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Are all pads created equal?


MikeSoFlo

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When it comes to foam pads, are they all created equal? Adam's uses a waffle style pad. Meguiar's foam pads are flat. Chemical Guys have a Hex pattern pad. 

 

Is it all the same or does the design of the pad really matter? 

 

 

Adams Orage Foam.jpg

Chemical Guys Foam Pad.jpg

Meguiar Foam Pad.jpg

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27 minutes ago, MikeSoFlo said:

When it comes to foam pads, are they all created equal? Adam's uses a waffle style pad. Meguiar's foam pads are flat. Chemical Guys have a Hex pattern pad. 

 

Is it all the same or does the design of the pad really matter? 

 

 

Adams Orage Foam.jpg

Chemical Guys Foam Pad.jpg

Meguiar Foam Pad.jpg

Depends on the application and what cars/trucks you’re using. No two vehicles are really the same. That being said, there are different steps you can take to where the same type of pads work for most cars. 

 

Scholls has a foam pad that is really good. But I personally prefer a microfiber pad for cutting and foam for finishing. 

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I mean more so when it comes to the style of the pad ... Will I get different results using the Adam's Orange Waffle style (which I have) vs the Chemical Guys Orange Hex style pad? Both are a cutting pads but they have different designs. Does the design matter or will any quality pad, no matter the design, yield good results (if used properly by the operator). 

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I would say that Adams and CC have done the R&D to see what type of pad works best with their products. Without actually trying both with Adams polishes I cannot comment? I have and do use another companies pads at time besides Adams. 

Edited by Black Bowtie
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12 hours ago, MikeSoFlo said:

When it comes to foam pads, are they all created equal? Adam's uses a waffle style pad. Meguiar's foam pads are flat. Chemical Guys have a Hex pattern pad. 

 

Is it all the same or does the design of the pad really matter? 

 

 

The main thing is the pad material - they can be open (RUPES blue pads) or closed cell (all Adam's pads).  The 'waves' or 'hex cells' or 'fingers' or 'dots' may have some effect on the way pad performs, but there are other factors too.  

 

The quote below is from an industry expert (who may or may not live very close to you!)

"After abrasive technology and then technique and tool would come pad type. This isn't to say the pad is not important its just the other three factors are top in importance."    

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Adam's used the hex pads back in 2011ish for the Porter Cable. Adam's also used flat face pads with the Flex in 2011ish. I still have both pad styles. Adams currently uses the waffle/egg crate style pads now. 

 

What I'd like to know is the Adams flat pad the same cut (white/orange) as the current pad? Also are the black microfiber pads (orange foam base) and the black microfiber pad (white foam base) are they the same cut as the white pad (blue foam base). I don't have the new pads, but I do have the current polishes.

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I personally think the hex/waffle/spider designs or more to distinguish each company from others. The main thing, in my mind, that determines how well a car gets polished is the person using the polisher, polish, and pad. People got things done with a porter cable or a rotary with a wool pad. The stuff today does make it all easier and get better results easier, but there isn’t some HUGE difference in pads and polished so long as you don’t get the cheapest product possible. 

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We don’t use Adams pads. The constant marketing of different gen pads lead us elsewhere in our search. We ended up with a company that makes pretty much just pads. We tried a bunch we didn’t like. Some were okay. And finally settled on a manufacturer that meets our needs. 

 

Polish and technique are significantly more important than pad. It’s not unimportant, but it’s not the top priority. 

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Almost all of my pads are Adams, besides the assortment of microfiber cutting pads from Meguiars (I also have Adam's microfiber pads). 

 

Lets face it, besides machines/tools/towels, pads are going to be one of the largest investments you have when it comes to detailing products. With larger pads (5-7") coming in at $12-14 a piece, it gets costly. Especially when you run a business and need 10+ of each pad type and size.

 

To switch pad brands will be quite a costly endeavor but I plan on trying different pads out next year, just for the sake of experimenting. The adam's pads have treated me well and I have nothing bad to say about them. 

 

As for your question on the pad style, I'm not sure it does all that much. It might play a factor in how it feels while polishing the paint or how the pad generates heat, but I can't see it being THE factor to how a pad performs. That is more to do with the foam construction itself. 

Edited by cwp2016nd
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On 7/18/2018 at 7:30 PM, shane@detailedreflections said:

We don’t use Adams pads. The constant marketing of different gen pads lead us elsewhere in our search. We ended up with a company that makes pretty much just pads. We tried a bunch we didn’t like. Some were okay. And finally settled on a manufacturer that meets our needs. 

 

Polish and technique are significantly more important than pad. It’s not unimportant, but it’s not the top priority. 

Would you mind PM'ing me what you use? I've been curious about trying different pads but there are too many to choose from....Lake country, Rupes, Americana Global, Griot's Garage etc. 

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