Towels Only!

crobinso

crobinso

The Grand Marquis Man
I just read a few posts from this thread "First time with a rotary - frustration, reflection and admiration". I immediately got the heebie jeebies about using a machine to polish my new car.

MF towels only, for me! (And yes, I know that I still have to be careful about being too aggressive.) :nono

Charles
 
You may lose some real options for tougher paint conditions however. I have a newer car and MF is the only thing I use for now. Well okay I am starting to clay it gently. :)
 
Hey Charles I haven't read the thread your refering to but don't let what you here (or read )about rotarys scare you away from machine polishing your new car. The porter cable random orbital polisher or PC for short is just the machine for you. You can get great results with the PC and not damage your paint . ( as long as you use it right ,and by that I mean the pad side down ;)) Of course there's nothing wrong with hand working the finish . Good luck
 
I definitely agree with what was said above. Even better than a PC, a cyclo is an outstanding polisher that will not damage your paint. If you properly maintain your new car, a rotary should never have to touch it. I am in Northern Virginia by the way. If you ever have any questions, send me a PM.
 
charles:

I'd suggest that you may want to reconsider your position and not let your decision be swayed by an isolated thread. A rotary polisher is a useful tool in the hands of an experienced detailer & it has the potential to do some serious damage in the hands of an inexperienced novice.

A PC, however, is immediately your friend. Start out with a mild polish on a polishing pad just to get the feel of the machine more so than actually working the surface. You'll find pretty quickly (like in about 2 minutes) that you'd probably have to consciously TRY to damage your paint.

The only way I can see a PC damaging your paint is to grab the PC by the power cord & swing it into the side of your car or drop it on the hood.

Many members here apply polishing / surface cleaning products by hand, but I think you'll find that you get better results, more consistent results using a PC than you could ever hope to achieve manually with MF or cotton applicators.

I've been messing around with detailing for over 30 years, a hobbiest weekend warrior doing everything by hand, and I have never achieved results on any vehicle with any combo of products like I have with a PC, the right products, and some patience.

Do some searching & reading here and you'll find many, many more first time success stories.
 
brwill2004 said:
I definitely agree with what was said above. Even better than a PC, a cyclo is an outstanding polisher that will not damage your paint. If you properly maintain your new car, a rotary should never have to touch it. I am in Northern Virginia by the way. If you ever have any questions, send me a PM.
Click to expand...

I am loving this forum better each day. Thanks. You are right across the river from me. (and down the road a piece...LOL) Give me the skinny on the cyclo (you or anyone else). What does cyclo mean, how does it differ from a rotary or an orbital (oops, almost wrote sander) polisher? Full name of the product, web site, other useful information, etc. I thank you, sir!

Charles
 
I Googled on "cyclo +polisher" and found, among other sites, another forum with a thread on the Cyclo. People were comparing them to the PC or rotary for effectiveness (Cyclos "take forever" to remove scratches so I use a rotary), for durability (Buy a PC from Meguiars for $200 and you'll get a lifetime warranty - I've gotten 3 PCs free over the past few years), etc.

Although one man's Cyclo took forever to remove scratches, he was very pleased with its polishing capability, and always finished with his Cycle after using the rotary.

When questioned why he'd had 3 replacement PCs in so short a time, he answered that he wears the cords out, so rather than replacing them, he sends the whole machine back to Meguiar's. They ask no questions, and send him a new one.

Cyclo owners say they've had their machines for 8 or 9 years with no trouble. One guy who owns a Cyclo and a PC says he prefers the PC when shampooing carpets because he has better control.

That's all the extra-DC research I've done so far...

Charles
 
I've read an account of a Cyclo that is 20 years old +, was abused in a shop settting, left outside buried in snow all winter long and when plugged in still worked just fine. That Cyclo only now could benefit from service although it doesn't necessarily need it :bow

I still use my PC fairly often but I reach for the Cyclo more.
 
Rob Tomlin said:
How much difference in price is there between the cyclo and the PC?

What are the main operational differences?
Click to expand...

Rob,

Read Post #9 by Eliot Ness. He has a link to a web site that compares the Cyclo to a PC-type orbital polisher.

Charles
 
crobinso said:
Rob,

Read Post #9 by Eliot Ness. He has a link to a web site that compares the Cyclo to a PC-type orbital polisher.

Charles
Click to expand...

Thanks Charles. I have to pay attention!

This was the part I found most intriguing:

Apply your favorite liquid wax or sealant with one head and remove it with the other. Place the wax on a white pad on one Cyclo head, and cover the other pad with a terry or MicroSuede bonnet. Angle the polisher so the bonnet follows the white pad across the surface. How about that!
Click to expand...

Does this really work in practice?
 
ok since we are talkin cyclo, i have seen videos on pc and rotary use but not cyclo, i would love to see one in action anyone know of a vid or tutorial on the cyclo ?
 
Rob Tomlin said:
Thanks Charles. I have to pay attention!

This was the part I found most intriguing:

"Apply your favorite liquid wax or sealant with one head and remove it with the other. Place the wax on a white pad on one Cyclo head, and cover the other pad with a terry or MicroSuede bonnet. Angle the polisher so the bonnet follows the white pad across the surface. How about that!"

Does this really work in practice?
Click to expand...

Dunno. I'll have to try it on my clunker (my '88 Grand Marq) when I get my Cyclo. Yep, I ordered one today, from topoftheline.com.

Charles
 
Does this really work in practice?
Click to expand...

I was intrigued by that statement from the TOL site, also.
No, it really doesn't work, for me. The second pad becomes loaded with the product very quickly. I tried it with Klasse AIO... easy on/off. But the two pads rather quickly become equal.

I have three rotaries, two PCs, and a Cyclo. I have a machine of some sort in my hand three or four hours a day. The Cyclo, albeit a fine machine, simply does not do more than the PC. I probably get comparable results, but I can't justify the cost (250% more than the PC!)

Jim
 
I'm leaning in the direction of Jim here. I recently posted a question regarding the new dual mode polishers on the "other forum" and sent some PM's to people who I know had used them. The advice that came back to me was, stick to using a PC and a quality rotary. When I threw a cyclo into the mix, the same advice was given. Needless to say, I have adjusted my christmas list to include a new rotary :lol

Sorry to all the Cylco users, I know you all love your Cylco's and are very committed to your choice of polisher; I will probably keep an eye on Ebay for a used cyclo and "snag it" if I can, I just don't want to experiment by spending $250 on a new unit.

Any advice on choice of rotary? At the moment I am leaning towards the Makita (9227C?) because of the handle shape, low rpms available, electronic control and the light weight. I am a big guy with big hands (can hold the PC easily with one hand) and a weekend warrior, if that helps. I will try buying locally so I can feel the rotary in my hands, but any advice would be very much appreciated.

Thanks! :)
 
ok i was also wondering about pads, looking at top of the line for cyclo pads it seems the rpicing on the pads is very cheap , are the tol pads for cyclo any good would a person save money in a few years of use. i know the cyclo uses 2 pads at a time but it still seems cheaper than pads for pc, i am sold on my pc and have no interest in switching now but just thought i would throw this in the mix
 
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