty powerful stuff.

[RPM_BR]

Just to add what I said it earlier, on soft to medium paint you can cut with the AAT Finishing, which also cuts.