SOFTSPUN Microfiber Reusable Square Polishing Pad, 6 Pieces Set, (Yellow) Multipurpose. Ultra-Soft Applicator Pads with Finger Band Perfect…

Good product, better if it’s in big size

Softspun is one of the best Indian microfibre brands and I say that as a microfibre and car detailing addict that knows the differences between good and bad microfibre and has in his collection many microfibre brands, both Indian and foreign. When you buy Softspun, you buy a good product; there’s no doubting or second guessing yourself.

Other great Indian brands are Posh and Poshlyf. Those two brands are slightly better quality than Softspun but also more expensive. You also have Maxoshine which is equal with Softspun and then Sobby which I would rank just below. Softspun is the sweet spot of price and quality among all those options. I will leave out other good brands such as ShineXPro and Wavex because of their limited and overpriced range of products; I can’t recommend them while we have all those other superb options I mentioned.

About these polishing pads; they’re the usual high quality from softspun. They have these in both a rectangle and circle shape; I personally prefer the rectangle as it’s better for getting into corners/straight grooves/ridges/other tight spots.

I bought a pack of 6 pads more than a year ago, thinking I’d be able to use/destroy all of them during the endless hand polishing/compounding/waxing/dressing I do on my own, family’s and friends’ cars. Well guess what; I’ve not been able to kill even the first pad from the pack; it has been through the heaviest duty use you can imagine and it’s still nearly the same shape, thickness, softness and effectiveness as new; countless polishing sessions and machine washes and its still going strong.

I recently forced myself to take a second new pad for the paintwork and retired the older one to tyre dressing duty; it is great at that job too; the strap for your hand and the thickness of the pad make sure you don’t get sticky tyre gel on your hands and fingers; it spreads and massages the tyre gel perfectly into all the grooves and tight spots. Massage the whole tyre sidewall in tight circular motions instead of just going round and round the tyre in the usual wiping motion; this will give you perfect results.

As for paint compounding/polishing/waxing; this is my main purpose for these pads; it is the perfect partner for the job and a huge improvement over using those small foam sponges; microfibre has more bite/cut than soft foam and you get more paint correction for your effort. These pads help distribute the pressure from your hand evenly and let you do a lot more work quicker and with better results; because you can use your entire hand/palm to polish. The foam sponges make your hands tired very quickly and also focus all the pressure under your fingertips due to the inconvenient way you have to hold it.

My tips for the best results with these pads and for taking care of all your microfibre products and keeping them in good condition:

1) Always wash new microfibre before using it for the first time. Only water and no detergent. There’s usually lint/dye/residue left over from the manufacturing process and you’ll see how much the water changes colour. Always buy microfibre in light and bright colours; helps you see when it’s getting dirty or when there’s tiny rocks/dirt stuck in the fibres, which could scratch the paint.

2) Microfiber absorbs and drinks whatever product you put on it; this is not the case with soft foam which is better at keeping polish/wax on the surface. So you’ll have to first prepare the pad by spreading 4-5 drops of your product all over the pad surface with your fingers; and then take another 3-4 drops for the actual paint correction; the aim here is to get the pad surface fully coated and damp, with no dry spots. You can also dip the pad in water and then squeeze it as dry as you can before you put your product on it; we just want the pad damp and not dry; microfibre just works better that way.

3) As you work on the car, the microfibres on the pad will get blocked and clogged with all the used polish and dirt coming off your paint. After finishing each panel, for example one door or the hood, scrub the pad thoroughly with another clean dry microfibre cloth or use a toothbrush. Scrub in all directions. This will clean up the pad fibres before you start the next panel and is a very important step; if you skip it, the later panels will not look as good as the first panel. You can also just change to a new clean pad after every two panels and then wash/clean them all together later.

4) Do not wash pads/towels used for polishing/waxing with your other washing/drying/cleaning towels. The polish will coat your other towels and make them less soft/effective.

5) Do not wash towels used for tyres/wheels with those used for the paint/body/interior. The metal and brake dust particles will contaminate your other clean paint/interior towels and cause scratches in the paint.

6) Microfiber is very easy to clean. Use detergent only for dirty/stained microfibre or if you used waxes/polishes/sealants. Use only liquid detergent (any laundry detergent without added fabric softener will work fine and be cheaper but I will still recommend the Wavex microfibre liquid detergent; a very good Indian product, well priced and cost effective). Never use powdered detergent and never use fabric softeners. It’s best for your microfibre to use detergent as less as possible and mostly just wash in cool/warm/hot water. Never mix/wash microfibre with any other clothes; always keep it separate from all other fabrics.

7) If you feel your microfibres have lost some of their softness and absorbency, then soak/wash them by hand in a bucket or in the machine with hot water and 1-2 teacups (depending on how many microfibres you’re washing) of any cheap white vinegar; no detergent; do a final rinse to remove the vinegar; it’s a great way to remove old buildup from your microfibre and make it soft and absorbent again.

8) Always try to wash/clean your pads/towels as soon as possible; if you can’t, then atleast leave them soaking in a bucket with liquid detergent until you have time to wash; the aim is to not allow any wax/polish/dirt to dry/harden into the microfibre; more difficult to clean when that happens.

9) To wash pads/towels used for polish/wax, soak them in a hot water bucket with liquid detergent and repeatedly squeeze/scrub/rub them thoroughly against each other with your hands or use a toothbrush. Your hands and the microfibre should be underwater in the detergent while scrubbing/cleaning so make sure the water is not too hot for your hands. But you need heat to break up and melt the polish/wax off the fibres so make it as hot as you can. Once you’re satisfied with your scrubbing, squeeze out the pads/towels and then rinse them well in another bucket of hot or cool water; you can even toss it in the washing machine for the final rinse after the first hot water scrubbing you did. Or you could just do the whole wash in the machine with hot water but it will not clean as well as doing it manually yourself.

10) Never dry your washed microfibre in direct sunlight or at high temperatures in the washing machine dryer. Do not iron. Do not wash in water hotter than 60°C (that’s the temperature in most home water heaters). Extreme heat will destroy microfibre.

In summary, these pads are too good to not have in your car care kit and there are very few comparable options available on Amazon India. Paint, wheels, tyres, interior; there are endless uses for them in your car care routine. I wish these were available in multicolour packs; these pads come in so many nice colours and you could assign jobs to each colour; yes, I think I should contact Softspun to give them this suggestion; multicolour packs would be great.

Sorry for the long read but I’ve been doing this since years and love to share my learning/experiences with those who might be looking for it. You can also see my profile for reviews of other great detailing products on Amazon. Best of luck and happy detailing.

Good one

I had ordered a purple pack but I was sent. a blue pack.
Also internally the packet was ripped and all the pads were scattered.
The quality is just ok.
I was expecting better stuff from softspun