Review: Griot`s Garage Boss 21 Long Throw Polisher - Comparison To Rupes 21ES
Griots Garage BOSS G21 Long Throw Random Orbital Polisher



Description:

The Griots Garage BOSS G21 Long Throw Random Orbital Polisher has the power and long throw necessary to tackle paint correction projects like never before. Years of research and development at Griots Garage headquarters have yielded a powerful machine with the capability to correct defects faster and with less effort than you ever thought possible. The Griots Garage BOSS G21 Long Throw Random Orbital Polisher features a massive 21 millimeter stroke that covers more ground than a standard polisher can.

The Griots Garage BOSS G21 Long Throw Random Orbital Polisher, along with the smaller Griots Garage BOSS G15 Long Throw Random Orbital Polisher, form the cornerstone of the Griots Garage Best of Show System (BOSS) product range and for good reason. While the throw of a conventional dual action polisher is only in the 4 – 8 millimeter range, the Griots Garage BOSS G21 Long Throw Random Orbital Polisher produces a throw of a whopping 21 millimeters, more than doubling the output of even the largest conventional polishers. This means that you’ll cover more surface area with each pass of the polisher, so you can achieve amazing results in a fraction of the time!

The Griots Garage BOSS G21 Long Throw Random Orbital Polisher features the random orbital motion and large throw necessary for perfect results. Unlike rotary buffers, the BOSS G21 will not cause swirls or holograms during buffing, so your results will always be flawless. That’s right – no holograms or burn through like a rotary can cause, but still plenty of swirl-busting power for immaculate results!

The Griots Garage BOSS G21 Long Throw Random Orbital Polisher isn’t all power, either. It’s designed for maximum user comfort as well. From the ergonomic, rubber-coated platypus-style grip at the head of the polisher, down to the rubber coated pistol-grip handle with fatigue-fighting trigger lock, this polisher was designed for comfort during extended buffing sessions. The precision balanced body is easy to control so that you can more efficiently complete any detailing job.

Along with comfort and performance, the Griots G21 is packed with power and versatility! The 900 watt motor spins your favorite polishing pads at up to 5000 oscillations per minute, providing the serious correction power that you need. To ensure the best, most consistent connection to the power source, each Griots G21 utilizes a heavy duty 16 gauge rubber cord. The Griots BOSS G21 can be used with 5 inch or 6 inch pads in the BOSS system for ideal buffing in any situation.

Features:
21 millimeter orbit
900 watt motor
5000 OPM max
13 foot heavy duty 16 gauge rubber cord
Quick access brush ports (includes replacement carbon brushes)
Rubberized grips at head and trigger
Includes stainless steel spacer for “washer mod”
Includes silicone lubricant to extend life of shroud
Outfitted with 6" backing plate system

Price:

$385 for the G21
$365 for the G15

Introduction:

We all know that polishers are a must have in anybody`s detailing arsenal. Yes, defects can be removed by hand but polishers accomplish the task faster. Plus, it saves our arms and body from extreme fatigue.

Back in the day, the standard 8mm throw Dual Action (DA) polishers were the only non-rotary polishers we could use. It accomplished defect removal and paint polishing just fine.

When the Flex 3401 came out, everybody went crazy over it because of its forced rotation nature. It`s an unstoppable beast and they promised to make defect removal and paint polishing faster than the traditional DA method. I was one of them. I bought the 3401 and I thought it was a great tool.

Then a few years after that, Rupes came out with the first ever long throw polishers. At that time, I couldn`t afford to buy another polisher so I sold my Flex 3401 in order to purchase the Rupes 21ES. After spending some time with the Rupes 21ES long throw polisher, I quickly found out that selling the 3401 was the right move for me.

Why do I like the long throw DA polisher better than the forced rotation DA polisher you might ask? First, the 21ES just melts swirls away with ease. Also, you don`t have to apply as much downward pressure to the head of the polisher in order to achieve correction. This produces less fatigue to the user. Third, the 21ES was much easier to control for me. During a detail session, there will be times I`d get frustrated because the 3401 would walk on me randomly. It`s always a constant fight with that polisher.

Please keep in mind that this was my preference and opinion. I`m not saying that the 21ES or any long throw DA polisher is a better tool than the 3401. It`s just my tool of choice. You might like the 3401 better and it`s OK.

Recently, Griot`s Garage introduced their own set of long throw polishers, which are the BOSS G21 and G15. These polishers have the exact same throws as the Rupes ones. Having choices is a good thing but it could sometimes be a difficult task. So, I bought the BOSS G21 to do a review comparison with the Rupes and hopefully help a future long throw DA polisher buyer on which one to pick.

Review:

This review will be in a different format than the normal reviews. Normally, I would use the product being reviewed and see how good it does its job. But we all know that the long throw polishers accomplish paint polishing and defect removal with ease. So I`m not going to do that. Instead, I will be doing a comparison with the Rupes polisher and try to give my honest opinion on which one is better based on different aspects of the polishers.

Packaging:

The packaging of the Griot`s Garage BOSS G21 is amazing. So much thought and design was put into this package. You`d think that a box is just a box and majority of the products we buy don`t really have a WOW factor in the design of the box. But I was blown away with this. Also, they included a product flow chart poster. I think that`s very thoughtful. Here`s some unpacking pictures of the BOSS G21 polisher:











Instruction Manual And Accessory Bag:


Contents Of The Accessory Bag:


Polisher Unveiled:



Comparisons:

Power
This is the meat of this review. The 900W motor of the Boss polishers is very intriguing especially when you compare it to the 500W motor of the Rupes.

I remember Mike Phillips back in the Porter Cable days saying that 15-20lbs of pressure were required in order to do paint correction. I hated that because it makes your body very tired and sore. So when the long throw Rupes polisher came out, I was so ecstatic because you don`t have to apply much downward pressure anymore. But for this test, I wanted to apply some downward pressure and see if the BOSS can handle more pressure.

For this test, I used a 15lb dumbbell as shown below:



I wanted to make sure that both tools received equal amounts of pressure and eliminate the human factor of error. I didn`t feel comfortable going more than this because I was afraid of dropping the weight into my car. And trust me, it was very hard to do this part.

Both tools were running at speed 4.5 for this test.

I also tried to use the same 6.5" pad to eliminate any variation given by different pads. I also didn`t want to use Rupes or BOSS pads because I didn`t want to give either tools an advantage. I used a 6.5" white polishing pad and I put a black line on the side of the pad to show you guys how much the pad is rotating.



Here are the videos of the 15lb test, which shows you how much rotation each polisher has even after applying the 15lb weight.

Griot`s Garage BOSS G21:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yguA9rc_FwA



Rupes 21ES:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJVbncHfBhw



Rupes 21ES Take 2:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-GESQcMEfJw



You can see when the weight is applied because the pad compresses a little and the rotation of the pad slows down. You can also hear the motor working harder.

Both polishers didn`t really stop as much with the 15lb weight.

I`ve always heard people complaining about the long throw DA polishers that stop spinning. I tried to polish some slightly curved surfaces and I couldn`t make it stop. So I tried polishing surfaces with a very tight concave radius. Here are the videos:

Griot`s Garage BOSS G21 (Surface 1):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gowgeqI70nQ



Rupes 21ES (Surface 1):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tgjgd-QOXG0



Griot`s Garage BOSS G21 (Surface 2):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxDL65SPZSI



Rupes 21ES (Surface 2):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwdwGJVS1Zc



Both polishers slowed down with the concave surfaces encountered with a tight radius. But I don`t think this is the long throw DA polisher`s disadvantage. I think it just boils down to user technique. Yes, you`d say that the 3401 is a better machine because it won`t stop spinning. But are you really polishing that surface? I`m sure your 6.5" pad on the 3401 won`t make contact with the paint so are you really accomplishing defect removal if your pad isn`t making contact anyway?

From all the videos above, you can definitely hear that the BOSS polisher sounds more powerful and louder. The specs say the BOSS is 80% more powerful. But there was no way I could quantify that so I`m not sure.


Build Quality

I think I`ll give this one to the Rupes polisher. Don`t get me wrong, both tools are built very well and I think have high quality. But I just feel that the Rupes polisher is more refined.


Comfort and Ergonomics

I think this is another reason why a person would pick the G21 over the Rupes (besides the bigger motor). There are rubber grips everywhere. I think this will help reduce vibration slightly and I welcome anything that accomplishes that. Some people may also feel that the head of the polisher has some curves to it making the grip easier. I don`t think it matters to me but it might matter to someone.

I also like the trigger and the speed dial better on the G21, which are discussed further below.

Griot`s Garage BOSS G21:


Rupes 21ES:



Start-up

The GG BOSS G21 doesn`t have a slow start feature unlike the Rupes. (See videos above for start up). When I first started using the tool, I got startled because I didn`t expect the polisher to violently start like that especially if you have such a powerful motor.

I don`t think one polisher is better than the other on this aspect. This will just be user preference.


Trigger

I would say that the BOSS has a slight advantage on this. The trigger on the BOSS was easier to press and lock into place in my opinion. Also, it was easier to release.

Griot`s Garage BOSS G21:


Rupes 21ES:



Speed Dial

I definitely think that the BOSS polisher has this one in the bag. The BOSS polisher clicks as you change the speed dial setting. So you know where you are at in the knob. The RUPES doesn`t have any feedback and it just rotates freely.

I do want to point out that I didn`t feel or hear and difference in speed or motor output when I changed the speed dial from 4.5 to 6 on the G21. I`m not sure if it`s like that or mine was a defect.

Griot`s Garage BOSS G21:


Rupes 21ES:



Counter Balance

Griot`s Garage BOSS G21:


Rupes 21ES:



Washer Mod

I`m a big fan of the Kevin Brown washer mod. Kevin was kind enough to send me a washer when I got my Rupes before. I think this mod is a no brainer because it unlocks extra power. It`s like modding your vehicle. Who will say no to more HP?

So when Griot`s Garage said that the BOSS G21 will come with the washer mod in the package - I said SWEET!!! This will be an amazing accessory because it`s a must have. But I was totally disappointed with the quality of the washer. It was total #$@@. The washer wasn`t really cut perfectly to fit the BP recess and the washer was so thin that it really didn`t space out the BP to the shroud. Here`s a video showing both tools with the washer mod installed:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ORwY65LEZNw



I did hear that Griot`s Garage is working to address this issue so I`m sure they will make this right.


Backing Plate



I think the quality of the BOSS backing plate is great. The top surface is pretty smooth so it doesn`t get scoured when it gets in contact with the rubber shroud like the Rupes. I hated that on the Rupes by the way. Makes the BP look dirty. The BOSS BP also comes with grease on the top surface. I`m guessing this is to make the BP slide in case it does hit the rubber shroud.

The velcro also has a normal hold. The Rupes has a "hang in for your life" hold which makes pad removal a little difficult. The BOSS`s velcro will reduce the chances of damaging pads when removing them from the BP.


Power Cord

Griot`s Garage BOSS G21:


Rupes 21:


I really don`t think either tool is better than the other on this aspect. I heard a lot of people say that the BOSS has a better one but honestly, it doesn`t matter to me so long as the power cord connections to the tool doesn`t get worn out over time.

I do like this feature of the BOSS` power cord. It has a built in velcro strap so that it makes it easier to stow away the cord when you`re done polishing.



Allen Key

The allen key to remove/install the backing plate is stored in the polisher`s body in the Rupes. The BOSS doesn`t have this feature. You have to remember where you keep your allen key when you want to change the BP and make sure not to lose it!


More Side-By-Side Pictures of Both Polishers:
















Final Thoughts and Conclusion:

The Griot`s Garage BOSS G21 polisher seems to be a well designed tool. They weren`t kidding when they said it was built from the ground up. I totally believe this. I don`t think this tool is a copy of the Rupes 21ES. It doesn`t look like it unlike the direct copies of the Rupes...

People getting into detailing nowadays are very lucky because they have choices. Each tool has their own advantages and disadvantages. I think the BOSS polisher shines with the following features: bigger motor, a more ergonomic design, warranty you can`t beat and the cheaper price (when discounts are applied). Overall, you can`t go wrong with either tool because both are high quality tools that achieve the same task. But as a hobbyist, I won`t be using the tool all the time nor would I use it often enough so the warranty is a big deal to me. If you already have a Rupes polisher then there`s no point in buying the BOSS.

I am planning to do a review of the BOSS polishing system with their pads and creams in the future. I just can`t afford to purchase the creams right now because I already spent a lot on the polisher. My wife will kill me if I buy more detailing stuff LOL! So stay tuned for that.

Hope this helps anyone trying to pick which long throw polisher to get.