DA Polisher?
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I did a lot of research before getting the Griot's Garage 6 inch DA polisher. The 3rd generation model is the newest and it comes with a lifetime warranty. I chose this over the Porter Cable 7424. These two are probably the least money to get into a 'real' polisher. The $40 ones don't have enough power to actually polish today's harder paints/clearcoats. They might be suitable for applying wax if anything.
d.mcfarland
Well-known member
Harbor Freight is an option. Be advised you will need a better backing plate to make it worth your while.
I started with the Harbor Freight. I did switch to a 5" backing plate. I learned how to use the DA polisher using this one and the cheap Harbor Freight pads. I liked using it so much I stepped up to the Griot's Garage 6" and pads. The Griot's is definitely more powerful. I kept the Harbor Freight with 5" backing plate. I actually bought a second one and put a 3" backing plate on it for use with the Meguiars Power System 4" pads for tight areas. I bought the Griot's Garage from Advance Auto Parts. If you check their website you might be able to buy it online for in-store pickup with a discount. I was able to take advantage of a 20% discount. I like both machines.
lilcraigford
Well-known member
Porter Cable 7424 owner here. I picked mine up in '05 to do paint correction on my own cars (its only done 5 full detailings in its lifetime). I started with a 5" 3M velcro backing plate and a range of Meguiars "Professional" polishes with dedicated pads. I have zero complaints about the Porter Cable other than it can get a little heavy during long stretches. I'm not too sure what the current 7424s are like in terms of weight/improvements/reliability. I've teased the idea of switching to a lighter rotary, but I do this kind of work so seldom that I can't really justify the cost.
Are you picking this up to do personal work?
Are you picking this up to do personal work?
Cruzomatic
Well-known member
I have the Porter Cable 7424 as well. I've used it to do my boat and truck. Very good as far as my liking. I'd recommend it. I bought mine from Amazon.
Don't buy a used PC, pro shops work them hard until close to death then sell them for close to retail, but enough of a discount that they still sell fast on CL.
The HF isn't bad, and is cheap with coupon etc. good to learn on, then when you "need" more power look at other options and put a 3" backing plate on the HF and continue to use it for smaller areas.
Detailing can get expensive fast, good goop isn't cheap ala $30/quart, pads, backing plates, towels, cart to hold all the goops and toys, it adds up fast.
Hard to go wrong with Griots, nothing they make afaik isn't at least pretty good, but none of it is cheap.
The HF isn't bad, and is cheap with coupon etc. good to learn on, then when you "need" more power look at other options and put a 3" backing plate on the HF and continue to use it for smaller areas.
Detailing can get expensive fast, good goop isn't cheap ala $30/quart, pads, backing plates, towels, cart to hold all the goops and toys, it adds up fast.
Hard to go wrong with Griots, nothing they make afaik isn't at least pretty good, but none of it is cheap.
SMKS
Well-known member
The HF unit really is a good starting point. It's affordable and I've been pretty darn happy with it.
If you do some reading on the detail forums you'll see that some people say the HF unit is more powerful than the PC unit.
It's a cheap but good starting point and you can always upgrade later. But frankly, after getting mine it is doing a great job at fulfilling my needs as a DIY'er. I don't think I will upgrade in the foreseeable future.
Here's a review on Toolguyd.
http://toolguyd.com/harbor-freight-69924-dual-action-polisher-review/
If you do some reading on the detail forums you'll see that some people say the HF unit is more powerful than the PC unit.
It's a cheap but good starting point and you can always upgrade later. But frankly, after getting mine it is doing a great job at fulfilling my needs as a DIY'er. I don't think I will upgrade in the foreseeable future.
Here's a review on Toolguyd.
http://toolguyd.com/harbor-freight-69924-dual-action-polisher-review/
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MagicMarker
Well-known member
I've been using a Griots/ Porter Cable for years and it's a quality product.
cajunfirehawk
Well-known member
Everyone has listed the lower end of the $pectrum for these so lets go the other way, for my home use, I run a Flex 3401 VRG made in germany, not quite the snap-on of DA's but great quality none the less, YMMV.
I guess it depends on what the OP considers reasonably priced. I toyed with the idea of getting the Cyclo dual head polisher and then a Griots Garage with 3 and 6 inch backing plates for smaller areas. No doubt the Flex is very nice but I decided for my limited usage the Griots would suffice.
Immortal Detailing
Member
For a DIY I would go with the Griots Garage DA with the 25' cord. The reason for the 25' cord is obviously a little more freedom, but you also get a little more powerful machine. I just about agree with mnjim but I would get a Meguiar's 3" backing plate along with a Meguiar's 5" backing plate. The reason for the 5" is because you can get in a little tighter spaces than a 6" plus you with get a little better control of the machine. I personally wouldn't use 6" pads unless I was finishing. I hear a lot of folks like the Harbor Freight machine and it seems decent, but I know tons of pros who still use/have the Griots with the 25" cord in their arsenal.
Rupes makes an amazing machine, but you can't change out the backing plates like the Griots or HF and it costs a hell of a lot more. The Flex is another excellent machine, you can buy different backing plates, but it's not as user friendly and it's another expensive polisher. If you have any questions on anything detailing feel free to hit me up anytime.
Rupes makes an amazing machine, but you can't change out the backing plates like the Griots or HF and it costs a hell of a lot more. The Flex is another excellent machine, you can buy different backing plates, but it's not as user friendly and it's another expensive polisher. If you have any questions on anything detailing feel free to hit me up anytime.
dnschmidt
Well-known member
You really don't want a random orbit sander for use in polishing as these take forever. What you want is a forced rotation dual action machine. The best is the Makita BO6040. The Flex and the Rupes are OK as is the Festool ROTEX. The difference is power and speed. The forced rotation machines are five times more aggressive than the random orbit machines and make the job go much faster.
lilcraigford
Well-known member
I will agree that working with a random orbital DA is a time consuming process! I picked up mine on the recommendation that its a safer choice for beginners (vs rotary).
This is the first time I've heard of a forced rotation DA though. I looked up that Makita and found a good thread on Autopia.