Home tools Buyer's Guides from tech enthusiast who loves technology and clever solutions for better living.
Best buffing compound 2018 – [Buyer’s Guide]
Last Updated March 1, 2023
Looking for ways to bring your buffing compound to the next level? Then you’ve come to the right place. I’m Willard Lawson. I spent 28 hours researching and testing 18 different types of buffing compound and found that material, variety of sizes, and style were most important.
I have been writing about technology and entertainment since the early 90s from my secluded home in West Virginia. What I would like you to remember as you browse my website is that I don’t work in the industry so the reviews I have are based on good old fashioned honesty.
Best buffing compound of 2018
There is a wide range of products available on the market today, and below I have reviewed 3 of the very best options. The table below summarizes features, and below you’ll find more detailed reviews of each good. The rating is based on multiple factors: The 3 metrics ‐ Design, Materials, Performance, and other indicators such as: Popularity, Opinions, Brand, Reputation and more. If you’re scouring the market for the best buffing compound, you’d better have the right info before spending your money.
Test Results and Ratings
| Rank | №1 | №2 | №3 |
| Product |  |
 |
 |
| Total | 4.8 | 4.5 | 4.3 |
| Ease of use |
5 points
|
4 points
|
4 points
|
| Size |
4 points
|
5 points
|
5 points
|
| Construction |
5 points
|
5 points
|
4 points
|
| Value |
5 points
|
4 points
|
4 points
|
| Awards |  |
||
 |
|
|
|
 |
|
|
How to save up to 86%? Here is little trick.
You must visit the page of sales. Here is the link. If you don’t care about which brand is better, then you can choose the buffing compound by the price and buy from the one who will offer the greatest discount.
№1 – Pack of 3 – 8″ 100% Wool Hook & Loop Grip Buffing Pad for Compound Cutting & Polishing
| Total: |
4.8
|
Why did this buffing compound win the first place?
I am very happy with the purchase. It is definitely worth its money. The product is top-notch! I really enjoy the design. It is compact, comfortable and reliable. And it looks amazing! The material is stylish, but it smells for the first couple of days. I don’t know anything about other models from this brand, but I am fully satisfied with this product.
5
|
4
|
5
|
5
|
№2 – Fontic 11pcs 3″/80mm Compound Drill Buffing Sponge Pads Kit for Car Sanding
| Total: |
4.5
|
Why did this buffing compound come in second place?
The material is pretty strong and easy to wash if needed. I recommend you to consider buying this model, it definitely worth its money. The design quality is top notch and the color is nice. I really liked it. It is amazing in every aspect. It did even exceed my expectations for a bit, considering the affordable price.
4
|
5
|
5
|
4
|
№3 – Drixet Jeweler’s Rouge “White” Polishing/Buffing Compound – For All Types of Martial
| Total: |
4.3
|
Why did this buffing compound take third place?
I liked the design. We’ve been using it for 2 months and it still looks like brand new. The material is incredibly nice to the touch. It has a great color, which will suit any wallpapers. It is inconvenient to use due to the size. I am going to get something different next time. This price is appropriate since the product is very well built.
4
|
5
|
4
|
4
|
buffing compound Buyer’s Guide
Item Weight: 11.2 oz.
3M once more comes in on the 4th position. This 03900 rubbing formula, just like its earlier sibling, works instantly removing each and every visible scratch. It not only works on the surface to remove blemishes and defects but also restores the lost attractiveness of your car’s surface making it look new once again. If you dislike dull looking cars, that makes the two of us.
To be honest, disliking isn’t enough; you also have to take action against what you dislike. And yes, with this formula, you will definitely have that attractive car you have always wanted. Extremely easy to use, you can either use a machine or your hands to rub it over the surface of your car.
In fact, it effectively and safely gets rid of grade 1200 or even finer sand scratches on your car making it look attractive. Whether you are worried about medium oxidation, coarse swirls or even water spots, this formula is your solution.
Effectiveness
Before you pick any rubbing compound, it’s important that you consider how effective it is. Of course, determining how effective a rubbing compound is would require you to check the manufacturer’s information, customer reviews and ratings, as well as information from friends and relatives who have used the product before. We have those products which can remove effectively get rid of swirl marks, oxidation and water spots.
The Ingredients
The performance of any rubbing compound is as good as its ingredients. Ensure that the content of any given formula does not have any filler or toxic ingredients such as silicone which would have adverse effects on your car’s surface instead of producing good results.
Purchase a razor blade or another type of sharp scraping tool to eliminate any machine markings that may be left on the acrylic. Move the sharp instrument from side to side, evenly scraping off the excess and scratched acrylic. Be careful not to dig into the acrylic. You can avoid this by angling the tool at degrees. Using the acrylic scraping method is also great for shaping any jagged or uneven edges.
Buffing
Stationary polishing wheels are great for buffing acrylic back to a nice clear finish after its been sanded. To make sure you are less likely to overheat the acrylic, use an 8”-14” diameter, 2”-3” wide piece of bleached muslin with bias strips. This will allow the wheel to run much cooler. Make sure you clamp the acrylic in place so that it doesn’t move when buffing.
The finished quality of the acrylic will depend on the type of polish compound you use. A medium cutting compound will result in a glossy finish. A higher, luster finish can be accomplished by applying a fast cutting compound followed by a fine compound. This is a longer process but it will give you the best finish.
If All Else Fails…
Apart from removing scratches, blemishes, and watermarks, it will restore shine to your car as it did to mine some time back; I had an old and dull car which was restored instantly after use of this great product.
It smoothes, cleans and makes all the rough surfaces to restore the lost perfection. In case your car has scratches and dents, you need to use this perfect product as they will go with just a simple wipe; it is easy to apply. You are good with this product even if your car is suffering from deep scratches as it will wash them away.
Meguiar’s G1721Compound
It is one of the best rubbing compounds currently available in the market as attested by a friend who bought it recently after his car was involved in an accident that left a deep scratch on the side of the back door.
It is capable of removing all the scratches and other blemishes without having to leave the car dirty. It has a fast cut, abrasion which enables it to remove all the defects found over your car’s surface and making the car to be restored to its original shape.
If you see my friend’s car, you won’t believe the pictures of at the accident scene, and after the application of the rubbing compound. With it, you won’t find the repair work to be back breaking, rather, you will enjoy it.
If you are in need of one of the best rubbing compound, then it is advisable that you buy a Griot Garage 10862.
It is a product which will bring out all the scratches from your vehicle, leaving it shiny and looking better than it was before the scratch occurred.
It has micro abrasives which require you to gently rub it over the surface to make it possible to achieve the best results. The application process is user-friendly because all you need to do is to do a single pass and wipe and the perfection will be back on your vehicle.
It is one of the best rubbing compounds which I learned about its effectiveness through a colleague at work who was all praise for it.
He talked about it not being the usual rubbing compound as it does great things to a car. All this should be attributed to its formula that comprises of the high level of professionalism that ensures that you get pleasant results. Your dull and oxidized surfaces will become good as new.
Swirl Remover
The techniques described above can be used on single stage and a variety of projects using professional paint products. Buffing is also used for wood finishes and stone counter tops to restore luster and repair marks from joining pieces.
The YouRepair Store carries a full line of automotive tools and products everything from paint to swirl remover to let your car look the best it can.
Metal Polish
Everyone wants to know what the “best” polishing compound is and how it is used. Unfortunately I don’t think there is a single “best”—just a better one for the stone in question, depending on your technique. But here are some of my thoughts on the subject.
The Fundamental Problem
Any recommendation for polishing difficult gems needs the added statement that the technique used is as important as the polishing compound selected. The techniques are not well-described in any book, and I have found many books to be hard to follow or contradictory. Most books describe techniques for agate and that is about all. Since agate is about the easiest material to polish, that is not too helpful.
Colloidal Polishes
Colloidal polishes fundamentally are just the polish mixed with a dispersant to keep the particles from settling out. (I know a chemist would have a fit over that definition, but that is what the manufacturer said.) Because these compounds hold the abrasive in suspension better, they should require less polish to be effective, and should be faster then the standard polishes.
Colloidal silica has a higher PH than most of the oxide polishes and should be one of the better polishes for lapis and rhodonite. I have tried to find the actual PH for polishes but I have not had any luck. The only information I have is that most (all?) of the oxides are alkalis and that colloidal silica is more alkaline than the others.
What I have seen so far has not been encouraging though. These polishes were developed for faceting and may work better in that application, but I’m not a faceter—for cabbing, I have not been too impressed. They will polish, but I don’t think they’re any better than the non-colloidal version.
Colloidal polishes of diamond, alumina, silica, cerium, tin, and chrome are available from: Rick Ford at mAji, PO Box 42Beavercreek Oregon 97004-042(503) 632-3653.
Aluminum Oxide
Myers 0.micron Rapid Polish ( P.O. Box 646, Keller, Texas 7624(817)379-5662) gets my vote as the best jade polish I have tried yet. I wrote an article in the June 199Rock and Gem magazine. (Rock and Gem can be reached at (805) 644-382if you are interested in back issues.) There is something about its structure that controls “orange peel”—the pitting resulting from some attempts to polish jade and other difficult stones—better than other polishes.
There are several other suppliers of aluminum oxide polishing compounds and I think if you compare equal particle sizes they are all about equal in their results—but I have not tried all of them. I find as time goes on I am using aluminum oxides oftener and the old standbys less. Again technique plays a large part in this. I normally mix it thin and apply it with a spray bottle, then polish until the stone pulls. I have tried thick pastes applied with a brush and mixtures of water and vinegar and found very little difference in the polish; so use whatever technique works for you.
Diamond Compound
For difficult stones, this has been many cutters’ polish of choice for a long time, but I am not one of them. I think the extender fluid hides the surface too much and it takes too long to get the polish I want. However, I know others use it and like it.
Diamond Polishing Belts
There are several manufacturers of diamond polishing belts and wheels and all do an excellent job on agate. If you do mostly agate I think the convenience is hard to beat. But with the harder-to-polish stones I always seem to do better with one of the other compounds.
Get All your Prep-Work out of the Way
Prior to starting a buffing procedure and re-coating your hardwood floor, it is important to get the floor ready for buffing. The initial phase of getting the floor ready necessitates figuring out what sort of finish and coatings are already on the floor.
Step 2: Use the floor buffer
Mount the screens and buffing pad on the buffer. The least demanding approach to achieve this is to put the buffing pad on the buffer, and after that mount the screen on the base of the buffing pad.
You should also have a decently ventilated area to work in and use gentle fans if you can, or even better, use dust collectors.
Step 3: Use Your Hands When Necessary
The angles close to the walls should be roughened using your hands, because normally floor buffers are quite massive, making it impossible to reach such angles without causing any harm.
A drywall sanding pad together with a 150 grit screen functions admirably for such places. Use a 2-inch masking tape to tape-off the baseboards before you begin so as not to scratch them.
Alternatively use a smaller floor sander (power hand sander).
Step 4: Get rid of ALL the dust
When the whole floor finish has been scraped off, vacuum the room once more to get rid of every speck of dust. Also vacuum the window ledges, walls and baseboards, then utilize a clean, moist fabric to wipe off the rest of the dust and leave the floor to dry completely.
Car Wash Tips to Care for the Paint
Dishwashing detergent contains a higher concentration of salt and strong chemicals that are harmful to the paint, rubbers, and plastic trim in the long term.
As for washing detergent Bowden says the best car wash products are those with formulations that are pH balanced to be gentle on the paint, don’t contain strong chemicals, with a layer of lubrication and good soapsuds to keep grime suspended and away from scratching the paint. For him, a good quality detergent serves a dual purpose in reducing the damage from the elements and adding a layer of protection to the paint surface.
When asked how often should you wash your car, and can you wash your car too much with any risk of damaging it? Bowden assures that as long as the proper preparations are taken beforehand and the correct steps are followed, there really shouldn’t be any risk of damaging the paint from multiple washes.
Snow foam should be left to sit for three to four minutes to break down any grime that can scratch the paint surface during the wash.
Proper car washing techniques
Besides getting a proper microfibre wash pad or mitt, and a good quality car wash detergent, Bowden recommends having two buckets ready, one with fresh ‘soft’ water for rinsing, and another for the detergent mix. If your buckets permit, it is good to fit them with a grit guard to safely trap any dirt particles and grime that gets washed off the car, and prevents it from mixing with the washing liquids and being splashed back on the car.
Every wash should start with a thorough rinse, although for more fastidious enthusiasts, Bowden says they can start off a wash with a pre-washing using a pH balanced ‘snow foam’ formulation, such as their Snow Job. The snow foam is sprayed over the car and left to sit for three to four minutes to breakdown any grime that can scratch the paint surface during the wash, before being rinsed off.
With any loose dirt and soil washed off the body, the car wash detergent can now be applied with a microfibre wash mitt or pad starting from top to bottom (cleanest to dirtiest parts of the car) to ensure any dirt left behind doesn’t get moved onto the cleaner parts of the car during the washing process.
Though chamois is effective at soaking up water, scratches can occur when it gets dragged over sections of grime that were missed in the process of washing. “Avoid washing the car with circular motions as this may leave swirl marks if the dirt isn’t completely rinsed off. Instead run your wash mitt or towel along the body in a lateral direction to wipe away the remaining dirt,” says Bowden.
Bowden also advises using an electric blower to remove any pockets of water in hard to reach nooks and crannies, such as the wing mirrors housings, may contain water that could allow rust to form. Also after a wash Bowden recommends taking the car for a short drive to draw out any remaining pockets of water.
An electric blower can be used to remove any pockets of water in hard to reach nooks and crannies.
How to wax a car
Once the paint surface has been thoroughly cleaned and prepared, Bowden recommends giving it a coating with a quality carnauba wax. These sort of waxes are one of the best car wax around as it provide a more naturally based paint protection that is ideal in the harsh Australian environment, as well as adding a wonderful glowing shine. In order to work the wax into the paint, the car’s surface must be kept cool and out of the sun during the whole process.
The wax should be applied to a panel at a time. Start by smothering the wax completely over an applicator pad before lightly applying it on the body in circular motions. Once spread over the whole body, and left to dry for around a minute, it will form a light dry haze over the paint surface.
Wax is best applied with an applicator pad in circular motions.
There should be no wax residue remaining once buffing is complete, leaving a good shine to the paintwork.
Power Buffing
When the surface becomes dull, Buffing can be done to remove a thin layer of paint from the surface of your, car exposing a fresher layer of paint from beneath. This makes the surface shiny again. Buffing, in fact, will help to restore the clear coat for cars and will help you reinstate the original luster and thus improves the overall appearance of your car.
Apart from the fact that buffing will make your car look all new again, there are further advantages like it will give a long lasting finish to the car, and it will help to remove minor blemishes and scratches if they are not deep. Buffing of your cars should be done every to months for yielding better results.
Power buffing
Power buffers can be used to buff your cars to get that glossy finish. Assemble the power buffer by putting a buffing pad on the power buffer. The cloth should be designated for buffing, and ideally, the pad should be of five to six inches diameter in size. Apply the buffing compound to the pad. The buffing compound will act as a lubricant and will prevent the foam of the pad and the paint of your car from damage.
Apply and smear compound
Apply the buffing compound onto the surface of the surface of the panel and check carefully whether the complete area is covered. Choose one area at a time to avoid missing any area to get an even finish. Smear the compound using the buffing pad. Place the buffing pad in such a way that you maintain complete contact with the paint.
Turn on the buffer
Switch on the buffer and move it from side to side. Sweep it over the surface to cover the whole panel. Work using moderate pressure over the whole surface of your car. : Wipe down gently using a microfiber cloth.
Repeat the step if you are not happy with the obtained finish. Remember, if your work on a particular area for long using power buffer, it can result in overheating and subsequent damage to paint and clear coat in that area. Always keep the polisher in motion while it is turned on.
The high-speed buffer can be used to eliminate the blemishes and scratches completely, and this also brings in great shine. But remember, improper usage of high-speed buffers will affect the appearance to a great extent, and it will leave scratches and swirls on the surface of your car.
Random orbital buffers can be used in case you require a greater finish with much lesser effort. But it might not last for long.
Polishing or rubbing compounds are used to add sheen to the surface and to have an even coloring. It enhances the glow and adds depth and clarity to the finish. You can rub the polishing compound lightly using a wet microfiber cloth and remove it using another piece of microfiber cloth.
Wax can also be applied over the polishing compound to protect the clear coat from the contaminant and ultraviolet rays. Be careful when choosing the wax applicant as some of them cannot be applied with high speed which can damage your paint.
Use the right combination of buffing compound, buffing pad and speed of the power buffer to get the best results out of buffing. Inspect your job at regular intervals to spot any blemishes on the surface of your car or whether an area is missed out.
By following these instructions, you will find it very simple to do buffing. Get help from experts while selecting the buffers, polishing agents and waxing agents for your cars. It’s always good to get guidance from an expert about which would be suitable for your car model.
The power buffer should always be held near to your shoulder and you must avoid using high speeds and high pressure when buffing. If you are a novice, manual buffing is not advised at all; you can choose manual buffing when money is a problem.
DIY solutions
You can make even greater savings by painting the boat yourself (see our Boat painting guide), which need not be a time-consuming process if you are well organised. Unless you already have considerable experience of using spray-painting equipment, don’t be tempted by this route – it’s a skill that’s more difficult than an experienced operator makes it appear.
However, spray painting is not the only way to achieve a great finish. An excellent result can also be achieved by two people working in a team, with one applying the paint using a four inch roller,and the other using the most gentle of stokes with the tip of a wide paint brush to lay the paint off with vertical strokes. It should be possible to apply a coat to each side of a 30ft boat in around 60-7minutes using this method. Once the paint has hardened for a few days, a few hours of polishing with a machine can bring the paint to a finish almost as good as a professional respray, without highlighting as many imperfections in the smoothness of the hull as a respray.
Get verified.
No Flaming, Trolling, Arguing, or Insulting. Proper and mature conduct is essential to /r/AutoDetailing. Please remain respectful of others. Repeat offenders will be banned.
No Meme Posts. Memes are of low quality and low effort. Please do not post them here.
No Auto Repair/Bodywork Questions. This subreddit is for Auto Detailing, not Auto Repair. Please do not post questions on bodyshop work or mechanical work with vehicles.
TESTING
A ferrous oxide abrasive material consisting of coarse grains of ferrous or iron oxide that is used for grinding metal before polishing. Finer grains are called rouge.
Lightweight, glassy volcanic rock that is crushed into a powder for use in jewelry work for producing non-polished finishes on metal. It should always be used with water for lubrication, and should also be rinsed frequently (for jewelry applications), for woodworking, paraffin oil can be used for lubrication.
Compound Confusion
One of the difficulties in using and understanding rouge or abrasive compounds is that each manufacturer uses his own recipe to make the finished material. Most metal smiths also have basic knowledge of some of the terms used in lapidary work. Polishing finished stones is as difficult as polishing a finished piece of jewelry. Aluminum oxide is a material that is regularly used in lapidary polishing as well as metal polish.
Tripoli Compound
Tripoli in compound form is red/brown in color and is used to remove light scratches, imperfections, and oxidation on non-ferrous materials such as wood, aluminum, brass, copper and die cast metal. Medium cutting action. It is used as an abrasive for preparing jewelry work for polishing. The powdered stone is usually mixed with a binder and molded into cakes for easy application to buffing wheels. The most popular general compound for cutting down and buffing base metals. Gives a smooth, satin finish to copper, aluminum, pewter, gold and even hard plastic surfaces. Use Tripoli first to remove scratches and pits then follow with rouge for high luster. This compound is water based for easy cleaning in ultrasonic. Use with yellow buffs. Used for fast cutting action and some degree of color on all metals.
Cerium-R Oxide
On a telephone conversation with Matchless Metal Company a large supplier of abrasive compounds, they indicated the their chrome oxide was less than micron. This is unverified information.
Cratex Abrasives
Cratex is a tough, resilient, rubberized abrasive that utilizes silicon carbide as the abrasive grain in a standard bond of premium grade, oil-resistant chemical rubber.
This product contains ceramic particles mixed in a rubber carrier.
Soft, flexible rubber wheels compounded with pumice abrasive.
Blaze incorporates a coarse (100 grit) silicon carbide abrasive with a silicone rubber bond.
A couple of key tips from this video
Be sure to wet the white towel as well as the marble polishing powder.
Colored Wax
These are variations of synthetic car wax, and serve a slightly different purpose than just protection. Colored waxes come in color variations to match your car and keep its color looking rich and helps your car maintain its protective shine.
Car Waxing Techniques
When it comes to caring for your car waxing is an easy and efficient way to keep it looking good and to protect it from debris, dirt, and grime. There are several different methods to waxing however and it is beneficial to learn about each type so that you can choose what method is best for you and your car. Both hand waxing and electric buffing have benefits and drawbacks and an in depth look at both is the best way to decide what is right for you.
Hand Waxing
Hand waxing is any application of waxing or a waxing product with nothing more than your hand and an applicator or a sponge. When it comes to waxing many prefer hand buffing to electric buffers for a few different reasons. For starters, older cars that have not been painted in a while are more likely to have their paint peeled or buffed away by high speed buffers. Hand waxing allows the user to apply the exact amount of pressure needed and to vary that pressure dependent on what the car needs in each particular are.
This means overall that hand buffing offers far more control than an electric buffer offers making it the preference for many. Another reason that people prefer hand buffing is that you can get a thinner layer of wax without buffing it all away and needing to start over. The third reason many prefer hand waxing over electric waxing is that you do have more control and you can give your car the attention that it needs. Hand waxing on the downside does take far longer and can be tiring and may not be able to remove large scuffs.
How to save up to 86%? Here is little trick.
You must visit the page of sales. Here is the link. If you don’t care about which brand is better, then you can choose the buffing compound by the price and buy from the one who will offer the greatest discount.
Final Word
First of all thanks for reading my article to the end! I hope you find my reviews listed here useful and that it allows you to make a proper comparison of what is best to fit your needs and budget. Don’t be afraid to try more than one product if your first pick doesn’t do the trick.
Most important, have fun and choose your buffing compound wisely! Good luck!
So, TOP3 of buffing compound
- №1 — Pack of 3 – 8″ 100% Wool Hook & Loop Grip Buffing Pad for Compound Cutting & Polishing
- №2 — Fontic 11pcs 3″/80mm Compound Drill Buffing Sponge Pads Kit for Car Sanding
- №3 — Drixet Jeweler’s Rouge “White” Polishing/Buffing Compound – For All Types of Martial
Questions? Leave a comment below!
Chatting about buffing compound is my passion! Leave me a question in the comments, I answer each and every one and would love to get to know you better!
