Buying a polisher

Legacy99 said:
So what happens when you need a rotary and you only have a Flex and what about smaller pads when you need them?
Click to expand...



I have two rotaries, Cyclos, PCs, the Griot's 6" (still NIB), and the Griot's 3".



NOTING THAT I'M NOT A PRO (meaning I only work on my own cars and maybe a few for friends), I've never run across any situation where the Flex couldn't cut it and I had to get out a rotary. Never. Not for sanding scratches, not for serious correction on hard clear.



And I could get by just fine without the machines that take smaller pads, though I could always mount the Edge adaptor on the Flex if I had to. Yeah, small pads are great for spot-correction, I use 'em all the time. But overall I could get by better with just the Flex than with (only) any of the others. Remember that for many years there were no small pads for *any* machines except for the Cyclo.



One of the things to consider about the rotaries is the learning curve, it's much flatter than with RO/DA machines so mastery comes very slowly. Yeah, it's *VERY* easy to avoid burning paint. But it's not so easy to avoid holograms. Even experts with decades of experience (e.g., Mike PHillips ) will tell you that they sometimes have to use a PC/etc. for the final passes to ensure a hologram-free finish. Most non-pros won't do enough polishing to develop the skill of somebody like Mike; they might only do a few dozen corrections over the course of a lifetime. Why not have those few corrections turn out OK without some big skill-developing project?



LanceRomance said:
What kind of pads are best suited with the cyclo?
Click to expand...



One last plug for the Flex...there are some contours (like on my XJS) that the Cyclo simply cannot accommodate. But hey, far be it from me to dissuade somebody from buying a Cyclo, it's the only polisher I genuinely *enjoy* using. I bet you'll love the Cyclo as much as I do.



I prefer the Cyclo brand pads. They work fine and last a long time. Get some orange ones (not the yellow) for serious work, lots of green ones, and a few white and/or blues. Consider getting the Edge quick-change adaptors, they're a lot more helpful than you'd think.



Yeah, there are other pads that work fine, but I still like the Cyclo ones. Try to stick with *flat* pads, not concave or otherwise oddly shaped ones. The Lake County brand HydroTech pads (now available in 4" IIRC) sound *VERY* appealing and those might be absolutely super; I suspect they'll work out that way but I haven't tried them yet.



And don't neglect the carpet cleaning brushes, they work great.



I doubt I will be doing major paint correction just taking swirl marks, oxidation, and water spots off of surface. Is this type of work a three step process for best results?
Click to expand...



If the correction isn't too severe you might be able to get by with just two steps (well, plus your LSP). I'd probably lean towards Menzerna stuff via Cyclo, but the Meguiar's M105/M205 twins are very poplular and work great....I just haven't tried them via Cyclo so I can't give you first-hand feedback. Seems like everything I've used via Cyclo is now antiquated and I'm not sure which newfangled products would be the *BEST* choice for you. But you sure wouldn't go wrong with Menzerna.



The thing to remember is that the Cyclo a) has a fixed speed and b) uses small pads. Both those can factor in when choosing products.
 
LanceRomance said:
Thanks for all the input guys I appreciate it. I think I will go with the cyclo and perfect it before stepping up to the flex. You can use the cyclo for carpet and mats also, Right? What kind of pads are best suited with the cyclo? I doubt I will be doing major paint correction just taking swirl marks, oxidation, and water spots off of surface. Is this type of work a three step process for best results?
Click to expand...



Cyclo has several carpet and mat brushes available



I would buy several white pads (waxing/sealing), green pads (light correction), and orange pads (heavier correction)



Good polishes are either Menzerna (Super intesive polish for initial correction, 106 for final polishing) or gloss-it (extreme cut for correction; machine gloss for final). Gloss-it really works well with the cyclo, but Menzerna is more versitile (i.e., works well on a Flex, cyclo, rotary, etc...)







Accumulator said:
but the Meguiar's M105/M205 twins are very poplular and work great....I just haven't tried them via Cyclo so I can't give you first-hand feedback.
Click to expand...



Havn't tried 205, but I found 105 to do almost nothing, kinda like Intensiv Pasta (feels gritty, expect lots of cut, even on the cyclo, but nothing really happened with it) .... I've tried (and thrown out, heh, trying to find which products offered the most cut) pretty much everything and came to the conclusion either Menzerna or gloss-it for the cyclo. :think2
 
If you are serious about a cyclo, check ebay. I have seen a few brand new in boxes go for $175-$200 range. Save yourself $75 and put that towards pads.
 
efnfast said:
Good polishes [for the Cyclo] are either Menzerna .. or gloss-it ...



Havn't tried 205, but I found 105 to do almost nothing, kinda like Intensiv Pasta (feels gritty, expect lots of cut, even on the cyclo, but nothing really happened with it) .... I've tried (and thrown out, heh, trying to find which products offered the most cut) pretty much everything and came to the conclusion either Menzerna or gloss-it for the cyclo. :think2
Click to expand...



Good info, seems like everyone who's tried Gloss-It via Cyclo thinks it's a great way to go.



Before I got the Flex I usually had to do my most serious correction via rotary and then switch to the Cyclo. The 1Z Pasta Intensiv did work great for me via Cyclo, but only after the rotary did the heavy lifting first.



I'd wondered about M105, what with its quick work-time and the way the Cyclo can flash some products too quickly. Shouldn't be a problem with M205, but I'm just guessing.
 
Flashtime said:
Very simple. Then he needs to purchase the Griots 3" polisher. And what do you know?!

Autogeek just so happens to carry them!
Click to expand...



I wouldn't touch one of those units with a 10 foot extension cord. How many people have had problems with these units... too many! After having so many issues with the 1st generation polishers Gariots Garage leaves all of those hanging without any resource and they're now trying to throw out the trash (1st Gen) by reducing the prices to half. So are they concerned about customers issues if they're still trying to stick the consumer with junky tools after they are well aware of the problems the 1st generation polishers are having? Nope... instead they continue selling this garbage in hopes that they can keep them running long enough till the warranty runs out, and then what - time to sell you the second generation in hopes that they can clear their name. Don't do it, instead get a real tool such as The Metabo Heavy Duty SXE 400 Random orbital. Sure it costs a little more but at least you aren't stuck with several red handled paper weights that Gariots Garage sells.
 
scrubs147 said:
I wouldn't touch one of those units with a 10 foot extension cord. How many people have had problems with these units... too many! After having so many issues with the 1st generation polishers Gariots Garage leaves all of those hanging without any resource and they're now trying to throw out the trash (1st Gen) by reducing the prices to half. So are they concerned about customers issues if they're still trying to stick the consumer with junky tools after they are well aware of the problems the 1st generation polishers are having? Nope... instead they continue selling this garbage in hopes that they can keep them running long enough till the warranty runs out, and then what - time to sell you the second generation in hopes that they can clear their name. Don't do it, instead get a real tool such as The Metabo Heavy Duty SXE 400 Random orbital. Sure it costs a little more but at least you aren't stuck with several red handled paper weights that Gariots Garage sells.
Click to expand...



don't the griots polishers carry a lifetime warranty?
 
Focus2069 said:
but i think he was referring to the "1st gen" ones.
Click to expand...



i thought all the griots polishers had the lifetime warranty. they must have just implied it with the new 3" and 6" random orbitals then... :think:
 
BigAl3 said:
i thought all the griots polishers had the lifetime warranty. they must have just implied it with the new 3" and 6" random orbitals then... :think:
Click to expand...



Yes, I am refering to the 1st generation garbage that apparently came with a year warranty. Even if it had a lifetime warranty, as a small shop I would have to buy two, one would be in the shop while the other one was on its way of eventually wearing out. What gets me is that with all the problems the 1st generations have griots still tries to sell them to their customers. It doesn't seem to be a reputable thing to do but then again, that's corporate for you! I personally would not concider supporting a brand that does business in this manner and I am glad to have a better choice of equipment. So I spend $80 on the first generation and find out that after a few uses it fails even though the first generation was advertised as a commercial product. Now I once again throw an additional $80 for the same brnad name in hopes that this is any better even though it's backed by a lifetime warranty. I am not one who is willing to experience with additional postage and down time with my business after my first experience with Griots. It is just simple common sense. Instead of investing a total of $160 for two polishers I could of had The Metabo Heavy Duty SXE 400 Random orbital for $140. So far I am out $80 after dealing with Griots, I do not like taking risks so abviously it would only make sense to take my hard earned cash and try something better. German enginuity verses China enginuity which from what I understand is where Griots Polishers are made. German products have always proven to be far more superior than products coming out of China. So, knowing what I now know after my risky experience with my first Griots polisher, it would only make sense to make the better choice and go with The Metabo Heavy Duty SXE 400 Random orbital.
 
scrubs147 said:
Yes, I am refering to the 1st generation garbage that apparently came with a year warranty. Even if it had a lifetime warranty, as a small shop I would have to buy two, one would be in the shop while the other one was on its way of eventually wearing out. What gets me is that with all the problems the 1st generations have griots still tries to sell them to their customers. It doesn't seem to be a reputable thing to do but then again, that's corporate for you! I personally would not concider supporting a brand that does business in this manner and I am glad to have a better choice of equipment. So I spend $80 on the first generation and find out that after a few uses it fails even though the first generation was advertised as a commercial product. Now I once again throw an additional $80 for the same brnad name in hopes that this is any better even though it's backed by a lifetime warranty. I am not one who is willing to experience with additional postage and down time with my business after my first experience with Griots. It is just simple common sense. Instead of investing a total of $160 for two polishers I could of had The Metabo Heavy Duty SXE 400 Random orbital for $140. So far I am out $80 after dealing with Griots, I do not like taking risks so abviously it would only make sense to take my hard earned cash and try something better. German enginuity verses China enginuity which from what I understand is where Griots Polishers are made. German products have always proven to be far more superior than products coming out of China. So, knowing what I now know after my risky experience with my first Griots polisher, it would only make sense to make the better choice and go with The Metabo Heavy Duty SXE 400 Random orbital.
Click to expand...



sorry to hear about your bad experience. i just recently bought a 3" random orbital v.2 (haven't had a chance to use it yet) and i'm under the impression it has a lifetime warranty. i was considering a metabo, but since this v.2 has been upgraded/redesigned, i opted for it instead. hopefully, i won't go through the dissappointment you've experienced...
 
I've got three rotaries, a Makita, metabo and a cheap Harbor Freight along with two orbitals, a FLEX and a PC with a third, the Griots 3" V2 on it's way. I started out with the PC then went with the rotary to speed up my details(I'm only good for about 6 hours a day on polishing/correction). Knowing what I have learned so far, if I had to start over and was limited to one machine I would just get the FLEX. Does all the correction I need and is just a sweet running machine. The limited pad choices are a drawback, but with an adapter I can use edge pads of smaller sizes. My hat is off to those who can use a rotary and finish down to a hologram free finish ALL the time.
 
BigAl3 said:
don't the griots polishers carry a lifetime warranty?
Click to expand...



Yes and AFAIK that covers all their polishers. I never heard anything about the earlier version(s) of the 3" RO having only a one-year warranty. I'd ask somebody at Griot's about that if I were concerned. IF their remaining stock of these *is* being sold with a limited-time warranty, then, well, I'd take that into account when buying one.



Note that the current 3" RO is actually the *third* generation. The 1st gen ones were plagued with issues from the jump and were quickly pulled off the market. The ones that were sold until recently were the second generation, even if the design was basically the same.



My 2nd-gen 3" random orbital, which I got as a gift, died (well, started acting mighty ill) after very little use and I sent it back. Yeah, I was disappointed, but they sent me an identical one right away. I overlapped the replacement/return so that I wasn't without the original unit while I waited for the new one (they charged, then refunded, the cost).



I'm 100% confident that if that one dies they'll make it right. I've had discontinued/superseded items die and they've *ALWAYS* made good on it. I've had them agree to cover postage/shipping too, only took a quick phone call.



Please don't take the preceding as an argument against buying some other, presumably better unit, it's not intended that way at all. If I were spending *my* money for a small RO I'd probably get something different too (though my current Griot's seems to do the job just fine). But it's not like other brands haven't had their share of issues too...it wasn't all that long ago that people were having overheating problemss with their Metabo rotaries from extended running at lower speeds, and there was a production run of Cyclos that seemed to have a lot of electrical cord issues. Hey, [stuff] happens :nixweiss
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top