Great, just great. All these new products and a Cyclo to try...

[Anthony O.]

The "handle" for the Cyclo, plus just about any replacement part for it, can be had through TOL.



The "pads" .....myself and Cyclo Tools are tooling around with (pun intended ) an idea for some neat pads that will level paint (if they work like I hope they will) much like a rotary will. I may have a working pair of pads soon and if it's a success then I'll share them with the detailing community.



As Scott mentioned, the OCW is like a QD on steroids. It gives me just as slick of a finish as FMJ, the warmth of a carnauba paste and so far some very impressive durability.......for a liquid spray on.



The big difference between the Cyclo and the PC, besides the price, is that the Cyclo will flat out out-perform the PC. It has much more torque and is built to take a beating. My first PC is now 10 years old and has been dropped of a cars hood plus dropped on the ground. I had to replace the handle once, the brushes (motor) once and the cord once. It is also easier on the hands and wrist.



By the way......great work Scott! We had rain today but tomorrow looks like a beautiful day.....as does the rest of the week :xyxthumbs



Anthony

 

[mgm2003]

Scott, Bill, etc.. who have used the cyclo vs the PC:



1) how much quicker does product break down -in general compared to using a PC? I'm already familiar with the difference in a PC vs. a rotary and it's significant.



2) Do you get a lot of sling/splatter, have to tape off the vehicle before use?



3) Do you use less product, spend less on pads, etc..



4) What are the cyclo limitations?



5) What are your top 3 likes & dislikes?



6) If you had to choose between a PC and the cyclo what would you pick?



7) If you had to choose between a cyclo and a rotary, which would you pick?

 

[Accumulator]

Who can justify the price difference?



BTW, I have both, and I can't...

Well, that's why we discuss the whole PC vs. Cyclo thing so much, so people get opposing/different views



Like Anthony, my PCs seem to require plenty of servicing while the Cyclos never need any. But it's not like rebuilding a PC is expensive and many come with a lifetime warranty.



In my case, I flat out can't remove certain defects from Audi clear with the PC, but the Cyclo *does* get them out. But then so does a rotary and you can probably get both a PC and a rotary for the cost of a Cyclo.



If the purchase price is a consideration, I admit that the Cyclo can't necessarily "justify" itself. But that *is* an "if"; the price difference will mean more to some people than to others. For me, just preferring the way the Cyclo handles was enough to justify the difference, but everyone has to evaluate their needs/etc. for himself and get the tool that's right for his (or her ) situation.

 

[Bill D]

Sorta like justifying getting a high performance package in an already very handsomely equipped car

 

[Bill D]

My answers to those 7 questions:







1)Iâ€â„¢m find the Cyclo to break down polishes a little bit faster than a PC but not quite like the rotaryâ€â€�I suspect this has to do with the amount of heat generated



2)Nope, no sling unless say you picked up the Cyclo too early after laying down too much polish



3)I think overall you could be using a tad less product and definitely the pads cost less



4)The Cyclo still is no substitute for a rotary, well, unless these upcoming pads can indeed promise near rotary results on * light * defects



5)My likes are: the machine doesnâ€â„¢t bog down, it seems to deliver somewhat faster results on my Audi clear, I like the smaller, cheaper pads. I also appreciate the craftsmanship of the machine in general. Itâ€â„¢s important to note there is at best, only a small learning curve to this tool as well.



I dislike: the Cyclo cannot fit into tight spaces/changes pad size like a PC or rotary, itâ€â„¢ heavier than a rotary, there is no case I know of avaible for it



6)I do wish I had purchased the Cyclo first instead of the PC, it seems my paint on both my cars respond better to it



7) Of course the answer depends on the degree of the defect, no doubt for significant defect correction, the rotary

 

[Accumulator]

mgm121499- What Bill D said in response to your 7 Qs. Yeah, that's kinda a crappy/lazy answer, huh?



LONG answers to 5 and 7 will have to suffice.



5)Cyclo Likes:

-I just love the way it handles compared to the PC. Could just be familiarity, but for me the Cyclo is a pleasure to use while the PC is *not*. I actually *enjoy* using the Cyclo, the PC is, for me, a pain. Some of this is probably just enjoying the use of what I consider a high-quality piece of equipment. It's sorta "machine age cool" while to me, the PC is just an appliance 9and one that vibrates too much and sounds cheap)

-The way the Cyclo doesn't bog down, which makes it more aggressive (but no, it's not a rotary).

-The build-quality; it's built like a tank and never required any service in 20 years (more than I can say for the PC).



Cyclo Dislikes:

- Head/pad size and general configuration makes it unsuitable for certain panel contours (my XJS) and tight spots. Much more of a limitation than with the PC. I originally *bought* the PC because of this.

-Lack of variable speed. While I generally use the PC on "6", with the Cyclo I would like to be able to slow it down at times; it seems to "flash" KAIO too fast, for instance. In case you're wondering, while the Cyclo's orbits per minute are listed at (only) 2,800-3,200 depending on load, it behaves quite differently from a PC on "6". Probably because it doesn't bog down much.

-Limited pad choices. While I generally do fine with just the Cyclo brand pads (and do almost all my work with the green pads), I'd like to have more choices. I'll probably start ordering Lake 4" pads for it, but they don't make all their pads in that size.



7) Depends on the application and what you want to do. If you feel the need to remove *every* defect, especially from hard paint, then I'd go with the rotary. I got a rotary (after twenty years without needing one, used one back in the day) because it's the only way I can get certain marring out of Audi clear. And I decided I *really wanted to* get that marring out. There are jobs that really can't be done without a rotary; it's not like you can just spend more time with the PC/Cyclo, I've spent literally many hours with a PC/wool/3M RC without removing marring from an Audi. After about four wool pads and a pint of the RC, the marring was still there. The rotary took it right out.



But IMHO, most people, even Autopians, don't need to remove every little flaw from hard paint and thus don't need the rotary. No point in removing all the marring unless you're gonna keep it marring-free. The rotary *is* a time-saver in that it does the job faster. But with a rotary you have to tape, worry about sling, and *learn to use it carefully*. And you often have to follow up with a PC/Cyclo anyhow.



Related to that, an experienced Autopian (NeoPrufrock) has rotary-induced holograms on an Audi that *will not* come out with a PC. Something to consider there; unless he gets a Cyclo or gets *and masters* a rotary, he's stuck with the holograms.



I only use the rotary if I really have to, otherwise I'll use the Cyclo. No masking, no sling, no worries.



With the rotary, there's a temptation to give it just a little more speed/time/work- it's easy to go too far with the best of intentions. And that's in addition to the general need to exercise caution. It will do damage that's virtually impossible to do with a Cyclo. But that's how it does *work* that's impossible to do with one too.



No, it's not *that* hard to use a rotary; I took it out of the box and used it on my beloved S8 with no problems at all after not using one for over 20 years. But it's certainly not as foolproof as some would make it out to be.



Some people, who are much better with a rotary than I am, will do things with it that make the Cyclo unnecessary. I don't know if I could ever develop that kind of skill with the rotary, but I do know that I don't have the time or inclination to try.



Pretty long post, even for me.

 

[mgm2003]

Guys, I REALLY appreciate the responses. Thank you for taking the time. I've been very interested in a cyclo for a few years. Right now I have a few PC's and a DW849 rotary (that will probably last forever). You may have another converted cyclo buddy soon.



For me, the rotary is a PITA. I feel comfortable using it, but hate to tape off the car, cover the windshield, tires, wheel wells, clean up sling that not only lands on the car/truck, but also shows up on my walls, floor, etc...



Then along came the PC. At first I was all smiles because I could give my rotary a break and take care of my cars with ease. After a few years with my PC, I'm looking for 'something more'.



The #1 reason that I wanted to buy a cyclo was to take care of the marring issues that the PC can't touch. If it closes the gap between a PC and rotary, I'll be happy. The #2 reason that I'm interested in a Cyclo is because Anthony Orasco (hope I spelled that right) raves about them, and his results are magazine worthy.



This is a good thread..... I'm very interested in hearing how Scottwax likes the Cyclo after a month. Scott is as skilled with a PC as Anthony is with the Cyclo & rotary.

 

[Accumulator]

For me, the rotary is a PITA. I feel comfortable using it, but hate ..sling that not only lands on the car/truck, but also shows up on my walls, floor, etc...

Yeah, as I continue to "accumulate" cars I find I need to really watch where the sling goes. When most of the garage was empty it wasn't as big a deal, but now that it's filling up it's a different story.