Comparo: UDM vs. PC vs. ... , Part I

Z

ZoranC

New member
My UDM (and Ultima) pre-order arrived today. First pictures are below (yes, I know my camera and photography skillset suck, and no, that is not the container it comes in).



Impressions and information I have at this moment are:



It comes with 5" backing plate. Plate on surface has LC like appearance.



Cable is shorter and thinner than PC (as we all were told will be the case). Strainer is shorter too. Will this matter remains to be seen once I use it.



Included pad is of "stocking filler" kind. At least you can use it, unlike one that comes with PC.



Head is approximately 1" bigger than one on PC and it measures approximately slightly under 4". Will that be an obstacle when trying to use 4" pads in tight spots and will metal too easily hit the paint? Again, it remains to be seen in the field, way too early to tell.



Overall UDM seems slightly larger than PC. Also, it seems that unless you have big hands PC is easier to hold when having to wrap your hand around machine's body.



Speed dial is bit tighter and bit more out so it seems it should be easier to work with. Numbering is easier to see on PC.



Power switch seems too easy to move.



That's it for now. I will be comparing vibrations and corrective ability against PC and guest star starting tomorrow afternoon.



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What are you waiting for? get to it and see how the UDM goes for you. I will try to use mine on Sunday.:waxing:
 
Something I forgot to mention:



They seem to be close in weight with UDM seeming to be heavier. That could be also just a perception due to how it fits in hand. I don't have a fine enough scale to verify exact weight. What mill matter most is how tired your arms feel at the end of the day, which one will be tiring you faster/sooner.



Also, plastic cap that used to be cause of some vibration on PC as it was moving around when handle was not being used is firmly in place on UDM.
 
zoomzoom mazda5 said:
What are you waiting for? get to it and see how the UDM goes for you. I will try to use mine on Sunday.:waxing:
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I am waiting for a place to do work at. I live in an apartment where that is not possible. I work on car at my girlfriend's place and she lives at house her friend owns. Her friend just started undergoing chemo, I can not just show up there and start polishing without checking is it OK. I have lost an opportunity to start today morning because I received my pre-order too late for that due to it being handled in FILO (first-in-last-out) like approach. However, barring any surprises I should be able to do it tomorrow.
 
Glad to hear that you got your UDM and myself i will try tomorrow on the wife's car. I had a carport about 75 feet away from my villa. I wish i had a garage to do this. Hope everything turns out OK for her friend and for you when you get the chance to use your machine tomorrow. I'll be using OC then 106ff then XXX.
 
Sorry if that will cause any disappointments but my gf and I decided it would be imprudent to do anything this weekend as notice was real short due to events that were out of my control. As of now next weekend seems as go. I hope by then effort to do comparo between UDM and PC will be still relevant and not wasted.



Even if others beat me to it I doubt many will by then do comparo between UDM and Festool Rotex RO 150 FEQ which I also planned to do (that is what is in that container underneath PC and UDM), so stay tuned ...
 
Got to use the UDM today and my first problem was my camera died:wall , i wash and clay the car, then using a LC CCS orange pad and OC the UDM work very well it still vibrate just like the PC, but when i kick it up to 6 it has some awesome power in removing the oxidation faster then the PC. From there i use a LC CCS white pad with 106ff this polish is great to use, left a great finish on the paint. Then last i use CG XXX hardcore wax by hand which left me very impressed with it's wet look. My take is that it's worth the money for me! The only problem that i found on the UDM is the on/off switch, it's very easy to turn on by mistake, it happen to me a few times with wasn't funny (106ff on my face!) that's the only thing that i found that needs improvement. Hope this helps a few folks out there. Total time 7 hrs.
 
If it vibrates like the PC I don't think I will bother with the UDM. If I didn't already have a PC I would go for the UDM but in my case I think I'll just plan on learning to use a rotary.
 
That's my opinion, i only use a PC for a little while, folks that have use the PC for a lot of time will know more than me, but when you use a yellow pad on speed 6 it's awesome! better the PC. The work i did on my wife's white Toyota came out awesome, i wish my camera wasn't broken so i could have taken pic's for everyone to see. And also i saw a rotary in action today! now that is a sweet machine to use!
 
Frito Bandito said:
If it vibrates like the PC I don't think I will bother with the UDM. If I didn't already have a PC I would go for the UDM but in my case I think I'll just plan on learning to use a rotary.
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Do nor rush to conclusions yet. Some people report vibrations, some people say it is smooth. Also, please notice that many people use PC after rotary if they are not able to finish with rotary. Therefore having "PC that is stronger than a PC" would still payoff even if you get rotary.
 
I have a rotary and a PC and I'm still thinking of possibly purchasing a UDM as well. The only thing is that I have the Griot's Garage Orbital as well already so I have three tools. What I'm really curious about now is the comparison from GG's Orbital to the UDM. Anyone on this forum has GG's machine and also ordered a UDM?
 
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