Harbor Freight 4" Cordless Polisher

**SR77** · 03-08-2007, 08:00 PM

Does anyone have this Harbor Freight 4" Cordless Polisher? Any problems or issues with it. Looks to be the same as the Nikota polisher that is sold out everywhere and cannot be found. I am looking for a 4" cordless for Wax and Glaze application and the only other 4" codrless that i can find is the more expensive Wen. Is this Harbor Freight one worth the money or is it better off to get the more durable Wen one? thanks for the help

Harbor Freight Tools - Quality Tools at the Lowest Prices

**Eliot Ness** · 03-09-2007, 12:02 AM

That`s the first time I have seen that HF cordless and I haven`t read any reviews yet. It sure looks exactly the same as my Nikota which looks the same as the WEN. For $30 it might be worth a try..... I know my cheap Nikota comes in handy. I used it yesterday to apply ZAIO with a Cyclo polish pad and it worked pretty well. I`d never use it for any serious corrections, but for applying a quick LSP it can come in handy w/o having to drag out a PC.

My only complaint is the batteries take a long time to charge, and they tend to drain if not used for a while. I bought a second Nikota off of eBay a few months back so with 4 batteries and two chargers it gives me a little more flexibility.

I would also suggest you get some good 4" pads for it. I have some Cyclo pads that I use and they work great with that little buffer/polisher. If you decide to buy it make sure to post a review.

**kpagel** · 03-09-2007, 12:07 AM

Thanks for posting this. I`ve considered the WEN for just waxing, but haven`t wanted to pull the trigger because of the cost. I`m going to check out my local HF tomorrow and if they have one in the store I`ll pick it up.

**imported_steveo3002** · 03-09-2007, 05:41 AM

looks very similar to one meguiars uk sold for near $200 here in england

**TortoiseAWD** · 03-09-2007, 10:41 AM

Originally Posted by Eliot Ness

That`s the first time I have seen that HF cordless and I haven`t read any reviews yet. It sure looks exactly the same as my Nikota which looks the same as the WEN. For $30 it might be worth a try..... I know my cheap Nikota comes in handy. I used it yesterday to apply ZAIO with a Cyclo polish pad and it worked pretty well. I`d never use it for any serious corrections, but for applying a quick LSP it can come in handy w/o having to drag out a PC.

My only complaint is the batteries take a long time to charge, and they tend to drain if not used for a while. I bought a second Nikota off of eBay a few months back so with 4 batteries and two chargers it gives me a little more flexibility.

I would also suggest you get some good 4" pads for it. I have some Cyclo pads that I use and they work great with that little buffer/polisher. If you decide to buy it make sure to post a review.

QFT. I was going to type up my experiences with the Nikota/WEN cordless buffer, but you seem to have taken the words right outta my head.

Tort

**norcalg** · 03-09-2007, 06:20 PM

I noticed the HF `waxer` comes with a 6" pad.

John/Tort, would either of you consider using a 6" on this to speed up the waxing session or would there not be much difference in coverage from 4" to 6". I`m just trying to save time anywhere I can on larger vehicles

I really like the idea of a cordless for this.

**SR77** · 03-09-2007, 07:12 PM

Yeah, i was surprised to see this too. I have been looking into getting a 4" cordless polisher for wax and glaze application(have a PC & Rotary for correction) and did a google search and this HF one poped up. I have been hesitant because of the price of the Wen and the Nikota one is sold out everywhere I look. I will probably get this one sometime this spring and if I do i will post on it. Also, I do plan to get a few Cyclo or LC 4" pads for it too instead of the ones that come with it. This should really make quick work applying waxes especially since i can stick the 4" pad right into a paste wax can!!!!

**LeadingEdgeDetail** · 03-09-2007, 07:58 PM

I bought one of those peices of garbage when I was 16... Its been collecting dust for nearly 6 years now... Useless. An applicator pad and by hand is faster, and does a better job... And is free!

**Eliot Ness** · 03-09-2007, 09:31 PM

Originally Posted by bertmauricio

I noticed the HF `waxer` comes with a 6" pad.

John/Tort, would either of you consider using a 6" on this to speed up the waxing session or would there not be much difference in coverage from 4" to 6". I`m just trying to save time anywhere I can on larger vehicles

.......

The Nikota came with a 6" finish pad too. The first time I used it, to apply some Meg`s #16 to a Caravan, I used a 6" Meg`s finish pad. It did OK, but it is very easy to bog down with a larger pad. I have since only used 4" pads with it and it seems to work better, plus they are small enough to get into most of the large tins of wax.

It will never take the place of a PC, Cyclo, or a rotary, but for me it does come in handy from time to time. While the HF model looks the same as the WEN, Nikota, and the Meg`s cordless, I have no idea if they all have the same internals or not, since the Nikota is the only one I have seen first hand. I will say that the second Nikota I got off of eBay is a much different shade of green than the first one I picked up over two years ago.

**imported_doctordon** · 03-10-2007, 12:05 PM

SR: I got the 110v. version of same. I don`t think I buy an unbranded cordless item for one ...and typically, I always need a spare battery on stand-by ..driving up costs. If you`re mobile and don`t want to run a generator maybe..

Works on 110 OK. I made my own 6" pads of Polartec and Microfiber.