Beginners should start with a DA polisher, not an RO. This guide breaks down the difference in cutting power and burn risk between RO/GA/DA, then covers grit order and compound pairing.
People new to polishing often get confused by three abbreviations: DA, GA, RO. These three machine types have different motion patterns, which determine cutting power and safety. Remember one thing first: cutting power goes DA < GA < RO, and burn risk follows the same order.
For most car owners, a DA polisher is the right choice. It handles light to moderate swirl marks, it's safer, and it has the shortest learning curve. An RO has the strongest cutting power, but it's also the most likely to burn or cut through the paint - leave that to experienced pros and body shops.
The idea of compound grit numbers comes from sandpaper: the lower the number, the coarser the grain, and the stronger the cutting power. Grit systems commonly used in the detailing industry:
The MISO line condenses this system into the three most commonly used compounds: No.3 (80 grit), No.5 (600 grit), and No.10 (1000 grit), matching the heavy-cut, medium-cut, and mirror-finish stages.
Never start your first polishing job with 80 grit. We recommend starting with 1000 grit to learn how the machine feels in your hand, then moving up to 600 grit once you're comfortable with the motion and pressure, and only trying 80 grit last.
A DA polisher is designed to do the work on its own. The right amount of pressure is enough for the pad to sit evenly on the paint and for you to feel the vibration, without stopping the pad from spinning - if the pad stalls, you're pressing too hard. Keep in mind that an RO doesn't give you this warning: it keeps spinning no matter how hard you press, so pressure is entirely a matter of feel, and staying a few extra seconds in one spot can burn the paint.
This is a starting point, not the only way to do it. In MISO's recommended pairings, No.5 can also be paired with an ultra-fine pure wool pad (for solid black and piano-black paint), and No.10 can start with a one-step mirror wool pad before finishing with a foam pad. How you pair pads and grits can be adjusted based on the result you see as you work - how the paint looks after each pass decides what you pair next.
The correct sequence is 80 → 600 → 1000; don't skip the middle step. For light scratches you can start at 600, and if there are no scratches at all and you just want to restore gloss, you can go straight to 1000.
The paint heats up while you polish, and above 60°C there's a risk of burning it. Touch the back of your hand to each section you polish (about the size of an A4 sheet), and if it feels hot, stop and let it cool down before continuing.
The three MISO compounds (No.3 80 grit, No.5 600 grit, No.10 1000 grit) make up the most common full set (we recommend having some polishing experience before using No.3 80 grit):
No.5 is the most commonly used one-step polish. For most paint in medium condition, No.5 alone can take you from correction all the way to mirror finish.
The full process should be:
The core of polishing isn't "how good the machine is" - it's understanding the grit system, judging the paint's condition, and having patience with the process. For your first time, we recommend trying a small area in a corner of the hood first, then moving to the rest of the car once you've found your feel for it.
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