Judge a product by the function it performs, not the name on the label
Because there's no universal or industry accepted standards for definitions for words and terms used in the car care appearance world, my practice and recommendation to others is to judge a product not by the name on the label but by what function the product serves.
For example if a product is referred to as a polish but acts as a paint sealant, then the product is in fact a paint sealant and not an abrasive polish in the historical use of the word.
If a product is referred to as a glaze but acts to seal the paint with some type of water insoluble paint protection ingredients, then the product is a wax or a paint sealant or some hybrid variation of a wax or paint sealant and not a glaze in the historical use of the word.
Here's a list of commonly used words in our industry and my attempt at creating some type of standardized definition for each word.
Aggressive Cut Compound
Medium Cut Polish
Fine Cut Polish
Ultra Fine Cut Polish
Non-Abrasive Glaze or Pure Polish
Pre-Wax Cleaner
Paint Cleaner
Carnauba Wax
Synthetic Paint Sealant
Hybrid Sealant/Wax
Paint Coating
Cleaner/Wax or AIO
Below are some descriptions for each category.
Aggressive Cut Compound
A very aggressive liquid or paste that uses some type of abrasive technology to cut or abrade paint quickly. In the body shop world, compounds are used to remove sanding marks. In the detailing world, compounds are used to remove deep below surface defects like swirls, scratches and water spot etchings. Depending upon the abrasive technology and the
application method and material, some automotive compounds can remove down to #1000 grit sanding marks. Of course
topcoat hardness is an important factor that affects compound effectiveness at removing below surface defects.
Historically, the more aggressive the compound, the more follow-up polishing will be required to restore a defect-free finish. Due to major advancements in abrasive technology, the trend is for very aggressive compounds that finish out like medium and even fine polishes.
In most cases an aggressive compound should be followed with either a medium polish or a fine polish to refine the surface to a higher degree of finish quality than the results produced by only the compound. Most compounds are
dedicated products in that their function is primarily to abrade the paint. For this reason, after the compounding step further polishing and then sealing steps are required. Most compounds are water-soluble so that they can be washed, (dissolved with water and soap), off body panels and out of cracks and crevices.
Medium Cut Polish
A liquid or paste that uses some type of abrasive technology to cut or abrade the paint but is less aggressive than a true cutting compound. Depending upon the abrasive technology and the application method and material, some medium polishes can remove down to #2000 grit sanding marks and finish out to LSP ready. Topcoat hardness is an important factor that affects a medium polish's effectiveness at removing below surface defects.
Most medium polishes are
dedicated products in that their function is primarily to abrade the paint. For this reason, after the polishing step further steps are required, which may include another final polishing step depending upon the results after using the medium polish and the expectations by the user for the end results. At a minimum, the paint should be sealed with a wax, paint sealant or coating.
Fine Cut Polish
A liquid or paste that uses some type of abrasive technology to cut or abrade the paint but is less aggressive than a true medium polish. Depending upon the abrasive technology and the
application method and material, some fine polishes can remove down to #2500 grit sanding marks while still finishing out LSP ready. Topcoat hardness is an important factor that affects a fine polish's effectiveness at removing below surface defects.
Most fine polishes are
dedicated products in that their function is primarily to abrade the paint. For this reason, after the fine polishing step further steps may be required. This could include another final polishing step depending upon the results after using the fine polish and the expectations by the user for the end results. At a minimum, the paint should be sealed with a wax, paint sealant or coating.
Ultra Fine Cut Polish
A liquid or paste that uses some type of abrasive technology to cut or abrade the paint but is less aggressive than a true fine polish. Depending upon the abrasive technology and the
application method and material, some ultra fine polishes can remove down to #2500 grit sanding marks while still finishing out LSP ready. Topcoat hardness is an important factor that affects an ultra fine polish's effectiveness at removing below surface defects.
Most ultra fine polishes are
dedicated products in that their function is primarily to abrade the paint. For this reason, after the ultra fine polishing step at a minimum, the paint should be sealed with a wax, paint sealant or coating.
Non-Abrasive Glaze or Pure Polish
Historically, the term glaze is used to describe a
bodyshop safe, hand-applied liquid used to fill-in and mask fine swirls while creating a deep, wet shine on fresh paint. It's a category of products used on fresh paint in body shop environments, which will
not seal the paint surface by depositing a long lasting sacrificial barrier coating using some type of protection ingredients.
A bodyshop safe glaze is used in place of a wax, sealant or coating because it won't interfere with the normal out-gassing process of fresh paint for the first 30 days of curing. The function of a bodyshop glaze is to hide rotary buffer swirls while giving the paint a uniform, just waxed appearance to ensure customer satisfaction. After 30 days cure time its normal to the seal the paint using a wax, paint sealant or coating.
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Originally Posted by royale
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