I`ll have to look into all this myself.I have the Freud polisher from machine mart,2 speed which is regarded as the bollox for cutting and polishing but i`ve only really used it on poor/fresh./damaged paintwork.
It gives the mirror finish result,but i find it doesnt last that long unless I put some sort of wax on it,then its pretty resilient although I`m totally old scholl so it`s G3 and autoglym for me so I need some educating.
I`ve heard a lot about clay but isn`t it just the same as say 1500/2000 paper on a block? I suppose it would be quicker and less harsh with clay.