Cyclo polishing

[jason(england)]

Good Morning
I did a land rover discovery on sat i used my cyclo with white pads and meguires cleaner wax as the paint was in fairly good shape and I was charging for a clean shiny finish which I achieved and am pleased with the results overall.
When using this machine I have a few complaints in general I do think that its a good machine saved loads of time on the bonnet but its downfalls are as follows in my eyes any way.
Vibration is a factor ,not sure which gives best results but do you guys find that using product on the left or right pad is best bearing in mind that one puts product on and one removes?.
Another moan is that it has its limits as if you try to move up say on the quater panel should one pad loose grip it flies off very annoying this would not happen with a pc or rotary polisher.
The size and weight is a little on the heavy side and I feel that you do have to put a little pressure for best results.
All in all its great for panel vans big hoods and flat doors and side panels but for sides which have mouldings etc I would rather use a smaller single headed machine ,Being more flexible.
All in all its pretty good and saved a lot of time but I shall be investing in a 6 speed rotary which has been offerd to me cheap my family owns a large body shop and can get a bit of training there .
Would love to get a pc but here in england there is a guy who sells them but with the 110 volt converter etc it comes around 250 pounds well over the top compared to what you guys pay.
I will have to get a relative in california to get me one sent out at some time
as ordering direst from the US is hassle and could be a pain with taxes etc.
I enjoyed the whole job in general and will post some pictures this week ,your feed back is a great help and although i have been doing this job for pay now for 4 years i dont know it all and learn something new every day from this place.
Your views allways appreciated.
Jason ( its my job but I like it) :chill

[JaredPointer]

They Cyclo did take a little use for me to get used to the feel of it. I don`t quite get what you mean about using one pad to apply and one to remove - I use it like a polisher. Apply a small amount of product to both pads, use the dual heads to polish, and remove residue with a MF towel. The thing that I really like about the Cyclo is that no matter how much pressure you apply, you don`t "bog" the machine down. This can be helpful when removing more serious defects.

To get into tighter spots where the Cyclo won`t fit, I bought a 3.5" back plate for my PC so I can use the 4" pads on the PC. They do excellent work on the PC. I have found that I rarely use my 6" pads anymore. The Cyclo is just that much more efficient in my personal opinion - meaning I can polish more vehicle or remove greater defects in a smaller amount of time with much less effort on my part. I`m sure the same stands true for when you step up to a rotary.

[jason(england)]

Thanks Jared
I think im going to drop my self in it here?
My supplier said when he gave it to me use one pad with polish then the clean pad will remove as you come backwards which it does but working that way limits its uses come to think of it your way sounds more eficient.
But good to hear that you keep a single pad machine to hand.
I will keep at it with the cyclone im glad to hear that you can obtain good results with it.
All the best.
Jason. :chill

[Bell]

Been using the Cyclo a good number of years and never had a pad fly off. Have no idea what you are doing wrong to have that happen. Also do as Jared said, apply your product to both pads and really the work the product in then remove it with a microfiber towel.

[Bill D]

Yeah, the one pad to apply, the other to remove technique is too awkard and too prone to messing up IMO. I would use a Cyclo only for paint correcting polishes. Products like cleaner waxes and AIO may be better suited with a PC set on its lower speeds.