Scholl Concepts...My experiences so far

SpecC asked about the Scholl Concepts polishes in this thread, so I have added a post from our local forum regarding the products here for anyone who is interested. I am sure the guys like Ken, JL and Ketil will add their comments as well :thumb:


Polishes


First up we have the S03+ compound...



Cut : 5 out of 6
Gloss : 3 out of 6
Grit : P1500


I have found this compound to offer similar cut to both the 3M FCP (Fast Cut Plus), as well as the Meguiars M105. The really nice part about the S03+ is the lack of dust compared to the FCP for example, as well as the slightly more lubricated formula which makes working with it a bit easier. In term of the finish the S03+ is similar to both the FCP and M105, delivering good gloss levels when used with foam pads. I haven't yet needed to resort to using the PFW (Purple Foamed Wool) or Scholl SOFTouch Topwool pads with the S03+, but will report back when/if I finally do :thumb:



Next in the line up we have the S17 1 Step Nano Compound...



Cut : 4 out of 6
Gloss : 4 out of 6
Grit : P2000


The S17 compares best to the Menzerna SIP (PO85 RD3.02), offering excellent correction on both conventional clear coats, as well as the newer, tougher, 'cerami-clear' coatings. SIP has long been one of my favourite polishes, a well lubed polish with excellent correction and gloss levels, make it a no brainer. One of the biggest drawbacks (IMO) to the Menzerna polishes have been the longer than average work times. I often found myself mid correction, wishing for a product that offered the same excellent correction and gloss levels, but that just worked faster. The S17 has repeatedly proven to me to be the product I have been waiting for!

In terms of cut the S17 has proven to be slightly superior to SIP, whilst still maintaining an LSP ready finish that for the most part doesn't require further refinement. One of the nicer features of the S17 is it's versatility when combined with different pads. Used with foamed wool pads it can correct serious paint defects, and at the same time when coupled with a soft finishing pad, can deliver a rich, glossy finish.

As far as usability goes, with the S17 there is a slight learning curve, or rather adjustment to technique, that is required. Initially coming from the Menzerna range, I found myself working the product too long which can leads to mild hologramming even with foam pads. Having spent some time playing with the product and adapting my techniques, I have found it really simple to get the best of both worlds out of this polish (excellent correction and superb gloss).

Some pics of the S17 in action can be found in the BMW 335i thread I posted a few weeks back. The car was corrected in a single stage using S17 on a yellow 3M polishing pad. Below are some of the pics highlighting the S17's abilities

Gloss levels that easily match Menz 106FA even on darker colours


Completely hologram and swirl free


Stunning finish delivered with little fuss



Let me put it this way, If I was forced to pick only 1 polish out of my entire collection, the S17 would be it!


And finally, the S30 Nano Compound...



Cut : 2 out of 6
Gloss : 6 out of 6
Grit : P2500


To me the S30 compares closest to Menzerna 106FA in terms of cut and final gloss. Considering this is essentially a finishing polish, I found it strange that Scholl recommends you use it on a slightly firmer pad. I haven't played with the S30 all that much, but from my short time with it I have come to realize that pad selection plays an important role in getting the most out of this product. The softer 3M pads didn't get along too well with the S30, but the firmer SC ones, as well as the white LC pads, seemed to gel nicely delivering a superb, crisp finish. Overall a worthy competitor to the Menz 106FA once you find the right combination of pad and technique.




Pads

Scholl Concepts has a wide range of pads, all of which should be locally available shortly. Scholl have engineered their range of polishes and pads to allow for maximum flexibility, as pointed out by this easy to use Polish & Pad Circle

As you can see, by varying your choice of pad, the same polish can fulfill many different roles. The S17 as I mentioned above is a prime example:

When combined with the SOFTouch Topwool pad the S17 can act as an incredibly abrasive compound and yet, when used in conjunction with a softer finishing pad, can deliver LSP ready finishes even on darker colours.

Right then, let's look at the actual pads:


SOFTouch Topwool Polishing Pad



This pad is very similar to the Lake Country Purple Foamed Wool pads with one main difference. Whereas the PFW pads have only a soft velcro backing, the Scholl pad has a stiffer sandwich type foam built into the back of it. By combining the cutting power of a foamed wool pad with the flexibility of a regular foam pad, the Topwool pad offers the best of both worlds.


Foam Pads

Scholl has a wide range of foam pads from cutting pads, right the way down to soft finishing foams.

One of the features I like most about the Scholl pads is the recessed velcro backing as seen on the pics below, and explained in more detail here. With most of your conventional pads like the Lake Country type, the velcro backing extends all the way to the edges of the pad. One slip or pass too close to trim or another panel could see the sharp velcro edges slicing straight through the paint, or damaging the trim.

By incorporating a recessed velcro backing, you can work in confidence knowing that should the edges of your pad come into contact with either trim or other body panels, you are unlikely to inflict any serious damage. This is one of the primary reasons I moved away from the LC range of pads and switched over to the 3M range.

The Scholl foam pads come in 3 varieties namely:

Blue Cutting pad


Orange Polishing pad


And black waffle Finishing pad



I have yet to try out a full sized blue cutting pad, but in spot pad form it is potent and well on par with the green 3M compounding pad. The orange polishing pad is significantly stiffer than the yellow 3M polishing pad, but correction wise appears to fall somewhere between a LC white and LC orange pad. The black waffle Finishing pad is also slightly stiffer than the 3M blue Ultrafina pad, but still soft enough to deliver a superb final finish.

Overall the pads have held up well and complement the polishes really well. If you are currently a LC fan, you will find the Scholl range to offer a superb range of cutting abilities, along with a safer design that is easier to control over curvy surfaces due to their slimmer profile.

 

I've heard great things about these products. I can't wait to try them.

 

So many polishes I would love to try except I dont have a rotary...just a DA.

 

Wait so what is the Black pad for?

 

Where can these be ordered from?

 

FANTASTIC review... one of the best

I need to play with Scholl polishes again

 

really awesome review here. kinda makes me want to hold off on getting m105/205 and look into getting some scholl stuff to try out, primarily the S03 and S17...oh and some of their pads of course. can these be had by any US distributors yet?

 

Get it from Scandic Shine (pektel)... GREAT guy and GREAt customer service!

 

thats what i was thinking but i cant read anything on his site :doh:! i see he has bilberry wheel cleaner and some other nice goodies as well. i can only imagine what shipping would be from him...im already dreading ordering more autoglym custom wheel cleaner from ken....

 

Just shoot him a PM... he'll translate for you...

JL was telling me about a google tool that translates foreign language websites..

 

Great review. S03+ is my favorite cutting polish by far.

 

I am very interested in their foam pads and S30/S17 polishes. S17 seems very promising. I think I have read that you've used PO203S before. How would you compare it to S17? If it is similar but with shorter working time, I'd be all over it!

I've been searching for a reasonably priced wool pad too. The Scholl wool pads look like they would be my favorite so far.

Thanks for the review an insight on these products, Carn!

 

Now if only Scholl would pick up a distributor in North America...

 

This.

 

Thank you!

but pirex is the one you seek.

Use google web page translator to translate his entire site to English. works awesome.

 

For those of you whom are members - my opinions on the Scholl Concepts here - Scholl Concepts polishes and pads

Those not, and not really wanting to join yet another forum, I'll post it up once I've read through it to see if it needs any adjustments to be more relevant to this site.
Don't think it does, but I'll check first, and throw it up later.

 

Damon (and tdm), I know you were interested to see what I thought of the "other bits" that I was gong to include in this review, since this machine features heavily on their site, but....I decided to separate the two.

Suffice it to say, their pads (except the wool one) are VERY mediocre. It pains me to say so, but I couldn't get them to do what I needed, consistently.
As you'll have seen from the Civic here - http://www.detailingbliss.com/forum/show-shine/11555-putting-radiant-shine-new-civic-once.htm - I used to fantastic effect their S17 polish and wool pad, but no matter what polish I used with their Orange and Black Waffle pads, I couldn't get the refinement or cut I expected to.
On a Porsche, I used the Orange with their S30 on the roof - worked fairly well - but as soon as it was transferred to the rear 3/4's and along the shoulder area of the doors, the combo failed to do anything, bar leave signs of itself in the paint!
Switching to 3M UF and a 3M waffle pad - a perfect result ensued.

Similar story with their blue pad - within a couple of sets, the pad looked like it was 6 months old, and only fit for the bin, and that was after use on flat panels only.

So, ready to junk the whole lot and forget about it, on Thursday I was drafted in to help get a newish Merc started, and having just received my big bundle of pads from Ben (Rubbishboy), I cracked open the S17 with the Turquoise pad (Liquid Shine system), and aside from the multitude of deep RiDS, the combo was superb.
Again, like the wool and S17 combo used on the Civic, under natural daylight indoors, it looks like a brilliant 1-step process, which should save time for those owners that only want to pay the cost of a part correction detail.

Therefore, the position I find myself in now, is one where I think the polish(es) are good, but the foam choice for their pads is well......dire. The wool pad, for me, is the star of their offerings, and I would have absolutely no hesitation in recommending it and pulling it out and using it myself, but those foam pads will be getting binned sharpish.
I was looking forward to testing the Spider pad, but with no A15 polish (a polish & wax/sealant product) to use with it, I couldn't validate how effective it was - again, thinking this could be the perfect 1-step polish for part corrections, and maybe even foregoing the need for an LSP.

The one or two downsides to S17, is/are that it dusts (not as badly as 3M FC+, but enough to be a detraction) from within the pad, not on the paintwork, and with their own pads especially, it will clump up severely - as I found when using the Edge pad brush, and noticed with another water-based polish I've used extensively.
Again with the pads, they seem to hold water, after rinsing/washing out, more than any other, which often results in terrible sling until the heat generated has dried them out - and S17 isn't the easiest of polishes to remove when slung!

All in all, I would, and still will use S17, but generally more often with their wool pad, but not exclusively.
Their foam pads however, I'll leave for others to strain their patience with, but will get some A15 to see how good a combo it and their Spider pad make. So I've not written off every foam pad they do.......at least not just yet.

Such a shame and a pity I couldn't be positive or even enthusiastic about Scholl's foam pads, but I just didn't get them - point in case, helping Ronnie with his Range Rover, where I broke out the S30 with the Orange pad, and it done diddly squat - still a bloody hologramed door
Switching to the waffle pad - bingo! But even then, I had to use more pressure than I was comfortable with.
That scenario, for me, sums up the frustrations I had at trying to make head or tail of the pads with their own polishes, and also what annoyed me, because I wanted them to work.

Try the polishes - they can and do work, but even though I've put you off them, try one or two of the pads yourself. Maybe it's just me - a bad workman blames his tools, as the saying goes.

 

If you want to try Scholl Concepts go for S3, S13 and S30. Don´t care for the pads since they are, IMO, not worth the money. Simple non reticulated foam.

S17 is a great polish, it will cut out some seriuos defects with a foamed wool but yet finish out very nice with a finishing pad. Shorter working time then Menzerna, is sometimes a good thing but I kind of like the polishes for a while.

This car was polished with S17

http://www.detailingbliss.com/forum/f47/scholl-concepts-vs-pearl-white-lexus-7129.html