Awesome tutorials using the new 3M ROP and associated liquids! I just purchased the 3MROP15 (34100) machine however, I'm a bit confused as to which size pad selection (5in-125mm or 6in-150mm) will truly optimize the performance when compounding and polishing fresh clear coats, which is 99% of my small business. The 15mm instruction manual calls for 6in-150mm size pads for the 5in-125mm back-up pad and yet I've seen the 5in-125mm pads being used on the 15mm polisher as well. My shop's inventory is either 6in-150mm or 3in-76mm pads. I'm willing to swap over to 5in-125mm pads if you tell me that size will deliver the highest quality finish. Many thanks for your expert advise! Mark
The ROP 15 and ROP 21 have been designed to be used with their recommended back-up pad, compound pad, and polish pad sizes only. It’s not recommended to mix and match the 2 different sizes as this can unbalance the machine causing a lack of efficiency in performance, added wear and tear on the components due to higher vibration levels, and excessive wear and tear on the selected pads. We recommend that the ROP 15 machine uses the 5in-125mm back up pads and compound/polish pads, and that the ROP 21 machine uses the 6in-150mm back up pads and compound/polish pads. This will ensure the machine and pads are performing correctly and pads can have a longer lifetime.
@@3MCollision Much obliged for your timely response and sound advice for my ROP 15 machine. I will follow your recommendation and build a new inventory with 5in-125mm pads. I've been a huge fan of 3M products all of my life and really look forward to the seeing the finishing results now that I've switched from the rather messy rotary system over to the Perfect-It ROP system. Greatly appreciate your support! Mark
where & why would you use the 15mm over the 21mm & vice versa?... ive been painting 28 years used rotary & had many great jobs ,not sure if people dont know how to use a rotary maybe ? there have been black show cars that were flawless for many years prior to D/As after a D/A demo i saw just another tool to help us achieve a great finish.. But i like to try things & give things ago and just got a 3M 21mm D/A polisher as the rep said id use it more then the 15mm But they couldnt really convince my on why 1 over the other. thanks for the info
Often choosing between the 15mm tool and the 21mm tool will come down to its intended use. We find for general bodyshop activities, the 15mm tool will be a great choice due to its versatility. The smaller diameter pad and lower oscillation allows easier access to the more awkward areas of the vehicle; door handle recess, wing mirror attachments, and small areas on bumpers. If the intention is for an ‘all over finish’ or a swirl removal stage, then the 21mm tool would be the tool of choice as there is an increase in pad size, so you will cover more area, but also a slight increase in cutting ability too.
@@3MCollision thank you for your response i do repaints & general collision work sounds like the 15mm is also a required tool for smaller & tighter areas i know 3M dont have a smaller 8mm (to my knowledge) like Rupes & many others being a small shop im not sure if a 15mm or 8mm would be better, id imagine swapping the smaller back up pad from the 15mm machine to the other 21mm wouldnt work due to the weight in balance ? or am i wrong, thank you again
We advise for optimal performance a 15mm machine will give the best balance between speed, cut, and finish, especially for freshly applied paints. An 8mm tool would also work, but may take longer to achieve the required finish. It's very much dependent on what it is you are trying to achieve as each paint job can differ. You are correct in the assumption about switching the backup plates from one size to another - this leads to an imbalance with the tool's weight and geometry, which can negatively affect its performance, plus invalidating warranty.
I have done detailing as a side business for like 10 years and i hardly use rotary. in my opinion you can correct paint faster with 15-21, especially with 21, but with the rotary you can destroy paint faster. I know it sounds crazy, but thats how it is. The things you do with 21 1-2 step, you have to do 2-3 steps with the rotary.
Hi there! We're glad to hear that you've been in the trade for a long time. Please note that rotary cuts faster than random orbital, but you are correct, it also means you can destroy the clear as it can burn through edges very quickly. Random orbital has fewer steps than rotary on dark colors, but it cuts slower. Our customers who want speed and a better finish use both. They will compound with rotary for speed and then polish with random orbital for a finer finish. At the end of the day, it's all personal preference for the person doing the polishing.
@@3MCollision Not really when you use 21mm machine with 5" short wool pad and if rotary has 5" wool pad too. You get some speed benefit when you use 10" twisted wool because you can do so large areas and no need to clean the pad after every set, but you have to finish so much more that its usually not worth it.
You didn’t check for swirls when you were done.
Awesome tutorials using the new 3M ROP and associated liquids! I just purchased the 3MROP15 (34100) machine however, I'm a bit confused as to which size pad selection (5in-125mm or 6in-150mm) will truly optimize the performance when compounding and polishing fresh clear coats, which is 99% of my small business. The 15mm instruction manual calls for 6in-150mm size pads for the 5in-125mm back-up pad and yet I've seen the 5in-125mm pads being used on the 15mm polisher as well. My shop's inventory is either 6in-150mm or 3in-76mm pads. I'm willing to swap over to 5in-125mm pads if you tell me that size will deliver the highest quality finish. Many thanks for your expert advise! Mark
The ROP 15 and ROP 21 have been designed to be used with their recommended back-up pad, compound pad, and polish pad sizes only. It’s not recommended to mix and match the 2 different sizes as this can unbalance the machine causing a lack of efficiency in performance, added wear and tear on the components due to higher vibration levels, and excessive wear and tear on the selected pads. We recommend that the ROP 15 machine uses the 5in-125mm back up pads and compound/polish pads, and that the ROP 21 machine uses the 6in-150mm back up pads and compound/polish pads. This will ensure the machine and pads are performing correctly and pads can have a longer lifetime.
@@3MCollision Much obliged for your timely response and sound advice for my ROP 15 machine. I will follow your recommendation and build a new inventory with 5in-125mm pads. I've been a huge fan of 3M products all of my life and really look forward to the seeing the finishing results now that I've switched from the rather messy rotary system over to the Perfect-It ROP system. Greatly appreciate your support! Mark
Glad we could help 👍 Keep up the good work!
where & why would you use the 15mm over the 21mm & vice versa?...
ive been painting 28 years used rotary & had many great jobs ,not sure if people dont know how to use a rotary maybe ? there have been black show cars that were flawless for many years prior to D/As after a D/A demo i saw just another tool to help us achieve a great finish..
But i like to try things & give things ago and just got a 3M 21mm D/A polisher as the rep said id use it more then the 15mm But they couldnt really convince my on why 1 over the other.
thanks for the info
Often choosing between the 15mm tool and the 21mm tool will come down to its intended use. We find for general bodyshop activities, the 15mm tool will be a great choice due to its versatility. The smaller diameter pad and lower oscillation allows easier access to the more awkward areas of the vehicle; door handle recess, wing mirror attachments, and small areas on bumpers. If the intention is for an ‘all over finish’ or a swirl removal stage, then the 21mm tool would be the tool of choice as there is an increase in pad size, so you will cover more area, but also a slight increase in cutting ability too.
@@3MCollision thank you for your response i do repaints & general collision work sounds like the 15mm is also a required tool for smaller & tighter areas i know 3M dont have a smaller 8mm (to my knowledge) like Rupes & many others being a small shop im not sure if a 15mm or 8mm would be better,
id imagine swapping the smaller back up pad from the 15mm machine to the other 21mm wouldnt work due to the weight in balance ? or am i wrong,
thank you again
We advise for optimal performance a 15mm machine will give the best balance between speed, cut, and finish, especially for freshly applied paints. An 8mm tool would also work, but may take longer to achieve the required finish. It's very much dependent on what it is you are trying to achieve as each paint job can differ. You are correct in the assumption about switching the backup plates from one size to another - this leads to an imbalance with the tool's weight and geometry, which can negatively affect its performance, plus invalidating warranty.
I have done detailing as a side business for like 10 years and i hardly use rotary. in my opinion you can correct paint faster with 15-21, especially with 21, but with the rotary you can destroy paint faster. I know it sounds crazy, but thats how it is. The things you do with 21 1-2 step, you have to do 2-3 steps with the rotary.
Hi there! We're glad to hear that you've been in the trade for a long time. Please note that rotary cuts faster than random orbital, but you are correct, it also means you can destroy the clear as it can burn through edges very quickly. Random orbital has fewer steps than rotary on dark colors, but it cuts slower. Our customers who want speed and a better finish use both. They will compound with rotary for speed and then polish with random orbital for a finer finish. At the end of the day, it's all personal preference for the person doing the polishing.
@@3MCollision Not really when you use 21mm machine with 5" short wool pad and if rotary has 5" wool pad too. You get some speed benefit when you use 10" twisted wool because you can do so large areas and no need to clean the pad after every set, but you have to finish so much more that its usually not worth it.