Thoughts on Rotary VS PC

X-Trail · 02-07-05, 09:23

After using PC for sometime, I decided to make a jump towards Rotary, Black and Decker 6138 since i could not get my hands on the dewalt 849 that time. My pad was a 7.5 LC Curved white pad with Menzerna FP2.

Advantage of Rotary.
1) Faster to finish the job. (1-2 passes)
2) Seems to give the finish a better shine.
3) Scratches are easier to remove.
4) Makes you feel like you've advanced to a professional level.

Disadvantage of Rotary
1) Seems to hop more making it harder to control. (After reading past threads, the problem could be the pad being too dry)
2) Now i have to tape and cover the windows because there are a lot more splattering of the compound compare when using a PC.
3) The fear of cutting through the clear coat and paint. (Though this can be tacked with lots of practice)

Advantage of PC
1) Slow speed makes it easier to control.
2) No fear of burning through the paint.
3) No need to tape the edges or cover the windows due to less splattering

Disadvatage of PC
1) Slower to finish the job (Requiring multiples passes)
2) Some deep scratches harder to remove.

To summarize,

will i retire my PC?
-No. I think the PC is still a great tool for my detailing needs because its still easier to use and its great for removing light swirls.

will i use the rotary?
-Definetely. I want to get better at it because using Menzerna with it, i definetely see an improvement.

Bill D · 02-07-05, 09:28

Yep, I even threw in the Cyclo to complete "The Trinity", that's now almost exclusively my go to machine.

raymond_ho2002 · 02-07-05, 09:59

For light-medium jobs, it pretty much comes down to whether you want to spend more time polishing, or more time taping and covering.

gbackus · 02-07-05, 10:04

Not only does the rotary break down a polish much quicker, you're also moving the rotary across the paint much faster than the PC

pigeonbus · 02-07-05, 03:19

This is interesting because I don't know if I should move up to a rotary or not. I have a PC right now, feel comfortable with it, but there are just some things that it can't do, and it takes a LONG time for me sometimes....like 1:45 hours to really get rid of swirls. I have IP and FPII, as well as the Sonus SFX Series (which I'm not happy with), and up to the orange Sonus DAS Pad and Yellow SFX Pad. I worked the products for a long time....should I try something like DACP (is there any other polish with more cut than DACP), or splurge and get a rotary for the tougher jobs?

Thanks

Accumulator · 02-07-05, 03:47

Something to remember about the rotary/PC thing is that with a rotary you will sometimes get holograms. The PC is great for removing these, IMO (and it is just *my* opinion) better than trying again with the rotary. While I prefer the Cyclo myself

I sure don't see the PC/rotary as an either/or choice.

Heh heh, once you get the marring out, you oughta be able to keep it nice enough that you don't really *need* the rotary for much anyhow. I've *never* needed to use the rotary on our minivan, I just don't mar it that badly.

Pigeonbus- Unless you're dealing with very hard clear I'd probably try different pad/product combos before getting a rotary. Heh heh, yeah, sometimes the PC does take hours though. And you're right, there are some jobs it just can't do.

The product with the most cut by PC is probably 1z Ultra/Extra Polish. It'll leave micromarring that you'll need a milder product to remove. You can also try Hi-Temp Medium Cut from TOL. It's similar and is supposed to work well by PC and even by hand.

But I find I can handle most problems with 3M PI-III RC and a 4" pad. The smaller pad works more aggressively, the PC doesn't "bog" as much. It's a very user-friendly product, you might want to give it a try.

pigeonbus · 02-07-05, 04:12

Honestly, I would give the 3M products a try, but not until I learn all of the crazily confusing abbreviations!!!!!

So if the most abrasive/highest cutting for a PC is Ultra Polish/Medium Cut, would Heavy Cut HT be even stronger?

Also, which pads do you suggest for more cutting with the Ultra Polish/Medium (I know you said 4 inch with the 3M)?

If anything leaves marring/micromarring behind, I really don't mind going past it again with something lighter. Where can I go to find out more about the 3M polishes/their abrasiveness, and how do the Meguiar's products work (I know they have a lot of them)...anything that has PC cutting abilities from Meguiars (more than DACP)?

Sorry for all the questions!

Thanks for your help

Accumulator · 02-07-05, 04:48

Pigeonbus- Yeah, the Hi-Temp Heavy Cut would be stronger but I dunno if I'd try that one by PC.

Nothing from Meg's stronger than the #83 that's recommended for PC use. The #80 is an OK product. Has decent cut and leaves a ready-to-wax finish. Not as aggressive as #83 though.

Only 3M pns you really need to know (at least until all the "old stuff" is replaced by VOC-compliant new stuff) are 05933 and 05937

These two products are really about all I need.

With aggressive products, I generally use a cutting pad for the first pass(es) then a polishing pad.

topnotch · 02-07-05, 05:48

In reference to holograms w/ a rotary it all depends on the product used and I have had great success priming the pad with some quick deatiler or distilled water. Also you can't use too little product b/c that can cause skipping which leads to an uneven finish. Honestly on tough jobs I always use my rotary and then quickly followup with my pc on the entire car always to make sure that I did not leave holograming behind, this leads to less complaints.

Accumulator · 02-08-05, 08:49

topnotch- Yeah, I don't have any real trouble with holograms either, but now and then *anybody* can get them. Having the PC/Cyclo on hand is, well, handy

If I can't pull the job out into the sun I too *always* go over it with the PC/Cyclo just to make sure there won't be any unpleasant surprises.

You're absolutely right about using the rotary on "tough jobs", but I keep hoping that non-pros won't be *doing* many tough jobs because they won't keep marring their vehicles.

topnotch · 02-08-05, 09:10

Right on Accumulator. I get embarrassed if I leave holograms behind, it makes me look like any half a@@ detailer out there which I am not. I take pride in what I do so to me the xtra 20-30 min followup with a pc when lighting is poor is worth it, plus as I said I don't want to leave anyone unhappy which can lead to negative feedback which I really dont need.