To Rotary... Or Not to Rotary

I have been using my PCxp for almost 3 years now. In the past I have primarily done my own vehicles but in the last 2 years I began to do others on the side for customers. I have been contemplating upgrading to a rotary for a while now but am not sure if I need to, due to new tech for DA appliction. If I do upgrade I have my eye on the Flex PE14-2-150. So what is everyones opinon? Any and all advice is appreciated. Thanks
 
Well....I have 2 rotaries, a G110v2, Griots, Flex3401, and old skool PC. The only time I use my rotaries is when doing full wetsand and buffs on custom paint jobs, and on out of this world hard clears.
 
I just went through this exact thought process. I went ahead and got a rotary.

Why?
  • Just to try it
  • I have a Flex DA and do not have a great option for a small pad
  • I wanted a second machine to have the option of using a 4" pad
So far:

Compared to the Flex DA, I find the rotary is much more of a skill to be learned and mastered. My learning is in process and I am still experimenting.

I tried the rotary on a black car and even with a black pad and a finishing polish I created some holograms. No big deal as the Flex easily cleared them up.

I used the rotary on my old silver van with very nice results. On the silver I cannot see any holograms.
 
Jeff U -

Glad you got Rotary Power - which one did you get ?

If you keep the pad flat on the surface as much as possible, and dont use the edge like you see people doing in bad detail production or dealership shops, there will be less chance of leaving any marks in the paint.

Also, contrary to what others say and do, I have great success at lower rpm's; I dont see the need to spin it really fast because the compounds are so much more efficient than the old daze' stuff.

You will learn to watch the compound go through its stages of cut, and then polishing down, and be able to adjust pressure, speed and arm movement accordingly, and come out with a nicely cleaned, clear finish, ready for the next stage or in some cases, it will be ready for LSP even ! :)

I have backing plates all the way down to 3" pads for my Rotary, and have used those smaller ones carefully, when wanting to just get that scratch, and not hit the surrounding paint as much.. It helps to get an extension or two for it to enable you to get the pad around stuff easier..

Good luck with this !
Dan F
 
Stokdgs said:
Jeff U -

Glad you got Rotary Power - which one did you get ?
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I got the new Flex rotary when PAC had the recent 15% off sale.

It's a very nice machine. Now I just need to learn how to use it. Thanks for your ideas and guidance.
 
TroyScherer said:
I have been using my PCxp for almost 3 years now. In the past I have primarily done my own vehicles but in the last 2 years I began to do others on the side for customers. I have been contemplating upgrading to a rotary for a while now but am not sure if I need to, due to new tech for DA appliction. If I do upgrade I have my eye on the Flex PE14-2-150. So what is everyones opinon? Any and all advice is appreciated. Thanks
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Troy, I have been trying to master the rotary for awhile but kept getting mixed results and constant frustration...until I got my FLEX PE last week lower RPMS have made me a rotary wizard with better and a bit faster results than my FLEX DA. I think the gloss level is much better with less effort. Overall, I'm very pleased with mine and see myself reaching for it first as it is super smooth, light, and QUIET. I use an Edge 2k adapter on my PE and DA so all my 4 & 6 inch Edge pads work on both machines with no centering or backing plate changes. My compound and polish choices that I've tried so far are limited to the Optimum Hyper sprays, but I will try others soon.
 
Chris,

so all my 4 & 6 inch Edge pads work on both machines with no centering or backing plate changes
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I think you will find it a mistake to mix your DA pads with your rotary. Most pads, especially LC's Hydro Tech pads and many others I've used, when used with a DA get out of shape, because of the constant oscillating of the DA. In other words while the Velcro is still circular, it now doesn't match the elongated shape of the actual pad. Therefore centreing the distorted pad on the rotary becomes next to impossible. As you probably now know it is extremely important to have a pad correctly centred on a rotary for silky smooth vibration free rotation. Put a slightly distorted pad on the rotary and it will vibrate like hell even at low rpms.

I've always had separate sets of pads for each polisher. You can retire a rotary pad to DA duty, but not vice versa.
 
I been using both and have found the DA with all the new products and pads to work very well on any finish. I been a wheel person for many years and still can't believe the advancement the detail industry has made to help all of us and future detailers. All my pads have been use on both machines and found only a few that didn't work well on my Makita.
 
TroyScherer said:
I have been using my PCxp for almost 3 years now. In the past I have primarily done my own vehicles but in the last 2 years I began to do others on the side for customers. I have been contemplating upgrading to a rotary for a while now but am not sure if I need to, due to new tech for DA appliction. If I do upgrade I have my eye on the Flex PE14-2-150. So what is everyones opinon? Any and all advice is appreciated. Thanks
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I also have been looking at the Flex PE14-2-150. It's good to have a backup when needed.
 
gmck said:
Chris,


I think you will find it a mistake to mix your DA pads with your rotary. Most pads, especially LC's Hydro Tech pads and many others I've used, when used with a DA get out of shape, because of the constant oscillating of the DA. In other words while the Velcro is still circular, it now doesn't match the elongated shape of the actual pad. Therefore centreing the distorted pad on the rotary becomes next to impossible. As you probably now know it is extremely important to have a pad correctly centred on a rotary for silky smooth vibration free rotation. Put a slightly distorted pad on the rotary and it will vibrate like hell even at low rpms.

I've always had separate sets of pads for each polisher. You can retire a rotary pad to DA duty, but not vice versa.
Click to expand...

You may not be familiar with the Edge pads, they are double sided and have a quick release backing plate built into every pad. You never have to center them as they only attach one way (no hook and loop). I also like that I can switch sizes by just pressing the quick release and popping on a new size vs. changing backing plates. If you prefer to use a different pad for rotary vs. DA all you have to do is dedicate one side to ea by marking them.
 
Thanks for your input guys. I guess for me this is a hard decision. I would love to step up to a Rotary or even a Flex 3401 but hate the thought of laying out all that cash. I have some Hydro pads I'm going to try on my wife's Jetta and see how they work based on that it may make my decision easier.
 
Chris,

No I?m not all that familiar with Edge pads. I?ve seen them at the local distributor here, but I?ve not got around to trying them.

What made you choose them for your rotary other than the obvious advantages you just mentioned? Seems weird to forego a quality backing plate especially when you consider the design work put into BPs by companies such as Festool, 3M and LC etc.

On the other hand, I just presumed you would have used the Optimum pads.
 
Stokdgs said:
Chris,
sounds very interesting - do you know who makes the Edge pads ?
Thanks
Dan F
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They were an independent company, but sold the line to 3M.

gmck said:
Chris,

No I?m not all that familiar with Edge pads. I?ve seen them at the local distributor here, but I?ve not got around to trying them.

What made you choose them for your rotary other than the obvious advantages you just mentioned? Seems weird to forego a quality backing plate especially when you consider the design work put into BPs by companies such as Festool, 3M and LC etc.

On the other hand, I just presumed you would have used the Optimum pads.
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I have various backing plates and pads. I have some LC, Kompressors, and of course the Optimum Pads. But the only ones I use on every detail are the Edge pads. The internal backing plate is flexible and works very well so there's no love lost for the "quality" ones you have mentioned. They are actually a headache in comparison to the Edge pads. Like I already mentioned, the perfect centering and various pad options leave nothing to be desired. The colors are different than the other brands, but it will only take a few uses to get that down. I have the full line in 4", 6", and 8" foam and the full line of 6" wool blend pads.

gmck...if you want to get just one to try out get the green one. It's my choice for most one steppers.
 
gmck...if you want to get just one to try out get the green one. It's my choice for most one steppers.
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Thanks for the tip. I'll get a demo some time when I'm out at the distributor next. But right now I'm pretty happy with my BPs and pads.

I've never done a one stepper, so I doubt I'd know where to start.
 
gmck said:
... I've never done a one stepper, so I doubt I'd know where to start....
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It's just like a two-step, but you start at step two, not one. :cursing:

Or use something like Meguiar's D301... or D151... or M66.

You know, like the rest of us hacks use every now and then. OMG!
 
Thanks Kevin, you make it sound like dancing, which probably explains why I bombed my audition on "Dancing with the Stars". Or could that be that I wasn't a "star".

Perhaps, I probably should have stated that I'm not all that interested in one steppers.
 
gmck said:
Thanks Kevin, you make it sound like dancing, which probably explains why I bombed my audition on "Dancing with the Stars". Or could that be that I wasn't a "star".

Perhaps, I probably should have stated that I'm not all that interested in one steppers.
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i have a bad back and usually do my cars in sections, so one steppers are a bargain for me... d300 and the mf pads are a great one stepper... haven't tried d301 yet.
 
I have a PC, PCXP, Cyclo and DeWalt rotary. I guess I use my PCXP with Megs MF 5" pads and UNO polish the most. Now, if it's a boat - don't even think about anything less than a rotary, wool pads and Surbuff Buff Magic.

Rotaries have their place, I chose DeWalt because they are known for lasting a long time. Sure, some will point out they're heavier than others, but I had a Makita once and I honestly would rather use the DeWalt. It has an excellant trigger start and I rarely go over 1200 rpm. Oh, great for headlights too.
 
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