Pneumatic or electric?

C

cek

New member
I have a Flex 3401 and now want to get a 3" orbital to get to tight spaces.



My garage has a great air compressor system so I have the option of getting either electric or air powered. E.g. either the Griots 3" electric or their 3" pneumatic.



Seems that an electric has the advantage of the easier to manipulate power cord, but pneumatic might be more powerful?



What are the relative pros of cons of each?
 
pnumatic is hella loud and the hose is heavy and hard to maneuver in tight spaces. The other down side is it's very powerful and fast spinning, you could easily cause damage if youre not careful. Have you thought about using a cordless drill?
 
I think it's personal preference. I myself despise air buffers simply because a) I had to use air D/As back in the day and b) I don't like dealing with the air hose when polishing; OTOH Barry Theal simply loves air powered polishers and might argue that it's not about *liking* the thing but rather whether or not it's the right tool for the job (getting into tight spaces, power at lower speeds, etc.).
 
I'm a huge fan of air tools; if getting into tight spaces is a concern just pick up a flexzilla hose -- makes things much much easier.
 
DHCrocks said:
pnumatic is hella loud
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Are you saying the tools are loud or the air compressor is loud. My air compressor is tucked away in an attic and thus is very quiet. I'd imagine the air powered DA like the Griot's would be QUIETER than the electric! Am I wrong?



DHCrocks said:
The other down side is it's very powerful and fast spinning, you could easily cause damage if youre not careful.
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Both the polishers I mention above from Griots are DAs. So I'm not sure how much this concern really applies. Can you clarify?



So far I've got:



Electric:

PRO - Cord may be easier to handle than an air hose (although a flex-hose mitigates)

CON - More expensive (doesn't really matter that much to me)



Pneumatic:

PRO - Smaller, thus easier to get into tight spaces

PRO - More powerful (is this really true?!?)

CON - Air compressors are loud.



What else?
 
air tools itself is pretty loud. I have a Ingersoll Rand 3103k wihch is a mini 2"/3" surface prep sander and even though its supposed to be on the quieter side its still pretty loud. can't beat the performance of it though.



as far as the griots pnumatic are you sure its a DA, from the website it appears to be an orbital. if you want to go air IR makes a 3128k which is a random orbit, I really like this style of pistol grip better then the right angle style (like griots). Its much easier to control and less fatiguing.
 
DHCrocks said:
as far as the griots pnumatic are you sure its a DA, from the website it appears to be an orbital. .
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Ok, I admit I don't think I know the difference between a "Random Orbital" (like the Griot's) and a "Dual Action". What is the difference?



Is my Flex 3401 a "Random Orbital" or a "Dual Action"?!?
 
the flex 3401 is a DA.



this is in order of agressiveness RO<DA<Orbital.



an orbital just spins in a circle, it can leave swirls and burn the paint.

a DA is has a forced random orbital action by means of gears, it has low chance on damaging paint. but beacuse of the forced rotation acation it cuts very well.

A RO uses balances to make the pad spin in a random orbit, but beacuse of how its done if you put too much pressure on the pad it will stop this action and basically become non-effecitve. this has the least chance of damaging paint.



in my mind the DA is a perfect balance of performance and safety.
 
DHCrocks- Different people use "orbital" in different ways, and it can make for confusion. Consider that planets "orbit" but seldom in perfectly circular paths.



The folks at Griot's use "orbital" to describe *all* of their polishers; in the ad-copy for their pneumatic they refer to it as an alternative to their "electric orbital".



Their pneumatic is not a "circular" or rotary polisher. I don't know whether it's a random orbital or a true DA, but I suspect that it's a RO. If anybody really cares that much, a call to them oughta clear it up.
 
I called Griot's and asked:



Using DHCrock's definitions above:



- The 6" Random Orbital is a Random Orbital (it has a clutch that engages upon too much friction)

- The 3" Random Orbital (electric) is a Random Orbital (it has a clutch that engages upon too much friction)

- The 3" Pneumatic Orbital is a Dual Action (it DOES NOT have a clutch that engages upon too much friction)



I already ordered the 3" electric. I'm going to return it and get the Pneumatic instead. I may get the IR 3128k referenced above; but I do love Griot's customer service...
 
oh, if the Griots pnumatic is a DA then that would be the ticket. get some ear plugs to protect your hearing. whenever I ues air tools I always use ear protection. if you don't like the ergonimics of the Griots then give the IR a try, it's so much easier to hold and use. Just watchout for the hose, make sure you don't drag it across your paint.
 
cek- Good on you for looking into that, the pneumatic suddenly has more appeal!



See how you like the ergonomics. I kinda like that "palm sander" design compared to the "pistol grip"/"drill" style, but that's just me and it appears DHCrocks feels the exact opposite. And what's nice on horizontal panels might not be so comfortable on vertical ones!
 
I think the one he is talking about is the Griots 3" which looks like a right angle grinder or air ratchet in style. I agree that the palm style is the best for comfort and control. but I prefer the pistol style over the right angle style.
 
DHCrocks said:
I think the one he is talking about is the Griots 3" which looks like a right angle grinder or air ratchet in style. I agree that the palm style is the best for comfort and control..
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Ah, I thought he was referring to the bigger one, pn 10415 :think:



Heh heh, you and I are managing to make this about as complicated and confusing as possible, huh?!?



but I prefer the pistol style over the right angle style
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Yeah, I bet a lot of people do. I'm just on the other side of that fence. But maybe I'd change my tune if I used one or the other for hours on end.
 
As mentioned, I ordered both of Griot's 3" polishers.



I did a quick test on the powder coating of my 4 post lift and my conclusions are as follows:



Griot's Professional 3" Random Orbital - $94.99

Summary: Way too big and heavy for what it does. And what it does, it does poorly. The lightest of pressure while polishing causes the "clutch" to reduce rotational torque, stopping the pad from spinning. The only way to keep any RPMs up is to BARELY touch the surface of whatever you are polishing.



Griot's 3" Pneumatic Orbital - $79.99

Summary: Works great! Much, much smaller, lighter, and cuter than the their electric 3" random orbital.



I did not find the Pneumatic too loud at all. It makes a nice whine sound a bit like a dentist's drill. I suppose after several hours of using it would get tiring, but that's true of electric tools as well.



After spending about the same amount of time polishing a face of one of the posts of my red lift the electric 3" Random Orbital shows no pickup of oxidation and even still shows polish! The 3" Pneumatic, however, shows an expected amount of oxidation. The finish of the post also is clearly actually polished where I used the Pneumatic. The finish where I used the electric is just clean.

5830953518_6252d0f32e_z_d.jpg




Here you can see just how tiny the 3" Pneumatic Orbital is in my hand. Compare that to the last photo showing the electric model.

5830402803_987c27b66e_z_d.jpg




The big, fat, slow, and weak electric (can you tell I've made my mind up?):

5830403329_60b8db3390_z_d.jpg
 
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