What inexpensive, but good buffer should I look into?

W

WS6Fury

New member
I'm not going to use a buffer a whole lot. I just got a used Jetta which needs some severe revitalizing on the paint. My arm is strong, but not sure If I can do a whole car!!!



Want to find a buffer that uses a velcro attachment for pads, but a size where I will have no problem finding replacements for. Need something cheap since I will only use it once in a blue moon, but easy to use and wont damage the paint in any certain way.



Thanks for the help!!!:up
 
Well, you will quickly find out why everyone recommends the PC. Anything cheaper doesn't work. Everything cheaper has a wimpy motor. Swirl removing compounds and polishes work by heat and they require power to build up that heat. The cheaper polishers are fine for applying and removing wax, but that can usualy be done by hand in less time with less product. Understand the dilemma? The buffers or sanders I have seen that cost less either have less power, or are fixed at 12000orbits per minute which is way to high for detailing.
 
"inexpensive" and "good" usually refer to the PC 7424. You could seriously get the polisher, backing plate, pads and even a few polishes to get you started for less than $200. Considering that to take your car into a shop and have them work on it for the 5 or 6 hours you will probably be putting into it on your first go around with the PC will probably run you $200 or more, I'd say that it is an excellent investment.



Think about it... Your car is worth many thousands of dollars. I don't care if its only worth $5000 because that is still many to me. If its worth 20 or 30 K then all the better. Isn't $200 a small price to pay to keep your car looking like it is worth what it is worth? I guarantee you that if you took a Viper and swirled it up, drove it through the mud and then let it sit outside with the top off for a couple dusty days that it wouldn't sell for nearly as much as that same Viper would sell for all detailed and shiney. A lot of the value of a car is in its appearance and not in the parts. Try trading in a dirty car and trying to get what its worth someday. A PC is the best way to begin protecting your investment in your car. Don't cut corners when it comes to protecting something that cost you thousands of dollars.
 
WS6Fury said:
..... needs some severe revitalizing on the paint.

Want to find a buffer that uses a velcro attachment for pads.....
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These two requirements alone pretty much blow any purpose-made random orbital car buffer out of the water. Most of them either are weak or use bonnets - often both. None that I know of use velcro pads.



The only thing you're left with are rotary buffers, which can be gotten cheap but are less user-friendly, or some other type of RO sander like the PC. Black & Decker markets their Mega Mouse ($60) as a polisher too, but it runs at a blistering 10500 opm and is single speed. Other people have looked at adapting various two handed sanders with variable speeds, but I'm not sure what the pricing is like on those. It might be worth a look.



Lots of people (including me) have had identical wishes as you have: cheap, velcro pads, power to fix damage, etc. The problem comes when you see the trade-offs and I came to realize the PC is an almost perfectly adapted animal for my needs - it was just more expensive. Which is unfortunate, and now I feel the need to polish other people's cars :D but I now also have a tool that should last me a lifetime of use. HTH
 
I guess one of the issues I have is I'm not a big fan of electric buffers. I like doing everything by hand, and I don't mind the workout either, unfortunately this car may give me a heart attack getting rid of all the defects and ugly swirl marks!:sosad Plus I like things simple.



Are there any decent, but inexpensive buffer that you can adjust rpms at Home Ripoff?? Don't wanna spend $200 on something I may use once or twice in my life.
 
The cheaper buffers will not be strong enough for swirl removal. If swirl removal is your goal don't even waste your money on a cheapo.
 
ShowroomLincoln said:
The cheaper buffers will not be strong enough for swirl removal. If swirl removal is your goal don't even waste your money on a cheapo.
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Exactly. If you want to have this damage repaired then you have to use the right tool for the job. You might as well try and remove swirl marks with an electric tooth brush for all the good a $30 WalMart buffer is going to do for you. You may just want to take the car to a pro to fix up and then get the $30 buffer to maintain it. You may be able to stay on top of swirls with the cheap buffer if someone can use a real machine to remove them for you first.
 
WS6Fury said:
Are there any decent, but inexpensive buffer that you can adjust rpms at Home Ripoff?? Don't wanna spend $200 on something I may use once or twice in my life.
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If you had a PC, you would use it more than once or twice in your lifetime. Try more like once or twice a year per vehicle you maintain. If you have friends, offer to detail their cars for a small fee, $25-40 maybe. Depends on what products you use. If you have a significant other, now that's two vehicles. Then you add a third pleasure vehicle. It may seem expensive, but as other say you'd pay that much just for once good detail job.



If you don't mind and prefer doing things by hand, try it out. Scottwax does everything by hand and I haven't heard him give any accounts of unsatisfied customers. Quite the opposite.



Start with Meg #83 on one section, like a trunk. Maybe the results will be great and you save the $200.
 
not to mention that you get what you pay for... if you're going to want something that does a quality job, don't expect to go pay $20 for it.
 
WS6Fury- You could always look for a used/reconditioned PC. They hold up well, so I wouldn't hesitate to buy one with some hours on it. Or rent something, as BlackRegal suggested. I somehow think that once you try it you won't be doing everything by hand anymore.
 
I guess I could stop by the old dealership where I used to work. We had an orbital buffer there which was really good! And it used velcro backing pads. Especially good b/c the pad doesn't have the chance to move around.



I have nothing against doing everything by hand, hell, I'd prefer it. But the way things look or reading wise here, removing swirls takes more than hand power?
 
You can get swirls out by hand just fine. Your hand just needs to be able to move at 1500 rpms. ;) Actually, if you are built like a tank and have endless stamina then you could remove swirls by hand very well. Scottwax does it all the time. You've got to see a picture of him though... His neck is the size of my whole torso. :eek: He has been doing it for awhile.
 
What your asking for doesn't exist. I had a cheapo till yesterday when i got my PC. The cheapo is only good for applying/taking off wax or polish. I could not remove the swirls until I used the PC today. My car looks better than showroom now. You can get a factory rebuilt from Toolking.com for $115 w/free freight. Look at it like this you can pay somebody else to do it for the same thing you can buy the goodies to do it and you will have it for the rest of your life and when you get a really kool car you will have the tools to keep it nice. A hand polish will never look as good as a machine job. I am a firm believer in having the appropriate tools for the job.

Good luck.
 
My GF got me an electric OEM for my birthday.....has bonnets and is a 10 incher....speed I think is 3200; not variable; no velcro; not too sure about the pads...one looks soft, but not MF, the other looks like poly terry which to me would swirl the HE77 out of the paint.



She got it at Lowe's and they told her that was the only kind of buffer they have....do all of the Lowe's carry PC's???? Don't really want to hurt feelings, although she said that she kept the receipts and we could trade it if I wanted to. Any thoughts on the OEM?? Anyone ever tried it, own it??? Results?? More Swirls???
 
Listen to these guys.... GO WITH PORTER CABLE... I know 200 dollars may seem steep right now, but I am a mobile detailer and for your car I would probably charge you no less that 200 dollars.

Plus.... PORTER CABLES are the best random orbitals out there I dont care what anyone says. I was detailing a 46 foot Hatteras, and me and my partner went out for lunch, leaving the porter cable exposed. It rained heavily... when we got back the the PORTER CABLE was SOAKED.... ( had to shake water out of the inside) That was a couple of months ago and it still works exellently. If you did that to any other of the random orbitals these guys have mentioned that are cheaper you can kiss it good bye.



So if you want a good random orbital get a :bow :bow :bow Porter Cable
 
What about a dewalt orbital polisher?? Looks like I can use it for sanding things down, and for polishing a car, just depends on what different parts you use on the end of it???
 
I think Intel486 has a DeWalt random orbit polisher. It is around the same quality of the Porter Cable. Two reputable brands.



I am only 18 (well 19 in a few weeks) and owned the Porter Cable for around 2 years. I don't even have car to call my own, let alone a driver's license.



I saved and saved and got my Porter Cable along with the DM-KIT from CMA. Best investment I ever had. After a little practice, I was doing very well. Did 4 details for relatives and they liked it so much they paid me. That paid off the PC, pads, AND detailing supplies, plus a bottle or two of Moet and Piper-Heidrieckson (sp?.)



I must of clocked over 100 hours on my PC already. It is still going strong.



I now consider my PC indispensible. It is always by my side along with my Pinnacle Souveran and box load of other products.



Sure you can can get a cheaper buffer, but as other's in this thread has said, it is a big waste of money.



Jason
 
flyby said:
there are many Pc polishers? which one?:nixweiss
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One of the 7336 models is best. Check out the thread in my signature for a breakdown of the models and how they're equipped. Some of the other ones listed in your link are rotary models and aren't the same animal.
 
PORTER CABLE 7424 = GOOD POLISHER



Look around some websites are asking 120 dollars or so if I am not mistaken. That is the model u want, no doubt about it. It it what I have and what most know or have used and unquestionably works wonders. Of course you must pair the right products and pads to the machine, but that will come with time. I have seen people do wonders with mid level products and have a really hard time with the expensive/exclusive stuff. You need to find the products that YOU can work with and give YOU results.



Any questions just PM me....
 
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