First hand BOSS G21 experience

J

Justins00ss

Active member
Well I was fortunate enough to head down to AG headquarters this afternoon for there new Tuesday night car show. Unfortunately it rained out so they called it. But not before Mike Phillips and Nick invited me in to give the new BOSS G21 polisher a test run.

First impression is that its a quality built tool. Not some flimsy knockoff.
It is a little heavier than the Rupes but not something that I personally would fuss about.
The rubber coated front grip is a nice touch IMO. Overall very ergonomic design.
Mike put on one of the GG thin 6in orange cutting pads and away I went polishing. After spreading the product I ramped up to speed 6 and just let the machine go to work. Super smooth and easy to use. I applied ample downward force to see if it would bog. Didn't happen.
Just like ever other "regular DA" if you tip it up it will start to stall. No different than Rupes, PC etc.. You just need to be mindful.
I really do like this machine. Although I have a 3401 and a few other machines I could see a G21 with a 5in plate possibly fitting my aresnal.

Great job Griots! And thanks Mike and Nick for letting me try it out!
 
Don't we all eventually just hoard polishers? Buy it! Lol

thanks for your review. Id like to try one myself someday and put it side by side to my rupes 21
 
ShaneB said:
Don't we all eventually just hoard polishers? Buy it! Lol

thanks for your review. Id like to try one myself someday and put it side by side to my rupes 21
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Yes we do hoard polishers. I gave a though not expensive brand new in the box Harbor Freight rotary, backing plate, pads, poishes and LSP to a neighbor about two weeks ago. Yeah, some might think I did him a disservice but the he was actually polishing a 20 year old horse trailer by hand. It had huge rust patches across the roof and the what was once red paint looked literally like rust colored oxidized primer. He did a much better job than I would have believed possible and it no doubt saved 10's of hours over doing it by hand. I'm down to 5 polishers after that and truthfully only use 2 of them. I no longer do anyone's cars other than my own and a few close relatives. Yes Shane, we hoard polishers with the "seemed like a good idea at the time" mentality.

I don't need a new polisher but I am considering one of Griots new offerings. How coud I not? Ron said he'd go in halvesies with me on my new polisher. ;)
 
GearHead_1 said:
Yes we do hoard polishers. I gave a though not expensive brand new in the box Harbor Freight rotary, backing plate, pads, poishes and LSP to a neighbor about two weeks ago. Yeah, some might think I did him a disservice but the he was actually polishing a 20 year old horse trailer by hand. It had huge rust patches across the roof and the what was once red paint looked literally like rust colored oxidized primer. He did a much better job than I would have believed possible and it no doubt saved 10's of hours over doing it by hand. I'm down to 5 polishers after that and truthfully only use 2 of them. I no longer do anyone's cars other than my own and a few close relatives. Yes Shane, we hoard polishers with the "seemed like a good idea at the time" mentality.

I don't need a new polisher but I am considering one of Griots new offerings. How coud I not? Ron said he'd go in halvesies with me on my new polisher. ;)
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Yes I tend to do a little bit of hoarding but like you I too have a Shurhold DA, backing plate, bag, M105/M205 to a forum member whose garage caught fire last year and burn most of his stuff down. Hence why I upgraded to the 3401.

I too have been giving thought to a G21/G15
 
this conversation is exactly my thought when I first heard about a new polisher line coming out. simply put...why? the 2 main brands, Flex and Rupes, already have machines that are nearly identical to the new Griots, so I just don't see why it was needed. not that's its not a great device, but when you have similar tools out there already that have been tested for years, I just didn't see why it was necessary.
 
MooreImpressive said:
this conversation is exactly my thought when I first heard about a new polisher line coming out. simply put...why? the 2 main brands, Flex and Rupes, already have machines that are nearly identical to the new Griots, so I just don't see why it was needed. not that's its not a great device, but when you have similar tools out there already that have been tested for years, I just didn't see why it was necessary.
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Don't want to get into a big debate here. One of the things I do like are some of the little add-ons it comes with. Flexible interface pad, washer mod and the front grip is much nicer than the Rupes. Also the great Griots warranty. All those little things has me thinking about one. Just my .02.

And believe me, I totally see both sides to what people are talking about.
 
MooreImpressive said:
this conversation is exactly my thought when I first heard about a new polisher line coming out. simply put...why? the 2 main brands, Flex and Rupes, already have machines that are nearly identical to the new Griots, so I just don't see why it was needed. not that's its not a great device, but when you have similar tools out there already that have been tested for years, I just didn't see why it was necessary.
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I actually noted in my video that if you already have a Rupes there is not a real need to get one, but for those who don't have one, you'd be crazy not to check out the Griot's. While it is just a bunch of subtle little things, it's still better in virtually every way. ;)
 
I'd like to see a griots 3" polisher built to compete with the Rupes 75e. I would seriously consider purchasing it. But then again, my PE8 has yet to disappoint. See my earlier hoarding comment though :p
 
Well to quote those others who kept harping on a warranty...the GG seems the better fit. I think it's a little cheaper and the warranty is way better than the Rupes. A no brainier I suppose.
 
Waiting for the patent-infringement lawsuits to come from Rupes.

Seems to me we had this "discussion" before about copy-cat/knock-offs/reversed engineered polishing machines before. Looking at the Detailed Image's Ask-a-Pro blog about Griot's Garage's G21 & G15 exploded view image of the components, from an engineering and appearance stand-point, it's not a cheap imitation. It looks well-build and assembled. The machined mechanical drive pieces are just that: machined and not die-cast. The fact that its built in China to GG's specs is just a cost-related business decision, like so many other USA companies have done. It looks designed with the professional detailer in mind. Just not sure how close in design-intent (lawyer- speak terms about similar engineering) the orbital-producing mechanism is to the Rupes, hence my first comment about patent infringements.

That said, after reading the above mentioned blog of the G15/G21, I will have to "change" my opinion about which large-throw DA I might contemplate purchasing and using. I am not sure that Rupes currently is producing enough LHR15ES/LHR21ES machines to meet current demand, either. Seems like many resellers/dealers are out-of-stock or coming soon when I look at availability. Maybe this is GG's way to fill that void and capture some market share and sell some of the BOSS polishes as well. (By the way, the BOSS moniker initials for GG's "Best of Show System" is an absolutely brilliant marketing idea of there existing detailing product lines.) Then again, I'm not a marketing and customer-demand forecasting guru, either.
 
Lonnie said:
Just not sure how close in design-intent (lawyer- speak terms about similar engineering) the orbital-producing mechanism is to the Rupes, hence my first comment about patent infringements.
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That's presuming there are patents and they aren't expired. I just looked at the manual and brochure and didn't see any patent numbers listed; that doesn't mean there aren't any though.
 
Having worked in the engineering, there are many ideas and designs that have "patent applied for" designations that means the patent has been filed with the US Department of Commerce Patient Office, BUT not granted approval, and hence, a patent number. It is still a legal entity which allows someone to sell the design as is, BUT if it's not approved for whatever reason, it's free game for anyone to copy and use the design. You are trying to protect your design and maximize investment and profit, which might include a business decision to start selling the item's design before patent approval, which can sometimes be long-drawn out affair, especially if competitors or other interest try to tie it up in legal proceedings. The risk or caveat to selling something with "patent applied for" is the design/idea becomes public record and with the drawings and notation needed to explain the design and its intent, it's now easier for someone to duplicate/copy/reverse engineer/modify the design for your own intent. This is one reason Coke-Cola never patented its syrup formula: it would have to divulge the contents,make-up, and processing of its very unique formula, so hence, it's just kept secret and secure (supposedly). Many have tried to duplicate it; just look at all the "generic" cola sodas sold through the USA. (Boy, I DO sound like a lawyer!! Go back to the detailing discussion about the usefulness of the G15/G21 now)
 
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