foam pad colors & brand differences?

[emoze]

are all foam pads of a same color intended for the same general purpose, no matter who it is purchased from? this is a 2-part question

i.e., i have products & pads from several of the major detailing suppliers: Meguiar's our host here, plus Griot & Adams, & some pads from local PPG seller

- some of the product bottles tell you which pad to use with which product - others do not

1. I have the complete Adams machine systems kits & the pad colors generally match the color of the "polish" or wax; i don't see the same color differential idea in my older Griot polishes & waxes

and don't know if now i buy a Meguiar's green or white or orange or black pad whether it is intended for the same purpose as a same color pad from Adams or Griots or my local PPG guys


2. I also have old school B&D rotary buffer for wool, & foam adapter for it - i go to this old machine first for really tough initial buffing & blending problems

- is a rotary foam pad different than a orbital foam pad of the same color?

TIA

[The Guz]

Re: foam pad colors & brand differences?

Autogeek's pads are made by Lake Country. Their recent pads were made in colors exclusive to Adams to match their polishes. Those new pads are really meant for long throw polishers like the Rupes. They are Lake Country HD Orbital pads.

Griots has their new Boss system and they have a chart showing which product goes with which pad.

Meguiar's thin discs were designed and developed for Meguiar's. There are only three foam disks. Burgundy (cutting), Yellow (polishing) and Black (finishing).

Different companies utilize different foam technologies so I would not say they are all the same across the board.

[solution]

Re: foam pad colors & brand differences?

can anyone guide me about the life of Foam Cutting, Polishing and Waxing pads.

[drumdan]

Re: foam pad colors & brand differences?

Adam's uses a system approach, not everyone else does this.

In the past, Griots had an orange pad for polishes, and a red pad for waxes, and that was it. Meguiars now only has burgundy, yellow, and black, to be used somewhat interchangeably.

The idea is to find a pad for a specific purpose. One to cut with, one to polish with, and one to finish with. I like to stay within those parameters, and not get carried away with the infinite lines, and colors.

As far as random orbit, and rotary, the foams are the same. The size and shape may differ, but the foam composition remains.

[Merlin]

Re: foam pad colors & brand differences?

Different vendors use different colors:
Megs has three pads Cutting, Polishing, Finishing
Buff and Shine their own color pattern (Coarse to Fine)
Lake Country is "mostly" the same with some exceptions
Rupes has their own pads and they are different colors too!

Pads have different densities and there's open/closed cell foam etc.

Sadly, There is no "standard" pad color scheme throughout the industry.