JohnnyDev

I think Shane gave you some pretty good advice. Make sure you pick up a pad brush too. Those are crucial to keeping buildup out of the pads as you correct. I don't actually own either of those machines, but they are pretty much designed to offer similar performance and lower vibration operation like the Rupes. So yes they will be very novice and user friendly. There are several really good videos in the Forum and if you check out Adams on YouTube that will pretty much give you insight into how to polish with these products. If you have never polished before, I would give you this advice:
 
1) Make sure you strip wash the vehicle and clay the surface (assuming it is rough) to prep it before you polish.
 
2) Use a few drops of the Polish on foam pads to start on the first section and as you go, you can use less, but reactivate it with DS. Spread the Polish across the panel some before you even hit the trigger on your polisher.
 
3) Don't put too much pressure on the polisher. Use really just the natural weight of your arm. As I understand it, these polishers really don't need a lot of pressure. They need to be level on the surface but pretty much do all the work for you.
 
4) Slow arm movements are better. Don't wip the polisher back and forth. Move slow and steady across the section (2' x 2') in a side to side and up and down pattern.
 
Hope this helps and good luck with whatever decision you make.
 
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You're right. The heavy compound makes quicker work of heavy damage. I've also found it useful for particularly hard clear coats. You can probably get away with correcting polish and finishing polish. It is nice having all the options though. And you may only find some spots that need the heavy compound. It's not unusual for me to use correcting polish and finishing, but find a spot or two I want to really go after with compound.
 
As for towels, you can never ever have enough. They get dirty. They get loaded with residue. I'd just buy a dozen single or double softs and live happy. If that's not practical, plan at least one to two towels for each step of correction.
 
As for pads...same theory. You can never have too many. But I'd suggest at least two sets for each step except heavy compound if you don't plan on doing the whole truck with it.

It can be used weekly but that might be a bit overkill. I've been using it about every third wash on my vehicles, alternating with our regular blue Car Shampoo.

You've got the wallet. Get the master blaster and touch it as little as possible.

I have not been able to do any sort of vehicle detailing work for about the last 4 years due to disc issues in my neck and several pinched nerves.  I was unable to hold a PC (much less my Flex) and was barely able to wash cars.  The combination of pain and struggling to do even simple everyday things with my hands and arms (like turn a doorknob) led me to go see a surgeon last year, where I found out I had 7(!!!) pinched nerves in my neck and arms.  I had surgery last fall on both hands and elbows (ulnar nerve and carpal tunnel release) to relieve the pressure on the nerves and it worked beautifully.  I'm able to do things now that I had to give up, so I decided it was time to see if I could once again detail a car.
 
My wife and I bought a 2006 Mazda 3 from a neighbor about 6 months ago.  They were the original owners and had cared well for the car except for the finish.  He waxed it religiously twice a year but never clayed it and it either went through a car wash or he washed it with an old rag and dish soap.  The car is silver so it hid the damage pretty well and looked OK from a distance:
 

 
Up close, it was a different story entirely.  The paint was rather dull and oxidized, plus it had a TON of swirls and scratches that you could only see if the light hit it just right.  If the light was right, they just leaped out at you.
 

 

 

 

 

 
I had some SSR, SHR and FMP left over from about 5 years ago that was stored in the house so I decided to use it up.  A pass of SHR removed a fair amount of oxidation but it did nothing for the scratches.
 

 
I settled on two passes of SHR with a microfiber cutting pad followed by FMP.  I did the hood and it looked pretty good so I did the correction steps on the rest of the car but found I just couldn't get rid of the scratches.  They were really hard to find but if I got the light right they just leaped out at you.  I then tried several other combinations including SSR on a green pad and a microfiber with no real improvement.  I was getting desperate when I read in one of the threads that Paint Correcting Polish had quite a bit more cut than the older versions I was using. I had purchased PCP and PFP this spring so I broke them out and gave them a try.  One pass with PCP/microfiber and PFP/white pad did the trick.  I followed this with BG and LPS and this was the result:
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Best of all, I can use the buffer for hours on end, clay, and hand buff, etc., with no pain at all.   I'm so thrilled to be able to get back to detailing.  You really don't realize how much you miss doing something until you are physically unable to do it ...
 
  

Why can't he ask here? He has a Cyclo, a product not made by Adam's but they do sell them, and is curious if anyone has had experience with both a Cyclo and a G15 to compare them??? Just cause the G15 is not sold through the Adam's website and is a competitor's product, it can't be discussed? 

one funnel here. Use, rinse,dry, repeat. I have enough of a car cleaning collection as is, I don't need multiple funnels.

First and foremost, fair warning that any bashing of this company in this thread and the thread will be locked immediately and warning points will be issued...
 
I don't have experience with this particular product yet, as my Grit Guards and Grit Guard Washboard work more than adequately enough for me. Granted, I have not tried it yet, but from that design, I would think that larger pieces of contamination or debris would get stuck in the holes or lay on flat portions of the top surface, so the wider openings of the grit guard with no flat surfaces should in theory be more ideal for keeping contamination at the bottom of the bucket where you want it. 

IMO the holes could get clogged up and possibly put dirt back on the wash pad. It may work but I'll stick with the original.

This is a great thread, and the difference needs to be stated, especially with the new Americana, which was launched today!  
 
Here's how I decide what Paste Wax to use:
 
Looking for amazing shine, only, on a finish that doesn't see many elements?  Patriot.
 
Looking for good shine, and great protection on something I drive often?  Americana.
 
Both are now easy to use.  If I was shopping for wax on a budget, and was only waxing my daily driven hot rod, I'd choose the Americana.  Big bang for the buck.  
 
My $0.02.  You won't be dissatisfied with either, and on my winter beater, I don't use either, stick with the Paint Sealant!

The new Americana formula is easier to apply and remove, so it is similar to Patriot Wax in that respect. Patriot Wax is still our highest shine, premium paste wax, with a higher percentage of Brazilian carnauba and Montan wax that provide a higher level of gloss. Without getting into specific percentages since that is proprietary information, the new Americana has a good amount of polymer resin in it for more durability than Patriot, closer to the durability of a sealant.
 
Yes, the price per ounce is now the same if you bought 2 containers of Americana vs. 1 container of Patriot. The old formula Americana was priced at $69.99 and took more effort to remove if you let the wax haze up for too long, both of which made people hesitant to try it. We listened to customer feedback - we've now improved the formula and ease of use of Americana, reduced the size (still plenty to do a LOT of vehicles), put it in a much higher quality container that should not have the lid-opening issues of the old container, and then dropped the price by $20 to make it a more friendly price for someone that may not want to justify spending $70-$100 on a premium paste wax for their daily driver

Personally I do the LPS and use buttery on top as I find that going out and giving my truck a wipe down is very relaxing, so Ill give it either a rinseless or waterless wash regularly and quite often will fell the desire to shine it up so I will apply another layer of buttery wax. 
 
Is the LPS and H2O better? I keep hearing yes, but for ME I enjoy the time with the Truck. 

That's one product I don't think I'd use.  I'm happy with the Tire Shine.  It goes on easy, lasts between washes on the daily driver or at least until a heavy rain, in which case I'll be washing it again after any way.  I don't want a product that I have to do more work first to use, or something I have to be concerned about getting on the wheels.

Hard to say if specific vehicles have 'hard' or 'soft' paint without prior experience.  Someone here may have corrected one.
 
The terms 'hard' or 'soft' refer to how easy the paint is to mar and how quickly it corrects.  'Soft' paint will mar easily, but will correct quickly.  'Hard' paint will be harder to damage, but will also take more work to correct.  
 
The paint on my black Frontier can be damaged with a hard look, but it does not take too much to get smooth again - foam pads and PCP/PFP.
My son's pewter colored Civic could not be corrected with the most aggressive foam pads.  Once I had MF pads I was able to correct it easily.

Soft paint is easier to correct, but sometimes tougher to finish down. Hard paint is tougher to correct, but generally finishes down easier.
 
The best way to find out is to do a test section on your paint. If a light cutting pad (foam) / compound isn't making a dent in your defects it's hard. If your defects are removed somewhat it's medium, if most of them are removed, and/or the paint has a haze after compounding with this combo, it's soft.
 
Most Dodge paint I've done polishing on is medium/hard, but I can't honestly can't say which yours is, the only way to truly know is to do a test spot and find the correct combo with the compound to remove defects, and same with finishing polish, to bring the paint to a high gloss. Once you've achieved the desired results, complete entire car with same technique and pad/polish combo.
 
Holograms are generally caused by improper finishing using a rotary polisher, but usually are easily removed with finishing polish and a DA polisher. They can be scary to look at the first time your confronted with them, after you take them out, you'll smile when you can wow a friend or customer by easily removing them.

Rest assured no beer went neglected.  I have multiple koozies...
 

I always try new products in 16oz variants and then decide if I need to buy in gallons. Like others have stated...there are many products that don't get used every wash...for example- Upholstry cleaner, Leather cleaner & Leather conditioner, Liquid paint sealant, etc...
 
On the other hand...there are things that get used ALL the time... And I think that comes down to your specific routine. For me, I use A TON of Rinseless Wash and Detail Spray. I also use a good deal of Glass Cleaner, Waterless Wash, Microfiber cleaner and Tire Shine. So I buy them all by the gallon. And I just tested H20 G&G via a 16oz and was very pleased...so I just ordered a gallon of it with my last order.

Products used. Adams Car shampoo, Adams 2 Buckets w/ Grit Guards, Adams Deep Wheel Cleaner, H20 Gloss & Guard (I LOVE THIS STUFF!), and of course a little banana pudding on the tires (Adams Tire Shine)! Done in 1 hour!
 

Ha, that sounds funny but being an owner of a black pickup truck that is to big to fit into my garage, I've actually seen water steam up off of my paint
 
Around this time of the year, I usually have to wait until around 530-6 in the late afternoon to do any washing because my house and large trees across the road starts shading the sun, so that gives me a good 2 to 3 hours of time.
 
But its a real battle for me in regards to wanting to do any claying/polishing and waxing. I'd love to purchase a polisher, but again, I don't have a big enough garage to do any of that type of work in

Rinseless wash is your friend here.  Wash and dry panel a at a time and you should be fine.  When required (not the optimal thing, but...) I can wash a black truck in the middle of a parking lot/driveway with no water spots.  As with any detailing in hot temps, work smaller than usual areas, not allowing the Rinseless solution to dry, and use plenty of DS before drying.  
 
An example of your work areas:
half the roof (includes rear window) other half of the roof drivers front door (includes windows) drivers rear door (includes windows) driver rear quarter pass. front door (includes windows) pass. rear door (includes windows) pass. rear quarter trunk/tailgate front window half hood front quarter other half hood other front quarter front bumper

I'd say toss the white microfiber.
As stated above, do a test panel to see what it'll take. It's personal preference whether you go panel by panel or each step at a time over the entire vehicle. Also, how much time you have. If you're a bit tight on time just complete one panel at a time.
Every paint is different; some I've been able to finish down with the orange microfiber using pcp, others I've had to follow up with the white foam pad and pfp.
This weekends Audi A4 S Line took the Gen 5 orange pad and Paint Correcting Polish followed up with the Gen 5 white foam pad and Paint Finishing Polish.

Hood still looks a little cloudy!

Maybe they can add a video to the Adams series about paint decon? I don't have any experience doing it or know much about it and I'm sure I'm not the only one

Not everyone is going to want them, but a lot of people do... In the same way not everyone likes the look of tire shine, but lots of people do.
 
Good news is you're not required to buy them! Hooray for freedom of choice! Isn't it wonderful!!
 
As far as losing focus - I don't see where that's coming from? We get a ton of requests for them and as I mentioned in the first post, this isn't a mirror hanging little tree - this would be a spay in odor eliminator. There are a number of professional products that compete in this category. Like I couldn't possibly develop more than one product at once? C'mon guys! If you even had an inclination of how many products are in the works at this very moment you'd realize what a silly statement that is.
 
So that being said - lets get this back on topic:
 
IF YOU WANT AIR FRESHENERS WHAT SCENT? If not... No need to reply. We'll take your lack of participation as a vote for nothing.

I have spray bottles of dulited APC - 1:1 and 1:4, but this was at full strength.  I used the Adam's Tire Scrub Brush
 

It works fantastic on white letter tires!