Rotory vs PC vs Orbital

MagicCity33

MagicCity33

New member
Ok ladies and gents, I had a salesman try and tell me that an 11 lb orbital would be much better than my PC on yesterday evening. The orbital he was trying to sale me was $254.00 and had a lifetime warranty. According to him the reason that the orbital is better is because the weight of the orbital would help push the product into the paint better than a light weight PC and because it was built to last.

I wanted to know how any of you felt about this statement.

I have a rotory, PC, and a light duty orbital but have not thought about purchasing a heavy duty orbital, which is what he said it was.

What is your position on each tool?
 
MagicCity33 said:
Ok ladies and gents, I had a salesman try and tell me that an 11 lb orbital would be much better than my PC on yesterday evening. The orbital he was trying to sale me was $254.00 and had a lifetime warranty. According to him the reason that the orbital is better is because the weight of the orbital would help push the product into the paint better than a light weight PC and because it was built to last.

I wanted to know how any of you felt about this statement.

I have a rotory, PC, and a light duty orbital but have not thought about purchasing a heavy duty orbital, which is what he said it was.

What is your position on each tool?
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Correct me if I'm wrong but a Porter Cable (PC) is an orbital sander / buffer, they are one in the same...I also think that the sales person has clue one about what this hand tool is going to be used for...with sanding wood maybe weight is a good thing, don't know.


An 11 lb buffer...WOW that's some serious weight to be holding for any length of time..IMO
As for the weight on the paint and grinding the product into the finish, its NOT the way to get a good finish, never have I felt or read that weight was a good thing on paint...speed of the revolution that creates heat is what you are looking for that's why a rotary can be the tool of choice at times.

If you have a rotary and orbital buffer you have everything that you require to get any job done, its what I have and have never felt that I needed anything else.

That's my take on it.
 
I think that the GEM orbitals are around 11 lbs. These are a good machine and you see them a lot in commercial use. The problem is that they are limited on pad selection and they are really heavy. Might be good on horizontal surfaces but getting in tight or on a vertical surface they are limited. If you've got a good rotary and a PC you pretty well covered. If you have the extra money sitting around a cyclo would also be nice to have.

The GEM pictured here is a 14 lber. They also have a 16 lber.
 

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You know what I miss quoted the weight it was the 14 lb orbital and yes it was a GEM Rep. He was a nice guy but I just couldn't get with the notion that weight had anything to do with application of product.

I am using a few of their products and wanted to know about their acrylic sealant and he started talking about their orbitals.

I'm satisified with my current tools and paying $250 for anything right now is out of the question. I will be buying some more products but that will not be anywhere near $250.

And yes Beemerboy I do have the porter cable but I also have a buffer that I got from harbor freight tools a while back. I'm thinking about giving it to my baby brother as I mainly use the PC (ordital/sander/buffer).

Thanks
 
i dont see how weight is a good thing, if you need pressure it should be applied by the hands and muscles, you dont want to hold that much weight for that long.
i think one of my friends has one of those in his garage, if anybody is interested im sure he would sell it
 
Pockets@PoorboysWorld said:
Thats a Roatary right:confused:
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Pockets..The cyclo is a dual headed orbital polisher....using 4" pads on each head..It was originaly used years ago to polish aircraft and Airstream trailors..but found its way into car refinishing...a very good tool....A worthy tool to have..does correction pretty fast....I had the pleasure of using one a few times..and it is now on my to get list...here is what a cyclo looks like

Cyclo Polisher for Paint


AL
 
11 pounds ha! you must be a girlie-man, I strap 2 45 pound plates to my PC to give my forearms a quick workout...just kiddin!!
 
Junebug said:
11 pounds ha! you must be a girlie-man, I strap 2 45 pound plates to my PC to give my forearms a quick workout...just kiddin!!
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Hey Popeye, I think I hear Olive Oyl calling...... :D
 
How much paint did you say you had left on your car JuneBug????

I just was not feeling the sales pitch that was thrown at me. I've always thought that the weight and pressure needed to come from the user. Good joke though....
 
If you were to rate them by correcting abilities, I'd probably go with rotary, d/a, then orbital. I've never used a rotary, but I haven't come accross anything that the PC won't correct. I wouldn't put too much stock what that salesman was trying to tell you about their orbital polisher.
 
Hey Magic, back in the day - before kids, I hit the gym about 5 days a week. Arnold was da man back then - before the walking pharmacies took over bodybuilding. I'll tell ya, forearm muscles are hard to grow,but when you hit the right exercise - you'll know. It's helped me in detailing to have a half -way decent amount of muscle left, and even at 47, I still have decent arms. The back is about 30% but the arms are good! It's funny, but there are more bodybuilding routines than they are ways to detail cars, and they're all the BEST!..... r i g h t.....
 
Junebug said:
Hey Magic, back in the day - before kids, I hit the gym about 5 days a week. Arnold was da man back then - before the walking pharmacies took over bodybuilding. I'll tell ya, forearm muscles are hard to grow,but when you hit the right exercise - you'll know. It's helped me in detailing to have a half -way decent amount of muscle left, and even at 47, I still have decent arms. The back is about 30% but the arms are good! It's funny, but there are more bodybuilding routines than they are ways to detail cars, and they're all the BEST!..... r i g h t.....
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Hey your right....I'm a hard gainer and weigh around a buck 60, when I crank the PC up to 6 I can really feal it in my forearms and back this has made me get back to working out. I told my wife a few days ago that I was going to have to hurry up and get my office setup in the back of our house so that I can order a bowflex. I use the total gym now with added weights but after trying it out over a friend's house I've got to have one. I've dropped a few free wights on my foot, which also makes me lean towards the bowflex.

I don't know about you but after doing a full detail my body feels like crap the next day and I'm only 32!

Excersise is a must!
 
The Gem orbital is a strong machine. It's also a heavy one, weighing almost twice what some rotary machines weigh.

They last and last and last: mine was dropped at the shop by a careless employee, needed a new backing plate, and it was fine. It was used for hours per day for 4 years. It was in a flood...literally...a flood. I cleaned it and it ran fine. It's now 10 years old and runs like day 1.

What it won't do is serious correction needed on a paint finish. It might have done OK with single stage paints, but it won't do much if anything with a hard base clear.

I use this machine to apply wax and sealant. I wouldn't use one of the plastic orbitals ever again because the Gem is so smooth and durable.
 
Wow.....

He said that it weighed 11 pounds, which was good. To have weight to "PUSH" in the polish......lol

That would be good on what?...the hood, trunk and roof only...? LOL
the vertical surfaces....you are stuck holding an 11 pound machine, trying to keep it against the door, fender, or quarter panel.....lol
 
Hi Just getting the PC 7424, I first viewed Mike P dvd, and then tried, having great results, accustomed to orbital and rotary Makita I believe the PC is ideal with less chance of mistakes, taking nothing away from other 2 choices, the only surprise I had was need for pads, bonnets, but in reality it comes down to preparation and product technique, as for me I'll keep everything on hand but the 7424 is easier for myself. HAPPY NEW YEAR and best of success which ever you choose. prenderville
 
I had the Gem orbital buffer and gave it away. You can't go wrong with the PC7424. I had mines for some time now and works great. You can do more with the PC than the Gem orbital buffer.
 
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