How good is the cyclo?

I

imported_series1

New member
This is for all you cyclo users. How good is it for removing scratches and swirls. I mean I have been reading thread after thread about rotary polishing because I plan to really get my skills up so I can remove scartches and swirls while still being confident. However in almost every thread I have read the cyclo pops up saying that it is also a good tool to remove scratches and swirls and is more powerful than the PC. Any comments on this are welcome.
 
It is more powerful than the PC but it also has its limits. If I had to try and label it I would say that the PC can work well on "light" marring and the Cyclo can work well on "moderate" marring.



What the PC can't remove the Cyclo may. It just has more torque and while both can generate some heat and friction the Cyclo will also to a greater degree.



Anthony
 
I was hoping you would reply Anthony since you use the cyclo a lot. Would you not agree that the amount of cutting power is based on the polish as well and not just the machine. I know some polishes need more heat and friction to break down propery which is why you would use these products with a rotary but they still would make the cutting power higher with the cyclo or PC, wouldnt they?
 
Yes it matters alot on the product but if you are using something like Menzerna Power Gloss or Poorboys SSR3 with the PC you need to be careful as it may not fully break down the product and you may introduce more marring than removing.



I have found that the Cyclo with orange pads works nicely. Used the Cyclo Saturday, in the full sun with OCPand orange pads, on a Porsche Cayenne hood, to remove water spots. It removed the spots, left me a marr free finish ready to wax. I am not sure if the PC would of done the same job in the same amount of time.



The drawback to the Cyclo is its price. $100 more than the PC.



Anthony
 
While I am by no means an expert with the Cyclo and I have only used a rotary one time I can tell you that they are like night and day. You can generate some heat with the Cyclo but nothing like you can with a rotary. I have put quite a bit of pressure on my Cyclo trying to remove some pretty sever defects and gotten the paint warm almost hot to the touch but it took some time. The rotary, if you are not careful or paying attention to what you are doing can burn paint. It can get your paint hot quick. The Cyclo (for me) is much easier to control then a rotary. Accumulator says that the Cyclo is a good tool to teach you proper technique to then step up to a rotary and I think he is right. I love my Cyclo and I am really glad that I got it.
 
The cyclo is going to be my next big money investment. Had chance

to try out an old one a while back. Definitely a learning curve for me,

but I really like the way it handles work i would've had to do with

a rotary. Even as much as I like my MAK d/a, I have to say I liked

the Cyclo much better.



Now if only they would come down on the price......
 
I have been looking at the cyclo now for about 2 years or so and it hasn't come down in price at all. Maybe it is such a popular polisher. I will probably get one once I master the skill with my PC and rotary. Well I might buy it before I totally master the skill with the rotary depending on how long it takes.
 
series1- Yeah, the Cyclo is, IMO, a great tool. It's more powerful than the PC, but the PC can come *close* if fitted with 4" pads. There's no comparison IMO between the Cyclo and the PC *when fitted with large pads*. With 6" or larger pads, the PC bogs down much too easily and the Cyclo is just in another league.



Biggest thing about the Cyclo for me is the user-friendly nature of it. I genuinely enjoy using the thing, which is more than I can say about the PC. All but one of the people I've introduced to the Cyclo and PC prefer the Cyclo.



The Cyclo's speed will fluctuate between ~2,800-3,200 OPM depending on load. But it seems much "faster" or "more powerful" than the PC at most *any* speed. Example- the Cyclo is not well-suited for AIO, it "flashes" it too fast despite its relatively low speed (you can apply AIO with the PC at a higher speed with no problems). There's *something* going on there for it to act that way with the AIO, something more than just speed.



The Cyclo will last forever. Mine suffered greatly in a commercial environment for a few years when we had the dealership (once left outside all weekend in the middle of winter, had to dig it out of the snow :rolleyes:) and was used for about 20 years with *no* service/maintenance at all. When I sent it in for a going-over they said it didn't *really* need anything, but they did clean and lube it and maybe did something else minor (I forget, no biggie whatever it was).



The carpet brushes for the Cyclo work great. You can really put some weight on it and they'll *scrub*. I haven't tried a brush on the PC, but I can't imagine it comparing.



But no, it's not a rotary. I can't do serious correction on hard paint with the Cyclo. But then I haven't tried it with products like Hi-Temp Medium Cut and I haven't used the orange pads either.



FWIW, I wouldn't hesitate to buy a used on and have it refurbished as needed. The turnaround time is quick and the work is reasonably priced.
 
If you already have a PC and Rotary is it worth while getting a cyclo? Or should I just use a rotary for what the PC can't remove and follow up with the PC to remove any rotary swirls.
 
Cyclo is a great polisher. It is good to use after the rotary polishing step. I used Optimum Polish via rotary and wool pad followed by Optimum Polish via Cyclo and green polishing pads recently. The combination produced an awesome finish to say the least.
 
mrdetail- Depends how you determine "worthwhile" ;) and how significant an expenditure it would be for you.



There's really nothing the Cyclo can do that the PC/rotary combo can't. So *functionally* speaking, no, there's no reason for you to get the Cyclo.



But I find the Cyclo so much more pleasant to use than the PC that I'd spend the money. Heh heh, I *did* spend the money- despite having a Cyclo, a PC (two actually :o ) and a rotary, I got a second Cyclo! No regrets, I use the pair of Cyclos on every detail (except the Jag, where a Cyclo just won't conform to the contours; that's what the PCs are for).
 
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