WHB,
I had not planned to pre-announce this product. I put a few of them on the street for durability and quality testing. I guess I forgot to tell testers to keep the project quiet. Now that the cat is out of the bag...
Background
The Porter Cable 7424 Orbital Polisher/Sander has been the defacto-standard polishing machine for the better part of 10 years. It's a nice machine, but it has some significant limitations:
1. The motor is not strong enough
2. The machine vibrates too much
3. The machine has several weaknesses (switch, armature brushes, cord)
4. The warranty is basic 1-year "return to factory - parts and labor"
5. The machine does not come with a flexible backing plate
6. The machine is whored out in the retail channel
About six months ago I went on a mission to duplicate the functionality and form factor of the Porter Cable 7424 while removing all of the limitations I listed above.
Ultimate Polishing Macine (UPC)
The new machine will be called the Ultimate Polishing Machine and will be supported and sold through
www.ultimatepolishingmachine.com. It will feature:
1. 5.5 AMP motor (20% more power than 7424)
2. Very high quality concentric offset, full floating head that is perfectly balanced
3. Variable speed from 2,000 to 6,000 OPM
4. Side handle
5. Heavy duty power cord, switch and speed control
6. Rubberized coating
7. Two color canvas bag
8. Full color 24 page manual
9. Wrench
10. 1 year replacement warranty w/ 5 year upgrade option
Parts are manufactured for us in China and Mexico. Final assembly and testing will be at the ARC of San Diego facility, where we will employ a number of adults with learning disabilities full-time on this product line (production and refurbishing).
Capabilities
To say that this is simply a "clone" of the Porter Cable would not give credit to the many improvements and the significantly improved capabilities. In short, this machine offers 90% of the polishing capabilities of a good rotary without the potential hazards. The combination of the more powerful motor and the vastly improved head unit allow this machine to work polishes harder than any other electric orbital on the market, yet the machine is smooth enough to operate with one hand at full speed.
Availability
The Ultimate Polishing Machine will be available through reseller channels and potentially as a private label tool. The list price on a fully loaded kit (as described above) will be $149.95. This list price will allow us to put the product into the reseller channel and manage very high quality and superior service.
The first dozen or so prototypes made it through reliability testing. We are now waiting for final parts availability and transportation to begin the assembly line. Expected production date July, 2007.
Linear Mode
