Which rotary for me?

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imported_gators241987

New member
Ive used the pc for about 6 months now and I feel that Im limited with it. Having read many posts about the rotary, I think I will save and purchase on. Im slightly uneasy with using one, but I will study and practice before I use it on a vehicle (I have an old tailgate lying around that I can practice on). Now, there are so many different kinds out there, which one would be best for me? Im a full time college student and I detail on the side. I figure on average I do 2 vehicles a week and I would be hesitent to use them on the clients vehicles at first, I want to perfect it on my own vehicle first. I dont neccesarily know if the "beggining" rotary would be right for me since I do learn rather quickly, I would rather buy the "best" first to save some money. thanks guys
 
Buy a flex RO!



Otherwise, I'm biased towards German engineering.



A Metabo PE12-175 is what I've got, it's my screaming Messerschmidt..

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If you're looking for a rotary there are several good choices, and what you buy depends on what you're looking for. A long standing favorite around here is the Makita 9227...... hard to go wrong with that, but there are other choices. The Hitachi SP18VA became popular when they were available for ~ $90 a few years back. Since then the price has gone up but the 5 year warranty and slightly lighter weight than the Makita still make it a popular polisher.



The Metabo PE12-175 (German built) is also popular due to the very light weight and how well it is built. I currently have one and love it, but some don't care for the on/off switch it has instead of a trigger, and it does cost a bit more than most.



A new comer around here that is getting popular is the Flex 3403 rotary. It is also light weight but has (I believe) a tad less power than the Metabo, but it seems to do a fine job for those who are currently using one.



Edit: I left out the Dewalt 849 which is/was a popular rotary. From what I hear they are built like a tank but they are heavier than most of the others I mentioned.



The above is just a small sample of what seems to be popular around here; do a search on any of the models I mentioned and you'll find a lot of info on each one in this forum.
 
i have a Hitachi SP18VA and like it a lot. i didn't get it for $90...it was ~$125 on sale a year ago. its also the only rotary i've used, but it's weight is good and also runs quiet/cool.
 
paradigm said:
i have a Hitachi SP18VA and like it a lot. i didn't get it for $90...it was ~$125 on sale or so a year ago. it's also the only rotary i've used, but it's weight is good and also runs quiet/cool.
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Same here. I have had this polisher for about 1 1/2 years and really like it. After many hours of polishing it starts to feel heavy compared to the PC, I'm happy I have one of the lightest rotary's.
 
I been using my DeWalt 849 for 8 + years now and still going strong. I also have a Flex and Metabo PE 12-175, I use either depending on the job.
 
I own the Hitachi, I will also say price wise the Makita is a good choice, too.



They will both be heavier than the PC but not that bad IME. Moving to the rotary isn't quite as bad as most make it to be. As it has been said before; get some wool pads, especially for correction work. Anything more aggressive than LC white foam is much harder to control for me. IME LC Purple wool is great for correction, LC white, black and blue are my go to polishing pads.



I will also add 6.5" pads are easier, IMO, to control and to get into tight spaces.
 
Denzil said:
I love my light-weighted Metabo. :)
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My metabo is also wundervoll. :cool: I worked on my impossible E34 paint today.



Yet, I'm considering another rotary purchase, maybe next year. Not sure which yet, but possibly something with a trigger.



My trunk... Took me, jeez, like 2 and a half hours just to finish the trunk lid.

l_8d4c997b5fcee416c31ef0baee36e16c.jpg




My trunk before - Moderate oxidation, moderate swirling, severe acid rain etching which was widespread and prominent (hence the strong haze)...



Sorry I couldn't focus closer, my camera can't do it. (I'm working on that part, as I'm spending my money on tools and product instead, I figure it's more important.. :P)



Via Metabo...5 passes w/MenzernaPOS34A w/OrangeCCS: 2 passes w/MenzernaPO83Q w/WhiteCCS: 2Passes w/MenzernaPO106FF w/BlackCCS: Glaze, P21S..



l_de950027347b976766ef18afdf3d0471.jpg




This paint is serious stuff. I don't know what BMW was using in 89 on their E34s, but holy ****. It holds up better than anything I've ever encountered, even the new Benz Ceramiclear is easier to work with, probably because it's not quite as aged.



It wasn't perfect, mind you, but I'm comfortable with it. The oxidation was particularly difficult to get out of the small areas between the two levels of the hood that are shaped like a V going up towards the drivers window. When I polished the hood last year, I missed those areas and never took the time to go back. I finished it up tonight, and it seems to be gone, but there are still some areas there, as well as i the center of the hood(previously the most oxidized) which you can only see in direct sun as having some fairly deep scratches which have been nicely rounded. I will wetsand near the edges of where I explained earlier regarding the lower level of the hood, as well as the very far edge all the way up along each side of the hood. Like I said, the oxidation has been removed, but I'd like a more level surface, not just rounded imperfections. POS34A just doesn't level it because the clear is so darn hard.



Also, I never bothered to clean the roof, (as a comparison to show clients) but I've got a friend who's practically a pro photographer who will take some photos of the bare oxidation before I remove it. I'll keep you posted, as I'll be getting some excellent photos from that endeavor.
 
I have a Metabo 12-175. The weight is very good.



Personally i prefer the trigger, the Metabo only has an on/off switch :(



If i had to buy a rotary again i would have bought a Flex 3403. Howver its not available in Australia



The Makita is too heavy and the Dewalt even more so.



The flex 3403 ha sa fairly high minimum rpm speed. However you can pulse the trigger to acheive a lower rpm that cannot be done with the Metabo's on/off switch.



Also the larger the pad the higher the speed at the edge of the pad at a given rpm. So a 6inch pad will work great on the 3403.



I might have to import one from the U.K.



Though seeing a festool forced rotary in action which is similar to the flex 3401 orbital... That will probably be my next buffer.. Put a finishing pad on it will finish hologram free on soft paints which will be extremely difficult with a rotary unless you are extremely talented and have excellent lighting. With a wool cutting pad it will cut close to a rotary, sure it wont cut through massive oxidation or scratches but it will remove the heaviest of swirls on the hardest of paints.



Im starting to get sick of not having good lighting with my rotary and finding out the paint was softer than i excepted and have very light holograms.. A lot of time is wasted. It nearly gets to the point if u have bad lighting you may as well just finish every car with a random orbital just to ensure a hologram finish on every car.
 
If I buy the makita, is there a difference between the variable speed and the circular polisher? is there anything else I would need to buy for the buffer besides the actual machine? backing plate acceptable?
 
If you've got the time, and something with a bit more kick than the 7424. Mine does the job, but I have been doing a lot of wetsanding and polishing combinations lately. I might even go back and have a shot at some of the real deep blemishes on my car.



Heck, i saw the weirdest one on my hood that's very deep. It looks like a + sign and a circle around it, like that old nordic cross type thing, but it's got the peace sign legs in it too. It has to be a millimeter wide/high...at the very most. It's so tiny, I don't know how it's in the paint. It must have been on a button or a tool that hit it, but it's such a sharp, small little indentation that seems deeper than what you would expect to come from something like that.

lol whatever, I've got some pegan ritual going on over the hood of my car or something... :laugh:
 
Charles, that was a lot of work on the trunk lid but the results were excellant! I noticed you used Menzerna compound - I've been thinking about trying that. I bought the Megs 105 and after about 4 attempts, I decided that it didn't fit my style of buffing. This old dog did finally get it to work but not without going through 4 pads and making a mess. Also, I was working on a 99 4Runner that got a yearly wash since new, and I was NOT making much $ on it since it belongs to one of my oldest friends. I switched to IP on an orange LC pad and then Polisealed it. Oh, back on topic - I have a Makita, I like it much better since I went handle-less and just hold on to the top like a PC.
 
JuneBug said:
Charles, that was a lot of work on the trunk lid but the results were excellant! I noticed you used Menzerna compound - I've been thinking about trying that. I bought the Megs 105 and after about 4 attempts, I decided that it didn't fit my style of buffing. This old dog did finally get it to work but not without going through 4 pads and making a mess. Also, I was working on a 99 4Runner that got a yearly wash since new, and I was NOT making much $ on it since it belongs to one of my oldest friends. I switched to IP on an orange LC pad and then Polisealed it. Oh, back on topic - I have a Makita, I like it much better since I went handle-less and just hold on to the top like a PC.
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Yes I don't use my handle either, but of course it's nothing like the big shopping cart handle of a Makita. I have honestly never used a handle like that, but it probably wouldn't get in the way as much as the metabo handle would, seeing as it's overhead as apposed to sticking out the side really far.



My metabo even came with a metal plate to go between the pad and the machine, :laugh: lol...

pe12-175.jpg


Scary! (No, I don't use it, and it's probably for woodworking or metalworking. Something like that...)



Oh, you know I love Menzerna, but I really dislike Powergloss unless you have some extra lube on hand. Some people use water, but it will cause the pad to load up and hop because of the difference in friction the water and oil allow for. Nothing but bad luck with water. Otherwise, most people use QD, which is what I use, but I could see some improvement with this technique, which brings me to my final point..



Recently, I've considered going to the store and picking up some glycerine and white mineral oil and making my own lubricant to spray on when I need it. I'll have to experiment a bit but I think it would be best, considering those are the two that Menzerna already uses.



Anyways, I wish I could get better pictures, but my camera can't hack it! I haven't plished my roof yet, and it's got some wonderful oxidation that I can take pictures of, as well as some scratches that I'll sand out. I'll do some 'control tape' side-by-side comparisons for all of you guys, and I'll have a friend of mine with a real snazzy camera take some pictures in good light.
 
Wow, now I'm wondering if PowerGloss is for me? I used Megs #84 years ago on a white 325 that had serious scratches. It worked really good, although it took a few passes. Would you say it was simular to IP in the way it works-then dusts? If that's the case then I can accept and handle dust, you should have seen the mess I had with 105!
 
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