What Polisher to buy?

Monica,

I have the Porter Cable unit, not heavy from my perspective and works great. Seems to be the PC of choice for MINI maniacs for what thats worth

I've heard good stuff about Griot's as well

If you like the Flex check the spec's against the above (engine HP, RPM, etc) and if similar you should be good

 

Monica,

Unless you have used a rotary buffer before, don't be mislead by the name of the product here. Lightweight doesn't mean it's safe or easy to use for a beginner.

What you are probably looking for is a random orbital polisher which is also lightweight but much safer to use and more user friendly.

Like this one

ShowCarSupplies.com Shopping Cart - Porter Cable Polisher Prima OneGrip Combo

I just noticed that my product descriptions are kind of lacking. I've got a bug in my store that's causing all my detailed descriptions to not show up..ugh.

Anyways, I have a sneaking suspicion here that the rotary ISN'T where you want to be. Rotary's can take off your paint within seconds and do irreparable damage if you don't know what you are doing. Even in experienced hands it can be dangerous. I've got my share of horror stories and mistakes I've made over the years due mostly to misjudgements or laziness on my part.

EDIT:
Hmm, taking a second look, this looks a lot like my Flex rotary/orbital....If that's true...I still wouldn't recommend it. Although my Flex is lightweight, it tires me out much quicker than the PC and it still possesses the dangers of the rotary though it's marginally safer. I don't like using the Flex VRG.

Richard

 

I do! Trying to locate them. Got to run to the shop now...still at home, lol...had a phone call...ok back to my post. The PC has handles too. The handles can become a liability though. The U shaped one is ok, but the one that stick out left or right can encourage you to push on the left or right edge of the pad..and it can also hit parts of the car as you polish. Just stuff to beware of. I will have more to say later...gotta run to work.

Here is what a 7424XP can do for buffer trails caused by a hack detailer on a Honda S2000. That's a tape line showing the improved polished side on the right and the botched side on the left. That's my son's head on the bottom, lol.


Richard

 

Richard has a real cool padding/gaurd to cut down on vibration to you and pad against tapping your car that you can add to the PC that I need to order as well

Sure Richard can fill in the blanks!

 

I know what you meant but.............

It is not possible to polish without the careful and controlled removal of paint. :frown2:

If you are not taking off paint, then you aint polishing!


BTW Richard, what does the XP have that the previous model did not?

 

You're spot on with this comment. Anytime you polish whether by hand or machine you remove microscopic amounts of paint...unless the polish is a pure polish without abrasives..this is more commonly referred to as a glaze. My original comment is that there are polishers that will remove a lot of paint in a very short period of time...before you realize it..and that's dangerous.

The XP goes up to 6800 OPM instead of 6000 OPM. It offers a bit more polishing speed than the non XP models. It's also a new form factor, similar to the Flex. It's got a lighterweight plastic body but the housing bell is the same size..so my PC Guards still fit perfectly. The OneGrip also still works well. The XP's new shape is a bit more comfortable I think than the non XP.

If someone were in the market for a polisher, get the XP. If you have the older non XP, you aren't missing out on a whole lot, and I wouldn't say sell the non XP and buy the new one because while the XP is better...it's not THAT much better.

Richard

 

Btw Monica,

If you haven't seen my Detailing articles yet, be sure to check out the MA Library

http://www.motoringalliance.com/library/detailing-articles-11/

If you're curious, you can see an overview of my Flex here....I don't like this polisher and although I often want to like it, it just doesn't work well for me. Too much effort to use it for the results I get. The XP works much better.
[ame="http://www.showcardetailing.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1295"]Flex XC3401VRG Review - ShowCarDetailing[/ame]



Richard

 

Ok found some pix. This is the 7424XP with the OneGrip being used by a customer on his Mercedes for the first time at my shop under my guidance. The OneGrip is my invention and it's manufactured here in the US. It lets you polish comfortably without the need for handles that can potentially damage your paint as you get into tight areas. You can relax your fingers and just guide the polisher around. It gives greater security as well when you are reaching at full extension to polish something that's just out of reach.

 

Haha, I'll work with you once we get the list together! Remember you will save on future shipping costs too! lol.

Richard

 

Light is good, but for the most part you want to use what we call "machine weight" which means all your doing is guiding the tool, not pushing down on it, which can be tiring. The Porter Cable is the perfect weight for most applications.

My One Grip story.

I have been using power tools for over 30 years, mostly as a carpenter, and I can do most things with either hand. Most of the tools I use can hurt you, so you want to have a firm grip, but also be able to run away if things go bad.

Now a PC with pads on it will not slice off body parts, but I'm stuck in my ways for the most part in how I use powered hand tools. WITH RESPECT.

So along comes this invention of Richards, the One Grip, your tethered to the tool, can't switch hands on the fly, and you don't even need to "Hold" the tool. Well, I'm convinced, without trying it, that this will never work for me.

Enter the Dragon. Richard had a One Grip there, and he let me try it on. Felt weird, don't remember if I actually polished anything with it. Nope, not for me.

But I kept reading about how folks loved the thing, so I ordered one. I started using it, and I can't understand how one would use a PC without one now.

Perfect control of the tool, very little vibration fatigue, because you don't need to hold the tool with a firm grip. Trust me, vibration fatigue is not good, and 12 straight hours of polishing will induce numb hands. I don't switch hands as much, but it works left, or right handed.

My recommendation, buy a Porter Cable 7424, XP or not. Mine is over 5 years old, has hundreds of hours on it, and works like new.

Mark