Lake Country Force Hybrid or Lake Country Hybrid Power Finish pads for FLEX 3401?

Is there a disadvantage with the pad having the hole? Catching a edge on something? Thats Using the 6.5 inch Lake Country Force Hybrid pad w/ flex 3401 w/ 5 1/2 backing plate.


Also what is the difference in the LC -6.5 CCS-Smart Pad w/ dimples vs the LC 6.5 Force Hybrid Foam Pad w/ hole?

Lake Country 6.5 Inch CCS Pads 12 Pack - Your Choice! vs Lake Country Hybrid Power Finish 6.5 Inch Pads 6 Pack


Thanks
Rob

I guess they dont make the 6.5 Hybrid Power Finish pad anymore, changed to the Force Hybrid?

Attachment 59646

Nobody has reported any issues with the center hole, either on the Hybrid Force, or any other pads that have a center hole. I am hoping to devise a centering tool that would take advantage of this and allow perfect centering of the pad by locating on the backing plate bolt and allowing center hole of the pad to slide down into a perfect position. I don't know if this is available, but if it is, I haven't heard of it.

The Hybrid Force pads, as per Lake Country themselves, are designed for use with a forced rotation polisher. They are thicker, and from feel alone, appear to have denser foam (my speculation would be that this is due to the possibility of standing up to the greater heat generated by forced rotation polishers). They are also much thicker, which allows them to conform to body shapes/lines better; the forced rotation polishers, not having the stalling characteristics of free rotation polishers, are able to spin these thicker pads with ease.

The CCS pads were designed for use with free rotation DAs. That doesn't mean that they can't be used with forced rotation polishers, they are just not optimized for this use. They may not have the same longevity with a forced rotation polisher that they would with a free rotation polisher.

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Originally Posted by txchevyz71

Actually I have the lake country 4" backing plate now. is there really a reason to go to the 4 3/8"?

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If it were me, I would save my money and just use the 4" backing plate. Can't see where 3/8" is going to make much difference. It's only a 3/16" difference in radius, i.e. only 3/16" difference at the edge.

I cant wait to use them. On my new flex xc3401vrg, the TV hinges is when I got my flex, the handle was loose, the side bolts were sticking out like almost a quarter of an inch, so I tried to remove them to see maybe they were installed wrong but couldn't budge them finally got one off and tried to screw it back in but it only went so far like it was, I am currently trying to get some suggestions on what to do, I really dont want to send it back, since I'm about to do some polishing in a couple of days. Looking for any suggestions.

Sorry about the misprint TV, lol, its supposed to be "the hinges".

Anyone know where there are any 5" hybrid polishing pads available? I don't know why they discontinued them? 5" is the perfect size for some things and a good option to have. I know there are a few finishing and waxing pads around but I already have them. Just need the polishing.

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Originally Posted by fightnews

Anyone know where there are any 5" hybrid polishing pads available? I don't know why they discontinued them? 5" is the perfect size for some things and a good option to have. I know there are a few finishing and waxing pads around but I already have them. Just need the polishing.

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The 5” pads were discontinued in late 2015/early 20016. You may have a chance to find some at the vendors who used to sell them, like Autogeek, if they have any old stock left. That would be your best bet, short term.

Other things to consider might be to use the current 5.5” Hybrid Force polishing pads with your Lake Country 4” backing plate (note that there will be less support at the pad outer edge with the Lake Country 4” backing plate vs. the Flex 4.33” backing plate), try to cut down the Hybrid Force Pads to 5” as has been previously posted, or just move over to the Flex 4.33” backing plate and start using 5.5” Hybrid Force polishing pads with an eye towards moving all your XC3401 pads to 5.5” pads as the 5” pads wear out. The last option seems to be the best, long term.

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Originally Posted by kkritsilas

The Hybrid Power pads were 5" in diameter, and required the use of the Lake Country backing plate system, which attached to the 3401, and came with a 4" backing plate (used with the 5" Hybrid Power pads), and a 6" plate. There were some issues with the 6" plate, and eventually the 6" plate was discontinued, so the Lake Country backing plate system was 4" only. The 5" Hybrid pads were designed to use this backing plate, and the Flex 4.35" (the true dimension is 4.33", or 110mm, even more accurately). plate's velcro surface actually was almost exactly the size of the Hybrid Powers' velcro, leaving no margin for misalignment. Note that the 5" size is not a normal/standard pad size.

More recently, Lake Country started producing the Hybrid Force pads, which are a more standard 5.5", and fit the Flex 4.33"/110mm Flex backing plate just fine. I have found out that the Hybrid Power pads are now out of production, and only the Hybrid Force pads are being produced. Same goes for the Lake Country Backing plate system and the 4" backing plate.

If you are buying 3401 pads and don't have an investment, get the Flex 4.33"/110mm backing plate, and the Hybrid Force pads. If you already have the Lake Country 4" backing plate, buy up as many of the Hybrid Power pads in whatever colours you use as soon as you can. The only Hybrid Power pads that are out there are existing inventory, no new Hybrid Power pads will be coming from Lake Country, and use them until they are worn out.

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Thanks very much for this information, extremely helpful. I had purchased my Flex 3401 several years ago and also purchased numerous LC 4” Hybrid pads. During the course of polishing my car about two years ago, one of these pads just about fell apart (the Velcro separated from the pad) during polishing. Luckily, I noticed it before any damage to my car. To be honest, I don’t remember which color pad it was. I heard they had some issues with one of their hybrid pads. I’m now scared to use any of these pads. Do you know which one had issues? In addition, do you have any feedback on the number of shims to use for the 4”, 5.5”, or 6” back plates? I know it’s supposed to be different depending on the size of the backing plate. After investing a ton of money into pads and plates, I really don’t want to have to ditch a chunk of my investment. Not to mention I also have a 6” backing plate which you mentioned had issues. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

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Originally Posted by kkritsilas

The Hybrid Power pads were 5" in diameter, and required the use of the Lake Country backing plate system, which attached to the 3401, and came with a 4" backing plate (used with the 5" Hybrid Power pads), and a 6" plate. There were some issues with the 6" plate, and eventually the 6" plate was discontinued, so the Lake Country backing plate system was 4" only. The 5" Hybrid pads were designed to use this backing plate, and the Flex 4.35" (the true dimension is 4.33", or 110mm, even more accurately). plate's velcro surface actually was almost exactly the size of the Hybrid Powers' velcro, leaving no margin for misalignment. Note that the 5" size is not a normal/standard pad size.

More recently, Lake Country started producing the Hybrid Force pads, which are a more standard 5.5", and fit the Flex 4.33"/110mm Flex backing plate just fine. I have found out that the Hybrid Power pads are now out of production, and only the Hybrid Force pads are being produced. Same goes for the Lake Country Backing plate system and the 4" backing plate.

If you are buying 3401 pads and don't have an investment, get the Flex 4.33"/110mm backing plate, and the Hybrid Force pads. If you already have the Lake Country 4" backing plate, buy up as many of the Hybrid Power pads in whatever colours you use as soon as you can. The only Hybrid Power pads that are out there are existing inventory, no new Hybrid Power pads will be coming from Lake Country, and use them until they are worn out.

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I bought several colors including white, yellow, blue, black and orange of the 5” LC hybrid pads I also purchased the LC-3401 4" backing plate for the Flex polisher. Based on this thread, I know they have discontinued these pads with the LC Force line.

Hopefully you can supply some additional feedback on the following:
1. I heard there were some issues with one or several of these pads. If so, which colors should I not use? I had a yellow one separate from its backing. I was very lucky that I noticed it was coming apart before damaging my paint. My sense was, the heat from the Flex was too great. Was that a defect in the pad or could it be the backing plate?
2. On the LC-3401 4" backing plate, should I be using two shims and the washer? I was using one shim.
3. I also previously purchased the LC 6” backing plate for the Flex polisher. How many shims should I be using? One or two? It was mentioned there were issues with this backing plate. Can you explain?

I’m currently concerned about using my Flex polisher with the Lake Country backing and these older Hybrid Pads. I have vested a fair amount of money into this and I would prefer not to simply throw away the pads or backing plate. By the way, I have several of these hybrid pads still which have never been used in their original plastic packaging. I would like to use them, assuming they are not going to fall apart. Based on the information provided, sounds like I might need to ditch everything and start over with the 4.3” backing plate and new pads. Not happy about that!