anyone use a Florida Penumatic polisher?

kmn5 · 06-06-07, 11:37

I picked one up at a good price
it's got a max rpm of 2,500
I've only been using it to sand down a bumper
once I'm done I'll paint
(but my newb painting skills stil leave quite a bit of orange peel)
So I plan to wet sand then compound the hell out of the orange peel.

only drawback at the moment is that it uses quite a bit of air volume
I have a 5hp compressor with a 50 gallon tank
and I have to pause after 10 mins or so for the air supply to catch up

kmn5 · 06-06-07, 11:48

catalog decription of polisher is here
http://www.florida-pneumatic.com/FP%...log%202005.pdf

will 2,500 rpm be too much?
I can dial back the pressure and not hold the switch open all the way.....

I was guessing this is a good polisher since it's on a site that sells direct to detailers, but I think it might be too much for me, I might just sell it and get a cheap electric with varible speed

awahl63 · 06-06-07, 11:51

2500 RPM will be too much...I usually use the range from 1200-1800 but tend to stick around 1500

kmn5 · 06-06-07, 07:32

yeah I think this is polisher for Pros not newbs
I thought it was good cause I saw it sold on some sites that sell professional tools
this thing lists for $479.00!!!

edit: just checked the specs from another site, it says 2,500 rpm at "Free Speed RPM" I take it that means when there is no load....
I wonder what the speed would be with load..?

the other pc · 06-07-07, 09:46

It will slow under load but how much depends on the pad, product, paint and pressure. Besides, you can always throttle it down with a pressure regulator.

Air tools are awesome, powerful, extremely light weight and rugged as all get out. They’re ideal for a factory environment where they’ll be used all day, every day.

The tools themselves are a bit pricier than electrics but what really costs is the honkin compressor you need to run them continuously.

PC.

Invigor · 06-07-07, 10:02

I have one at work but use it 1/50 times...my makita 9227 is my go-to polisher...If it had better speed control rather than my thumb, it's be probably alright. The lightweight is really nice and easier to hang on to for doing vertical panels than the makita, but not so easy for horizontal panels...pros and cons of both. Since we have about 170psi air in our shop, I find speed isn't an issue with the pneumatic polisher, no matter what pad or polish I use...just so much air available.

Also, those little 3" pneumatic polishers are the cat's ***!