Do you need a buffer/polisher?

[Troy@Protekt]

Spending money for a good polisher and good polish is necessary in my opinion to achieve the best results.

Can you get decent results polishing paint without spending money on a polisher? If you want to work ten times harder for less impressive results than I suppose you could. To me it`s like saying would you rather walk(by hand), drive(D/A polisher) or fly(Rotary polisher) from Florida to California? Most people can walk. With minimal training most people can drive. Flying requires a bit more training and not everybody can do it.

I can take this analogy further by saying you need to do all three to achieve the fastest, best results. Flying(rotary) is the fastest and most efficient way to get across country but you need to drive(DA) to complete your journey and since most cars won`t fit through the door, you need to finish by walking(do the tight spots by hand).

Most paint finishes don`t require you to take such a long trip. Some finishes would be like starting your journey to California in Nevada. In that case, flying(rotary) is not needed.

[jaybs02]

If I use a Flex, does that mean I am going by bus/train :lmfao

Sorry Troy couldn`t help myself :gotcha:

"J"

[distrbd]

Buying a PC and a few polishes/waxes is the first step of admitting to yourself that you are passionate about this hobby and you have passed the point of just wanting to keep your car clean.
And this my humble opinion.

[cwcad]

If I use a Flex, does that mean I am going by bus/train :lmfao

Sorry Troy couldn`t help myself :gotcha:

"J"

Yet, in keeping with the tenor of the thread, it is quite analogous.

[Troy@Protekt]

If I use a Flex, does that mean I am going by bus/train :lmfao

Sorry Troy couldn`t help myself :gotcha:

"J"

I haven`t used a Flex yet.:redface:

Judging by what has been said about them yes that is a good analogy.:bigups

:huh: Your making fun of me aren`t you?:crazy:

[Jngrbrdman]

I busted out the Flex yesterday to give it another shot with a different pad. I think it was the pad that was causing the problems with product being more difficult to buff off. The results were the same that I get with the PC, they were just achieved much quicker. So it was still a car, but instead of taking the Corolla from California to Nevada I was able to borrow the neighbor`s Ferrari. ;) Still not quite a plane, but I didn`t have to leave the safety of terra firma either.

[Troy@Protekt]

Just curious. How much time do you think the Flex shaves off your polishing time compared to a DA polisher?

[joyriide1113]

I have 2 Jets (Dewalt and Makita), one exotic car(Flex), one econobox (PC), and some roller blades (polishing pal).

[Troy@Protekt]

I have 2 Jets (Dewalt and Makita), one exotic car(Flex), one econobox (PC), and some roller blades (polishing pal).

:rofl I love it.:bigups

[Jngrbrdman]

Actually, it shaves quite a bit off. I ran the two side by side with the same pad this weekend on the trunk of a Camry. The left side was the Flex and the right side was the PC. It was really abused to start with, and believe it or not the side with the PC was actually an improvement. My wonderful son got ahold of my camera and deleted several pictures that I took which apparantly included the before shots, so all I have is the after. The file names confirm they are indeed the afters, so no problem figuring that out there. :) Anyway, here you go.

Left side (FLEX)
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y42/OCDetails/April%20Highland/99314b39.jpg

Right side (Porter Cable 7424)
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y42/OCDetails/April%20Highland/8aa991df.jpg

It was after about three minutes of slow passes with a light cut that I obtained those results. They were done on a blue pad, but the maker is unknown. I bought them with the Flex since I don`t have many velcro pads. I chose to do the test with a mild pad and mild polish so I could get an idea what the least I could expect was if I had nothing else to work with. Clearly the PC didn`t make much of a dent, but the Flex all but solved the problem. Another couple minutes with a medium cut polish the damage was cleared up on both sides, but I still thought it was an interesting comparison.

[Stephan]

The answer is simply yes...yes you need a polisher...

When I first started detailing I was a young kid with no experience and no money, there was no internet and my products were all trial and error from sampling OTC prodcuts and the "As seen on TV products"

I used to polish a car every Saturday for about eight hours by hand, the fact that I can even still use my hands and have any sense of feeling in my fingers tips is amazing...

All I know is if I had a rotary back then, and had been using it all this time, I would be a master at it...

[Jngrbrdman]

The answer is simply yes...yes you need a polisher...



Now hold the phone for a second.... That statement just triggered something. `Need` may be too strong of a word after all. I think we need to define `Need` for our purposes here.

Need- The desire to achieve a swirl free finish without the need to fill or mask the damage. Also, the desire to use products that are designed for machine use in order to break down the polishes effectively for best, if any, results.

Used in that context then yes, you definitely NEED a machine. There isn`t going to be a way to achieve these kinds of results by hand unless you are incredibly strong and have shoulders like an ox. I would imagine that after ten years of polishing cars by hand you might be in shape enough to get some sort of result, but it is still going to take you four times longer than a machine to get the same thing. And that is only IF it is possible to achieve the results by hand in the first place.

Then there is the product question. In order to get some products to even work right, they require a certian amount of heat and friction that you just can`t sustain when working by hand. How long can you seriously expect to maintain two thousand rpm by hand? lol I can`t even imagine....

So if you aren`t looking for a perfect finish and you are happy in just hiding the swirls with glazes and waxes instead of removing them, then you don`t need a machine any more than I need a band saw to cut out all the things I don`t want. "Need" is going to be as subjective as "Best" I think.

Ok, another analogy for you that you have to keep a clean mind for in order for it to have the right impact. If you want to play ball with the big boys then you need the proper tools. Your Little League gear is fine when you are satisfied with Little League results, but when it is time to get serious you have to be prepared for bigger balls, longer bats, and larger fields of play. It`s a whole other ball game once you start working with polishers.

[Stephan]

Well the rest of my post somewhat answered what I meant by need...

Meaning if you don`t want carpel tunnel, or anytype of severe paint in your hands and wrists then you need a polisher...if you plan on polishing by hand...

but you can hide alot of things, especially with some of the newer products out there

So you are right, I guees you don`t need one, I should have written, you should probably use one...

[Jngrbrdman]

It wasn`t directed at you or anything. :) It was just directed at the use of the word itself. `Need` is like `Best` and is really up to the user. Your post was right on if thinking about the type of user who is concerned about their health and wants results. That is what I think everybody is thinking about in this thread, but then again, we are detailers who generally do need polishers. There is that other popluation out there who think that rubbing down the car with a t-shirt and a can of Turtle Wax is the best thing for their paint and they have no concept of what they actually need.

[Stephan]

There is that other popluation out there who think that rubbing down the car with a t-shirt and a can of Turtle Wax is the best thing for their paint and they have no concept of what they actually need.

Wait you met my neighbor?:D