# 1 Step Compound?



## E60525d

In the past I have gone for a 2 stage polishing process, using a heavy cutting compound first and then refining it with a polish.

But now I have noticed there are compounds out there which do the compounding and polishing to a high gloss in one step. Products like Scholl S20 Black, Sonax EX04/06.

I need some advice on which one to go for. It needs to have good cut as I will be using it with hard paints.

Based on this, I dont think either Scholl S20 or Sonax 04/06 have enough cut.

I am looking at Menzerna Heavy cut compound 400. This looks ideal as it has a cut of 8/10 and also gloss of 8/10.

Question is, will the Menz leave the paintwork ready for LSP? 

Menz reccomend to use the Final/Super Finish after the Heavy Cut Compound 400. These have a a gloss of 10/10.

Will I really notice the additional 2/10 gloss of the Final/Super Finish polishes?


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## MrRJ

I have only a little experience with Sonax PF (similar to 0406 I understand) and my paint is admittedly soft, but from what I've read it can give excellent results on hard paints if the correct pad is chosen. The finish is exceptional, too.

I believe it's rated at 4/5 cut and 5/5 finish. Might be worth a whirl.


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## great gonzo

Can't beat a 2 or even 3 stage polish there's just not a magical product that can heavily cut and finish perfectly, I've had some success with S20 black but it still leaves lots of the deeper marks in paint but does finish well. Still a great product for a single stage polish tho. 


Gonz.


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## dchapman88

Have you considered a product like Glare? Fills instead of cutting. Knockout is the 'heavy' one, so would fill major defects and leave some gloss but if your paints in decent shape you could get away with just a micro finish or spider and then just choose your pad wisely. 
Either something like that or CarPro Essense, has some cut and some fill and buckets of gloss. Pad choice again is what makes the difference 
There are videos of people testing it on MF pads, cutting pads and polishing pads to see the difference. 
So could be a decent idea for a once step 



Sent by a phone of some description!


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## chongo

Is this on your own car or other people's cars? plus if it's yours then what colour is it as sometimes on light silver or white paint you can finish nearly LSP ready with Menzerna 400 depending on what cutting pad you choose, but why the hurry and why would you want to skip on the refining stage.


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## E60525d

MrRJ said:


> I have only a little experience with Sonax PF (similar to 0406 I understand) and my paint is admittedly soft, but from what I've read it can give excellent results on hard paints if the correct pad is chosen. The finish is exceptional, too.
> 
> I believe it's rated at 4/5 cut and 5/5 finish. Might be worth a whirl.
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


I believe you are referring to Sonax PF 05/05? If so, then this has a cut and gloss of 5/6. Trouble is I have not seem any reviews on this product and also not many retailers sell it.



great gonzo said:


> Can't beat a 2 or even 3 stage polish there's just not a magical product that can heavily cut and finish perfectly, I've had some success with S20 black but it still leaves lots of the deeper marks in paint but does finish well. Still a great product for a single stage polish tho.
> 
> Gonz.


Thats what my worry about S20 is, it wont remove the deeper marks.



chongo said:


> Is this on your own car or other people's cars? plus if it's yours then what colour is it as sometimes on light silver or white paint you can finish nearly LSP ready with Menzerna 400 depending on what cutting pad you choose, but why the hurry and why would you want to skip on the refining stage.


It is for my own cars. They are all different colours - silver, light blue, grey, etc.

In the past I have always done the two step. But like I said, some products like Menzerna refine to a high gloss anyway. It has 8/10 for gloss. Sonax PF 05/05 has 5/6 for gloss.

Will I notice much from refining further?


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## Mikesphotaes

Imran recommended Sonax Perfect finish for me, only used it once and was not impressed!


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## E60525d

Mikesphotaes said:


> Imran recommended Sonax Perfect finish for me, only used it once and was not impressed!


Was this 04/06 version? What didn't you like about it?


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## euge07

depending on condition of paint, I have had fantastic results with sonax 04-06 on cg orange or green pads, 

Or rupes yellow on rupes yellow pad

now these will remove swirls and marring and very fine scratches, for heavier rds they wont. but to expect a full correction with 1 pad and polish isn't feasible IMO 

Once I ever run out of 04-06 id be temped to try the new version of scholl s20 and spider pads, but with 04-06 a little goes a long way its a great polish:buffer:


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## sm81

Maybe Sonax 05/05?


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## Sam6er

You would be surprised by the finish Sonax cut max gives with the right pad. 

Id be tempted to try that on hard paint if you feel 04-06 would not cut away what you need.


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## Mikesphotaes

E60525d said:


> Was this 04/06 version? What didn't you like about it?


I've no idea but will look when I get home.

I think I used it with a white pad last year, I know it didn't do anything for my swirls and not a lot of shine either.

Anyway, never used it since!

It says 4 and 6 in wee red boxes after "Finish", nearly the same as the link, without the French

https://www.detailersdomain.com/products/sonax-profiline-perfect-finish-4-6-250ml


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## Soapybubbles

Which has more cut 

Scholl S3xxl or Menz fg400

For removing RDS on white BMW paint, Menz 2200 is removing swirls but not RDS


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## dchapman88

I'm under the impression that S3xxl has more cut than FG400, but then FG300 has more than FG400




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## Moet1974

Why is everyone in a rush these days regarding paint correction. There is no perfect one step compound/polish and there never will be. If you have got the buzz from correcting paint whether it be from a Das6 or Rupes why then would you want to compromise on the finish. I guess the main argument will be time but if you don't want or aren't inclined to chase perfection then I would advise to get some glaze and jog on! And yes I've had a bad day but these things wind me up. :wall:


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## Frog

I think it's all about choice, your own expectations and what you can actually see. For whatever reason I can't, with the naked eye, see the difference between finishing with the Rupes yellow and the White on my silver car. Now that might be the paint, my eyes or the light source, I don't know.


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## Moet1974

Mikesphotaes said:


> I've no idea but will look when I get home.
> 
> I think I used it with a white pad last year, I know it didn't do anything for my swirls and not a lot of shine either.
> 
> Anyway, never used it since!
> 
> It says 4 and 6 in wee red boxes after "Finish", nearly the same as the link, without the French
> 
> https://www.detailersdomain.com/products/sonax-profiline-perfect-finish-4-6-250ml


I'd revisit this polish Mike. Suspect you need to up the pad a little. The polish has plenty of bite and finishes very well. For moderate swirls it's a nice product bud! :thumb:


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## euge07

Moet1974 said:


> I'd revisit this polish Mike. Suspect you need to up the pad a little. The polish has plenty of bite and finishes very well. For moderate swirls it's a nice product bud! :thumb:


I think it works really with chemical guys orange or green pads. Long working time, wipes odf easily, amazing gloss removes swirls with ease. Do you mean a chemical guys white pad? If so you shouldnt have expected much if the paintwork needed much correction


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## chongo

E60525d said:


> I believe you are referring to Sonax PF 05/05? If so, then this has a cut and gloss of 5/6. Trouble is I have not seem any reviews on this product and also not many retailers sell it.
> 
> Thats what my worry about S20 is, it wont remove the deeper marks.
> 
> It is for my own cars. They are all different colours - silver, light blue, grey, etc.
> 
> In the past I have always done the two step. But like I said, some products like Menzerna refine to a high gloss anyway. It has 8/10 for gloss. Sonax PF 05/05 has 5/6 for gloss.
> 
> Will I notice much from refining further?


Just because it says 8/10 doesn't mean that it's going to work  these are just guide lines, the only way is to do test spots and then you will find out.

I've used most of these cutting compounds before if not all of them and it still depends on what paint, pad, and especially your own technique that gives you the outcome. You have many cars so write down what you have used and this will help you in the future :thumb:


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## Soapybubbles

Will a das 6 pro plus cut more with the same compound and pad as a das 6 pro?


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## Mikesphotaes

Moet1974 said:


> I'd revisit this polish Mike. Suspect you need to up the pad a little. The polish has plenty of bite and finishes very well. For moderate swirls it's a nice product bud! :thumb:


Might give it a try with orange pads sometime but certainly didn't get the gloss that euge07 got, not a patch on Megs 205.


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## euge07

Mikesphotaes said:


> Might give it a try with orange pads sometime but certainly didn't get the gloss that euge07 got, not a patch on Megs 205.


what colour is your car?










one pass 04/06 on orange pad, rupes polisher


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## Autoglym

Our Rapid Renovator is a single stage, no filler compound. Obviously it will have its limits as to what it can achieve, but it was designed as a single stage to leave a surface that does not require any further finishing after use, just protecting.

More info here: http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=366733&highlight=rapid+renovator


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## percymon

I did the other half's MINI with Menz 2400, and thought it looked pretty good in terms of depth of shine and swirl removal. But after refining with ''4000'' (they've changed the names yet again recently) i could see an improvement in colour intensity and gloss. 

I wouldn;t trust myself with FG400, its a heavy cut compound, which i wouldn;t imagine is going to achieve good clarity and depth. I suppose it depends how bad the paint is you are staring with, and then the decision whether you want 99% defect removal with compromised clarity, or leave a few deeper defects for good gloss/depth.

Any single stage polish will be a compromise


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## Joel79

Angelwax Regenerate is amazing stuff and so is Nanolex medium cut.


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## E60525d

Thank you all for the replies.

It looks like a few people are getting mixed up between FG400 and Heavy Cut 400.

Menzerna describe the Heavy Cut 400 as a 1 step polish which compunds and finishes really well - http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/car-p...-heavy-cut-compound-400-250ml-/prod_1096.html

I am going to go with this. Was also thinking that I can do a 2nd quick stage of a a finishing polish if required.


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## great gonzo

E60525d said:


> Thank you all for the replies.
> 
> It looks like a few people are getting mixed up between FG400 and Heavy Cut 400.
> 
> Menzerna describe the Heavy Cut 400 as a 1 step polish which compunds and finishes really well - http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/car-p...-heavy-cut-compound-400-250ml-/prod_1096.html
> 
> I am going to go with this. Was also thinking that I can do a 2nd quick stage of a a finishing polish if required.


I thought heavy cut 400 was FG400, which can REALLY remove clear coat.

Gonz.


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## derbigofast

The best I've come across so far is autosmart evo3 and that's on vw paint


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## E60525d

great gonzo said:


> I thought heavy cut 400 was FG400, which can REALLY remove clear coat.
> 
> Gonz.


Your right, CYC website shows both heavy cut 400 and FG400 as 2 products.

Yes the cut level is high at 8/10 but according to Menz it also finishes well.

For example, I have just finished a bottle of Menz Intensive Polish which was rated at 7/10 cut. This used to be there medium cut polish which everyone used to rave about.

HC400 has a slightly heavier cut but everyone seems to be saying how strong it is and best avoided! Its only slightly stronger but finishes way better.


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## brba

Bought Scholl s20 black today , veeery nice !!!!  medium orange pad

























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## E60525d

Nice. What car was this and which pads did you use?


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## Kickasskev

brba said:


> Bought Scholl s20 black today , veeery nice !!!!  medium orange pad
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> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


On a DA or rotary?

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## brba

Bigfoot 21 , 5” pad , detailing mafia orange pad 
Vw Passat 2006 


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## Andrew100

How do you know when you have exhausted the one stage. In other words when the polish has finished breaking down and you are no longer getting any cut?

Looking to use Scholl S3 gold for my first attempt at machine correction on a black Nissan pickup truck. Reviews are v.good & appears safe for a relative novice.


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## Ebbe J

Hi guys,

Seems there's a bit of a confusion about some of the Sonax polishes. The Sonax EX 04/06 is not the same product as PerfectFinish, although it states to have the same cut and finish, relying on Sonax' scales. The PF is much more thick and gel-like in nature, and it clings more to the pads than EX does. The EX is focused for use on DA machines, while PF can do a bit of both. I would recommend the EX for lighter 1-steps on intermediate paints when it comes to hardness, it does a nice job on the harder ones as well, but if you have a lot of deeper marks, you'll have to get something with a bit more bite. The PerfectFinish works on most areas where the EX is limited when it comes to finishing.

I think it's key to ask what the car that the OP wants to work on, before starting to recommend a broad range of products. If, and only assuming from looking at nickname on here, you have an e60 BMW, I think you should consider the Menzerna 400 if you have deeper marks in the paint that need to be removed. On this paint, and many others, you will benefit from finishing the paint with a proper finishing product like the 3800. I've used the 400 on MF cutting pads with great effect on BMW paints, especially if you change the pads often during the process and remember to work the polish thoroughly.

If you're interested in having a look at Sonax ExCut 05/05, I've done a small video on it here:



__ https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=1750033108656240



Kind regards,

Ebbe


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## E60525d

Small update, I bought S20 Black a few weeks ago so will be trying this when weather improves.

The car's in question is a E90 and F25 BMW with slight swirls so hopefully S20 should work well.


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## sm81

Any tips for TDC Last Cut? Do I use zenith method or something else?


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## E60525d

Andrew100 said:


> How do you know when you have exhausted the one stage. In other words when the polish has finished breaking down and you are no longer getting any cut?


I would also like to know this?


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## virgiltracey

Ebbe J said:


> Hi guys,
> 
> Seems there's a bit of a confusion about some of the Sonax polishes. The Sonax EX 04/06 is not the same product as PerfectFinish, although it states to have the same cut and finish, relying on Sonax' scales. The PF is much more thick and gel-like in nature, and it clings more to the pads than EX does. The EX is focused for use on DA machines, while PF can do a bit of both. I would recommend the EX for lighter 1-steps on intermediate paints when it comes to hardness, it does a nice job on the harder ones as well, but if you have a lot of deeper marks, you'll have to get something with a bit more bite. The PerfectFinish works on most areas where the EX is limited when it comes to finishing.
> 
> I think it's key to ask what the car that the OP wants to work on, before starting to recommend a broad range of products. If, and only assuming from looking at nickname on here, you have an e60 BMW, I think you should consider the Menzerna 400 if you have deeper marks in the paint that need to be removed. On this paint, and many others, you will benefit from finishing the paint with a proper finishing product like the 3800. I've used the 400 on MF cutting pads with great effect on BMW paints, especially if you change the pads often during the process and remember to work the polish thoroughly.
> 
> If you're interested in having a look at Sonax ExCut 05/05, I've done a small video on it here:
> 
> 
> 
> __ https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=1750033108656240
> 
> 
> 
> Kind regards,
> 
> Ebbe


thanks Ebbe, My paint is ludicrously soft, out of the two which would you recommend? PF or 04/06? using on a DA


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## brba

Go with perfect finish  better polish , and costs more  


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## dchapman88

virgiltracey said:


> thanks Ebbe, My paint is ludicrously soft, out of the two which would you recommend? PF or 04/06? using on a DA


Very soft paint?? 
Why are you cutting not filling?


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## virgiltracey

dchapman88 said:


> Very soft paint??
> Why are you cutting not filling?


I say very soft, its Hyundai Korean paint, which should really be no softer than Japanese paint,

It's still got a few swirls and RDS's so i was hoping that something like PF would be enough to correct without getting rid of too much clearcoat


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## dchapman88

virgiltracey said:


> I say very soft, its Hyundai Korean paint, which should really be no softer than Japanese paint,
> 
> It's still got a few swirls and RDS's so i was hoping that something like PF would be enough to correct without getting rid of too much clearcoat


I only ask as if you have soft or thin paint then one of the best things out there for you could be the Glare line of products


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## steelghost

https://www.glare-uk.co.uk/glare-products

It's not the slickest website but the guy running it is a good egg (and is on here as savvyfox).


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## dave-

great gonzo said:


> Can't beat a 2 or even 3 stage polish there's just not a magical product that can heavily cut and finish perfectly, I've had some success with S20 black but it still leaves lots of the deeper marks in paint but does finish well. Still a great product for a single stage polish tho.
> 
> Gonz.


This guy is right. One step works for swirls very well like the sonax but that's as good as it gets and your looking for a magic product that does not exist or everyone would use it


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