# Your favourite 1 stage polishes



## Spoony (May 28, 2007)

What are They? I often use Meguiars 205 for a good one stage polish - not full correction and occasionally Menz 106fa.


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## Tim662 (Aug 19, 2014)

I may take some flack for this but I think Chemical Guys VSS is rather good stuff. Cuts a little harder than M205 at first and can finish very very nearly as well in my experience. No good on major RDS or heavy swirling but works wonders on "love marks"


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## Clancy (Jul 21, 2013)

M205 :thumb:


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## m4rkymark (Aug 17, 2014)

Sonax perfect finish or ex04-06


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## Summit Detailing (Oct 9, 2006)

I don't have a favourite per se, Ultrafina SE, #205, KC m2.01 are all good options for a quick buzz over:thumb:


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## MAXI-MILAN (Oct 26, 2008)

Supernatural Micro Prime


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## Spoony (May 28, 2007)

Thought it'd develop an interesting discussion, I'll try a few of these options I've not tried before. I look after a few cars and yearly they get a minimum quick hit one stage. Cars that'll be owned a long time so don't want to go chopping away at clear coat.


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## aligtwood (Jul 25, 2012)

EX04-06 is a great one step polish on a plot of paint types. If used correctly it achevies impressive levels of and has great finishing capabilities.


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## Guitarjon (Jul 13, 2012)

Scholl do a polish which is meant to be an awesome 1 stepper s20. Has anybody used it?


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## Choppy (Aug 8, 2013)

Scholl s17+ has been my goto for single stage


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## Yellow Dave (Apr 5, 2011)

Choppy said:


> Scholl s17+ has been my goto for single stage


Any recommendations on technique as using it with the Scholl blue pad on a black golf I just couldn't get it to finish down all that well

I recently tried Scholl s30 with a little dab of s3 on a Scholl orange pad on a few panels for a single bit and worked quite well


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## Bigoggy (Sep 1, 2014)

Scholl s17


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## Bigoggy (Sep 1, 2014)

I use lake country ccs orange or white pads which work great with s17


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## Choppy (Aug 8, 2013)

i used it with a white lake country ccs pad on my flex rotary and got pretty good results with it on an audi q7 and dodge demon. Just spread at speed 1 then straight to 1200rpm with some pressure for about 6 passes then down to 600rpm for 2-3 passes.
Just got a flex vrg with some hydro tech pads and got some nice results with s17 and s30+ with the tangerine pad.


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## obelix1 (Jun 14, 2015)

Rupes UHS system used it in 2 VW's cuts very well and leaves a great finish also it's next to dust free .
Which polish to use is hard to recommend as no one knows which type of paint you work on soft to extreme hard .


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## Steampunk (Aug 11, 2011)

Good topic of conversation... 

1-Step polishing is an interesting process... Everyone has a slightly different interpretation of the definition of this term, but for me it has traditionally meant a single pad/polish combo which can obtain the maximum level of cut on a given paint whilst still being able to finish without marring. This is of course, highly dependent upon the paint in question, and can vary wildly; I've used everything from light polishes like M205 or Scholl S30+, to heavy compounds like M101 and Scholl S3 XXL depending upon the situation. With the latest pad technology, more and more work can be done in 1-step, up to and including sanding scratch removal. The scope of the traditional '1-step' polishing job is changing...

The definition of '1-step' polishing used in this thread seems to be more inline with what could be called 'pick-me-up' polishing; removal of minor defects, but not pushing 1-step polishing to the extremes it is capable of today.

For jobs like these, I like a variety of polishes; Scholl S30+, and S20 Blue (Which falls into a certain 'sweet spot' in the polishing spectrum for me, like Menzerna PO203 Power Finish.) both being ones I reach for frequently. On applications where paint preservation is at a premium, non-diminishing polishes are quite nice, as one can control the material removal rates down to a very fine degree. M205 and Optimum Polish II are both products I like in a common 1-step range; OP-II offering more cut, and M205 a little better finishing potential as well as also a little more potential for 'play'.



Guitarjon said:


> Scholl do a polish which is meant to be an awesome 1 stepper s20. Has anybody used it?


I've been playing with S20 Black recently... It's a very nice polish; cut is just above S17+ in the Scholl Concepts range, but with notably better finishing potential. The lubricant used feels similar to Scholl's newer type found in S3 XXL, which means pretty easy cleanup, good swarf control, and little or no dusting. It's also more forgiving of open cell foams than the older Scholl polishes, which demonstrated a notable preference for closed-cell. I'm still testing it, but so far things are going well:










This is on a Meguiar's Black DA Foam Finishing Disc, via DA to clean up some light-moderate marring on a soft paint type. The photo depicts bare paint, without LSP. Even with a much more aggressive White Spider Sandwich pad, you can get this polish to finish very well.



Yellow Dave said:


> Any recommendations on technique as using it with the Scholl blue pad on a black golf I just couldn't get it to finish down all that well
> 
> I recently tried Scholl s30 with a little dab of s3 on a Scholl orange pad on a few panels for a single bit and worked quite well


S17+ can be a bit tricky to finish down on certain paints, being a bit pad sensitive, and also having a somewhat narrower window before the swarf buildup starts adversely effecting the finish quality than some other products in the Scholl line. It's going to sound a little strange, but I actually find that I can sometimes get a better finish with S17+ by using a White Spider Sandwich pad than one of the gentler foams in their line. It takes a few tries before you get the feel for where its 'finishing window' is, which typically means a shorter finishing leg than you initially think; it feels like you're short-setting the polish, but you aren't.

Try this:










Prime the pad by tapping the top of the bottle against the foam to create an even pattern of shallow dots. Work these dots into the pad with your [gloved] hand, evenly coating the foam; almost like a much lighter version of what you would do with Meguiar's. I typically use about 12-dots (Closer to 15 with S30+, which is thinner; a few less with Scholl's newer polishes.). Re-prime with about 2/3rds the initial number of dots.

DA Technique:

(A) Speed 1 - Single pass, spreading polish over 18X18 inch area.
(B) Speed 3-5 - Multiple passes with moderate to high pressure (~5-10lbs.), working product until it begins to feel smooth under the pad after about 1-1/2 to 3 minutes, signalling the abrasives have broken down.
(C) Speed 3-5 - Similar number of passes with zero to light pressure, refining the finish.
(D) Speed 1-2 - Optional, for sensitive paints: one to two passes, refining the finish at low speed, gently lifting up on the machine to take gravitational weight off the pad.

Scholl's abrasives hold their initial size for a certain period, prior to rapidly diminishing to their finishing grit scale, which creates a noticeable 'step' in the performance of the polish. The working style is kind of like having a non-diminishing compound, and a non-diminishing polish in one, with a brief transition period between the two.

Above is the core technique. If this still doesn't finish down, try backing off the number of passes during the finishing stage. If that doesn't work, clean the pad with a short-pile microfiber towel, and make a single low-speed pass with zero pressure adding no additional product. If that doesn't work, try playing around with your pad selection if you would like to try and see if you can make S17+ work on this paint.

However, it sounds like you may have found a combo that works with your S30+ / S3 Gold mixture on the Scholl Orange pad... Since this works for you, I would also try straight S30+ on a Buff & Shine/CG's Yellow Hex-Logic pad if you have one. It sounds like a weird combo for cutting, but works very well on certain paints.

Hopefully this helps... If you have any questions, please feel free to ask. :thumb:

- Steampunk


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## Porta (Jan 3, 2007)

Sonax perfect finish, Menzerna Power finish and Scholl S30/S17.


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## Bill58 (Jul 5, 2010)

Carpro Fixer.


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## gibbo555 (May 3, 2011)

Depends on the paint/car manufacturer but i get on well with, Menzerna 85RE, Megs 205, 3M Superfina, Scholl S20 + S40 (as Steampunk said can be tricky to get method correct). Orchard Autocare trinity has shown good results as well.


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## Demetrios72 (Jun 27, 2011)

Scholl Concept Polishes

Megs Ultimate Compound


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## white91 (Feb 11, 2011)

How does s20 compare to s17?


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## asspur96 (Jan 24, 2014)

Just started using Megs MF Finishing Wax with there MF Finishing pad great finish and some protection as well


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## stangalang (Nov 27, 2009)

Meguires m101 on a polishing pad on hard paints will cut and finish well, when used on a forced rotation da like a 3401 or rotex. For all other paints sonax perfect finish and 04-06 do a great job


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## matt1234 (Dec 2, 2013)

Scholl s20 black. Awesome. I'm using it all the time now.


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## dan_h (Apr 5, 2014)

Scholl s3 gold on a farecla black pad gives very good results.


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## After_Shock (Mar 3, 2015)

I really need some S20 by the sounds of it! Although saying that ive got S3XXL and S17 sat at home which ive never used yet 

Normally for a 1 stage ive have very good results from CG V36.


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## jd1982 (Jul 24, 2011)

Meguiars ultimate compound. Can be as light as you want or as heavy when you need it. Good stuff and easily available.


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