Preview: Hybrid Pad system (Lake Country)

[CEE DOG]

Preview: Hybrid Pad system (Lake Country)

Hi all, I was given an opportunity to test the new Lake Country Hybrid Pads. I shared my thoughts with Eric now with the rest of you. A huge thanks to Eric for the opportunity!!

Last weekend I spent a little time with the new Lake Country Hybrid Pads but I didn’t record much. I’ll continue to play with them on different paints and learn more but I tested everything today long enough to give some feedback.

I’ve also been working on a future Fixer review so my testing overlapped a little today.















































Preparation:

I wet sanded a panel out with 1500 grit paper and tested each pad. The wool I used with the Flex PE-14 and all foam pads were used with my Flex 3401. I tested with both SMAT and DAT polishes but focused mostly on CarPro Fixer and Meguiars 105/205.

Pros:

1.- Beveled corner on each pad is brilliance and something I've looked forward to for awhile. A bevel corner is much more stable structurally than a sharp corner... It also distributes the load of the machine and user onto the outer edge of the pad... Among other benefits

2.- Velcro fits my 3401 backing plate exactly! Perfect!

3.- Blue wool pad doesn't lint and is the perfect thickness.

4.- Orange Heavy Cutting foam pad cuts incredibly!! And finishes nice for the cut it gives. Certainly a follow up is going to add a lot more gloss but it did not leave any tics with my 3401. This pad worked exceedingly well with Fixer.

5.- Blue light cutting pad cuts good for it's finish ability and this puppy looks like a good one stepper. I got good results with this last week paired with Fixer as a one stepper on maroon paint. On the black test panel it showed a better finish than the orange pad but easily removed the holograms and leftover swirls from the wool pad section.

6.- White polishing pad is stiffer than you would expect but finishes very nicely! I was able to use Orange and white on my test panel to achieve excellent results skipping the blue. Side by side with blue white did leave a better finish.

7.- Black finishing pad is soft, feels similar to the original flat gray pad and seems to finish similarly. Did NOT use them side by side yet so relying on memory but it amped up the gloss and left a flawless finish on the black test panel using Fixer. I also used it with M205 on another section after M105 in an earlier step. It finished well with 205 also but not as well as it had with Fixer.

8.- Durability - Cleaning them with the brush seemed as though it did not hurt the foam at all.

??

1.- I'm not sure if it's just the humidity or what but I felt as though all the pads dusted less than most pads I use.

2.- the first time you start a new pad it let's a few foam particles loose but this is of no consequence and stops almost immediately. It's not as though it's a defect but rather something about this foam the first time it's used. I didn't see that again after first starting a pad.

3.- Cleaning the pads is not as easy as the HT pads but really not a problem either.

Cons:

1.- I don't like how many different pads there are. I love the HT system and the fact that it is 3 pads deep only.

2.- I don't like that the orange is heavier than the blue with this system while the blue is heavier than the orange with the HT system. I wish all Lake Country pad systems would utilize the same coloring scheme. In other words if one system only has 3 pads it would skip certain colors to keep colors in line with similar aggressabilitys (new word) of other systems. I do understand the fact that cut isn't the only measuring stick and people might confuse finishing abilities if it was done that way but just my opinion.... I'm sure many would disagree with me.

Summary:

I’m really excited with this new system so far! I didn’t label this section “Final Thoughts” because my thoughts aren’t final. I’ll continue using these pads and seeing how I can switch things up on different paints and polishes. I’m not decided on all of the pads yet as I definitely need to use them on a variety of other paints but based on todays experiences some of these pads will become go to pads for me.

I haven’t used them enough cycles tell someone they are durable but man they really appear to be durable! The beveled corner is great as I described previously. Just as in structural design and fabrication you don’t leave sharp corners. A sharp corner is a location where stress fracture or tearing can occur. With a bevel there isn’t a corner where it will tear. Oh yeah, and they fit my 3401 BP perfectly!! That means the velcro area is 5 1/2" Dia. Now, I’m just repeating. You get the idea.

Q&A with Eric of Lake Country:

1.- What's the name of this new system?

Its the new Hybrid Pad System

2.- Is this some kind of hybrid foam technology?

Yes, They were specially formulated for Lake Country

3.- When will they be released?

Lol, Good question. I sent some to Jason and Nick to test. I am ready to go, just waiting for feedback and an order.

4.- I’m blown away by that orange heavy cutting pad! Should I be getting better cut from that than I do with the cyan HT pad? Because I've used the cyan HT for a long time and love it for heavy cut but this one beat it soundly side by side on that test panel.

The orange will cut more than the hydro blue, its almost stiff when brand new.

Thanks again for your patience and the opportunity!

I appreciate the feedback. The reason for the colors is that we have so many foams, so some get divided into systems, i.e. Hybrid, Hydrotech, standard, etc. I know it is totally confusing and I try to make it easy, but still it is confusing. I appreciate your feedback and go ahead and make a post if you want. Thanks again.

[rwright]

Corey, how would you compare cut of the orange pad to Meg's micro fiber cutting discs? Optimum's micro fiber cutting disc? Do you like the new wool better than the purple foamed wool or is it even in the same class - traditional wool? Thanks.

[DARK HORSE]

Once again GREAT work buddy!! I'm interested to see how this new system pans out. Obviously I'm quite interested in the Orange pad. Also curious about the wool pad, you say it does not lint? Very cool. Thanks again for the info buddy!!!

[maesal]

Great review, I have to try this pads.
Cheers Corey !!

[Flannigan]

Great review Corey, as usual! I've got these to play around with as well, so I can't wait to see if my feelings line up with yours. (I'm sure they will! lol)

[Setec Astronomy]

Two things I don't understand about this review:

1. If the foam is specially made for them, as The Pad Man notes, then why did they switch the orange/cyan cut vs. the HT's? Before that answer I just presumed it's because these foams are made for different purposes/industries, and they are stuck with what's available.

2. Why don't you take those washer nozzles off your test hood??

[tw33k2514]

I feel like these are the pads that are going to restore my faith in Lake Country.

That is how they appear anyhow... We will see when they come out.

[Harleyguy]

Great review Corey and I have to agree on some of your points . Too many pads out now and I also wish they kept the colors the same among all of LC pads . Guess I will have to wait till DF to try these .

[langman37]

Thanks for your efforts Corey, as always.

[ScottB]

nice work Corey ... I to would like to see a manufacturer specfic color chart for pads.