Mothers Power Ball

[69lkmno]

Is it just me or does this power ball sucks. I tried to polish my wheels and I had better result just polishing by hand. When I tried to give more pressure, the red foam strips started falling apart. It wasn't worth paying $24.99.

[REFLEXX]

thanks!

I was looking into buying one and that made the decision easy.

[subtle71]

That's odd! I have used the Mothers Power Ball on billet aluminum, chrome, glass. I loved it. Much better than that Flitz orange cloth deal. The Power Ball worked best for me when I did not apply a lot of pressure. Also, I had best results with my Makita 12 volt cordless drill. I tried my DeWalt hammer drill thinking that faster (higher rpm) would be better, not so much. This actually seemed to be worse in the case of polishing my Billet Specialties wheels with the wheels off my truck.

Dean

[GearHead_1]

That just goes to show you, different strokes for different folks. I had better luck with the Flitz ball. By the way I used it on a DeWalt cordless. :willy_nil

[dboat]

I have one and havent used it yet.. plan on using it on my chrome wheels.. so if I get this right, higher speed and lots of pressure are not a solution.. did all of you use the Mothers polish? I tend to use Griots Garage products.. post up and let me know.
Thanks
Dana

[subtle71]

I have one and havent used it yet.. plan on using it on my chrome wheels.. so if I get this right, higher speed and lots of pressure are not a solution.. did all of you use the Mothers polish? I tend to use Griots Garage products.. post up and let me know.
Thanks
Dana


Right, for me the slower RPM worked best. I have used it with Mothers Billet cream, Mothers chrome polish, and Mothers mag polish. (On different projects) I always throw the Powerball in the washing maching to clean it before changing polishes/creams.

Dean

[dboat]

Right, for me the slower RPM worked best. I have used it with Mothers Billet cream, Mothers chrome polish, and Mothers mag polish. (On different projects) I always throw the Powerball in the washing maching to clean it before changing polishes/creams.

Dean

:thumbup:

[nighthaw2k]

I have the power ball & think its awesome. Took me ten minutes to polish 4 wheels which used to take an hour. Also i did not get dirty.

[Thumper]

Like they say........nobody does it like mothers...LOL

[iiibdsiil]

This is the first bad thing I have heard about this.

[OldOneEye]

I got one of these and the one thing I noticed is the polish they usually package with it is pretty runny. You turn up the speed too much and you get white crap everywhere (wanted to polish my valve cover on my car). It also seems that no matter how much you try, cleaning it by hand you end up with a ton of black crap coming out. I think soaking it in a pail might do the trick. When it wasn't throwing polish all over my engine compartment, I liked how it worked.

Juan

[Sundowner]

I have a powerball and LOVE it.
the trick is that you have to use a corded drill with it. I tried it with my 18v dewalt at 1500 rpm and wasn't impressed, but when the battery died, I ran it off my 1/2 corded dewalt at 550 rpm and the thing rocked. you need high torque and low rpms to get the best out of it.

[nolatoolguy]

I was given one as a a gift the powerball mini(same as the big one but smaller for tighter spaces)

it was ok the first time second use it was horible........it started to come apart same problem as you had.

In the end i wont recomend or buy one

[mikester]

I bought one to polish the Drag Lites on my car and tried it with a Dewalt 12V. Didnt work well. Then I tried it with my air drill. Holy crap, it was amazing for about 5 minutes until it flew apart ! I bought the cone shaped one to replace it and I really like it. I use Mothers mag polish first and finish them with their billet polish and a micro fiber cloth.

[z28snksknr]

It also seems that no matter how much you try, cleaning it by hand you end up with a ton of black crap coming out.
Juan

The black crap is nickel that you are pulling out of the metal that is actually doing the polishing of the aluminum or chrome. You will be there forever if you are trying to "get all the black stuff off".

I have used the Flitz ball before with sucess before I washed it and the "fingers" shrunk and wouldn't do a good job anymore. I had to use a LOT of pressure though to get much done. I thought my cordless drill was going to die and I couldn't keep batteries charged fast enough.

Just got the Mothers Cone for Christmas. I'll be sure to use low RPM first :thumbup:

[FANTASY FACTORY]

More krap from Ronco!
Only thing its good for to buffing plastic headlight lenses, with fiberglass shower wax!
I'd love to see FOOSE use it on one of his day 3 paint jobs! HA!

[SharkD]

I used a PowerBall with my DeWalt 14.4v cordless and Meguiar's plastic polish to clear-up the lenses on a late-series Volvo 240. It worked fairly well, and saved my elbows from being sore the next morning.

I'm not sure if I'd use it on something more delicate, however.

[Displaced Hokie]

Seems the suggestions are all over the board...low speed, high speed, low torque, high torque...:headscrat

[Jim D.]

I've used all the PowerBalls -- including the cone and the one for paint, and I love them.

They can take a little finesse.

If you're doing a finishing polish, use little pressure or all you're going to do is scratch the finish (which you can also do by hand).

Run the drill in low speed range (300-400 max) and a medium clutch so it slips in case you jam it somewhere it's not meant to be jammed. You will probably need a decent 18V drill, or if you have one of lower voltage, if it's high-quality you should be okay.

Speed is not your friend here -- if you're slinging polish, you're going too fast.

Work an area at a time, using enough metal polish to keep the ball or cone lubricated and create a buttery black residue. If you do have to use pressure to remove oxidiation, finish with light pressure. Wipe gently with a microfiber towel. Too much pressure or too much speed and you're not going to do any good.

If your ball is tearing up on an edge, work the angle so you go the opposite direction against the edge.

If you're still having problems, you might want to see the tips here (http://www.waxforum.com/s%3Cbr%20/%3E%0Ahowthread.php?t=1133).

There is a satisfaction guarantee -- so if you don't like it, you can contact Mothers for a refund or for tech help.

One more suggestion: disassemble it and wash it in dish soap or in the washing machine. Make sure it's clean, rinsed thoroughly, squeeze it dry and let it air dry for a few days before storage.

Here's a video I found on youtube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iG3cVHCF1yg

[Kevin54]

I thought it was more trouble than what it was worth.

[solows10]

i love my mothers ball i use it to clean the DP and my intake tubing on my truck.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v324/solows10/DSCF2591.jpg