Boongie- Heh heh, I'm in the mood to carry on about the Cyclo:
What scottabir said. You're not gonna be taking any additional risk by getting a Cyclo instead of a PC. You may well find the Cyclo more easily mastered due to its superior ergonomics. They really are *that* similar, at least in concept. Something to think about- the Cyclo was designed as a polisher (originally for polishing metal, which is quite a demanding job), and has been used, with no major changes, for that job by countless pros and amateurs over more than 50 years. The PC was designed as a finish sander (think about how light a piece of sandpaper is compared to a foam pad, and about how little "work" it takes to sand wood compared to polishing automotive paint, let alone metal). People have only been using the PC to polish cars for a fraction of the time that the Cyclo's been doing it, and I honestly don't believe it's the right tool for the job (or rather, the right application for that tool). My older PC is *only* described as a sander, with not mention of using it for anything else (either on the box or in the product literature).
As far as the motion being the same, yeah, *BUT* the PC tends to "bog down" under pressure, where it quits spinning and merely oscillates (weakly). That's why some pros derisively call the PC a "jiggle machine"- it just "jiggles" when you wish it would do some real "dual action" motions. No such problems with the Cyclo. You can grab the pad while a PC is running. Doing that with the Cyclo will hurt you. But they're both safe for a beginner.
As best I can figure, there are a few reasons why the PC is more popular-
Greater pad selection. More pads are available for Cyclos now than were in the past, but the selection for the PC is still greater. Never been an issue for me, it's not like there are jobs you can't do with the Cyclo because of "limited pad options".
Different pad sizes. With the PC you can (with the proper backing plates) use a number of different pad sizes from 4" to 7.5". The Cyclo only uses (two) 4" pads. This makes for greater flexibility (using the overhanging part of a large pad can help you get into tight spots the Cyclo can't reach).
Variable speed. The fixed speed of the Cyclo is only around 3K orbits per minute, about like the PC on "3". But since it doesn't bog down like the PC, it *behaves* as if it were faster, making some products (e.g.,
AIO) "flash off" too fast. This makes for tough removal. With the PC you have all those different speed options and you can use products like the AIO with no trouble.
Cost. The PC is so much cheaper than the Cyclo that you can not only get a complete system for the same money as the basic Cyclo, but you'll have money left over to rebuild the PC when it breaks down/wears out (which won't happen with the Cyclo
).
Ergonomics. Some people just like the PC better; I know a guy who does
IMO anyhow.
Linear Mode
