The foam pad

leftcoastman · 08-15-2007, 07:20 PM

I just sprung for a Porter Cable 7424 random orbital polisher. What is the general consensus on the yellow foam pad that comes along with a standard kit?

I understand it's not hook and loop, but other than that, is it a decent pad for cutting, polishing, etc. ?

normtrum · 08-15-2007, 08:13 PM

Sorry I don't know about the yellow pad, but I do know there's different pads for each application. Today I bought some pads from Detailed Image....Orange for aggressive polish (I already had those), white for fine polish, and I went blue for sealant (you could go with their black). I guess it depends on where you buy them from. Griot's has 2, orange for all polishes (doesn't matter how much cutting you want, they only sell one) and red for waxing. That's why I went with DI, more specificity.

tintivilus · 08-18-2007, 12:29 PM

My 7424 came with a white pad that was quite obviously crap compared to the Lake Country pads I ordered at the same time. I threw it out.

pander5 · 08-18-2007, 12:40 PM

Like tinti, I have never used the white pad that came with mine. I have difficulty just throwing things out especially brand new things but I should to remove any chance of using that piece of crap on my paint if I'm down to my last pad.

533ogetnom · 08-20-2007, 12:20 AM

ive been thinking about getting one of those for a long time, what is cutting? is that a word for a type of aggressive polishing?

tintivilus · 08-20-2007, 12:37 AM

I'm no expert, but that's basically it. a cutting pad has more "oomph" than a polishing pad, which in turn has more than a finishing pad.

The color codes vary by manufactuer, but for Lake Country it's (most cut) Yellow > Orange > White > Grey/Black > Blue (least cut). Picus has said to use white and orange for most work, grey for wax application if you're not doing it by hand, and yellow for really nasty swirls. I've followed his advice and it's worked well for me so far.

I did poke at the different colors (I have yellow through black) and it seems to my untrained eye that the "cutting" pads are just denser/firmer foam than the finishing pads. I couldn't tell any difference in the surface texture but they definitely feel different when squeezed. I haven't quite figured out how this translates into cutting action, but I'm guessing that the firmer pads keep more compound in contact with the paint.

The freebie pad felt more like something you'd sleep on when camping than something you'd use on your car, so I didn't think it was worth keeping around.

08-15-2007, 07:20 PM	#1
leftcoastman Lieutenant Colonel 52 Rep 1,714 Posts Drives: 335i Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Near some canyons iTrader: (1)	The foam pad - Porter 7424 I just sprung for a Porter Cable 7424 random orbital polisher. What is the general consensus on the yellow foam pad that comes along with a standard kit? I understand it's not hook and loop, but other than that, is it a decent pad for cutting, polishing, etc. ?
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08-15-2007, 08:13 PM	#2
normtrum Colonel 52 Rep 2,225 Posts Drives: e90 335i, e46 330i Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: PNW iTrader: (1)	Sorry I don't know about the yellow pad, but I do know there's different pads for each application. Today I bought some pads from Detailed Image....Orange for aggressive polish (I already had those), white for fine polish, and I went blue for sealant (you could go with their black). I guess it depends on where you buy them from. Griot's has 2, orange for all polishes (doesn't matter how much cutting you want, they only sell one) and red for waxing. That's why I went with DI, more specificity. __________________ 07 335i sedan \| Steptronic \| Black saphire \| Terra \| ZPP \| ZSP \| Cold Weather \| CA \| PDC \| Nav \| OEM Alarm
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08-18-2007, 12:29 PM	#3
tintivilus Lieutenant Colonel 26 Rep 1,826 Posts Drives: E92 335i Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Lake County, IL iTrader: (0) Garage List 2007 E92 335i [0.00] 2003 325i [0.00]	My 7424 came with a white pad that was quite obviously crap compared to the Lake Country pads I ordered at the same time. I threw it out.
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08-18-2007, 12:40 PM	#4
pander5 Special Forces - Discretion is superior 31 Rep 1,011 Posts Drives: 335i Coupe Sapphire Black Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Tampa, FL iTrader: (0) Garage List 2007 335i Coupe [0.00]	Like tinti, I have never used the white pad that came with mine. I have difficulty just throwing things out especially brand new things but I should to remove any chance of using that piece of crap on my paint if I'm down to my last pad. __________________ M3 + trailer hitch = oxymoron
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08-20-2007, 12:20 AM	#5
533ogetnom Banned 95 Rep 1,760 Posts Drives: 335coupe Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Florida iTrader: (1)	ive been thinking about getting one of those for a long time, what is cutting? is that a word for a type of aggressive polishing?
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08-20-2007, 12:37 AM	#6
tintivilus Lieutenant Colonel 26 Rep 1,826 Posts Drives: E92 335i Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Lake County, IL iTrader: (0) Garage List 2007 E92 335i [0.00] 2003 325i [0.00]	I'm no expert, but that's basically it. a cutting pad has more "oomph" than a polishing pad, which in turn has more than a finishing pad. The color codes vary by manufactuer, but for Lake Country it's (most cut) Yellow > Orange > White > Grey/Black > Blue (least cut). Picus has said to use white and orange for most work, grey for wax application if you're not doing it by hand, and yellow for really nasty swirls. I've followed his advice and it's worked well for me so far. I did poke at the different colors (I have yellow through black) and it seems to my untrained eye that the "cutting" pads are just denser/firmer foam than the finishing pads. I couldn't tell any difference in the surface texture but they definitely feel different when squeezed. I haven't quite figured out how this translates into cutting action, but I'm guessing that the firmer pads keep more compound in contact with the paint. The freebie pad felt more like something you'd sleep on when camping than something you'd use on your car, so I didn't think it was worth keeping around.
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