ZviZZer Thermo Trapez Pad "Ultra Soft" Thermal Foam Pad (Green) 1 piece

Pull out the last bit of gloss without putting in new holograms

What is the ZviZZer Thermo Trapez Pad Ultra Soft? The softest polishing pad in the green grade, made for the finishing step — it removes next to nothing, but brings out the finest high gloss and takes out holograms. Not for deep scratches, not for defect removal and no substitute for a hard cutting pad.

ZviZZer Thermo Trapez Pad Ultra Soft is a trapezoidal polishing pad from ZviZZer made of open-cell thermo foam with a hook-and-loop backing, in the softest green grade. It sits at the end of the polishing chain: where a hard pad cuts out scratches, the Ultra Soft brings out the final gloss and removes fine holograms. The open cell structure holds the polish evenly, and the heat-stable foam keeps its shape even under friction heat.

• Softest grade for the finest finish. Green is the fifth and softest hardness in the ZviZZer system, after blue, red, orange and yellow. The Ultra Soft removes practically nothing and works for maximum gloss rather than correction — the right call for the final polishing round and for soft, dark paints.
• Thermo foam lasts longer and keeps its shape. The heat-stable open-cell foam keeps its hardness even at high temperatures and, according to the manufacturer, lasts up to 5 times longer than standard foam. A centre hole in the flat working face lets the foam breathe and cuts heat build-up while polishing.
• Five sizes from 50 to 165 mm. The pad comes in Ø 50, 70, 90, 140 and 165 mm. Small diameters get into bumper edges and mirrors, the big ones handle bonnets and doors — always match the pad size to the backing plate and the panel, or the result suffers.

Day-to-day from Detailing1: The most common mistake with a soft finishing pad is the wrong polish combo. Put a coarse compound on the Ultra Soft and you get neither the cut nor a clean finish — the soft pad just cushions the cutting power away. Run it with a finishing polish. On a dark bonnet with fine holograms left after a one-step, the Ultra Soft plus finishing polish gave us streak-free deep gloss in one light pass — something a harder pad just doesn't deliver.

Finishing polish on, spread, work in, wipe off

The Ultra Soft pad goes on the machine for the last step: apply a finishing polish thinly, spread it at low speed, then work it up to high gloss with light pressure.

Put the pad on a matching backing plate and add two or three pea-sized dots of polish to the face. Spread them at around 1,000 rpm, then work the section at about 1,600 rpm with light pressure until the film turns clear. ZviZZer designed the Trapez cut for random orbital and dual-action machines. The matching polish is the UC 1000 finishing polish in the same green.

Work panel by panel and don't overheat the paint — the soft pad and the centre hole keep temperatures down, but too much pressure or dwelling too long on one spot still builds heat. After use, squeeze the pad out, wash it in lukewarm water and let it dry lying flat so the hook-and-loop backing doesn't swell.

It brings the gloss, it doesn't cut scratches

The Ultra Soft pad brings gloss and removes holograms, but it won't cut out scratches — the soft grade deliberately has no cutting power for that.

Its strength is that last per cent: fine holograms after a one-step polish, halos on soft and dark paints, and deep wet-look gloss to finish. That's exactly what the softest grade is built for, and the open cell structure makes sure the polish works evenly through the whole pass instead of smearing early.

The limits, honestly: deep scratches that catch your fingernail and heavy swirls need to come out first with a hard pad and a compound. If light holograms are still there after the one-step, step up one grade of bite with the Soft Pad in yellow. If all that's missing is the final gloss, go for the Ultra Soft. If you need real defect removal, go hard pad plus compound.

For the finishing step, not for correction

The Ultra Soft pad pays off if you want to pull out the final high gloss after correction and remove holograms cleanly, especially on dark and soft paints.

It's less suited if you've got defects to remove first — then you start with a hard pad from our polishing pads range and a compound and step down grade by grade. If you've done the prep properly, though, the Ultra Soft lays down the final gloss without risking new holograms.

The one trick hardly anyone uses: wash a new pad out once before first use and press it lightly. Otherwise fresh thermo foam takes up the first polish unevenly, and on black paint in particular you'll see every difference. A briefly dampened, squeezed-out pad starts evenly — and thanks to the thermo structure it lasts far more passes than a standard foam pad.

How to use the ZviZZer Thermo Trapez Pad Ultra Soft

From prepped paint to hologram-free high gloss

The Ultra Soft pad is the last step in the polishing chain. It comes in once scratches and swirls are already out with a harder pad and a compound, and all that's left is the final gloss and fine holograms.

Stick the pad onto a matching backing plate and add two or three pea-sized dots of a finishing polish to the face. Spread the polish over the section at a low speed of around 1,000 rpm so nothing slings. In the same green, the UC 1000 finishing polish is the match.

Then work the section at about 1,600 rpm with light pressure until the polish film turns clear. Work panel by panel and don't dwell too long on one spot. The soft pad and the centre hole keep the temperature down, but too much pressure still puts heat into the paint.

Don't put a coarse compound on the Ultra Soft — the soft pad cushions the cut away and you get neither correction nor a clean finish. If light holograms are still there after the one-step, step up one grade of bite with the Soft Pad in yellow.

Notes: Wash a new pad out once and press it lightly before you start — otherwise fresh thermo foam takes up the first polish unevenly, which shows on dark paint in particular. After use, wash out in lukewarm water, squeeze and dry lying flat so the hook-and-loop backing doesn't swell. According to the manufacturer, the heat-stable foam lasts up to 5 times longer than standard foam, but it's no replacement for a cutting pad: deep scratches and heavy swirls need to come out first with a hard pad and a compound.