recommend a good orbital buffer

**empy** · February 17th, 2007 02:49 PM

i think it's time to get a new buffer. i actually gave away my old rotary a long time ago, and have been detailing by hand all this time.

as i contemplate the swirled and somewhat neglected finish of my black bmw, i think it's time to get a new buffer. ayaw ko na sa rotary - it's heavy, messy and needs too much attention to make sure you don't swirl or burn the paint.

who has a good ROB (random orbital buffer) they can recommend? the detailing geek sites all recommend the Porter Cable, but with all the required ek ek it hits about 200 USD. is there a better value out there, or am i better off just getting the Porter Cable? anyone with some experience out there?

TIA

**ILuvDetailing** · February 17th, 2007 03:00 PM

gamit ko Black and Decker na Random Orbital, I forgot the exact model, got it for around 2.3K 3 years back. But I don't think its strong enough to remove swirls.

Check out the Makita website. AFAIK they have this new model comming out a hybrid Rotary and Orbital.

**Horsepower** · February 17th, 2007 03:01 PM

You can't go wrong with Black & Decker or Bosch. Makita is also good.

**milky** · February 17th, 2007 03:59 PM

sir m54,
seeing that you're from Florida you might want to check out a few Lowe's there.. my cousin just got a Porter Cable for around $30+ including tax. If it's not available daw at your local Lowe's you can ask them to find one for you

**empy** · February 18th, 2007 12:19 AM

thanks for the heads-up, guys. i'll go to Lowe's today to see what's going on. research ko na din yung mga iba. i do need something with the horsepower to take out swirls (nothing bad and there's no oxidation, but my OC eyes can see swirling on the black finish - even though i did a full detail 6 months ago)

**userfriendly** · February 18th, 2007 09:55 AM

Guys opinon naman on the KYK waxer/polisher. Saw it sa TV but its only single speed. Is it similar to the Black and ecker KP600?

**blink21me** · February 19th, 2007 02:46 AM

This is a "BUFFER".

It's something you can buy from local stores ranging from $20 - $80... Do they all perform the same? YES. How good of a job do they perform? Just as good as what your hands can do ~ sometimes my arms can do a better and faster job than some buffers, this means, it's a waste of money... YOU'RE NOT GOING TO BE SATISFIED. I've used three buffers before, and would never use one again, or buy one of these EVER again...

This is a Porter Cable 7424, and this is what you call the "POLISHER".

There are several models of PC's out there, this is the best one for the application. This is what I have been using on my car to remove light to moderate swirls, BUT... it kinda still takes a lot of effort and time to remove those swirls... This is what I used on the red Paseo that I posted in this forum before, and it took me a lot of time ~for that job I wish I had a rotary circular polisher.

3 weeks ago I decided to start to detail for profit, and WHHOAA

, I've been getting A LOT of customers from all over the east bay ~ so I decided to get a Real TOOL for the job... A, Makita 9227C Rotary Circular Polisher;

I could tell why you walked away from a Rotary before. An inexperienced detailer should NOT get his/her hands on this thing. This tool is noted Professional grade. You have to manage to not polsih through the clearcoat and that could be hard for someone who had not used a Porter Cable before or some sort of Orbital polisher... With that said, anyone is 100% safe with a PC 7424. The only way to damage your paint with a PC is to drop it on the panel...

On the side, If you're seeking detailing advice, go to www.Autopia.org, it's a big internet forum community dedicated to detailing only. Who are those in that forum - Pro Level detailers, and Professional Detailing shop workers/owners who will give you the correct advice and direct you to the right path... Don't spend your money on a buffer. I bet if you post the same thread over there nobody's going to tell you to get ANYTHING else but a PC 7424. Yes it will cost you ~$200 but wait check this out;
Autogeek's Special on PC 7424
comes with;
3 Orange 5.5 inch Low Profile Light Cutting Pads
12 oz. XMT Fine Swirl Remover #2
12 oz. XMT Carnauba Finishing Glaze

All those for $149.99 best bang for the buck... I bet that's all you'll ever need for your car. Also, if you decided to buy that, enter the coupon code; Autogeek for an additional 10% discount

.

OR! If you happen to still want something cheaper I'm selling my PC...

Hope that helps...

**empy** · February 19th, 2007 03:41 AM

^sorry, my mistake. i tend to use the words buffer and polisher interchangeably. i am looking for a polisher. i was looking at that Porter Cable 7424 (i think there might be a newer model but am not sure) and its competitors.

i spoke with my favorite detail supply store in boca raton, and they strongly recommended the PC 7424. the owner told me that he actually does not stock any other unit but that one. this guy only stocks the specialty products he thinks are the absolute finest, and has never steered me wrong yet.

so i think i might get it. blink, thanks for the heads up and coupon code :2thumbsup:

ps - the rotary worked fine for spot repairs - i used to work at a body shop and we would use it to finish up freshly painted surfaces, or to buff out wet-sanding jobs - but it's a lot of work for just 'normal' detailing. plus, even experienced users can easily swirl or burn through the paint if they get distracted for even a little bit. i don't think i would recommend it even to pro detailers. not unless you've got the means to do a repaint like we did. although i do agree that if you're repairing a heavily oxidized finish you might not have a choice.