Metabo Anyone?

[Juztang]

I just got a brand new Hitachi and haven't even used it. Now I wish I would have just got the Metabo!

[Eliot Ness]

Originally Posted by Juztang

What is the difference between the PE12-175 and the PE7175? Is it just the weigth?

Metabo PE12-175 - Car Care Forums: Meguiar's Online

[Juztang]

Thanks Eliot! So 12-175 is the improved version. Decisions...Decisions!!!

[RogueM3]

Aside from weight what makes the Metabo so great (great enough to make you guys switch from Makita or Hitachi)?

I just ordered a Makita but now am nervous I made the wrong choice.

[the other pc]

You can’t go wrong with the Makita. If weight and size are important factors to you then the Metabo is worth a look (and if you actually try one you might get hooked). But really, any of the well known and popular machines from the Makita, DeWalt, Porter-Cable and Hitachi will serve you well and be a pleasure to use.


PC.

[Bioman]

Hmm...Makita vs. Metabo? I've recently had a chance to pick up a Makita and it wasn't that heavy. The weight difference is only 0.8lb's between the two. Would the lighter weight make the Metabo easier to achieve the same results as the Makita? Worth the extra $40+ for the Metabo?

[Phil@DetailersDomain]

Not exactly the same comparison but I had the Dewalt 849 and switched to the Metabo and love it.

[pcc]

i use my little finger to adjust the speed. pretty easy and do not have to lift then.

[Dave KG]

Originally Posted by the other pc

You can’t go wrong with the Makita. If weight and size are important factors to you then the Metabo is worth a look (and if you actually try one you might get hooked). But really, any of the well known and popular machines from the Makita, DeWalt, Porter-Cable and Hitachi will serve you well and be a pleasure to use.


PC.

Now this is something I would whole-heartedly agree with!

There are a great many rotaries out there that will give you years of enjoyable and reliable service - when I was last in the market for a rotary, I went for the Makita 9227 and I haven't looked back. Yes, it a relatively heavy tool in comparison to the Metabo but this doesn't bother me and I find the Makita perfectly easy to control - a real joy to use in fact.

One thing that put me off the Metabo (and this will sound strange here I know), was the max speed on the model I saw in the UK being 2200rpm. Now I know this is plenty fast enough for most polishing activities - all general defect removal infact, but recently I had a car with a very very poor paint job come in - horrific orange peel. Now I am waiting to be slammed for my techniques here, but I found myself happily knocking back this orange peel using Power Gloss at 2500rpm+ (keeping check on the panel heat throughout) on the Makita, and then refining the finish at normal (1200 - 1500rpm) polishing speeds... The higher speeds aren't available on the Metabo. Now I know this isn't a generally accepted technqiue for using the rotary polisher on paintwork, but I was eyeing the panel temp and the paint thickness throughout and I found that this was delivering me the results both I and the owner were after without the need to wetsand the frankly horrific paint job.

[ZoranC]

Originally Posted by Bioman

Hmm...Makita vs. Metabo? I've recently had a chance to pick up a Makita and it wasn't that heavy. The weight difference is only 0.8lb's between the two. Would the lighter weight make the Metabo easier to achieve the same results as the Makita? Worth the extra $40+ for the Metabo?

That can depend on the person. Me, I have injured right elbow so handling extra 0.8lbs for few hours or more might make a lots of difference to me. Also, you might want to take a look at shape and dimensions of one vs. the other and see which one feels more natural / easier to work with it.

[qadsan]

The Hitachi is 0.4 pounds lighter and has a more powerful motor than the Makita. The Hitachi also comes with a 5 year warranty vs a 1 year warranty from Makita. Somebody on eBay used to sell the Hitachi's for $99 shipped, but I haven't seen them for sale at this price lately. AG just had the Hitachi on sale for $112.50 shipped, but that sale ended about two weeks ago. I've used Makita, Hitachi, Dewalt, Fein, Metabo, Harbor Freight, Vector, Rockwell, Ingersol-Rand, etc, and most of these polishers will give you the same end result. If you want the lightest weight machines, then look at the Metabo or Fein, but they'll cost you a lot more. I don't think there's a clear winner that's best for everyone, so I'm glad we have choices. Pick one and learn to use it

As far as specs go, here's some brief specs I collected on some of the popular rotaries...

Porter-Cable 7428
1 year warranty
10.0 amp motor
1,000-3,000 RPM
8.0 lbs

DeWalt DW849
1 year warranty
8.0 amp motor
0-3,000 RPM
8.25 lbs

Makita 9227C
1 year warranty
10.0 amp motor
0-3,000 RPM
6.6 lbs

Hitachi SP18VA
5 year warranty
11.0 amp motor
0-3,400 RPM
6.2 lbs

Milwaukee 5460
5 year warranty
11.0 amp motor
0-1,750 RPM
8.75 lbs

Metabo 12-175
??? warranty
10.0 amp motor (newer version)
700-2,200 RPM
~4.9 lbs
note: the older Metabo only had a ~6 amp motor

Fein WPO 12-27E
??? warranty
10.0 amp motor
900-2,700 RPM
5.1 lbs

[ZoranC]

Warranty and price aside, how much of a range above 1750 rpm and below 700 rpm is actually needed / usable?