Planning on the Makita, what else do I get?

Porkanbeans

O RLY?
Christmas is pretty darn close, and on my wishlist this year is a Makita 9227 rotary, pads to accompany it, and polishes. Which pads and polishes are good choices? I have Hi-Temp's Light Cut Swirl Remover (great polish via PC but smells like a violent bowel movement), HT's Heavy Cut Swirl remover, and PB's PP. I'm obviously lacking a compound and I would like to try some Menzerna stuff. What do you think of the Edge 2000 system? I imagine having your pad center on the backing plate is crucial, especially with a rotary. Are the mondo-expensive pads worth that advantage?



Thanks in advance.
 
i love my sonus 7.5" constant pressure pads..



i use optimum and dacp primarily..



i recommend getting a test panel to perfect your technique..



don't worry about hologramming as they can easily be removed with a pc and lighter cut compound
 
I get Meguiar's pads and Sonax products... Be sure to ask you dealer if they give the wool and foam pad and the "quarter circle" handle along with the 9227. I got mine with the handle but minus the pad. A pal of mine told me that I should have got the pads too. I went to the dealer and he said he forgot to give them; the pads were part of the deal. Some dealers say only the wool pad is included, some say both... Check it out before you buy...
 
Murat said:
I get Meguiar's pads and Sonax products... Be sure to ask you dealer if they give the wool and foam pad and the "quarter circle" handle along with the 9227. I got mine with the handle but minus the pad. A pal of mine told me that I should have got the pads too. I went to the dealer and he said he forgot to give them; the pads were part of the deal. Some dealers say only the wool pad is included, some say both... Check it out before you buy...

I got my Makita on ebay. It was advertised without the pads. I got it for $140 shipped (brand new). I didn't miss those pads... :chuckle:



From what I'm told, they're not really useful anyways. Can anyone confirm this?
 
-Menzerna Powergloss

-Optimum Car Polish

-Menzerna Final Polish II





Lake Country 7.5" Variable Contact Pads in:



-Yellow Cutting

-White Polishing

-Black Finishing





This is pretty much all I use.
 
Thanks everybody. I will consider all the suggestions. You don't know how much I want this thing! I did a Wrangler today and figured it wouldn't take too long with the PC since there is so little paint on it, but it took me twice the time I expected anyway! Grrrr



Thanks again guys!
 
I use Meg's pads, just make sure to keep them somewhat moist, and wash them right after you use them. I went for my finishing pad the other day, only to find out it was covered in hard gray paint (my car has a single stage). Had to let it soak in soap and water for awhile.
 
Just as with the PC, I like using 4" pads for spot repairs with the Makita. I'd get a small backing plate and some 4" pads.
 
GSRstilez said:
-Menzerna Powergloss

-Optimum Car Polish

-Menzerna Final Polish II





Lake Country 7.5" Variable Contact Pads in:



-Yellow Cutting

-White Polishing

-Black Finishing





This is pretty much all I use.



Ditto, except I use PO85RD alot more than the FP II. The 7.5 VC pads work great with the stock backing plate so I have never needed to buy another one.
 
With the way a rotary moves the pads in a circle around a central axis, wouldn't a larger pad be more effective at defect removal than a smaller pad? I'm just thinking that as you increase the distance from the central axis, you have to travel at a faster speed, that faster speed creates more friction, which leads to more heat, which leads to the polish breaking down and working faster. The only reason i can see to use a smaller pad on a rotary would be to get into small areas that a large pad couldn't get to. Is my thinking correct or am I just overthinking things?
 
Sorry, I wasn't clear about why you might want the smaller pads. Any differences in effectiveness between the sizes of pads can be taken care of by using a different speed. This isn't like the PC where you use a smaller pad to alter the effectiveness, but rather a case of limiting the size of the area being affected. The small pads make it easy to eliminate RIDS (Random Isolated Deep Scratches) without having to redo the whole panel or worry about sling/etc. Whether you will have any use for such a setup will depend on what you deal with, but I hardly *ever* have to use the rotary on an entire vehicle, most of the time I just use it to remove the occasional scratches that show up on an otherwise excellent finish.
 
thanks for clearing that up. I don't have a use for spot pads on a rotary... for small jobs I would more than likely just bring out the pc equipped with spot pads. I don't see a reason to risk paint damage with a rotary on a small job when I could accomplish the task at hand safely (a little more slowly i admit) with a pc. But then again, i dont own a rotary (yet) and am a little intimidated by them.
 
Neothin- OK, gotcha. IMO the 4" pads make the rotary really safe and easy for the kind of little repairs I'm talking about. Once you get used to using the rotary (and/or if you run into some awfully hard paint like on my Audis) you might give it a rethink.
 
kpagel said:
I got my Makita on ebay. It was advertised without the pads. I got it for $140 shipped (brand new). I didn't miss those pads... :chuckle:



From what I'm told, they're not really useful anyways. Can anyone confirm this?





I don' t agree with whomever said the pads aren't useful. The wool pad is superb and does not send fibres and strands flying all over the place like several brands (never mind the names) do.



I also enjoy using Bosch sheepskin "softcut" pads and applicator foam pads but they are very rare to the find and dang too expensive... The ivory colored buffing pad of Bosch is extraordinary but I guess it is discontinued since I could not find one since last year...(When one type is good, they discontinue it so the stocked garbage is sold out before they re-introduce the discontinued good product under the tag "new, enhanced" at a higher price... typical disgusting marketing tactiques) :hmph:
 
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