Best Menzerna Polish – Brand Test

It can be hard to choose which Menzerna polish to pick, given there are nine products in three different categories. For this round-up, I am not including the 3in1 polish, as it will be covered in another category. This will give a brief overview of the abrasive polishes, with a guide to choosing what polish to choose at the end.

It should be noted that all the Menzerna polishes listed below can be purchased for roughly the same price and are available in either 250 ml or 1 litre bottles, with the 1 litre bottle usually being only twice the price of the 250 ml bottle. All the products listed are also silicone-free so can be used in a body shop.

Menzerna Polish Overview

Below I’ve included a table of the full ratings from each polish. You can sort the columns to find the area of expertise that the polish excels at to suit your needs.

Heavy Cut

Heavy Cut Menzerna 300 Super Heavy Cut Compound

Cut 10/10, Gloss 6/10

SHCC300 is Menzerna’s most aggressive polish and is suitable for removing deep scratches with maximum efficiency. This polish is capable of removing sanding marks down to 1200 grit, making it ideal for body shop usage. This compound can be used with a foam or a lambswool pad.

Being part of the premium line from Menzerna, SHCC300 also performs two functions. While having an extremely aggressive cut it can also finish like a medium polish, with a reasonable shine and depth. A word of warning, however, SHCC300 cuts through clearcoat rapidly, so should be used cautiously. While it leaves a reasonable finish, this polish would still need to be followed by one of the finishing polishes below.

Menzerna 300: See Full Review

Heavy Cut Compound 400 

Cut 8/10 Gloss 8/10

Possibly Menzerna’s most popular polish, this product is a workhorse of many detailers and enthusiasts. The polish is easy to use and provides consistent results. HCC400 is capable of removing sanding marks down to 1500 grit while still leaving a well-refined finish.

It is often marketed as a one-step polish, meaning you should be able to move straight to an LSP after use. This is definitely true for lighter paints, but on darker paints, I have found it can leave some hazing, so a finishing step may be beneficial. Overall, this is a versatile product well worth owning.

Menzerna 400: See Full Review

Heavy Cut Compound 1000 

Cut 9/10 Gloss 3/10

This compound is the standard heavy cut polish from Menzerna, which is often sold in multipacks. The cut from this polish is considerable, but not quite as aggressive as SHCC300. Designed to be used exclusively with a foam pad, this compound can remove sanding marks between 1500 and 2000 grit.

The downside with this compound is the fact it is a single purpose, while the other two products in this category can perform two or three stages from one product. HCC1000 leaves a dull haze on the surface which would not be sufficient to leave as is. At least a refinement will be needed, but an intermediate stage may also be needed. The premium range of cutting compounds has all but eliminated the need for this product in my view.

Menzerna 1000: See Full Review

Medium Cut 

Medium Cut Polish 2000 

Cut 5/10 Gloss 6/10

Described as a classic medium polish, this product is designed to be used as part of a multistage polish. It cannot be used in and of itself, due to the middle of the road gloss rating. MCP2000 is useful in scenarios where a heavy cut compound would be excessive, such as the removal of very fine sanding marks down to 3000 grit or for the removal of swirl marks.

The polish is easy to use but does leave a mediocre finish, which would require refinement.

Menzerna 2000: See Full Review

Medium Cut Polish 2400 

Cut 5/10 Gloss 8/10

This medium polish is in my opinion the standout performer. It cuts just as well as the other two but yet can leave a better finish. It would not suit the perfectionist as a one-step polish, but for the enthusiast, it will serve well to remove swirl marks from paint while leaving an even shine. This polish contains extra lubrication, allowing oxidised paints to be corrected.

Menzerna 2400: See Full Review

Medium Cut Polish 2500 

Cut 5/10 Gloss 7/10

The naming of Menzerna polishes can be confusing at times, as MCP2500 produces less gloss than MCP2400. This performs much like the other medium-cut polishes, capable of removing 3000 grit sanding scuffs and swirl marks. The finish is good by all means, so would be appropriate for use on a light-coloured vehicle. On a dark coloured vehicle, however, a refinement step will bring notable improvement.

Menzerna 2500: See Full Review

Finish

Final Finish 3000 

Cut 3/10 Gloss 9/10

The standard product in the Menzerna Finishing line, this polish is often sold in sets with HCC1000 and MCP2000. It does a good job of removing polishing haze left by coarser products and leaves the surface was a pleasing gloss. It is also capable of removing slight swirl marks.

While this is a good product, SF3500 will match it for cutting ability, while providing even more refinement, so would perhaps be a wiser choice.

Menzerna 3000: See Full Review

Super Finish 3500 

Cut 3/10 Gloss 10/10

For those seeking even more gloss when removing swirl marks, SF3500 performs excellently in this role. An easy-to-use polish that diminishes well to leave a brilliant mirror shine, this is a product well worth owning.

Menzerna 3500: See Full Review

Super Finish Plus 3800 

Cut 2/10 Gloss 10/10

The ultimate show car finish from Menzerna is guaranteed to leave a deep shine by refining any remaining holograms or polishing marks, allowing light to bounce off the surface freely. This can be used after HCC400 to remove any hazing and produce flawless paint in just two stages. While most users will not see any appreciable difference between SF3500 and SFP3800, for the scenarios where only a flawless finish will do, this is a wise polish to choose.

Menzerna 3800: See Full Review

Useful Combinations

What Menzerna polish is right for you? I have listed some scenarios below, which cover the majority of vehicle conditions. This will help to decide which polish/polishes will be needed for the vehicle in question.

Heavy Defects

For a car with heavy defects in the clearcoat, such as visible scratches beyond standard swirl marks, a heavy cut compound needs to be the starting point. Which polish to choose depends on the car, as different manufacturers will have paint that is a different ‘toughness’.

A good starting point is HCC400. This quickly cuts through clearcoat, but at a slower rate than SHCC300 and HCC1000. If HCC400 is not removing defects sufficiently, SHCC300 may be needed.

If SHCC or HCC400 are used, there is no need for a medium polish, as these compounds provide great enough refinement to move straight to a finishing polish. For a finishing polish, I would suggest SF3500, which will eliminate any polishing marks left by the previous polishes and leave a brilliant shine.

Medium Defects

For a car with only medium defects, such as swirl marks, a good starting point would be MCP2400. I found this to be the easiest to use in the medium cut range and should easily remove any swirl marks present. It may be the case that the finish left by this polish is entirely satisfactory. For added depth and gloss SFP3800 is a great choice and will return the paint to a new if not better than new state.

Light Defects 

A new car is seldom defect-free, but hopefully, any marks that do exist will be light. These would easily be fixed in one step using SF3500, which will flatten the surface of any light swirl marks and leave a deep shine.

If the car has recently had some bodywork done and hazy marks are visible in sunlight these can be fixed by any finishing polish. SFP3800 is designed to be able to remove these holograms and leave a fantastic finish.