Polisher Recommendation

[cls89]

Looking to purchase a polisher so I can polish and wax my car at home. I am a complete beginner when it comes to polishing. After talking to some people I was referred to products such as Meguiars Ultimate Polish and I was planning on trying Meguiars ultimate liquid wax.

I just need a polisher. Unfortunately I can't afford the expensive dual action polishers like the one made by Chemical Guys. I can only afford to spend about $50 on a polisher. What are some good affordable polishers that are beginner friendly? I've read that the rotatory polishers can damage your paint and are not beginner recommended. I believe Dual Action is the more beginner friendly option, but I can't seem to find any within my price range. Any advice would be helpful.

 

[SILVERPLATE]

Interested also.

 

[dnschmidt]

Makita, been the industry standard for 25 years and nothing's changed. But, you're not going to get this new for under $175. Check the used market for one of these.

 

[Mike Folks]

look at Griot's garage for car care items(wash,waxes,polishers,etc). www.griotsgarage.com

 

[finn]

I bought a Dewalt 18v cordless, random orbital last winter. It got good reviews on some of the YouTube Chanel’s from people claiming they were professional retailers. Flex and Rupes seem to be well regarded.

None of those three come close to your budget, though.

My old polisher is a corded Harbor Freight r/o piece that I got on sale a few years ago with a coupon for fifty or sixty bucks. I saw a similar one in HF for, it think $99 last Saturday.

I normally don’t recommend HF, but, even at $99, I like it. It’s the red one with a shorter tail than some of the others.

 

[BSWS]

Many years ago I bought one of those low end polishers from Sears and gave up on it after about 10 minutes, it was nearly useless. Recently I did some research to find one to do my motorhome. I didn't want to invest much either since I wasn't so sure I'd use it. I read some good things about Harbor Freights $100 polishers so I got one. It's pretty impressive. The dual action is important if you're hoping for a decent finish.

 

[CaptPat]

$50 for a DA polisher — try Craigslist or Marketplace. Stay away from rotary polishers if you are not experienced they can trash a finish pretty quickly

 

[wtn1271]

Porter Cable also makes a random orbit polisher, got mine lightly used with some accessories for $75 on Craigslist. Works nice, good build quality. The Harbor Freight ones seem to get decent reviews if you want to pick one up sooner that trying to find used. Maybe some deals out there for Fathers Day too.

 

[AldeanFan]

You probably don’t need a polisher.

Polishers can be very dangerous if you don’t know what you’re doing, and not necessary unless you have heavy paint correction to do. When I worked in an auto body shop I remember painting several cars that the owners had tried to machine polish.

I have several high end polishers including a cyclo, but I rarely use them on my cars.
Last car I actually used a polisher on was a winter beater that had not been taken care of and I wanted to see what I could accomplish as a personal challenge.

for a beginner buy a good quality polish and wax system and a bag of microfibre cloths and polish till your hands and wrists are sore.

this is factory paint on my 2005 tundra after a coat of wax applied by hand, this truck has been in the family since new and has never spent a night inside. Never touched with an electric polisher.

 

[Gus_Mahn]

Harbor Freight and Amazon both have decently rated random orbit polishers for $75 or less. It'll be VERY hard to burn the paint with a random orbit polisher which is perfect for a beginner. Next more aggressive, but still pretty mild, is a orbital polisher like the Flex orbital polisher. They work great, but are very expensive. Rotary polishers can be bought fairly cheaply, but it is very easy to burn the paint, especially on edges. They are a great fast tool in skilled hands.

 

[engineer2]

We discussed these a few months ago and someone brought up a good point: look for variable speed with a slow low speed. Less likely to accidentally damage the paint.

 

[IndyGarage]

Do not buy one of the Wen or other car polishers with the 8 inch pad at walmart or the auto parts store. They are junk.

With a 50 budget, you are going to be limited to something used. Try to find a porter cable random orbit polisher used on craigslist. They are OK, and you can get a lot done with one.

 

[c5greg]

You will be fine with a dual action polisher. The higher end ones like Rupes and Flex are well outside of your price range, even used. You may find a PC or Griots used, but new will cost about $100 more than your budget. The HF polisher gets good reviews and at your price point may be the best option for new. The one thing to remember is that the polisher is only 1/2 the equation, you will also need several pads and possibly a backing plate. Pads run ~$5 each and a backing plate is about $15 so you can easily spend ~$50 on 6 pads and a backing plate. Don't skimp on low quality pads, these are what touch your paint.

Frankly i would save up for something like this:

https://www.autopia-carcare.com/best-porter-cable-value-kit.html#.YMj8h0wpCUk

It comes with 5 pads, backing plate and a couple of microfibers for $165, maybe less with a coupon.

 

[MattN03]

I've had a Meguiar's dual action polisher (made by Porter Cable) for 15+ years. It's a great tool with the right selection of pads and products. Check out https://www.autogeek.net. They carry a lot of different brands and offer package deals and can probably give you recommendations on your particular vehicle, expectations, and budget.

 

[Paycheck]

Adams Polishes Swirl Killer line is good for beginners, and they have a great warranty and return program. If you’re in NC, we have a local company that just started their own line of polishers.

 

[engineer2]

I need to find a 2" RO for car headlights. Doesn't seem to be a common product. Do the 5-6" polishers take tiny pads?

 

[Mark_17]

I need to find a 2" RO for car headlights. Doesn't seem to be a common product. Do the 5-6" polishers take tiny pads?

You can usually get a smaller backing plate. I don't think RO is necessary for headlights, I've used a drill with a 2" pad attached and it has worked very well

 

[SILVERPLATE]

I made an inquiry with Griots and Autogeek asking for a recommendation of a polisher for a novice, just want to do basic polish use and not hurt any finishes. Both responded promptly and both recommended the Griots G9.

 

[BlackBowtie]

I made an inquiry with Griots and Autogeek asking for a recommendation of a polisher for a novice, just want to do basic polish use and not hurt any finishes. Both responded promptly and both recommended the Griots G9.

Yeah I hear lots of positive reviews for the G9 over the Porter Cable for the lower end of polishers. Next up would be a Flex or a Rupes polisher. I've also read the G9 has had some minor quality control issues, but getting it replaced through their life time warranty doesn't seem to be a problem.

 

[Kscardsfan]

What company is that?

 

[dnschmidt]

Here is an extremely comprehensive test to check out:

 

[Scuderia-F1]

In my opinion Rupes is the only way forward!

 

[Benw455]

You probably don’t need a polisher.

Polishers can be very dangerous if you don’t know what you’re doing, and not necessary unless you have heavy paint correction to do. When I worked in an auto body shop I remember painting several cars that the owners had tried to machine polish.

I have several high end polishers including a cyclo, but I rarely use them on my cars.
Last car I actually used a polisher on was a winter beater that had not been taken care of and I wanted to see what I could accomplish as a personal challenge.

for a beginner buy a good quality polish and wax system and a bag of microfibre cloths and polish till your hands and wrists are sore.

this is factory paint on my 2005 tundra after a coat of wax applied by hand, this truck has been in the family since new and has never spent a night inside. Never touched with an electric polisher.

We need pics of the 66 Cobra

 

[Ralf11]

Just put a foam pad on your random orbit sander - works great

 

[Benw455]

Spend a few more dollars and get a PC 7424XP. I have used mine for years. Lake County pads with 3M polish

A quick google search you can find the PC 7424XP less than $125.00