Other buffers besides PC

[schoi]

I know, I mentioned this in another post, but I have a new question.



You know those "other" buffers? The ones you can get at Autozone for half the price of, say, a PC 7424? How are those? How safe are they? How are the results?



Anybody that`s used something like that... love to hear about it.

[CharlesW]

Since no one has answered you, I guess I should pass on my experience.

Several years back, I purchased a Wen 10" orbital buffer. It had an amperage rating of over 3 amps, but I don`t remember the exact rating. The only reason I mention it is to point out it was not really lacking in power. I used it some for the first 2 - 3 months I owned it and after that it stayed in the box, unused, for several years. This summer, I tried it again. Back in the box and then given to a friend. It was more hassle than it was worth. Changing the bonnets was a PIA.

Since then I have purchased a PC 7336 and there is no comparison. With the velcro backing plate, changing pads is a 5 second job. The machine is much easier to work with and probably does a much better job. I can`t say for sure since the WEN never really got much use.

Now for something to start a discussion. Unless you have swirl removal to do, the PC isn`t really necessary to do a good job of taking care of your car. Easier? Yes. Better? Probably a little better distribution of product. Faster? Maybe, but remember, you also have to consider the time you spend getting it out, putting it away, and hand washing the foam pads as part of the overall time spent.

My cars were in pretty good shape to start with and the products I use, Klasse AIO, Platinum UPP, S100 Cleaner, and S100 wax, are all so easy to apply and remove that the benefit is not all that great to me. So far, it seems that about 1/2 the time, I don`t even bother with the PC.

If you can afford one, by all means get one. If it stretches your budget, use the money to buy something you really need.



Charles :xyxthumbs

[schoi]

well, you`ve got a great point. I wouldn`t want the hassle, either.



And besides, my car is in great shape right now (filthy, but in good shape). I`m sure that I could get pretty good results with SMR+AIO+SG all by hand and not have to spend over $100 on a PC (or however much they cost). Longer and more work, maybe, but... I dunno, it just doesn`t seem like that big of a deal. Of course, I`ve never used one, either.



Anyway, thanks a lot. :xyxthumbs

[CharlesW]

The kicker is the SMR. Swirl removal by hand is a lot of work. With a PC, it is easy. While my personal cars haven`t needed SMR, I have used Meguiar`s #9 on the cars of other members of my family. It works great with a PC and I don`t think I would want to tackle a swirl removal project without one. If you need SMR, you probably need the PC.



Charles:wavey

[shaf]

I think it depends how much the convenience of the PC is worth to you. It sounds like you`re in the same kind of situation I was in. My own car doesn`t really need a ton of work either (just some swirl removal) and I probably could have gotten rid of that with a day or two of hard work. But after a lot of debate I just went and rationalized that I`d be using my PC on other cars that need a lot more work, and so I bought it.



So now my car`s patiently waiting not for a hand polishing, but a PC polishing come springtime.



I also looked at the Wens because they were cheaper, easy to find, and fairly fast or powerful. I decided against them though because the compromises outweighed any advantages. The pad sizes were inconveniently large, speed ranges were fixed or limited, and they used a small range of bonnets instead of the various grades of foam pads the PC uses. Also, I started to find that they were either fast or powerful, but not both! :nixweiss