Difference between #80 speed glaze and #205 ultra finishing polish

[NIRVANA]

These are both rated at #4 on the cutting scale, so what is the difference and why would someone go with one over the other?

[Michael Stoops]

Re: Difference between #80 speed glaze and #205 ultra finishing polish

While both might be a 4 on the cut scale, they go about this in very different ways. M80 is sort of an old school product now, given the advancements in both abrasives technology and paint technology. It uses a diminishing abrasive and a very heavy polishing oil load that works great, really great, on older single stage lacquer and enamel paints. If you've got a car from the 1970s or earlier with original paint, this may be a better choice. M205 uses the latest in super micro abrasive technology, meaning the abrasive particles are very tiny, but also very uniform in size and shape, but also very, very hard. They also don't break down like the abrasives in M80 do. What this means to the end user (ie, YOU!) is that M205 can actually offer more correction overall than M80 since the abrasives continue to cut, but due to the extremely fine nature of the abrasives it will tend to leave a finish with a lot more clarity than M80 especially when dealing with a modern base coat/clear paint system. So, basically, on any car built after the mid 1980s.

If you are machine applying to any of the cars you have listed in your signature, we would recommend M205 over M80 all day long. While the most common use of M205 is as a finishing polish following a more aggressive initial correction step, it can also be used to clean up lighter defects with a foam polishing pad rather than the more typical finishing pad. But you can also use it with a microfiber cutting pad to remove moderate defects very quickly, and still leave a very nice finish in the process. In fact, the harder the paint, the nicer that finish will likely be.

M205 is a far more versatile product than M80. That doesn't make M80 a bad product. Far from it. It's just that as paint technology and pad technology has advanced, a more advanced product is needed to fully utilize those advancements. And M205 fits the bill very nicely.

[NIRVANA]

Re: Difference between #80 speed glaze and #205 ultra finishing polish

Thanks for all the great info Michael. So would you recommend I start w/ an 8006 polishing pad w/ my #83, then a 9006 pad for both the #205 and wax/sealant? And if I'm skipping the #83 due to not having too many defects maybe just use the #205 then wax? It sounds like I'll be ordering some #205 tonight as I'm getting ready to do a full detail on my Lightning now that my T/A is about finished.

[The Guz]

Re: Difference between #80 speed glaze and #205 ultra finishing polish

M205 is great. It is very versatile. If it was me I would start off with M205 on a polishing pad. You will be amazed at how great it works. If you need more correction you can either go with M105 or ultimate compound. UC is derived from M105 but more user friendly. You will find yourself using M205 more than anything else. It's my go to polish.