Makita or Dewalt? + pads etc

[markw78]

Always been a huge Dewalt fan, my friends a general contractor and has all Dewalt, good stuff...



The Makita has a pretty different handle then the Dewalt which has the stype like my PC XP.



The Makita was like $25 more then the dewalt which suprised me. Also there are 2 Dewalts with variable speed... the DW845 (7amp) and DW849 (8amp).



Thoughts?



Can I use my 6.5" LC pads that I bought for my PC with the Rotary and the right BP? What accessories do I want to get, and which rotary do I want to get?

[gofastman]

I hate Dewalt, I have never used a tool of theirs that I liked, this is coming from a person that uses a Hitachi polisher! lol

Go Makita for sure!

[imported_Jakerooni]

the workhorse is the dewalt hands down. Just a much more rigid machine. Great for fast work. Better made but a bit cumbersome. The Makita is a finisher. It can slow down and "jewel" much better than the dewalt. I have both machines and I use both machines on every correction detail I do. I honestly think both are just about must haves anymore. what one machine lacks the other makes up for in spades. I don`t think the Makita is very good for heavy correcting (just my opinion) but then I don`t think the dewalt is refined enough to really give that "wow" factor pop that a nice 700rpm slow polish can give.





If you have to pick just one. what do you do more of? Heavy correction or lighter correction and more pop and flair?

[markw78]

I already have a PC XP, this would be my first rotary though.



Was originally looking at the DW845 but then I noticed the different handle style on the Makita and it got me thinking.



I`d fall into the "weekend warrior" category, working on friends cars and my own



The PC XP is just so slow and won`t fade out the deeper scratches very well, especially on the harder clears

[imported_WhyteWizard]

I hate Dewalt, I have never used a tool of theirs that I liked, this is coming from a person that uses a Hitachi polisher! lol

Go Makita for sure!





I have two of the Hitachi polishers and they`re great but they howl - not as bad as the Dewalts I`ve had, but bad enough. I run a Makita a couple of hours at least every day and since I changed out the rubbish grease in the head for some nice Redline synthetic it runs cool to the touch and quiet.



I like the spin up of the Hitachi better though, faster but still a soft start, and it`s lighter and the warranty is 5 years on the trigger - which is the only thing that`s ever gone bad on me. If you know how to quiet the Hitachi down I`d be very happy to try it, they`re great machines.



I`ve also had several Dewalts and I`d only use one if the other two weren`t available. I`ll put in ear plugs and run the Hitachi, before that.





Makita, change out the grease and get ready for the power cord to break, and it`s still the choice.



Robert

[Scottwax]

I love my Dewalt 849. Has a very professional, heavy duty feel like it will run forever. Like Jake pointed out, it doesn`t have a slower speed setting (lowest is 1000) but you can trigger it down to a slower speed but it can be hard to modulate and hold at a slower speed. The Dewalt is a bit heavier than other rotaries, not sure if that makes a difference for you, the extra weight is fine by me.



I also have a Porter Cable 7428 rotary that has the soft start and slower than 1000 speed-unfortunately, the motor seems to be on the way out and I need to get it repaired.

[s7n7a7k7e]

I`ve used a Makita 9227 several times in the past, but I just got a DeWalt 849 over the summer, and I have to admit I like the DeWalt much better. I`m also not a big fan of the Makita`s cradle handle. I prefer the side handle of the DeWalt 849 anyway.

[imported_WhyteWizard]

The Hitachi is the most powerful at 11 amps and the lightest 6.2lbs., the Makita is second at 10 amps, 6.4 lbs, and the Porter Cable is 8 amps at 8.25 lbs. It takes more power to make a machine run a wider range, especially the lower speeds. You can change the gearing and have a weaker machine run lower rpms, there`s a Porter Cable that has a 7 amp motor that runs up to 1750 for example, but the most powerful machine, the Hitachi has the greatest range and it`s the lightest.



A heavier machine can absorb shock off the pad better and might be a bit more stable, the lighter machine might give you quicker feedback and slightly better feel. The D handle is something I wasn`t sure of when I first tried it but it disappeared by the time I`d buffed my first car - that is - I`d become unaware of it - and now I appreciated the ability to hold the machine differently depending on where I`m working on the car. The handles are different too, as is the distance between the grips, so different polishers are going to feel better to different people.



What it comes down to is this: Any of those machines will get the job done to the ability of the person running them. Find the one that feels comfortable to you and spend time using it. Get pads and backing plates that work for you and make the world a shinier and better place.



Robert