Difference Btwn polish,cleaner ,swirl remover

[distrbd]

As I'm getting more and more involved in detailing ,some of these stuff I'm buying and using is getting me more and more confused.
Can some one please explain the difference between a polish (with no abrasive) ,and a paint cleaner,cleaner wax.
To some one like me a polish that has no abrasive in it is the same as a paint cleaner like Mg's DEEP CRYSTAL ,or cleaner wax is a paint cleaner with some carneuba,how about a swirl remover with only fillers, is that any different from a paint cleaner?
I'm sorry but the labels describing each of these product look the same to a newbie.
Any help clearing this up would be appreciated.
:thanks:thanks

 

[Beemerboy]

As I'm getting more and more involved in detailing ,some of these stuff I'm buying and using is getting me more and more confused.
Can some one please explain the difference between a polish (with no abrasive) ,and a paint cleaner,cleaner wax.
To some one like me a polish that has no abrasive in it is the same as a paint cleaner like Mg's DEEP CRYSTAL ,or cleaner wax is a paint cleaner with some carneuba,how about a swirl remover with only fillers, is that any different from a paint cleaner?
I'm sorry but the labels describing each of these product look the same to a newbie.
Any help clearing this up would be appreciated.
:thanks:thanks

labeling can be very deceptive, a chemical based polish and a paint cleaner are the same thing, loosely defined, a cleaner wax is the same but with a carnauba added so that the average person that wants a one step AIO its a good choice...swirl removers are compounds that have abrasives for the most part, labeling again and mfgers have a lot to do with this, some are very abrasive, heavy compounds, and others are light cut polishes...Again Mfgers are the ones that label this and IMO can be very misleading to the average person.

Fillers are are something that you see in glazes, LSP or AIO type products, they are designed to hide the minor imperfections in the finish. Commonly used on used car lots to hide the swirls in the paint, most if not all are temporary...all said this is a very loose guide line of what you asked...its like Pandora's box the deeper you go the more that comes up

 

[distrbd]

Thank you Beemer B ,Talking about labels,I have a 3M swirl remover which I have not yet used ,the label on the back keeps referring to the product as "glaze" with fillers!so I'm saying,swirl remover ,?glaze,?polish? which one is it LOL.
Thanks again for the explanation.

 

[Beemerboy]

Thank you Beemer B ,Talking about labels,I have a 3M swirl remover which I have not yet used ,the label on the back keeps referring to the product as "glaze" with fillers!so I'm saying,swirl remover ,?glaze,?polish? which one is it LOL.
Thanks again for the explanation.

I started a thread about this not long ago..to me a glaze is something that comes between polish and the LSP, its not a SWR...again I go back to Mfgers and what this industry has become, there is no truth in labeling or regulations of standards....With you 3M SWR its a light cut compound designed to cut the clear, it has some fillers meaning that it will help hide some of the swirls, before I started posting here and met up with Steve @ PB I used a lot of 3m good stuff but in some cases, hard to work with and has fillers...bottom line with what you have use it as a SWR remover understand that its going it hide some of the swirls and enjoy it

 

[Troy@Protekt]

I really wish it wasn't so confusing. It's common for manufacturers to call most anything you apply to the paint a "polish" and technically they are not wrong. Any liquid agent whether it's abrasive or not has some polishing ability simply because of the process of being rubbed over the surface in some way.

Generally a Pre-wax cleaner is going to be a non-abrasive polish meant to prep the paint for an LSP.

A polish may or may not have abrasives depending on the degree of polishing it was designed to achieve.

A glaze generally is considered a polish with fillers meant to hide imperfections and maximize gloss.

The term "swirl remover" has come to be used in place of compound or polish now. Swirl removers in general are meant to correct paint in varying degrees of abrasives. Much like wet-sand paper has different grits for paint correction so does swirl removing systems.

I'm not knocking swirl remover systems but I am more apt to stick with one swirl remover and vary the pad, speed and pressure to achieve the results I want.

 

[Poorboy]

I really wish it wasn't so confusing. It's common for manufacturers to call most anything you apply to the paint a "polish" and technically they are not wrong. Any liquid agent whether it's abrasive or not has some polishing ability simply because of the process of being rubbed over the surface in some way.

Generally a Pre-wax cleaner is going to be a non-abrasive polish meant to prep the paint for an LSP.

A polish may or may not have abrasives depending on the degree of polishing it was designed to achieve.

A glaze generally is considered a polish with fillers meant to hide imperfections and maximize gloss.

The term "swirl remover" has come to be used in place of compound or polish now. Swirl removers in general are meant to correct paint in varying degrees of abrasives. Much like wet-sand paper has different grits for paint correction so does swirl removing systems.

I'm not knocking swirl remover systems but I am more apt to stick with one swirl remover and vary the pad, speed and pressure to achieve the results I want.

this is a pretty good answer to your question ..

polish= anything that cleans and shines..this could be pad dependant (or non-abrasive) meaning with different pads it could also repair

cleaner= polish that cleans but doesn't really repair

Swirl remover= polish that repairs and also includes the word "compound" which is a harsh or heavy duty repair.

glaze= cleans, shines, and fills

 

[distrbd]

Thank you all for your replies.
I know experience plays a key role in choosing the right product for the right application, you can't just relay on the labels .
Your answers helped me and probably a lot of others.