SubOperator Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 Looking for suggestion about a good random orbital polisher - with 3 cars in the family I need something to keep them looking good, and as they age, simple wash and wax is not enough. I know about griot's 6 inch random orbital polisher, but it is almost $200 for a kit and I saw a whole lot of other brands offering similar products for fraction of that. Can anyone suggest a good and tried make/model ? Not looking to use this professionally, but some moderate use (again, 2 wagons and SUV have lots of external surface). Thanks ! 2005 LGT Wagon Limited 6 MT RBP Stage 2 - 249K 2007 B9 Tribeca Limited DGM - 272K SOLD - 2005 OB Limited 5 MT Silver - 245K SOLD - 2010 OB 6 MT Silver - 205K Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pako Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 Check out Porter-Cable 6" orbital sander/polisher. OCDetails put together a nice write on the "PC". They can be picked up new for around $120 and comes with a polishing pad out of the box. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MiniStiGuy Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 http://www.tools-plus.com/porter-cable-7424xp.html $119 with FREE shipping. I bought mine from them years ago. OEM HID's Rx330 Retro Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OCDetails Posted August 29, 2012 Share Posted August 29, 2012 Here's another option for $119 shipped. Coastal Tool That is about the best deal you'll find on one. Then you have to get some pads and the polishes and all that fun stuff. Plan on spending maybe another 80 bucks or so on all the gear needed to correctly polish paint. Spend another 200 bucks after the polisher and you'll have everything you need to start your own little side gig if you wanted to. The Griot's machine and the Meguiar's machine are essentially the same exact tool as the Porter Cable. Griot's is made by a Chinese company and has a 7 amp motor compared to the Porter Cable's 4.7 amp motor. So you might get a little more kick out of the Griot's. The Meguiar's one is really cool because it has this clutch mechanism in it that keeps the pad spinning when you put pressure on it. The other two machines will slow down and stop spinning (although they will still orbit) if you put weight on them. This doesn't hurt anything, it just cuts down on your efficiency. The bottom line is that they are definitely three different polishers and not just re-branded copies. There are reasons to go with any of the three. I've demoed all three of them at SEMA and let others try them out as well, and they all seem to perform the same. The real Porsche of polishers is the FLEX 3401. That one is about three times as much as any of the others, but man is it worth it. If you are looking for something that does the job and saves you time, then that is the machine for you. I'd bet you could do all three of your vehicles with the FLEX in the time it takes you do do two of them with any of the other three polishers. But if time isn't money, then the Porter Cable works just fine. Just as a note... I still have my Porter Cable that I bought in 2001 from a guy who had been using it for three or four years before that and it is still running like a champ. Any time you can get fifteen or twenty years out of a tool and only spend $120 bucks for it, I say go for it. I don't know anybody using a Griot's or Meguiar's machine that long, but that doesn't mean they aren't out there. Just thought I'd mention it. _________________________________________ “Cleanliness becomes more important as godliness becomes more unlikely.” O C D E T A I L S . C O M OCDETAILS BLOG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wang Lung Posted August 30, 2012 Share Posted August 30, 2012 OCD, my PC owners manual says this: "At approximately 100 hours of use, take or send your tool to your nearest PORTER-CABLE Factory Service center or PORTER-CABLE Authorized Warranty Service Center to be thoroughly cleaned and inspected. Have worn parts replaced and lubricated with fresh lubricant. Have new brushes installed, and test the tool for performance." I'm sure I'm over 100 hours, have you done this maintenance? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xero287 Posted August 30, 2012 Share Posted August 30, 2012 ^ Good question, I just bought a new one instead lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Magic Marker Posted August 31, 2012 Share Posted August 31, 2012 I've had my PC Meguiars version for about 5 years now. Still runs the same way as when I got it new. 2011 Volvo S60T6 & 2013 Volvo XC60T6 Polestar Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OCDetails Posted August 31, 2012 Share Posted August 31, 2012 I've never done any maintenance on it. I've heard about the brushes needing cleaning before, but I've never had anything wrong with it to worry about it. When you start it up next to a brand new one they both sound exactly the same, so I just can't imagine what servicing it could do. Besides... Depending on how much the servicing is, it would almost be worth it just to run it into the ground and then buy a new one. If I paid, say, $20 bucks for every 100 hours I've used this thing, I probably could have bought three or four machines by now. lol _________________________________________ “Cleanliness becomes more important as godliness becomes more unlikely.” O C D E T A I L S . C O M OCDETAILS BLOG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wang Lung Posted August 31, 2012 Share Posted August 31, 2012 Thanks OCD. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SubOperator Posted September 4, 2012 Author Share Posted September 4, 2012 Thanks guys for all the replies, LGT really rocks in the type of community. Now I was almost set to go and get the PC but decided to just check out what FLEX is and wow. Internet reviews are all in favor. I know it's pricey but people write it saves time AND also does not have the vibrations other polishers exhibit. I guess I will do some more reading before pulling the trigger. OCD, do you have practical experience with FLEX ? Time is really a resource for me, so if FLEX saves time I would rather go that way... 2005 LGT Wagon Limited 6 MT RBP Stage 2 - 249K 2007 B9 Tribeca Limited DGM - 272K SOLD - 2005 OB Limited 5 MT Silver - 245K SOLD - 2010 OB 6 MT Silver - 205K Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeltaSniper Posted September 4, 2012 Share Posted September 4, 2012 If you do detailing on the side as a money making hobby for other people, get the Flex. Otherwise a PC would do you just fine... I only got a Flex this summer since I found more of my friends paying me for detailing work. If that did not happen, I would be perfectly happy with my PC. Additionally, Subaru clearcoat is very very soft... a PC is more than enough power to work with Subaru clearcoat especially with the right choice of pad. The Flex only shows its worth when dealing with tough clearcoat on cars like Audi's and so forth Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OCDetails Posted September 4, 2012 Share Posted September 4, 2012 I love my FLEX. I have a very low serial number of that machine and have been using it since right after they started selling them in the US. I still pack my PC with me when I go out on a job just in case something happens, but nothing ever has. The FLEX has been a great work horse. As far as how it is used it works exactly the same as any other similar machine. The big difference is that the FLEX is entirely gear driven, so the whole thing is powered by the motor. With the Griot's, Meguiar's, and Porter Cable the orbit part is gear driven, but you can grab the pad and stop it with your hand if you wanted to. Maybe not so much with the Meguiar's anymore, but some of the older models that is definitely the case. Anyway, the FLEX doesn't stop when you grab it, so the speed stays constant. That is what helps with the efficiency. For me I'd say it saves me about 30% of my time. I can do three cars in the time it would normally take me to do 2 cars with a Porter Cable, so that is where I get that number. It paid for itself in the first week with that kind of increase in productivity, so that is what makes it worth it to me. For the average enthusiast who is just maintaining his own vehicle it may not matter too much. If it takes you 2 hours of polishing instead of 3 hours, then I guess that could be worth something to you. Honestly, if it was just my personal vehicle I was maintaining then I would probably just stick with a Porter Cable. It does the job and is no more or less effective than the FLEX. But I can also tell you that having had the chance to spend a lot of time with the FLEX representative here in the US and in Germany, there is nothing but 100% satisfaction on these machines. I can pretty much guarantee you that you won't be disappointed if you do buy one. In fact, you may not know this, but FLEX actually invented the angle grinder which ultimately became the rotary polisher. In Germany the term 'FLEX' is used to describe any rotary machine. "Go grab your FLEX" is just like saying "Get me a Kleenex". It is the term everybody applies to that kind of machine. They are over 100 years old and have a stellar reputation in this industry, so you can definitely buy one with confidence. They aren't some cheap (insert country here) manufacturer who cuts corners at every opportunity. FLEX is literally the Porsche of polishers. _________________________________________ “Cleanliness becomes more important as godliness becomes more unlikely.” O C D E T A I L S . C O M OCDETAILS BLOG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jsf721 Posted September 5, 2012 Share Posted September 5, 2012 Griots Garage has a life time warranty and can be purchased at detailersdomain.com with pads at a great price. I just bought one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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