The cutting pad is the most aggresive next to a wool pad! I would only use a woll pad in a severe situation and then I would use it with the high speed rotary.
So..with the PC...you can use a cutting pad as the initial step in reducing swirls and cobwebs and minor scratches! You might find on dark colors that the cutting pad will "haze" or "dull" the paint! This is normal, and you might need to follow up with a finer polish to restore the gloss!
So, far I have not had to use the cutting pad too much as I'm more likely and willing to take two passes with a polishing pad and acheive the same result, if not better than that of a cutting pad. And I don't haze the paint in the process. It's six and one half dozen of the other so to speak.
Check out this link:
How To Use The Porter Cable
I think you will find this to be an excellent source of info on the PC.
If you have any further questions. just ask away and I will be glad to answer or get the answer for you!
Have Fun learning...it's not a hard machine to master at all!
Two more pictures for the sickness I call a career of automotive detailing
.....lol Look at the reflections off my hood....it's sick....hehehehehehe
