How to differentiate DA foam pads types?

[tedhw]

I have a pack of 6 different DA foam pads. They are generic, non-branded pads with different colours and thickness. And as far as I can tell they all have similar densities.

How do I differentiate which one is used for which level of cuts? (heavy cut, light cut, finishing, etc)

If you have branded pads like Megs / Lake Country, can you describe the difference between each pads (except the colors of course)?

[Setec Astronomy]

There aren't really that many pad mfrs, can you tell us what colors you have? Or do you have a picture?

[Mike Phillips]

In my how to book I recommend taking the time to visit the manufacturer and learning their color code system.

Detailing How-To Book and Detailing How-To E-book by Mike Phillips


Since there is no universal color code system that is truly the only way to find out what type of pads you have outside of asking the on the AGO forum like you've done.

Like Mike aka Setec Astronomy posted, share some pictures and you'll get a lot more help...

[tedhw]

Ok thanks guys, here are the pictures of the pads.. they are all 6"

As you see there are no reference of the mfg, model, etc. So how do I know which one is which?

Thing is those pads are quite affordable so I use them as practise for now and I can always step up to the better ones later!

[c8n]

From what I can gather from my LC pads, the cutting pads are firmer and the finishing pads are softer.

[Setec Astronomy]

Ha ha, that's quite an assortment. What are those thick ones, like 2"?? Yellow pads like that are almost always cutting pads. Black are usually finishing pads, but for some mfrs black is cutting, if they seem really soft, as c8n said, they are probably finishing pads.

The blue and the pink...pink is pretty unusual, there is that LC pink, which is a very light cutting pad. Blue is usually a finishing pad, and white is usually polishing, although in the Edge system white is a finishing.

[tedhw]

Yeah the thick one is 5cm so it's 2"

They all feels to have the same density and texture, and if so, do you think the thicker ones are likely for cutting (most aggressive) and thinner ones for finishing?

You can see the thin black one looks squashed and overused after I tried it once for cutting.. so I guess its just a finishing pad!

[Setec Astronomy]

Are you in the US? If not that makes it a bit more difficult to figure things out, but usually thinner pads would be considered more aggressive.

[tedhw]

Not US, I am in Australia..

[Setec Astronomy]

Not US, I am in Australia..

Oh, then those colors are probably all upside down from what we use here