Flexipads Polishing & Finishing Waffle Hand Applicators

[Lowiepete]

Hello Folks,

What Is It?

A pack of 2 pads, one for polishing and another for waxing, each with a
crinkly waffle base. The white polishing pad on initial feel seems very firm.
However, pre-soaking it in warm water will soon relinquish its firmness
and display properties very much like memory foam. By contrast, the
black pad is very soft and ideal for thinly applying waxes and sealants.

Both pads have sliced notches in them making them extremely easy to hold.
These pads bring us a level of simplicity of design that gives any user all the
control they would need over a pad, with no risk of it flying out of their hand.

The pads in their packaging...



Please note: This first post reviews the firm white pad only!
See Post #3 of this thread for my comments on the black pad.

What Does it Bring to the Table?

The Flexipads Polishing & Finishing Waffle Hand Applicators are
specially designed to increase effectiveness of compound and wax application
by hand. One pack contains 1 x Compound Waffle Pad (WHITE) and 1 x Wax
Waffle Pad (BLACK) The Pads Waffle design:

• Reduces effort and application time.
• Provides an even finish.
• Minimises compound wastage, giving you a professional finish faster.

The pads are also sliced, making them easier to grip and protecting the surface
from finger marks.

Using the Compound Waffle Pad:

• Lightly dampen the Waffle surface (preferably with warm water first)
• Apply with a simple back and forth motion
• Use an even pressure and change direction regularly for even finish.
• After application remove residue and buff with a soft dry cloth.

Using the Wax Waffle Pad:

• Apply wax with a circular motion.
• Use an even pressure, overlapping the circles for an even finish.
• Allow to haze up before buffing with a soft dry cloth.

What Am I Testing it On?

Initially, a stainless steel sink that's quite badly swirled. I will revisit this on
paint at a later date...

What Do I Think of It?

The pad itself has a waffle or "crinkly bottom" which helps focus the pressure
and to spread the friction heat over a wider area. The foam is very firm, but
behaves almost exactly like memory foam, so you don't need to constantly
keep firm pressure at the point of contact. This makes it much easier to use
than a pad with a flat base.

Up until recently I've been fairly ambivalent about applicator pads. For the
most part they have all suffered from the same problem, keeping a good hold
of them. For those unaware of my previous postings, I have very limited motor
function in my hands, so this aspect is pretty important.

For anyone, keeping good control over a pad is essential, just to get the
desired results. The slits cut into the sides of this pad, unlike a certain
energy drink, give you real "wings" with which to grip the pad. It provides
such a firm hold that it'll be quite impossible to accidentally loosen your grip.

The confidence that this gives has completely changed my previous ambivalence.
I can now concentrate on the work's progress rather than on struggling to keep
hold of an applicator pad.

When I first felt this pad, my heart sank a little because it is very firm! Visions
of marring on soft Renault paint immediately sprang to mind. However, this
test revealed that it works really well. The bain of my life is the stainless steel
drainer on my kitchen sink and in the absence of some good detailing weather
at the time, it seemed like a good test candidate.

The drainer will mar with the greatest of ease, so I had a go at the swirls with
this pad and some gTechniq P1 polish. I wasn't intending to do this as a review,
but I was so impressed, I thought I'd have a 2nd go. The pictures below were
taken during this 2nd session. Not even with using Duraglit wadding can I get
this kind of cleaning reaction! As Yoda might say: "Impressed, I am!"



Note the colour of the pad and how much crud it has absorbed.





Not all the swirls are gone, but visitors are always impressed with how it shines.

The pad's behaviour under pressure is just like memory foam, so you can in fact
relax your hold, even when doing some enthusiastic rubbing.

Cleaning the Pad

The pad is made of very dense foam, so it easily absorbs material from the
surface it's being used upon. Rinsing out and cleaning is best performed under
a stream of water from the hot tap. Cold water tends to make the foam "freeze"
into its crushed form whilst squeezing. See my note under Cons below.

Pros

• The simplicity of design and the control it gives.
• The way that it'll help make hand polishing so much easier and a tad more
  effective, assuming a good quality polish is used. It'll never match the results
  of a machine, but it'll have its uses even if you've got a machine.

Cons

Not so much of a con, but nevertheless worthy of mention. In the first picture
I drew attention to what the pad had picked up. Getting this out is going to
need more than just a quick rinse in a bucket and certainly not in cold water!
I was quite startled at just how much yucky stuff was coming out of the pad.

When I did this review, I was unaware that these came in a sealed pack of
two, with one white and one black pad. Sadly, this puts a cost factor into
the equation because, in my view, the white pads will get the heavier use. I
would imagine that with polishes other than the gTechniq P1, the black pad
will come into its own. It will probably need someone with more experience of
polishes, and indeed, better motor function than I to make that assessment.

Notwithstanding the cost factor, my suggested remedy would be to have
several of these pads and then take them together to a sink for rinsing out,
using hot water. With just a single pad in use, the frequent running back and
forth will soon wear thin. This to the point where delaying the rinsing out
could result in you marring your paint!

Conclusions

Until now, most of my hand polishing efforts have been with a tri-foam pad.
Yes, the results were pretty good; the problem being that my hands soon
tired with trying to keep secure hold of it. This pad removes all that concern
and is an absolute joy to hold. Polishing by hand is never easy, but the results
I got with the combination of this pad and polish have pleasantly surprised me.

There's no question that using this pad with a good quality polish will help the
cause of hand polishing no end. It's never going to challenge results available
with a machine, but it won't disappoint either! I'm really looking forward to the
Spring when I can put it to good use. Who would have thought that such a
simple design would make all that difference?

Where Do I Buy It?

These packs are available from County Detailing Supplies: priced at £6.95 per pack, excl P&P.



Regards,
Steve

[Lowiepete]

Hello Folks,

Part 2 - Further Testing of the White Pads

The first post in this thread was written back in February when the weather
wasn't conducive for serious detailing. So, on a recent trip to Cumbria when
two cars became the subjects of my attention, I've finally been able to put
these pads through their paces.

The second car is a silver Merc C class which is the farm work-horse. I've
previously detailed this car and now that I've managed to educate those
involved with its cleaning, it no longer gets the TFR treatment. On my last
visit in September, the car was given a coat of CG Blacklight, topped with a
coat of FK #1000p, with just the FK applied to the wheels.

I didn't take any before pictures, but this picture gives a pretty good idea
of its interim neglect...



On my arrival at the beginning of May, the car, though quite filthy, still
looked like it had some protection on it. A quick jet wash with plain water
confirmed this. I didn't have time for any polishing on this visit, so it would
only receive a pre-wax cleaning treatment. Even so, I was quite surprised
at what came off the car's horizontal surfaces, testing the pads with the
application of three different cleaners. The picture below shows the results
on the white pads with their respective PWC product bottles behind...



I've already sent this picture to Alex at SP who now agrees that supplying
multiples of the white pads separately may be a good idea. For reference,
the P21S pad did the bonnet, and the other two products shared a clean-up
of the car's roof. I promise you, the car had been thoroughly washed first!

As the picture clearly shows, these pads really worked well! This was my first
go with the Serious Performance cleaner and despite its smelling like Brasso
metal polish I was pretty impressed! The picture may give an impression that
loads of pressure was used; this was by no means the case. Evidence of this
can be seen with the white-bits on the right. Like the stainless-steel sink
drainer, I was quite startled at what was coming off!

There's no question, when removing ingrained dirt like this, that the pads will
need a good cleaning out before any further use is made of them. This will only
be achieved by squeezing them out under a supply of warm to hot running water.
When you first feel these pads, you get faint trepidation of the possibility of
micro-marring, they are so firm.

It's what happens when they meet fairly warm water that changes everything.
It's a bit like clay in that respect. Indeed, unless you have ambient and surface
temperatures close to 60degF / 15degC minimum I wouldn't recommend using
these pads! Applying waxes and sealants isn't ideal at below these temperatures
anyway, so it's no great shakes.



Considering that no polish was used and the surface was only given a quick go
with pre-wax cleaners, the finish I achieved was very satisfying, especially
when you consider that no machine was involved and that I have limited motor
function. Seven months over a Cumbrian winter had certainly left their mark,
but it was no match for these pads!




Regards,
Steve

P.S. For strict accuracy, the P21S bottle actually contains a hybrid mix of that
product and the Raceglaze PWC - both combined into one bottle for a space
saving exercise...

[Lowiepete]

Hello Folks,

Part 3 - Now To The Black Pads

Because the weather the next day wasn't warm enough to apply a paste
wax, I decided that I'd apply a coat of CG Butter Wet Wax followed by a
coat of CG Black Light. There's one huge drawback with these "mayonnaise"
coatings in that it's quite a feat to get an even _thin_ coat onto the paint.

This is not helped by the fact that no two bottle-squeezes produce equal
amounts on the pad. In quite short order, you'll find yourself struggling in
your attempts to apply that elusive thin coating.

So, anything that helps this task get achieved has to be a bonus. These soft
pads are just the ticket. Prior to initially applying the wax product to the pad
I directed the ONR pump nozzle into a couple of the dips to give the pad a
prime, squeezing out any excess liquid. I then applied a semi-circle of BWW
about an inch from the centre and folded the pad in on itself.

I then began applying wax to the paint, initially in a circular motion, finishing
in straight lines. When it came to waxing after replenishing the pad I found that
I could regulate the amount I was applying to the surface simply by the amount of
pressure applied to the pad. It's quite probable that I got a good 50% plus extra
area coverage from each pad loading.

The slits in the sides made holding the pad a complete breeze. It's quite
amazing just how much confidence this simple idea gives you, especially when
you encounter mouldings and door handles.

If anyone asks about wax combinations on silver, a coat of BWW + another
of Black Light speaks for itself...

Who would have thought of how this 8yr old car gets neglected?


With getting a much more even coat of wax, it goes without saying that all
the buffing-off was much quicker and easier too!

Conclusions

At the risk of repeating myself, receiving these pads in my 12 Days of Xmas
hamper has really opened my eyes! Hitherto, a pad was a pad was a pad, so
what? Well, make no mistake, these pads earn their keep!

I'm really glad that I subsequently purchased a few of these packs, even if
the surplus black pads got given away as freebies at a recent E. Anglian meet.
Bearing in mind that these reviews come from a guy with gammy hands, just
imagine what can be achieved by anyone with full motor function. I have no
hesitation in heartily recommending them!

Where Do I Buy?

These packs are available from County Detailing Supplies: priced at £6.95 per pack, excl P&P.



Regards,
Steve