Porter Cable XP or Griots Garage DA?

I have a Porter Cable I have had since the late 90's. I would not buy anything from Griot's, my last DA purchase was a Harbor Frieght unit and it is great, for a lot less than the other ones. Oh and I also have a Bosch, which is great unit if you can stand the cost of it.
 
I went from an original 7424 to a GG6 a while back and it was like night and day. I can't see any reason to get an XP over a GG6, as the later has more power, a better warranty, and an occasionally usable bale handle.



That being said, I later upgraded to a Rupes, which is just a nicer unit.
 
The Rupes is a DA just like the Griots and XP, but it has a very long throw so it corrects much faster with little pressure and slower speeds and is much smoother. Give Kevin Brown at Buff Daddy a call for detailed info. Cost is about $350-$450



Of the standard DA's can't beat the Griots IMO--most power of the bunch (with a 5.5" pad at speed 5 it's very difficult to stop rotation) and has a lifetime warranty--Griots customer service is outstanding.
 
I'm 100% satsified with my GG 6", and I didn't expect to be; I got mine as a gift as I wasn't gonna spend my money on one (that's how sure I was that it'd be a disappointment, oh man was I wrong about that).



The potential issue with the XP is what happened to Barry Theal- the mounting shaft for the backing plate is a hollow steel tube; if it breaks ("when" in Barry's case) the jagged metal remains are very likely to do severe damage.
 
I have a friend with the Griots, I've had both the Meguiars G110 and G110v2, PC and PC XP and the Harbor Frieght DA (aka Chicago Electric). If I had to pick one of those, I'd probably go with the HF DA. Its the lightest of the bunch, power is pretty close to the Griots and its cheap enough you can buy one and a second one as a back-up for not much more than one of the others (or less if they ever issue the $49.99 coupon again). Of course, the Rupes is a superior machine but its a lot more expensive. If you have a pretty new vehicle that doesn't need major correction, you are fine with a lower priced DA.
 
They "remarket", "rebrand" products, they just pick and chose from various manufacturers and blenders, have them put on their label and charge a 30% to 50% upcharge because it carries their label, etc.
Inzane said:
^ That is a curious statement. Would you care to elaborate?
Click to expand...
 
Eh, there are a few GG products that I find superior to anything else on the market (e.g. Rubber Prep), and to be honest there are plenty of GG products that I simply despise too (e.g. BOS wax). I have no idea what Richard really imports them from China or what he makes in his bathtub (j/k folks...), but until I can get the same thing elsewhere for a lot less money, I'm happy to spend my $ with a car-guy who turned his passion into a successful business. I still remember the days when he took my phone orders himself in the kitchen of his house; he's done really well for himself and I applaud him.
 
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