People with polishers OTHER THAN the PC....

[tommyortom]

so what are you guys using besides the common Porter Cable? I really cant decided if i want to spend 100 bucks on a polisher that i will only be using on my car. i am reading about other rotary and da polishers...and the chicago tools one seems to be the cheapest. there are a few models harbor frieght sells.

also...are the PC pads and plates the same for most power tools?

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Category.taf?CategoryID=105&pricetype=



are those complete junk? or will they get by for a weekend warrior job on a car with minimal swirling/scratches. ill be using optimum polish and meguiars nxt paste wax.



come to think of it..i can probably make my money back by doing a few friends cars..and making my family happy if i decide to do theirs. i really am not sure what i want yet though.

[Scottwax]

I`d stay away from a rotary, the learning curve is pretty steep. The money you save will pale in comparison to what burning through the paint on a fender would cost to fix.



You can go to a wrecking yard and buy a couple of fenders for practice but in the end you would end up spending the same.

[Chris_DBS]

tommy I agree with Scottwax



dont touch a rotary - the best option is the Festool Rotex 150 its 2 machines in one (sought of) but it is expensive. otherwise a RO Random Orbital is definatly the way to go.



Chris

[s2skimon]

you want to start with a porter cable as I and then move to a rotary. I find my rotary more effective with a lot less time

[White95Max]

I have one of the rotaries from Harbor Freight. It was $31 after shipping. I`ve used it a few times, and it works well. I use it with a 5" backing plate from http://www.autogeek.net, and pads from http://www.exceldetail.com

I typically only use the rotary on horizontal panels, which is where swirls are usually the worst. Doing the vertical panels has been more difficult to learn, but I`m sure I`ll start doing the horizontal ones too someday. A lighter machine like the Makita or Metabo would help.

[Accumulator]

Another reason to *not* buy the rotary first is that if you get rotary-instilled holograms you`ll most likely want to use a PC type polisher to remove them. Even guys like Mike Phillips usually follow up their rotary work with the PC.



You could buy a used one or just wait until you have the money to spare. The cost will pale in comparison with the results and time savings once you do buy one ;)

[the other pc]

... the best option is the Festool Rotex 150 its 2 machines in one...Cool machine for sure, but since he doesn`t want to spring US$100 for a PC I don`t think he`ll be too interested in popping US$420 for the RO 150.



Which brings up an important point. The PC is the least expensive (non-rotary) polisher that can actually be used for defect removal. All the others, Makita, Bosch, Festool, etc cost more.



tommyortom, there are plenty of cheap buffers out there that can save some work for waxes and glazes. Just don`t expect them to remove swirls, etching, oxidation, etc.





PC.

[Sherman8r44]

People around here will tell you that it`s a piece of junk and can`t get rid of swirls. I say that they are wrong!



I couldn`t justfy going out and spending $150+ on a PC and all of the accessories so I Macguyvered my dad`s Craftsman buffer that was collecting dust in his garage.



Here`s what I did:

1) Throw away the bonnets.

2) Cut off the foam pad to expose the plastic backing plate and remove any foam/adhesive residue.

3) Stick a few small tabs of industrial strength velcro to the clean backing plate. It`s important to get good adhesion or the velcro may come off with the pad.

4) Attach some good foam pads. I purchased the Sonus Orange and Blue pads from the Autopia store.



I`m not sure what the buffer from Walmart is like, but I`d say it`s pretty similar.



Sure the PC is the better tool, but for the price, I couldn`t justify spending that much $$$ on it.



Here are the numbers for those who care...

PC

2,500-6,000 RPM

3.7 Amps



Craftsman 7"

3,800 RPM

1.0 Amps



So it doesn`t have the power, but it suits my needs. I`ve got a fairly new car with a fairly soft clearcoat, and have found that some Menzerna FP with the blue pad eliminates all of my light swirling.



I also used it on my gf`s `95 civic with heavy swirling (Menzerna twins with Orange/Blue pads) and I`d say it eliminated around 90% of the swirls. It didn`t touch the scratches or heavier swirls. I`m sure I could`ve gotten better results with a PC, but the difference was still night and day.



I personally think this person is a genious, and I will try it out next summer. But if you want to go for the PC, you can get a 7336 from Lowes.com for $70 and free shipping if you shop a store in Minnesota (use zip code 53202), and then buy pads.

[White95Max]

Another reason to *not* buy the rotary first is that if you get rotary-instilled holograms you`ll most likely want to use a PC type polisher to remove them. Even guys like Mike Phillips usually follow up their rotary work with the PC.







Yeah I always go over the whole car with the PC after using the rotary. Just to make sure I don`t leave any holograms or anything. The purpose of the rotary is just to get the finish to a point where the PC can correct it easily.

[SpoiledMan]

With a rotary, soft pad and a finishing polish such as FPII it`s not hard at all, even on soft Honda paint, to get a hologram free finish. Odd thing is, I wasn`t able to accomplish that with Optimum polish and a soft pad.

[TDIGuy04]

I started with a PC 7424 and now I also have a Metabo rotary in my collection. I use the rotary for horizontal panels and bad swirls paint defects, and follow up with the pc and a some light polishing for holograms if any. I can do pretty much everything with the PC but it takes a lot more time, the rotary is the time saver. I still do vertical panels with my PC, I can do them with the rotary, but I worry about burning trim or edging a handle, not a worry with the pc.

[tommyortom]

its not that i cant afford 100 bucks...thats cheap. its just that im not sure if i want to spend 100 bucks for something that i wont use very often.......ya know what i mean?



i like that guys idea with cutting the foam pad off of one of those generic buffers and attaching nice pads to it. maybe ill try that.

[4830Deuce]

get in contact with me...try out my pc and decide for yourself if you think its worth it...I would stay away from a rotary until you have A LOT more experience...i mean **** you could just come over and I could teach you how to use it... :grinno:



-Justin