# OP Compound II vs Scholl S3 Gold vs Meg's 101



## sm81 (May 14, 2011)

Which one you prefer and why? I need one that works well with DA and cuts and finished nicely. I would use also mf-pads.

So basically it would be nice to have versatile compound.


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## Inge (Jun 7, 2013)

I would chose the Scholl - have no experience with it yet but have ordered some since I was looking just like you for a versatile compound on the DA. Especially since the paintwork on my car is mega tough.


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## stangalang (Nov 27, 2009)

Ive chosen 101 on the basis you are using a da. I find it works better by da than S3. Have not used the optimum compound, so can't comment on it, however listening to the right people suggests its actually very good, so wouldn't discount it


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## sm81 (May 14, 2011)

Who are the right peoples?


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## norfolk_msd (Nov 18, 2013)

I've voted Meg's 101 as I've used it with rotary and da, it's works really well with both but s3 was best with rotary for me although only tried it once with da.


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## sm81 (May 14, 2011)

stangalang said:


> Ive chosen 101 on the basis you are using a da. I find it works better by da than S3. Have not used the optimum compound, so can't comment on it, however listening to the right people suggests its actually very good, so wouldn't discount it


How M101 works better than s3?
Which one are harder to wipe off and which one finished better?


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## lowejackson (Feb 23, 2006)

From the list, the only one I have tried is the 101. I really like this compound and aside from doing a very good job on hard paint it is also easy to remove and finishes well. My understanding is the Optimum Compound II has a tad less cut than Megs 105 but with minimal dusting and easy removal and unlike 101 can be bought in small bottles. Whilst I did not directly compare 105 to 101 my feeling is 101 had slightly more cut and none of the dusting which 105 can sometimes give. No idea about the Scholl although others do seem to like their range.

My best guess is any of them would do a good job. I am perfectly happy with the 101 and do not feel compelled to try another compound for quite a while.


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## sm81 (May 14, 2011)

This is tied situation


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## stangalang (Nov 27, 2009)

sm81 said:


> How M101 works better than s3?
> Which one are harder to wipe off and which one finished better?


In basic terms, I would describe them as almost identical, but with 101 being a smat abrasive. I would say they feel the same in use, and wipe off the same, but 101 is perhaps more versatile with s3 getting results simply, and quickly


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## stangalang (Nov 27, 2009)

sm81 said:


> Who are the right peolple?


Speak with Steampunk (Sam), pretty sure he has used it extensively


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## Steampunk (Aug 11, 2011)

The fact that you are interested in using microfiber pads does help to narrow down your selection... Optimum Compound II and Meguiar's #101 are both non-diminishing compounds, which - in my experience - tend to work better with this cutting medium. Scholl S3 Gold is an excellent diminishing abrasive compound, but really more suited for foam and wool.

M101 vs. OC-II is kind of an 'Android vs. Apple iOS' sort of question. If you're the kind of person who likes to experiment, you can get an immense amount of performance from the Meguiar's compounds. Optimum by comparison is a little easier and nicer to work with right out of the bottle (Also easier to clean up), but sadly isn't quite as flexible if you want to play with some of the more advanced tricks that people like Kevin Brown have pioneered.

Recently I've been getting excellent results mixing M101 and D300, to the extent that if you decided to go down the route of M101 I would consider a bottle of D300 Microfiber Correction Compound as a necessary ancillary purchase. On its own M101 can sometimes be a bit of a handful, but adding D300 helps to increase the lubrication and extends the working time, generally making it more forgiving.

These days I rarely find myself using a compound, but when I do it's because I _seriously_ want to shift some paint, and the Meguiar's ****tail I outlined above is typically what I reach for (Especially with Microfiber). However, if you really like how the Optimum line of polishes feels, then Optimum Compound II would be the best choice with the least learning curve.

As for your question about finishing capability and versatility, that really depends upon the paint you are working on. On a very hard paint you could almost use any of them as a finishing polish if you wanted to with the right pad/technique, but on a soft paint each has the potential to leave behind extensive micro-marring, and even for serious defect removal may be a bit overkill. These are extreme correction products, for extreme situations, and in terms of 'versatility' I would deem them all to be roughly equal. Which performs best ultimately depends upon you, and which you feel the most comfortable in exploiting.

Hopefully this helps, and if you have any more questions please feel free to ask. At a minimum everyone should have a good compound, a good medium-polish, and a good finishing polish in their arsenal, and all three you listed are excellent choices for the former. :thumb:

Steampunk


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## sm81 (May 14, 2011)

Thanks Steampunk. One more question. Is Op Compound II really water based that doesn't need IPA wipe after correction or is that only marketing. If you but those products in cutting and finishing scale what would be look like?

Scholl:

Cutting: /10 (10 is most aggressive)
Finishing: /10 ( 10 is best finishing)

M101:

Cutting: /10 (10 is most aggressive)
Finishing: /10 ( 10 is best finishing)

OP Compound II

Cutting: /10 (10 is most aggressive)
Finishing: /10 ( 10 is best finishing)

Thanks again.


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## Flakey (May 5, 2013)

I have only used Optimum Hyper Compound (Guessing it is closely related to their Compound II) and I found it to be very easy to easy with minimal dusting and does the job very well, even on soft sticky paint.


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## Porta (Jan 3, 2007)

I would also check out Menzerna fast gloss and Meguiars #100.


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## Steampunk (Aug 11, 2011)

sm81 said:


> Thanks Steampunk. One more question. Is Op Compound II really water based that doesn't need IPA wipe after correction or is that only marketing. If you but those products in cutting and finishing scale what would be look like?
> 
> Scholl:
> 
> ...


No problem...

To the very best of my knowledge all of Optimum's correctional polishes are water-based, and whilst I would still perform an IPA/Eraser wipedown prior to applying a coating, removing the bulk of their residue can be done with a damp microfiber. I believe that at one stage Optimum Compound (possibly Pre-II) may have contained some solvents, and was the only one of the line that did, but for more information on this you would have to contact Dr. Ghodoussi. He is normally very amenable to technical questions, and would be the best person to ask.

Unfortunately your last question is the hardest for me to answer. As I said in my previous post, one's ability to eek the last bit of performance out of any of these is the real determining factor to how they cut/finish; more so than the compound itself. You also aren't comparing apples to apples, as Scholl doesn't function as efficiently on microfiber as the other two, and Meguiar's really does need some fiddling before you can get the very best from it.

Setting that all aside for a moment, and assuming all things were equal (Same foam pad, same hard paint.), this is how I would personally place these three compounds based upon my own skill set...

Scholl:

Cutting - 8/10
Finishing - 7/10

Meguiar's:

Cutting - 10/10
Finishing - 6/10 (With scrupulous pad prep and cleaning during the set; without it would be 4/10)

Optimum:

Cutting - 9/10 (Over the course of a much longer set than Scholl)
Finishing - 5/10

However, I am not especially comfortable in doing so, as I know that with the right pad for each and the right user the performance between them in regards to cut/finish can be largely equalized. For me, with microfiber pads, I feel that M101 has the potential to deliver the most performance.

Hopefully this helps, and as always if you have any more questions please feel free to ask. 

Steampunk


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## sm81 (May 14, 2011)

If I decided to go M101 route do you think it would be beneficial to mix something milder polish together with it when you are doing one-step polishes. Like M101+ drops of Dodo Supernatural Microprime or Britemax Blackmax?


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## Steampunk (Aug 11, 2011)

sm81 said:


> If I decided to go M101 route do you think it would be beneficial to mix something milder polish together with it when you are doing one-step polishes. Like M101+ drops of Dodo Supernatural Microprime or Britemax Blackmax?


Unfortunately that is not a compatible mix, and isn't really going to help. No matter what you mix with it, M101 is still going to be a compound with very aggressive non-diminishing abrasives; that will never change. However, by adding something like D300 you can extend its work time, and make it a little more forgiving to use as a compound.

Situations where you can use a heavy compound like this (Or S3 or OC-II) as a true 1-step are rare, but you may sometimes be able to on a very hard paint like an Audi or a Mercedes-Benz in combination with a decent foam polishing pad. Whether using a heavy compound on a lighter pad achieves any better results 1-stepping on these finishes than a medium polish on a more aggressive pad is debatable, and very situation-dependent, but it can be done. On a softer paint these are not 1-step products.

As I said before I don't use compounds frequently, but when I do it is with a very single-minded purpose, and that is to remove severe defects that less aggressive and better finishing products could not remove. I expect to need a second finishing step afterwards (Although I don't like to have to do more than one if I can help it.), and used in this fashion - really, how they were intended - I find the three you listed very satisfactory.

Compounds are at the extreme end of the cut-scale, so whilst you can finish out well with them in certain situations, it is not typically their forte... In much the same way that you could remove wetsanding scratches with a finishing polish if you really wanted to... If you have heavy defects on hard paint, you will want a compound. If you are looking for one correction product to use on all jobs (Especially a lot of 1-step work), you will probably find a good medium-cut polish more versatile.

Hopefully this helps. :buffer:

Steampunk


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## sm81 (May 14, 2011)

That was very good answer again. So what would be your recommend of DA in medium cutting polish range? I liked OP Polish II a lot but I just feel that it wasn't cutting enough instead than S3 Gold cuts enough but it looses cutting ability really quick.

I don't wan't to buy many polishes because I don't have enough time to learn all the tricks to use them:wall:


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## Steampunk (Aug 11, 2011)

sm81 said:


> That was very good answer again. So what would be your recommend of DA in medium cutting polish range? I liked OP Polish II a lot but I just feel that it wasn't cutting enough instead than S3 Gold cuts enough but it looses cutting ability really quick.
> 
> I don't wan't to buy many polishes because I don't have enough time to learn all the tricks to use them:wall:


Glad to help... In terms of the medium-cutting range, OP-II is still one of my very favorites, and with the right pad (Microfiber, or better yet CarPro Cool Hybrid or Cool Wool for the maximum cut.) can remove a significant number of defects. I also like Scholls S17+, but I do not feel that this will offer much over OP-II in terms of aggression. As always, learning how to use your tools (Pads, polishes, machines) is the best way to obtain more performance in regards to paintwork correction, but I understand your pain... 

There are limits to how much you can do in just 1-step, and often this type of work is a compromise. You leave behind some of the deeper defects in trade for an acceptable level of gloss. If you open yourself up to the possibility of a 2-step correction, and accept a little bit of marring from your 1st step, you can often achieve greater correction rates without adding a whole lot more time to the job than a 1-step correction alone.

If you are encountering defects that OP-II cannot remove in 1-step, and wish to achieve a higher correction rate, the best option for you would probably be to go for a 2-step detail either using OP-II on a more aggressive pad like a Cool Wool followed by the same on a light foam polishing pad, or use OC-II on microfiber followed by OP-II on a polishing pad. If you like Optimum, this will have the least learning curve, and will give you the correction rates you want. I'm afraid to say it, but Megs does have more tricks to learn, and Scholl's polishes use diminishing abrasives which again force you to change your style and how you think about paintwork correction.

If you want more bite on super-hard paints S3 Gold is probably the best finishing compound of the lot, especially with something like a Spider Sandwich pad (Expensive, but worth every penny if you are a Scholl fan.), but even so you wouldn't be able to 1-step with this combo on every job (probably not even most) and you do have to have a good feel for this products' preferred technique... You will have a much greater chance of achieving satisfaction on more types of paint with two discreet steps using products you are comfortable with.

Hopefully this helps... :thumb:

Steampunk


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## lowejackson (Feb 23, 2006)

Very informative answers Steampunk. I really like the 101 with the rotary although one day I must try some of the Scholl range and the OC-II


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## sm81 (May 14, 2011)

Thousand thanks:buffer:


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## Flakey (May 5, 2013)

Steampunk said:


> Scholl's polishes use diminishing abrasives which again force you to change your style and how you think about paintwork correction.


Very informative answers Steampunk, this will help all of us a lot. I am currently into everything Scholl and wondering what do you mean by changing the style. I started with S20 Blue and though it claims to be a one step compound, even I have my doubts if it can cut and finish well at the same time.

From the optimum range; I use their Hyper Compound and Hyper Polish. Are the Compound II and Polish II very different from the hyper twins?

P.S. - Apologies for hijacking your thread SM81.


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## Steampunk (Aug 11, 2011)

Flakey said:


> Very informative answers Steampunk, this will help all of us a lot. I am currently into everything Scholl and wondering what do you mean by changing the style. I started with S20 Blue and though it claims to be a one step compound, even I have my doubts if it can cut and finish well at the same time.
> 
> From the optimum range; I use their Hyper Compound and Hyper Polish. Are the Compound II and Polish II very different from the hyper twins?
> 
> P.S. - Apologies for hijacking your thread SM81.


Hi Flakey,

To start with, Optimum employs non-diminishing abrasives, whereas Scholl uses rapidly-diminishing 'intelligent' abrasives. With Optimum or Meguiar's, you prime the entire face of the pad uniformly to create an abrasive disc, which can then be made to cut heavily or lightly at will for as long or as little as you like depending upon the pressure you apply to it. The abrasives remain at a constant scale throughout the process, putting you solely in the drivers' seat. If one wants to remove a deeper isolated defect in the middle of the panel, and then address some light swirling around it, all one has to do is focus a greater amount of time and pressure upon that area, before lightening up the downward force on the pad and making a few passes over the rest of the surface. This opens up the potential for a very flexible polishing style. For more information, research the 'Kevin Brown Method': http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showpost.php?p=3850157&postcount=4.

With Scholl, the abrasives start at a certain scale (P2500 in the case of S20B), remain at that scale for a set amount of time (Determined by the amount of friction exerted upon them.) for the purposes of defect correction, break down very rapidly, and then finish out at a finer secondary grade (P5000 for all but S40 I believe, which is P7500). This dual-stage nature takes some control away from the user compared to a non-diminishing polish, but usually results in a broader spread of cutting and finishing potential from any given pad/polish combo. These combos have to be matched to the defects at hand with a little more care, but if one does this one is typically rewarded with a better finish than the initial cut of the product would otherwise suggest, potentially cutting out steps from the overall process. For more information, try searching the posts written by Russell at Reflectology on the subject; he and a few others have done a lot to bring these products to the foreground.

With Optimum or Meguiar's you are reacting to the defects at hand, whereas with Scholl you are reacting to the product itself... You examine the defects at hand, pick your combo to suit, semi-prime the pad, start polishing using a bit of pressure to get the most cut out of the abrasives, wait and feel for the polish to go smooth (This doesn't take long, but varies slightly depending upon machine type, pad, speed range, and polish.), reduce pressure, and jewel it out for approximately the same amount of time that you spent during the initial cutting phase. Basically it's a set, dual-stage process, whereas with non-diminishing polishes the cut level is more at your discretion.

S20 Blue is one of my favorite polishes from the Scholl Concepts line, similar in cut to Menzerna PF2500 (PO203), but with - in my experience - a little better finishing potential. It's not a heavy-cutting compound, but a medium-cut polish ideal for correcting defects on softer paint types, and 1-step corrections. With the right pad it'll pull out P3000 grit sanding scratches without issue, but produces a superb finish nonetheless.

Optimum Compound II and Polish II offer just a little more cut than their respective Hyper spray equivalents, and use a far thicker viscosity lubricant. I personally like the added control the liquid polishes bring when fully priming the pad face, but that is more a matter of personal preference...

Hopefully this helps, and if you have any more questions please feel free to ask. :buffer:

Sincerely,

Steampunk


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## lowejackson (Feb 23, 2006)

sm81 said:


> Thanks Steampunk. One more question. Is Op Compound II really water based that doesn't need IPA wipe after correction or is that only marketing.....


Quote from the Dr Ghodoussi

"Good Morning Yvan,

All the polishes we make (Compound II, Polish II, Finish, Hyper 
Compound, Hyper Polish) are free of any oils that can affect the 
application of Opti-Coat. There is no need to use IPA or other 
solvents/chemicals to clean the surface prior to application of 
Opti-Coat............

Poli-Seal and GPS of course do contain waxes and oils and can not be 
used prior to Opti-Coat application. I hope this will clarify any 
confusion that still exists. Thank you for your help.

Best Regards,
David Ghodoussi, CEO
Optimum Polymer Technologies, Inc."

http://optimumforums.org/index.php?showtopic=2678. There are other references from Mr Ghodoussi saying his polishes can be removed with a damp cloth


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## moosh (May 8, 2011)

I hate all Meg's compounds, never ever got on with any of them and always fallen of the hype! 

Scholl does what it says on the tin and IMO they are smart compounds and with different pad combo' scan bring fantastic results.

I agree with steampunk above on S20 blue it's immense


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## mohebmhanna (Jul 19, 2011)

Hi Steampunk,

Which pad you recommend for school s20. Thanks


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## Steampunk (Aug 11, 2011)

mohebmhanna said:


> Hi Steampunk,
> 
> Which pad you recommend for school s20. Thanks


Hi Mohebmhanna,

It depends upon what you are trying to do... I find it works well with Lake Country Tangerine Hydro-Tech & Scholl Concepts Orange foam (Buff & Shine Blue light polishing as well) for 1-steps on softer finishes, Lake Country Cyan Hydro-Tech for 1-steps on moderate finishes, and Scholl Concepts Purple or White Spider Sandwich foam for 1-steps on harder ones.

I have also used it for finishing with a Lake Country Crimson Hydro-Tech, and more extreme cutting with a CarPro wool pad; both worked very well. S20 Blue is a very versatile polish, but unfortunately an import-only item for detailers in the US. 

Hopefully this helps...

Steampunk


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## sparkie1401 (Mar 14, 2013)

ive just started with all this detailing lark, just started to DA my Gfriends VW beetle and i was reccomended to buy S3 S17 and S40

ive found its easy to use and wipe away between stages, does sem to clog the pad though. but good results im happy so i doubt ill change


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## sm81 (May 14, 2011)

First one who choose OP Compound II. WOW! Who was it


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## mohebmhanna (Jul 19, 2011)

Hi Steampunk,
Do you recommend to prime the pad with S20 or just add 3 or 4 small dots size on the pads. Which approach you recommend. Thanks for your help


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## brianch (Dec 2, 2013)

I have the Compound II and 101 and have tried the S3 gold.

When I tried the S3 Gold it was on soft Honda paint. It didn't finish down as nicely as the 101. Had a longer working time though.

I didn't like Compound II in any regard. I gave a brand new bottle away for free to a friend because it seemed useless when compared to my other compounds.


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## Steampunk (Aug 11, 2011)

mohebmhanna said:


> Hi Steampunk,
> Do you recommend to prime the pad with S20 or just add 3 or 4 small dots size on the pads. Which approach you recommend. Thanks for your help


When I'm using Scholl's polishes I like to 'semi-prime' the pads by tapping the the bottle against the foam to leave approximately 12-15 little 'smudges' of product like this:


IMGP3976 by Mole Hill Motors, on Flickr

Basically it's halfway between Menzerna and Meguiar's in terms of pad prep and working style. After each set I clean the pad, and reapply approximately 2/3 the amount of product that I used to initially prime the foam in the same fashion as before.

Hopefully this helps...

Steampunk


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## xccude (May 17, 2013)

The compound is thick and sticky and also dusts a lot. 

If you can get your hand on ArtDeShine Fine Polish and MF pad, the combo will blow your mind


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## sm81 (May 14, 2011)

xccude said:


> The compound is thick and sticky and also dusts a lot.
> 
> If you can get your hand on ArtDeShine Fine Polish and MF pad, the combo will blow your mind


What kind of product it is? I need one polish to finished after M101. I have considered Britemax Blackmax, Op Polish II/OP Finish polish,scholl s30+, Dodo SNMB.

Steampunk. What do you recommend?


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## lowejackson (Feb 23, 2006)

I have used the Optimum Hyper Polish after 101 and it worked perfectly. It is hard not to mention the rather fantastic Megs 205 as a finishing polish


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## Steampunk (Aug 11, 2011)

sm81 said:


> What kind of product it is? I need one polish to finished after M101. I have considered Britemax Blackmax, Op Polish II/OP Finish polish,scholl s30+, Dodo SNMB.
> 
> Steampunk. What do you recommend?


Unfortunately that's a pretty open-ended question, as it really depends upon what types of vehicles you are working on, and what types of products you enjoy working with...

My first question is, will you also have a medium-cut polish (Like OP-II or Scholl 20B/S17+) or a lighter cutting compound (Like D300) on hand for correcting milder defects and when working with softer finishes? I say this as M101 on its own, especially with microfiber pads, might be a little aggressive for some finishes... If reserved for heavier cutting on harder paints, this combo could be followed up very nicely with something like Scholl S30+, CarPro Reflect, Meguiar's #205, Menzerna SF4000, or OP-II for your second finishing stage... Which you pick really depends upon which you prefer working with.

Scholl S30+ and CarPro Reflect are what I would personally tend to reach for out of that selection, but that is predominantly because I have rather been enjoying working with rapidly-diminishing polishes recently... Reflect is the more straightforward of the two to work with, and also the easiest to clean up, but I also enjoy S30+ and the finish it provides (especially on metallics).

If you prefer working with non-diminishing polishes, OP-II and M205 are both great choices, although again my Android vs. Apple iOS analogy applies when choosing between them... Meguiar's #205 has the better finishing potential of the two, but achieving that potential takes more practice, and if you're used to working with Optimum it won't feel as immediately accessible (Particularly on very soft paints.). OP-II also offers slightly more cutting power if you need it for 1-steps... I have chosen not to mention Optimum Finish Polish II, which is more closely related to M205 in cut/finishing abillity, as I personally do not enjoy working with this polish as much as its bigger brother OP-II. It is by no means a bad finishing polish, but it has a somewhat 'gluey' consistency, and a more sterile finish than I personally enjoy.

Hopefully this helps. Providing you have a good medium-cut polish on hand alongside M101, all of the finishing polishes listed here will be a good compliment for a 2-step correction in most situations. On crazy-soft paint you might find that you need an even finer polish than these to achieve absolute perfection, something like Scholl S40 or Dodo-Juice SN Micro-Prime, but to be fair these situations are extremely rare for most detailers...

If you have any more questions please feel free to ask. 

Steampunk


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## sm81 (May 14, 2011)

Thanks again. So I will stick to OP PolishII. When I have used M101 do I need to wipe surface with IPA/panel wipe before refining with OP PolishII or can I just wipe residue off and continue to use OP PolishII straight away?


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## Steampunk (Aug 11, 2011)

sm81 said:


> Thanks again. So I will stick to OP PolishII. When I have used M101 do I need to wipe surface with IPA/panel wipe before refining with OP PolishII or can I just wipe residue off and continue to use OP PolishII straight away?


I would give it a wipe down with IPA/Eraser before refining... M101 doesn't fill as much as some compounds in my experience, but it nevertheless has the potential to, and if you want to verify your correction rates it's always best to check. :thumb:

As I mentioned earlier, if you're going with M101, I would also look at getting a bottle of D300. Adding a few drops of this to the pad really does work wonders in certain situations...

Steampunk


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## sm81 (May 14, 2011)

I will skip that D300 it is too expensive to me.


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## sm81 (May 14, 2011)

I can't find any 4 inches microfiber pads that fits to cyclocopy


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## Steampunk (Aug 11, 2011)

In the US, both Optimum and Lake Country microfiber pads are sold in 4.25" sizes. I believe that CYC in the UK carries the LC Ultra-Fiber pads: http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/machine-polishing-pads/lake-country-4-25-ultra-fiber-da-pad/prod_1214.html .

Hopefully this helps...

Steampunk


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## khurum6392 (Oct 11, 2012)

It has to be m101 corrects incredibly quick by da or a rotary I dont think theres a compound that comes anywhere close to m101 without a doubt the king of all compounds


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## sm81 (May 14, 2011)

Steampunk said:


> In the US, both Optimum and Lake Country microfiber pads are sold in 4.25" sizes. I believe that CYC in the UK carries the LC Ultra-Fiber pads: http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/machine-polishing-pads/lake-country-4-25-ultra-fiber-da-pad/prod_1214.html .
> 
> Hopefully this helps...
> 
> Steampunk


I think that those are too big for biltema cyclo copy.


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## Steampunk (Aug 11, 2011)

sm81 said:


> I think that those are too big for biltema cyclo copy.


How big are the backing plates, and how much clearance do you have between them? As long as the backing plates are a true 4", and you have at least 8mm between them as their orbits meet, you should be fine with a 4-1/4" pad. If the backing plates are 3-1/2", both Meguiar's and Buff & Shine make MF pads that would fit a little closer.

Hopefully this helps...

Steampunk


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## sm81 (May 14, 2011)

Needs to measure it. But I have CG white 4 hex pads and they are quite near to each other. (I must carefully put them middle of backing plates that they fits)


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## sm81 (May 14, 2011)

Now I have measured backing plates. They are 95mm width and there are 25mm between plates.


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## Steampunk (Aug 11, 2011)

sm81 said:


> Now I have measured backing plates. They are 95mm width and there are 25mm between plates.


The 4.25" pads should work fine with that, as long as there is enough space between the pads so that they don't meet mid-orbit. :thumb:

Steampunk


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## torkertony (Jan 9, 2013)

What a great thread, and I have only just spotted it! Thanks for all the info peeps and in particular to Steampunk - all very informative - cheers :thumb:

I need to order a Scholl Concepts Spider Sandwich Pad straight away!!


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## sm81 (May 14, 2011)

Steampunk said:


> In the US, both Optimum and Lake Country microfiber pads are sold in 4.25" sizes. I believe that CYC in the UK carries the LC Ultra-Fiber pads: http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/machine-polishing-pads/lake-country-4-25-ultra-fiber-da-pad/prod_1214.html .
> 
> Hopefully this helps...
> 
> Steampunk


Wonder how much more this will cut than cg hex orange and are these as durable than foam pads?
How thick those pads are because I have very hard backing plate to my cyclo copy. Is it problem?
Would I be safer side if I get cg hex yellow cutting pads instead of these?


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## Steampunk (Aug 11, 2011)

sm81 said:


> Wonder how much more this will cut than cg hex orange and are these as durable than foam pads?
> How thick those pads are because I have very hard backing plate to my cyclo copy. Is it problem?


When primed correctly, microfiber pads can offer a substantial amount of cut in comparison to foam, and if kept clean and well fluffed (Preferably with compressed air, or with a brush if not available.) can still finish out very well.

Textile pads can also be very durable if well made and not abused, although I do not have any personal experience with these Lake Country versions. The interface material on these pads will however be fairly thin and stiff. On a DA I have rarely found this to be any issue, even with a fairly stiff backing material, but I do not know how this would translate to a cyclo type machine. On the flat it shouldn't be of issue, but on curved panels it may be more of a challenge.

Hopefully this helps...

Steampunk


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## sm81 (May 14, 2011)

One more question. Do you know how much more cut cg hex yellow gives comparing cg orange and which one works better with OP Polish 2


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## Steampunk (Aug 11, 2011)

sm81 said:


> One more question. Do you know how much more cut cg hex yellow gives comparing cg orange and which one works better with OP Polish 2


I cannot say for certain as I have no first-hand experience with the Hex-Logic pads, but if the foam formula used is anything like Buff & Shine's flat pads, I will say that the yellow will give some improvement in cut over the orange but at the expense of an increase in pad marring (Particularly on softer finishes). Optimum Polish II is pad-dependent, so its characteristics will change on a more aggressive pad... However, if you need more cut than CG's orange Hex pads are providing and do not mind potentially needing a secondary finishing stage, a more aggressive foam compounding pad is the next logical step if you do not feel that microfiber is an option.

Hopefully this helps...

Steampunk


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## sm81 (May 14, 2011)

I notice that Elite has cheap Wolf's 4N Ceramic cut bottle on sale. Any option about it? How much it cuts comparing those others?
It is cheap 10£ for 500ml... considering that for more cutting power over to OP Polish 2 (or would be S20 better partner to it).


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## Joel79 (May 15, 2016)

Sorry to bump up and old thread. How do you people rate Rupes Zephir Gloss? I used it on my first project and since that i have used S3 XXL. Cant say which one is better but Zephir smells better  I mostly like to use mf for cutting so would Zephir and M101 be better for me?


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