Amateur Looking for Good Budget DA

[Mass. Wine Guy]

I want to polish/correct paint on my two VWs. Total amateur with no plans to detail for a living. I can only work in good weather because I have no garage, so I won`t be overusing the machine. I want to buy a da buffer/polisher with enough power and ability to do what I need.

I can spend up to about $130. Harbor Freight is too cheap and poorly made according to reviews. Bought a TorqX but looking to return it for something better.

Are new PCs any good, given the downslide in quality many report? Should I just bite the bullet and get a GG6?

Help me Obie Wan. You`re my only hope.

[Buster906]

The GG6 is a great DA. Plus a lifetime warranty cannot be beat. I have the GG6 and have had no problems

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

[nickclark08]

I have a PC, does what I need it to. I could probably get things done faster with a more powerful machine, but then again, I don`t do this for a living. Like you, just 2 cars to maintain and I`m definitely no pro. For the price, the PC is your best bet unless you really want to pony up for a GG6.

Keep in mind you will still have the added cost of backing plate(s), cutting/polishing/finishing pads, etc. I kept it low-price and got some of the flat Lake Country Orange, White, and Black pads, all in the 5.5" variety (5" backing plate). You can get MF pads to do the heavy cutting, if your vehicles require it.

At any rate, good luck!

[trashmanssd]

GG6 if you would like to get it through Autopia just wait for a big sale 20 percent of to get it, should be one in few weeks around labor day. Also they will match Auto Geek sales so between the 2 you should be able find a nice sale to use to get a GG6 in your Budget. Its a solid machine with an amazing warranty behind it. Just get a 5" backing plate and pads to go with it 6" plus pads work ok but 5" is more powerful and more versatile.

[BudgetPlan1]

The GG6 is a great DA. Plus a lifetime warranty cannot be beat. I have the GG6 and have had no problems

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

Winner...Advance Auto occasionally has GG`s avaliable as well, sometimes you can catch a 20% off code...

[dennis hiip]

I agree GG6, but an even more affordable choice is the Harbor Freight DA.
Not as smooth and quiet but gets the job done.

[Mass. Wine Guy]

I agree GG6, but an even more affordable choice is the Harbor Freight DA.
Not as smooth and quiet but gets the job done.

Smooth in terms of vibration? HF has adequate power and I can use a decent backing plate on it?

[dennis hiip]

yes, HF vibrates a bit more but its not bad imo.

[Accumulator]

Amateur or not, I`d get the best/most appealing/smoothest/most powerful unit you can possibly afford.

Vibration can be a genuinely serious issue; "white finger" is nothing to scoff about.

The ability to do the required correction in a time-efficient manner can be the difference between actually getting the work done vs. trying to convince yourself that "enough of this [crap]! " is the same as being truly satisfied with your results.

If you don`t like using a machine (or at least if you don`t mind it too much..some of us don`t actually *enjoy* doing this stuff), and/or you don`t get the results you want given the time/effort you`re willing to invest, then the whole polishing thing becomes a non-starter. Take something seemingly minor like the on/off switch- imagine how much polishing you`ll really do if every single time you turn it on/off you think "oh man, I simply HATE using that switch!" Subjective stuff matters when *you* are the subject.

[BudgetPlan1]

The ability to do the required correction in a time-efficient manner can be the difference between actually getting the work done vs. trying to convince yourself that "enough of this [crap]! " is the same as being truly satisfied with your results.

Perzactly...been there, done that.

[pwaug]

As mentioned above--what ever DA you purchase you`ll need to add the $$$ to get a 5" and a 3" backing plate. That being said I started with a GG6 with 5" backing plate and 5.5" pads to polish our two VWs--believe me you`ll need the extra torque/power of the GG6 to work on VW hard paint. Also, consider this, if you`re only taking care of your own cars you might use the polisher 2-4 times a year--so 4 years down the road you have a problem with the unit--with the GG6 just call Griots and they will take care of it for you--no need to spend $80-100 for a service call.

[felixthecat]

You`ll want to use 5.5`` pads & add a few m/f pads to the order.....

[kkritsilas]

Dallas Paint Correction and Auto Detailing has a pair of videos on Youtube that compares the HF and GG6. They are quite detailed, and he goes through the pros and cons of each. Just a hint: Scott (the guy in the videos, and a full time pro) uses the HF. Gary Dean uses the HF. And there are others who use the HF, and they are professional detailers of high repute. If they are using the HF in a professional day in/day out, it should certainly be usable for an amateur.

Is the GG6 a bad polisher? No, but the HF isn`t either, and costs half of what the GG6 does. The GG6 has a better warranty, vibrates a little less. The HF is much cheaper, needs third party backing plates (because from all reports, the HF backing plate is unusable), and according to the videos, stalls less than the GG6.

Note that the HF can be had with a 2 year extended warranty for $12 or so. Its not the lifetime warranty of the GG6, but should help with peace of mind.

There is a video of the HF polisher being taken apart, and every part is examined, in detail, on Youtube as well. From that video, the unit is actually pretty good in terms of assembly and parts quality. There are also a number of videos that show how to replace the grease in the gear head, add a longer power cable, and shift the power button to the top of the unit.

And just to put everybody`s mind at rest, and limit the hate posts that are sure to follow, I live in Canada, where there are no Harbor Freight outlets, and I own a PC 7424XP, and a Flex XC3401. I don`t own a HF DA, but if they were available here, I would have bought one over the PC 7424XP.

[grungy]

Having used both a GG6 and PC, go for the GG6. Smoother, less noise and more power.

[Accumulator]

Other than 1) long-term durability and 2) the ability to do *SERIOUS* correction quickly, I don`t see any difference between polishers for Pros and Amateurs since the other factors (e.g., vibration) are uniquely subjective. I`m not a Pro Detailer/mechanic/landscaper/whatever, but 99% of the time, in *every category under the sun*, the stuff that`s made for Pros is better for me. Sometimes the price spread is worth it and sometimes it`s not, whole different consideration in cases where the cost does factor in (if the price doesn`t matter just buy the best). IMO the polisher choice kinda falls into a gray area since different things matter more/less to different people. Gotta figure out what`s right for *YOU* and that might not be what`s right for [whomever].

Heh heh, which polisher some Pro/vendor/manufacturer`s rep/etc. uses has zero bearing on what polisher`s right for me, and vice-versa.