Two things unlock the whole Lake Country range. The colour tells you the grade, blue and yellow cut, orange and white polish, black finishes. And the line, SDO, HDO or CCS, tells you the build, not the grade. Learn those and the rest falls into place.
Lake Country have been making foam, fibre and wool pads in the USA for decades, and they are one of the most trusted names on a polisher for good reason. The catch is that the range looks more complicated than it is, mostly because there are three foam lines that share the same colours. Once you separate the colour from the line, it is simple. Here is the whole thing written down.
The Lake Country Pad Families
SDO, HDO and CCS, the Difference
This is the part that confuses people, so let me clear it up. These three are not grades. They are builds and face patterns. The colour still tells you how hard the pad cuts.
SDO, Small Diameter Orbital. A thinner foam profile. Less material between the paint and the plate means it runs cooler and truer on a long throw dual action, and it is easier to control. This is the one most people reach for on cars.
HDO, Heavy Duty Orbital. A dual layer construction built to last. It holds up longer and stays consistent across a big job, so it earns its place when you are correcting all day or working larger panels.
CCS, the dimpled face. CCS is the pattern of pockets on the face of the pad. Lake Country's patented CCS Technology meters the polish out and controls how fast it breaks down, which cuts sling and helps keep the pad working evenly. You will see CCS on both SDO and HDO pads, so it sits alongside those builds rather than replacing them.
Do not overthink the line. Pick the colour for the job first, then choose SDO if you want an easy, cool running pad for a car, or HDO if you want something that will go the distance on a big or repeat job. CCS is a nice bonus that keeps the polish where you want it. The colour is what actually decides the result.
Which Lake Country Pad Should I Buy?
| If you want to... | Reach for |
|---|---|
| Remove heavy defects fast | HDO Fibre heavy cutting, or purple foamed wool |
| Cut with foam | Blue cutting pad |
| Do a one step correct and finish | MF OSP one step fibre pad |
| Refine and polish | Orange or white polishing pad (restocks weekly, check back if it shows sold out) |
| Finish and lay down protection | Black finishing pad |
Foam Pads, By Colour
The colour is the grade, whichever line it is built on. Not every colour is stocked in every line though, Yellow and White are CCS only right now. Most aggressive at the top.
| Colour | Grade | Available in |
|---|---|---|
| Blue | Cutting | SDO, HDO, CCS |
| Yellow | Cutting | CCS only |
| Orange | Polishing | SDO, HDO, CCS |
| White | Polishing | CCS only, restocks weekly |
| Black | Finishing | SDO, HDO, CCS |
If you buy three, buy Blue, Orange and Black. Cut, polish, finish. Add Yellow when you want a slightly softer cut than Blue. White is the last bit of gloss. Stock comes in weekly, so if it is showing sold out, check back or use Black in the meantime.
Microfibre and Fibre Pads
Fibre cuts faster than foam for the same effort, which makes it the quick way through hard clear coats and heavier defects on a dual action.
| Pad | Grade | Use it for |
|---|---|---|
| HDO Fibre Heavy Cutting (white and blue) | Heavy cut | Fast correction on hard paint |
| MF OSP One Step Light Cutting (white and orange) | One step | Correct and finish in a single stage |
| Microfibre Black Finishing | Finishing | Refining the finish after a fibre cut |
Wool Pads
When foam is not getting there, wool will. It cuts harder and runs cooler, so on badly damaged or oxidised paint it saves you a stack of passes. Always follow it with a foam refine.
| Pad | Grade | Use it for |
|---|---|---|
| Purple Foamed Wool Cutting | Heavy cut | Foam backed wool, aggressive but controllable |
| Low Lint Lambswool | Cutting | Natural wool cut with less lint and a cleaner finish |
Match Your Compound to a Pad
Work out the cut level of the polish you are using, then read across. This holds for any compound brand, because grade is grade.
| Compound | Foam | Fibre or wool |
|---|---|---|
| Heavy cut | Blue | HDO Fibre, or purple foamed wool |
| Medium cut | Yellow, or Blue | HDO Fibre |
| All in one | Orange | MF OSP one step |
| Polishing | Orange, or White | MF OSP one step |
| Finishing | Black | Microfibre black finishing |
Paint hardness moves everything. On a soft clear you can often drop a grade, on a hard clear you go up one. Do a test section first, read the result, then commit to the panel.
Backing Plates and Sizing
Lake Country pads come in three sizes, and the rule is to match the pad to the backing plate, not to the panel.
SDO suits a smaller plate and a cooler, easier run on a car. HDO is the pick when you want the extra durability. Not sure which plate your machine takes? Tell us the polisher and we will sort it.
Pad Care
Clean as you go. Brush or blow the spent compound out every couple of sections. A loaded pad stops cutting and starts smearing, and it is the most common reason people blame a compound that was fine.
Wash after every job. Lake Country Snappy Clean powder is made for exactly this, and the Pad Washer System 4000 lets you rinse pads on the fly during a big correction. Air dry face up, never in the dryer.
Retire them honestly. Once the foam tears or the fibres mat down, the pad is slower and can mark paint. Keep two or three of each grade so you can swap to a fresh one partway through.
Questions I Get Asked
SDO is a thin, cool running foam pad for everyday work. HDO is a dual layer build for durability on bigger jobs. CCS is the dimpled face pattern that meters the polish and can be on either. None of them change the grade, the colour does that.
Blue and yellow cut, orange and white polish, black finishes. Purple foamed wool is a heavy cutter. The colour is the grade across every line.
It is the pattern of pockets on the face of the pad. It controls the rate the polish breaks down, holds product where you want it and reduces sling, which makes for a cleaner and more even result.
Foam is forgiving and finishes easily. Fibre cuts faster and suits hard paint. Wool cuts hardest of all for damaged or oxidised paint. Plenty of people cut with fibre or wool and refine with foam.
Snappy Clean powder for a proper wash after a job, and the Pad Washer System 4000 for rinsing pads during the work. Air dry them face up and they will last.
Tell us the polisher and compound you run and we will tell you exactly which Lake Country pads to grab. Switching from another brand? Our cross reference chart lines them all up.
Shop Lake Country Pad cross reference chartRelated: all buffing pads, polishing compounds and backing plates.