Pads! Experience with wool pads?

[southcoastie]

I have used Meguiars microfiber pads with success. What about wool pads? Are they more abrasive? I searched the forum, but the most recent posting was 18 months ago.

[Murr1525]

I have used Meguiars microfiber pads with success. What about wool pads? Are they more abrasive? I searched the forum, but the most recent posting was 18 months ago.

Yeah, can be a lot more aggressive, easier to make mistakes with, wont leave as nice of a finish behind. I'd say they are fading away a bit, at least as far as the finishing/detailing.

[Brian Hann]

I have used Meguiars microfiber pads with success. What about wool pads? Are they more abrasive? I searched the forum, but the most recent posting was 18 months ago.

To be clear, you would/should be using our microfiber pads with a DA Polisher. We also offer foam pads/discs that work well with a DA Polisher. They are less aggressive and present less of a learning curve for the average DIY'er. Wool pads are not even in the conversation for use with a DA. Wool pads are traditionally used with rotary buffers for aggressive compounding. Not sure what machine you have but assuming it's a DA you don't need to worry about wool pads.

[Nick Winn]

I have used Meguiars microfiber pads with success. What about wool pads? Are they more abrasive? I searched the forum, but the most recent posting was 18 months ago.

Yeah, can be a lot more aggressive, easier to make mistakes with, wont leave as nice of a finish behind. I'd say they are fading away a bit, at least as far as the finishing/detailing.

To be clear, you would/should be using our microfiber pads with a DA Polisher. We also offer foam pads/discs that work well with a DA Polisher. They are less aggressive and present less of a learning curve for the average DIY'er. Wool pads are not even in the conversation for use with a DA. Wool pads are traditionally used with rotary buffers for aggressive compounding. Not sure what machine you have but assuming it's a DA you don't need to worry about wool pads.

Wool is another material in addition to foam & microfiber that is now being used with Dual Action Polishers. It does not appear to be as popular as microfiber cutting pads like our D/A Microfiber Cutting Disc, but again it is now being used on Dual Action Polisher machines, typically with "Large Throw/Stroke" Dual Action Polishers/Random Orbitals. Meguiar's does not offer any pads/discs for Dual Action Polisher machines which use wool as a material at this time. The wool pads I have seen for D/A's is typically backed with a foam material, followed by the hook & loop. Rupes has some wool pads made specifically for their D/A Tools & Lake Country also has a "foamed wool" pad that I am aware of.

[drumdan]

The only wool pads I've used on a random orbital didn't seem to be as efficient (with one exception) as microfiber.

1. Lake Country Purple Thin Foamed Wool. This pad features a very short wool fiber with no interface. Very similar to Meguiar's Xtra cut microfiber. It didn't really work well for me. Decent defect removal, but horrible user experience. Very rough ride, and difficult to control.

2. Meguiar's 4000 - This was borne out of sheer morbid curiosity. It's an 8" wool pad for rotary buffers. A dismal failure, and more vibrations than a drive through a pothole ridden Metro Detroit road in winter. Never try it.

3. Lake Country Purple Foamed Wool - This was the standard one, with longer fibers. A friend and I were tasked with buffing out a 32' trailer, and it was hit... We tried M66, and then M100 on foam cutting pads and it was taking a long time. We slapped some of these bad boys on, and it thoroughly and effectively drilled out all of the defects. We didn't want to destroy our microfiber pads that we use on more "high end" clients vehicles. This pad was surprisingly nice to use, and clean out.

4. Buff and Shine Uro Wool - Jury is still out on this pad. Didn't seem to cut as well than the pad mentioned just above it, or microfiber.

My "go to" microfiber was the original Rupes Coarse Blue, but they changed the fiber to thin, strings, which immediately mat down, and get choked with residue. The original pads had a closed loop that tended to sustain through the buffing cycle. An unfortunate change in my opinion.

I will be trying their Blue Coarse Wool pads, and if they perform more like the original Blue fibered microfiber pads I'll be switching to them along side my Meguiar's microfiber, and Buff and Shine Uro-Fiber selection. I also have about thirty something 6", and 4" original Rupes Blue Coarse microfiber pads to work through. I'll be using them sparingly until I find a suitable replacement.

[HCAD]

Agreeing with dan above, Lake Country's Purple Foamed Wool and their Blue Hybrid Foamed Wool pads are the way I go when I need quick cutting ability. I'm using them on a Flex and Rupes machine, both of which are direct drive, but I'd feel fine putting them on my traditional DA's if needed. They come in multiple sizes.