PC VS Rotary - Which Gives A Better Finish

[imported_DieselMDX]

Lets assume a person has equal ability on a PC and a Rotary and wants the best possible finish on his or her car. Which machine both equipped with a white LC pad and Menz 106ff would give a better finish?







I recently polished my car with a orange pad and 106ff then went over it with a white pad and 85RD with PC. IMO it is pretty damn clear and crisp but I wonder with the addition of the extra heat a rotary can produce I could get better shine and depth.





presently I have ZAIO-2 coats Z5-1 coat Z2-1 coat CS as LSP





thanx in advance

[Chris_DBS]

I think this depends on the paint (car) in question.



If the car had ceramiclear then the rotary would definatly give a better finish, yet if the car had soft paint then the PC would imo give a better finish



Chris

[imported_Dave KG]

This is a great discussion topic. :)



In my humble opinion, the answer to this questions is going to lie ultiamtely with the paintwork which you are working on, and if the user`s of the machines are highly skilled, to see the differences in most cases, its going to be a cause of getting out the microscope...



But here`s my thoughts:



On the majority of paints, unless you get out a microscope and really peer at the finish achieved the difference is going to be nigh on impossible to see... But: it is there.



On softer paints, in dark solid colours, is where the fun begins. Having seen my own, and oter detailers who I hold in very high regard, finishes using the PC, I would have to personally say that the rotary has got a very slight edge when it comes to finishing - proving its been used correctly. The constant rotation seems to break the abrasives down more evenly and this results in perfect clarity, crystal clear finish. Personally, all my best finishes have come from the rotary, but using myself as an example isn`t really fair test as I might just be better suited to the rotary than the DA... However, from the finishes I have seen from other detailers, this seems to hold true for them all, the rotary finish being ultimately the sharpest and clearest.



The PC on the other hand doesn`t quite seem able to break the abrasives down quite as thoroughly - it breaks them down for sure, and you get a great finish but look very very carefully and on some paint types (the soft ones which are more senstive to the abrasives) and compared to the crystal sharp rotary finish, the PC has got a very slight micromarring. Now this is oh so very slight - and on the majority of paints you just wont notice it - on hard paints, you wont see it and on metallic finishes the flake generally hides it. But on a soft solid colour (red`s my favoruite test colour for this), you can see this very slight difference andn this appears to be independent of the user of the machine from the finishes I have personally seen.



With that in mind, ultimately for me the rotary is the king of the finishing tools. The PC is excellent, of that there is no doubt and a skilled user will turnout amazing finishes and unless we get microscopes out, on the vast majority of paints we wont see a difference between the two tools. What I would do is if you own both tools, get yourself a solid dark coloured scrap panel, with a paint type that is soft to medium - polish one half with the rotary to the best finish you can, and then try and match it under magnification with a free rotation DA such as the PC... A fun way to spend a few hours... :)

[Jason M]

Oh boy...This could be a can of worms thread. But in my opinion you get a more burnished look from the rotary. I however always like to finish with a PC. My personal feeling is to get the paint as close to LSP ready with the rotary as possible and then go in with a very light abrasive on the PC. Again, I would agree with Dave KG that it`s all in the look you enjoy. I personally enjoy finishing with a PC but others enjoy the look the rotary leaves instead.

[imported_DieselMDX]

thanx guys any more opinions?

[SpoiledMan]

I side with the rotary if you have to skills to make it happen. Interesting enough, I worked on an STi today and finished with the PC and 106ff and the results were stunning. I have not had good luck with the PC and soft paints in the past so this was surprising.

[White lexus 23]

i think you can always get a better looking finish with a rotary then pc. imo, it just seems to blast a finsih to perfection way faster and better than my pc. but i always finish off with the pc.

[imported_rydawg]

The rotary for sure.. The pc will allow a person to give a nice swirl free surface, but the rotary in the right hands goes above and beyond. I always finish with the rotary to a 100% swirl free shine with tons of gloss and wild reflections. I will sometimes after the rotary work, use a pc with ZAIO on #3 to seal all the goodness in while giving it nice extra depth with amazing gloss.

[White lexus 23]

Right on Ryan. I tottaly agree with you.

[Scottwax]

I think it ultimately depends on your skill with a rotary. Pretty much anyone can leave a really nice finish with a PC or a Cyclo but it takes real skill to do the same (or better) with a rotary.



The average person is probably going to get better results via PC simply due to the level skill required to use one vs a rotary.

[violentveedub]

I`ve never seen black look like it does after a polish with a rotary, a finish pad and a good finish polish. I`ve not been able to get the same results on a PC.



http://uploader.meinwirt.com/files/89/short.jpg

[Scottwax]

:nixweiss



UDM, polishing only, no wax or sealant...



http://www.autopia.org/gallery/data/500/2004_Mercedes_S55_halfpolished.jpg



Cyclo...



http://www.autopia.org/gallery/data/500/2004_Audi_RS4_rear.jpg



PC...



http://www.autopia.org/gallery/data/500/2004_Porsche_Cayenne_Turbo_frontend2.jpg



http://www.autopia.org/gallery/data/500/2004_Porsche_Cayenne_Turbo_side2.jpg



http://www.autopia.org/gallery/data/500/2004_Porsche_Cayenne_Turbo_front2.jpg

[violentveedub]

:nixweiss







That`s why I put the "I`ve not been able to get the results with a PC". Possibly I don`t have a good technique, or probably... I`m not that patient!

[porta]

I prefere rotary over cyclo/PC all the time. Cuts much faster and delivers a slightly better finish IMHO. But after all it´s in the eye of the beholder....

[Junebug]

I think this is one case where product has a big factor. Some polishes just seem to do better with one machine or the other. All things considered, I prefer the rotary with the polishes I use.