Looking for the best cutting pads for my porter cable

looking for great quality cuttings pads, from the most agressive to polishing, ones that will last more than one car waxing, not fly off, not twist, that will actually get mild scratches and marks out. The LC pads i have dont do the trick. As well if there is another system better than just the veclro holding it in place that would be great. Thanks in advance for the info. __________________

Post in the concours forum and you will get more recommendations (particularly from Anthony).

LC makes alot of the other companies pads. Meguiars makes their own so if you don't like the LC u might want to try theirs. Using a orbital or rotary?

I have had great luck with these on my PC 7424 6" random orbit. http://autopia-carcare.com/sondas.html

I've had good luck with Meguirs, but then again I haven't tried anything else either. The velcro works fine for me, but if you don't like it you can alwasy buy pads with threaded posts for attaching directing to the polisher. It's just less convenient to change pads....

My audi club buddies have had great results (on black cars too) with the Wolfgang pads from autogeek.net. Pretty informative site too.

What LC pads are you using that are not getting the job done. LC makes pads for SEVERAL companies including Sonus, Wolfgang, etc. If you're not using the right pad / backing plate combo you can have issues though. I've not found anything out there of the foam variety that cuts any better than the Yellow LC pads. If you're having issues with the velcro I'd suggest looking into the 7.5' LC pads with a 6' backing plate. they have a recessed velcro cup on the back side that the backing plate sits in preventing it from cutting into the pad and keeping the pad in place better. I detail regularly and throw them in the washing machine with no issues. The nice part is they work on the rotary too so I don't have to have a second set of pads dedicated to the rotary I can use the 7.5' pads for both jobs. I find LC pads the cheapest at Top Of The Line. Andy

i have the orange pad for cutting, white for polishing, yes my backing plate when i put pressure was digging into the cutting pad

Cannot compare with other pads as I never used them, but found Griot's orange pad for polish and red pad for wax to be very good with their orbital.

sounds like u have the wrong size backing plate or are putting too much and uneven pressure on the pad.

Trozen - I have used each of the pads shown in the link below and I like the results. I got the firm backing pad, but there is also a flexable backing pad that you can get. The flexable pad might be a good option for you if you have been cutting into the back of the polishing pads with a firm backing pad. http://www.autogeek.net/vcpad.html

Trozen if the orange pad is the most aggressive pad you have used from LC then your pad selection could be part of your dissatisfaction. I have used all the LC pads and have the least amount of success with the orange pad. Try the yellow cutting pad. Additionally, consider what polish you are using. The abrasiveness and breakdown properties of polish is also going to dictate what type of performance you are getting irrespective of the pad used. For example Mg's Swirl Mark Remover 2.0 (very mild polish) with a yellow cutting pad and an RO is not going to remove deeper swirl marks easily, if at all. At the same time some polishes just do not work well with RO and are more suited for a rotary. A RO has limitations to what it can accomplish, which is why it is relatively save for anyone to use. If you have the skills and you are trying to lessen/take out "scratches" or deep swirl marks then maybe it is time to step up to a rotary. For some marks wet sanding is the only way to get rid of them. probably not the tool to use.

gonna order some yellow pads.....and an orange and what would you recomend for finishing up with to get the best shine? pad wise?

trozenhorse, go to properautocare.com, there are a number of articles written about how to deal with the softer clear coat that most German cars have. I use their Orange pad for compounding and their green pad for polishing. I don't bother using the Porter Cable for applying sealant/wax. I do the final waxing/sealing by hand, uses alot less product. I just finished doing my black 911 with what I recommended above and it turned out beautifully.

thanks for the info....Ted