# The Aggressiveness Order of SMAT Products - This might surprise you!



## Mike Phillips (Jan 26, 2007)

*Super Micro Abrasive Technology = SMAT*

Note: This is an article I wrote in early 2010 and I'm currently working on a re-write to includes some new products, so I'll be updating this thread shortly. 

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*Begin original article*
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From left to right, the most aggressive to the least aggressive SMAT products









*From the most to the least aggressive... *
*M105 Ultra-Cut Compound/M95 Speed Cut Compound* = The same in abrading power
*Ultimate Compound*
*ScratchX 2.0*
*M86 Solo Cut & Polish Cream*
*D151 Paint Reconditioning Cream*
*SwirlX*
*M205 Ultra Finishing Polish*​Now instead of *SCANNING*... (like we're all prone to do on discussion forums), read the below very carefully.

The order shown here is *relative*, to the idea that if all things were equal, if all influencing factors could be controlled and be identical when using these products.

That of course is impossible because some of these products are only recommended for use with a rotary buffer while some of these products are only recommended for use by hand or with a dual action polisher. So if we were to follow the manufactures recommendations then we wouldn't be able to compare all of these products side-by-side because in some examples they cannot be used in an equal manner.

*Does that make sense?*

This article is just to give you a *GENERAL* idea for the aggressiveness of these products when *relatively compared* to one another. The way a product is *applied*, (by hand or machine and if by machine the type of machine), and the *application material* used to apply the products, (foam, wool, wool/acrylic blend, cotton, microfiber), are both HUGE factors that will and do affect how aggressive a product is or isn't.

So keep this in mind when considering which product to choose and use for your detailing project.

Also keep in mind this is a very diverse group of products, all of these products except the D151 PRC are products with the dedicated purpose of removing below surface defects like swirls, scratches and other etchings and blemishes.

The D151 is a one-step cleaner/wax that has the ability to remove below surface defects, polish the paint to a high gloss and then leave behind a coating of protection.

*Any questions?*


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## mattsbmw (Jul 20, 2008)

Great article, are you saying that 105 & 95 are effectively the same product? or is it just that they have the same level of cut?


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## Mr Orgasmo (Mar 17, 2011)

Hi Mike,
Am I wrong in thinking that SwirlX doesnt contain any abrasives? It says that on the bottle so its quite confusing 

Had lots of success with using 205 for removing swirls, great product. 

Thank in advance.


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## Mike Phillips (Jan 26, 2007)

Mr Orgasmo said:


> Hi Mike,
> Am I wrong in thinking that SwirlX doesn't contain any abrasives? It says that on the bottle so its quite confusing
> 
> Had lots of success with using 205 for removing swirls, great product.
> ...


SwirlX contains Super Micro Abrasive Technology...

I don't have a bottle here at my desk but I'm guess the label says it's non-abrasive and by this Meguiar's usually means that when used correctly it won't leave behind it's own scratches like rocks-in-the-bottle type products.

It still has the ability to remove defects and thus is abrasive in the sense that it has the ability to abrade the surface but if used correctly it won't leave behind it's own scratches from the abrading process.


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## Mike Phillips (Jan 26, 2007)

mattsbmw said:


> Great article, are you saying that 105 & 95 are effectively the same product? or is it just that they have the same level of cut?


They have the same level of cut but chemically they are different products, the key difference is that M105 will finish out like a finishing polish while M95 won't. There's a price difference that is representative of this difference.

M95 contains both Diminishing Abrasive Technology, (DAT), and Super Micro Abrasive Technology, (SMAT), while M105 is SMAT only.


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## mattsbmw (Jul 20, 2008)

Mike Phillips said:


> They have the same level of cut but chemically they are different products, the key difference is that M105 will finish out like a finishing polish while M95 won't. There's a price difference that is representative of this difference.
> 
> M95 contains both Diminishing Abrasive Technology, (DAT), and Super Micro Abrasive Technology, (SMAT), while M105 is SMAT only.


Thanks for your reply, so i guess 105 is the better product of the 2?

Going slightly off topic, can 105 be successfully finished down without the need for a further refining step?


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## Mike Phillips (Jan 26, 2007)

mattsbmw said:


> Thanks for your reply, so i guess 105 is the better product of the 2?


In my opinion "yes" if you value the a product that finishes out almost LSP ready...



mattsbmw said:


> Going slightly off topic, can 105 be successfully finished down without the need for a further refining step?


The answer to that is "yes" and "no"

By this I mean everyone has different standards of what is "good".

There's an old saying that goes like this,

*"One man's ceiling is another man's floor"*

So the answer depends upon --> your <-- standard or expectation of "good" or "great" or "acceptable, etc.

Make sense?

For some people, they can finish out with M105 and go to wax or sealant or coating and it meets their criteria, for others, like many that hang out on detailing discussion forums, they are going to want to maximize the gloss and clarity and to do this they're going to want to use a less aggressive product dedicated just for finishing out...


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## mattsbmw (Jul 20, 2008)

Mike Phillips said:


> In my opinion "yes" if you value the a product that finishes out almost LSP ready...
> 
> The answer to that is "yes" and "no"
> 
> ...


Many Thanks Mike, answers make complete sense and appreciate your time answering them.


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## Le Chim (Mar 25, 2009)

Sometimes I use D151 as a finishing/cleaning product after M105.
With a soft buff finishing pad it does the job most of the time.
Is the level or amount of abrassives in D151 the same as in M205?


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## Mike Phillips (Jan 26, 2007)

Le Chim said:


> Is the level or amount of abrassives in D151 the same as in M205?


No, M205 is a very fine finishing polish designed to remove any residual swirls on fresh paint in a body shop situation after correctly buffing with M105.

D151 is a medium to strong cleaner/wax for doing one-step production detailing.

In this picture, they are lined up in order of most aggressive to least aggressive...










:thumb:


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## beko1987 (Jul 25, 2010)

I see what you mean - I suppose it comes down to how you work it as well. Are any of these diminishing polishes? I find I can get a very good finish with an agressive Menzerna polish if I refine it down for 7-8 passes afterwards on the lowest speed on the rotary.

I imagine the above products react in the same way, ie you could, if you put the work in achieve the same (or near as dammit) level of correction and finish with just the left hand side and more time, than a product from the right hand side (and less time spent).

Am I on the right track or do I need to read more into it?


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## Mike Phillips (Jan 26, 2007)

beko1987 said:


> Are any of these diminishing polishes?


Great question!

The M95 Speed Cut Compound contains both SMAT and DAT but beside this one product, the rest use SMAT for their abrading ability.












beko1987 said:


> I imagine the above products react in the same way, ie you could, if you put the work in achieve the same (or near as dammit) level of correction and finish with just the left hand side and more time, than a product from the right hand side (and less time spent).
> 
> *Am I on the right track* or do I need to read more into it?


You're kind of on the right track.

If I'm reading you correctly, you're saying you could get just as much correction out of the light cutting products as you could the heavy cutting products if you just spend more time buffing with them and that is an accurate statement but if a person is looking to remove defects fast and efficiently then a better option would be to choose a more aggressive product for the initial correction steps versus invest too much time buffing for long periods of time with the less aggressive products.


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## beko1987 (Jul 25, 2010)

Excellent - thanks Mike.

I only asked as it's roughly what I've been doing with my car (with lots of spare time etc), pretty much refining each step of polish down until there's hardly any abrasive left (was also covered in Dave KG's rotary guide which I may have printed out at work when everyone else left...)

You are correct though, if up against the clock/£ or $ you're going to hit with a heavy cut then refine back with a less heavy polish, but it's nice to know my work won't be in vain!

Thanks Mike! Top Man.


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