I need some suggestions

[sdkid]

Hello all,



I been lurking around detailing forums for nearly two years. I was going to purchase a PC kit, then changed my mind for a flex DA kit, and guess what? Yes i changed my mind again, and this time i am going with a rotary.



I feel like i`ve done enough reading to be able to handle a rotary, and all i need is some practice.



Here is the problem, i am planning to get a Makita 9227c, but i need some pads and backing suggestions.



I have read nothing but goods with the M105/M205 but i still want to use the menzerna polishes also.



What i need is someone to throw me together the best Makita 9227 kit for me to purchase. Starting from kits, polishers, and etc.



- T

[Dsoto87]

What turned you away from the flex?

[sdkid]

After alot of reading, yes, i know that the flex would be a good start for me. But, i always like the challenge of learning to how use thing, and that is where the rotary came in. I have spend alot of time reading and understanding the cause/effect of the via rotary.



- T

[XRL]

The Flex is every bit as capable as a rotary though... And you can`t screw stuff up. It`s just flat out better in every way.

[Accumulator]

sdkid- I can`t really help with putting together a Makita kit, though I do prefer ~6" pads on mine and suggest that you try those instead of something bigger.



I do wonder how you`re gonna deal with holograms though. It`s simply not that easy to get a 100% hologram-free finish (I can`t do it and I`m not klutz) and without a PC/etc. to clear them up I`m not sure what you`re gonna do.



Eh...I`d say to get a Flex 3401 too. I hardly ever use my rotaries since I got mine.

[sdkid]

Ehh, alright i guess ill stick with the flex. Ill probably get both machines and experiment.



thanks Accumulator, if you certainly cant get 100% hologram-free finish, what is a noob like me going to accomplish :D haha.

[imported_Ivan Rajic]

I like the Flex but I honestly HATE its rotation and refuse to use it haha... 95% of the time I can finish out fine with rotary and I have the G110 for the other 5% of picky paints, so I don`t really need the flex, but if it had clockwise rotation I would own 1



Edit: I wouldn`t go as far as saying it`s better than a rotary (I`m going to assume these arguments are going to start popping up more and more, like which wax is better) but it`s a great machine and can do great correction without leaving holograms... I have yet to see a machine leave a better, clearer finish than the rotary though

[Accumulator]

I like the Flex but I honestly HATE its rotation and refuse to use it haha...



Well, I sure can`t argue against the Flex having its own unique feel; it does have a bit of weird "recoil" to it and I can understand if it`s not for everyone.. especially people for whom the rotary just "floats across the panels, nice and smooth".




thanks Accumulator, if you certainly cant get 100% hologram-free finish, what is a noob like me going to accomplish haha.



Well, I`m no Rotary-Meister; there are plenty of people who are a whole lot better with it than I`ll ever be. OTOH, I`ve seen some "hologram-free" vehicles that weren`t and as I`m always saying, Mike Phillips at Meguiar`s has used a rotary for decades and last I heard he was still finishing out with their PC-type machine. Mastering the rotary just isn`t all *that* easy IMO/IME and it`s easy to get unrealistic expectations after you read a zillion posts by pros who do more correction in a week than most of us do in a decade. I`d just hate for you to find yourself with some crappy looking holograms and no feasible way of getting rid of them.



If you do get both the rotary and the Flex 3401, I think you`ll have the bases covered (possibly more so than necessary, but it`s nice to have options). But I think I`d get the Flex first and see if you need/want another different machine, that way you`ll have a better idea of what you`re after in that second polisher. I like to use the Flex for aggressive work and then finish up with the Cyclo, but that`s just me.



Oh, regarding the polishes...M105 is simply incredible. I was a hard-sell on the stuff and now I kick myself for not trying it sooner. People I respect also rave about the M205, so I`d sure put both on your short-list. If you go with Menzerna, be careful with the 106FF. I`ve seen first-hand the way it can conceal stuff, and that was after it was used by a *very* good pro who was familiar with it. No thanks IMO, but again, that`s just me and I put a huge premium on stuff being user-friendly with no surprises.

[DinoV]

I thought about the Flex also, especially with all this talk about the KB method, but the only thing that has held up my purchase is the use of smaller pads. seems you would also need a pc that will accept smaller pads. Is this the case?

[Accumulator]

I thought about the Flex .. but the only thing that has held up my purchase is the use of smaller pads. seems you would also need a pc that will accept smaller pads. Is this the case?



IME most of the time you can get by OK by using the outer edge of a larger pad, or masking off whatever you don`t want the pad rubbing against.



Yeah, ~4" pads are handy, I use `em all the time. But I don`t think they`re as *necessary* as people often assume they are. There will always be some areas you simply gotta do by hand anyhow, and back before the smaller pads were commonly available we did just fine with only the big ones.



In the unlikely situation that you really *NEED* the smaller pads, you could get a machine that`ll accommodate them.



I`d try to figure out what your real priorities are and base the machine choice on what you *really* need. In my case, I have *hard* paint cars for daily-drivers, so the Flex 3401 is just perfect for me. But if everything I drove had the same (softer) paint as my Mazda MPV I could get by just fine with only a PC or a Cyclo.



And now that M105 is available, there aren`t all *that* many jobs a PC/etc. can`t handle IMO. But man-oh-man did the Flex 34101/M015 combo make short work of the marring on my Yukon`s hood the other day, simply a piece of cake to do a big panel of hard paint (and yeah, I tried the PC/8006 combo first, no-go compared to the Flex).