View Full Version : Opinions on orbital buffers
focus2069
12-22-2009, 09:05 AM
So, I know everyone lives and dies by their Porter Cable 7424 and their other products...
Just wanting an opinon on the less expensive alternatives....
I picked up a craftsman 7in orbital buffer a long while ago, because I didnt know any better at the time, and thats what my dad used way back in the day.
http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00910721000P?keyword=craftsman+orbit al+buffer
It was 30 bucks, on sale and it came in a nice bucket kit, with 4-5 bonnets with it, and the bucket is used for a wash bucket.
Aside from being big and bulky (hard to get in smaller spots), what are the cons of having a cheap buffer like this?
I cant really hurt my paint with this as long as I use good pads/bonnets, can I?
I`ve only used one of those a couple of times. The biggest drawback is that you can`t do much with them. Its not going to have enough power to do any type of corrective polishing. Its likely going to have a limited amount of accessories and not allow for many options (like pad selection).
I suppose that you could use it to apply wax and other lsps with it (providing that you use an appropriate bonnet.) I`m not sure that you`ll get better results with it than applying the product by hand.
So I guess the question is would you rather spend 120 bucks or so for a versatile tool like a PC or 30 bucks for a machine with limited usefulness (or no usefulness if you like to apply your lsp by hand like many people do)?
superchargedg
12-22-2009, 06:19 PM
Junk it and at least get a pc.
Junk it and at least get a pc.
No power, no pad selection means no real correction. If you found the right pads and spent forever, I guess you could get some correction. Reminds me, I need to throw mine out, bought it ages ago, still holding on to it for some dumb reason.
imported_WhyteWizard
12-22-2009, 07:06 PM
Well, at least you didn`t get electrocuted using it and it was probably entertaining, and then, there`s the bucket... You can always use another bucket.
Robert
Legacy
12-22-2009, 07:19 PM
So, I know everyone lives and dies by their Porter Cable 7424 and their other products...
Just wanting an opinon on the less expensive alternatives....
I picked up a craftsman 7in orbital buffer a long while ago, because I didnt know any better at the time, and thats what my dad used way back in the day.
http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00910721000P?keyword=craftsman+orbit al+buffer
It was 30 bucks, on sale and it came in a nice bucket kit, with 4-5 bonnets with it, and the bucket is used for a wash bucket.
Aside from being big and bulky (hard to get in smaller spots), what are the cons of having a cheap buffer like this?
I cant really hurt my paint with this as long as I use good pads/bonnets, can I?
You can`t hurt your paint with a dual action or random orbital either. You can probably find a used Porter Cable (1st generation) for 50-75 bucks on Ebay or Craig`s list. If you are serious about keeping up your cars you need at least a DA buffer. The newer DA`s can do some serious correction work and they start out at about $130.00...small price to pay for what it can do for your paint.:dance
Setec Astronomy
12-22-2009, 07:40 PM
I picked up a craftsman 7in orbital buffer a long while ago, because I didnt know any better at the time, and thats what my dad used way back in the day.
That`s what your dad used because that`s all there was.
I cant really hurt my paint with this as long as I use good pads/bonnets, can I?
No, you can`t hurt anything with it. You also can`t really do anything with it. I decided after a couple of times that cleaning the bonnets was taking longer than any time or effort it was saving me.
Reminds me, I need to throw mine out, bought it ages ago, still holding on to it for some dumb reason.
Yeah, me too, I have mine on the shelf in the original box, circa 1991 or so.
focus2069
12-22-2009, 08:49 PM
lol.
the replies are just like i figured.
like i said, i didnt know better...but at least I got a cool $30 bucket out of the deal!
been looking for a 7424 (regular or xp) for the past few days
keep an eye out for that bad boy craftsman for sale in teh classifieds soon!
Cleaning Fool
12-22-2009, 08:51 PM
Everytime I see these buffers in the auto parts store I smile, I bought one to years ago. Waste of money.
tguil
12-23-2009, 08:09 AM
I used a similar type of buffer (10 inch rather than 7 inch) for many years on black vehicles. I used it with polish, with cleaner/waxes and with "pure" wax. It worked quite well for me. It most certainly is not as good as a pc, but it beats the heck out hand polishing. A lot depends on the product you are using. With a lot of patience, I was able to do some pretty serious correction. What do I use now? My pc and/or rotary.
Tom :cool:
jDizzle
12-23-2009, 09:24 AM
ive never used one, i have a Porter Cable, and i love it.. many different density pads for different products.. i wouldnt imagine bonnets wouldnt be as useful for polishing. but still. it has to be better than polishing by hand like someone already said.. just make sure u keep them clean or you`ll do more harm than good. also generally with a da, the smaller the pad the more agressive, so i dont know how quickly such a large pad would give you the correction your looking for, but again, it has to be better than doing it by hand.
Accumulator
12-23-2009, 10:38 AM
I cant really hurt my paint with this as long as I use good pads/bonnets, can I?
I`d be mighty careful about what pads/bonnets you use.
tkblazer
12-23-2009, 10:50 AM
i`m new here so as with most newbies i`ve used one in the past and still have one in my garage. i`ve always got decent results with them mainly cause the cars i`ve used them on have been single stage paints that have been oxidized. using the megs 3 step i was able to get a good shine, but never really was able to do any correction..