Harbor Freight DA Polisher

F

frankedog

New member
Would you recommend this polisher for a home detailer that works on 3 family vehicles? Thanks for taking the time to respond.
 
For what you want to use it for I say go for it. With a 25% off coupon and the DA on sale it can be grabbed for under $50.00. It's not going to have the power of a Griots, Rupes, or Flex. However, for the weekend detailer it should work for what you want to use it for.
 
There is a long thread over on AG regarding this polisher and also one on Autopia.org. Seems to have more power than the PC, but less than the Griots. Most everyone buys it with a 2 year replacement warranty for $10

Also, the backing plate that comes with the HF is not very good quality and is 6". Replace it immediately with a quality 5" backing plate so you can use 5.5" pads for more effective correction/polishing. Don't use the standard backing plate with HF pads as they will just get chewed up in no time.

You can start out with this unit to make sure you enjoy machine correction/polishing and if you do always step up to a Griots then use the HF unit with 3 or 4" pads for the tight areas.

Don't forget the polisher is only part of what you need to get started--backing plate, 10-12 pads, compound, polish, MF towels etc etc can very quickly add up to another $100 or so.
 
I own 2 of the Harbor Freight Polishers. I don't think that you can beat them for the money. I also own a couple of the PC7424's. I prefer the Harbor freight over the 7424. It is a more powerful machine and I prefer the feel of it to the 7424. The 2 weak points with the Harbor Freight are its backing plate and the location of the switch. on the side. As others have said; buy the extended 2 year warranty. Its a good bit of insurance for the price. I have read about quite a few detailers out there that are using these machines everyday with good results and reliability.
 
For the record...

Amazon had a lightning deal the other day, 80$ for a gg6 an 15$ extra for the hd with prime shipping.

I'd rather wait for quality then rush to a headache.
 
For my money, I would much rather go with a Porter Cable. There are some serious concerns with quality on the Harbor Freight Polishers, so much that a company that was using the same Chinese-sourced tool discontinued it after the huge number of issues.

I think they might serve well as a back up polisher, but I wouldn't trust one too much. If you go this route, I would definitely get the 2-year warranty because it sounds like you will need it.
 
Not to jam my opinions down people's throats but... I did get a chance to take a look at it in person. Definitely feels a bit cheap.

Here are some better options imo...

1. Post up on one of the boards for a used Gg6, I've seen plenty of second gens go for under 100 in great condition. Or better yet if you have extra stuff you don't use, see if you can trade some of it and lessen the price.

2. Check listing sites such as ebay or amazon. There are always used polishers on those sites.

3. Craigslist, you can save a ton if you do a nation wide search and offer to pay shipping.

I'm just trying to save some the headache. Everytime I've gone the cheap route I've paid for it twice...

Also worth a mention, even if you do pick up a used griots the lifetime warranty is still applicable if you get the original order info. I sold mine to one of my friends and now he has the lifetime warranty. You can't go wrong with that. :)
 
Dear Driver, You make a good point about buying a used Gg6 and using Craigslist US search and pay for shipping. Thanks again. Tom
 
Sorry for bumping an old thread but was thinking about picking up one of these. Do they have a direct drive or free spinning?

Thanks
 
Mass. Wine Guy said:
I managed to open the HF up and replace the grease. But I stripped one of the two screws on the counterweight. What size do I need?
Click to expand...
Off the top of my head I couldn`t give you the answer here but I would think the obvious thing to do is to match it to the other screw.
 
Getting back to the original thread. Check out YouTube for reviews on the Harbor Freight polisher. There are quite a few and many are positive. I went the route of a GG6 and about two years ago added a Boss15 to the arsenal. The GG6 I now use with a 3 inch pad. If you go with the HF, that might be another option for you in the future. I had thought about the HF polisher back when but Amazon ran a great sale on the GG6 so I went in that direction. Enjoy.
 
I use my HF to attach the carpet brushes. Its perfect for that at $50. I wouldn`t use a more expensive polisher to do that chore. Scrubbing carpets is a work out on the spindle bearings. Whenever I can tell that its getting a bit loose I bring it back and exchange under the extended warranty. Then buy another warranty.
 
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