Should I invest in a DA Polisher?

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I like waxing. I have used a clay bar, compound etc.. I have never owned a polisher before and always did the vehicles by hand. The wife's car has some scratches and paint rub off etc. I want to work on these areas.

Please make your case and tell me what you use for a polisher and polishing materials.
 
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I have a Griot's polisher and a Rupes Bigfoot. I grab the Griot's 90% of the time. It's great value for money and Griot's is a great company to work with if you need product advice or something replaced under warranty.

Lake Country pads are the best I've used.

I have a selection of Griot's, Meguiar's Ultimate, and Meguiar's Mirror Glaze products, but I really like:

Griot's Spray Wax
Griot's Poly Wax
Griot's Best of Show Detailer
Griot's 3-in-1 Leather Care
Meguiar's Ultimate Compound
Meguiar's Ultimate Polish
Meguiar's Ultimate Liquid Wax
Meguiar's Ultimate Fast Finish
Meguiar's Ultimate Leather Balm
Chemical Guy's Max Coat Wheel Guard
Sonax Full Effect Wheel Cleaner
Soft99 Fusso
 
I bought a Porter Cable 7424XP polisher probably 10 years ago and haven't polished any of my vehicles by hand since. I can wax my 2010 Silverado extended cab in about 90 minutes with the polisher which would take most of the day if I did the job by hand.
 
Originally Posted By: rooflessVW
I have a Griot's polisher and a Rupes Bigfoot. I grab the Griot's 90% of the time. It's great value for money and Griot's is a great company to work with if you need product advice or something replaced under warranty.

Lake Country pads are the best I've used.

I have a selection of Griot's, Meguiar's Ultimate, and Meguiar's Mirror Glaze products, but I really like:

Griot's Spray Wax
Griot's Poly Wax
Griot's Best of Show Detailer
Griot's 3-in-1 Leather Care
Meguiar's Ultimate Compound
Meguiar's Ultimate Polish
Meguiar's Ultimate Liquid Wax
Meguiar's Ultimate Fast Finish
Meguiar's Ultimate Leather Balm
Chemical Guy's Max Coat Wheel Guard
Sonax Full Effect Wheel Cleaner
Soft99 Fusso


Thanks... Nice info
 
A dual action polisher is the next logical step forward for you. If you have done compound by hand and the scratches are still there, DA will have a ton more power than your elbow. I also have a griot's garage DA and would highly recommend it at the price point.
 
To dip your toe in the water Harborfreight is a great start.

https://www.harborfreight.com/6-in-57-amp-heavy-duty-dual-action-variable-speed-polisher-62862.html

Use the commonly available 20% off coupons (25% today) and you get it for ~ $50. Its a good strong machine. There is a Youtube video on how to upgrade the grease to synthetic in the head to make it last longer but that is optional. Maybe not for a bitoger.
smile.gif


I have the Porter Cable one and used my brothers HF one when i was at his house and was impressed with the power and smoothness. No major difference for me.


I use the orange and blue pads. Orange with Meguiars ultimate compound. Blue with swirl remover or cleaner wax to add a little abrasive to the chemical cleaning power of the wax. Both pads finish out very nice. sometimes I stop at MUC and orange pad then just spray wax over it. Still looks good. If you want that "jeweled finish" then the extra steps are required.


The only downside to the HF pads is they don't last as long. Either the foam starts to leave foam crumble dust or the backing velcro pad slowly comes loose. I don't use heavy water to rinse these out just quick sprtiz and wipe on a terry cloth towel.

You should get 2-3 cars out of one. but at $6 each - 20% coupon why not. Lake country CCS pads are better but not that much. They also will breakdown of used with high pressure.
 
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In addition to standard foam pads, make sure to give Meguiar's DA Microfiber system a look. It gives a DA the capability to rival a rotary in terms of correction, while still maintaining the DA safety net in terms of paint burn-through.
 
Yes. I have a PC 7424, a flex, and a rupes on loan.

I'm very careful about preventing marring, so I don't need to do a lot of hard correction.

Ive used the 7424 the most, the flex next most, and rupes the least.

7424 is the oldest tech.

The biggest downside to me, imo, is that the pads are too big for fine work. They make smaller pads and an even smaller polisher.

Two is likely the best bet, some standard unit and then a mini.
 
I have found the best all around size to be 5" lets you put more power down and is more manueverable.

You can always swap to a 3" plate and pads for fine work,cthen switch back.
 
OP: Yes, if you want to work some scratches/swirls you'll want a DA. Doing it by hand will be fraught with frustration. I use a PC 7424XP and it has been a good tool over the years (thinking about going to a Rupes Duetto). Consider that or the Harbor Freight unit if you want to spend a bit less. Just make sure you get some decent pads from an auto detailing site.
 
don't discount the harbor freight as an option. it works fine--and is actually a hidden gem in the HF tool lineup. it's a little noisier than some, but face it, if you're not a pro, you're not going to be using it as frequently. for $50, you can't go wrong

if you decide to go with HF, a new backing plate is helpful, and avoid their pads. Also, there are several mods that folks perform on these to smooth them out and improve them--or, they work fine out of the box. google it up if you're going that route
 
HF DA polisher and Meguiar's or Lake Country 5" backing plate and LC 5.5" pads and whatever product of choice. You'll want to start with probably 2 or 3 orange pads, 2 or 3 white and one or 2 black pads (whatever totals to 5 pads on the cheap from detailed image). Shop around, there are usually really good deals going on.
 
Many years ago I bought a Porter Cable 7424 (the old non-XP version) and that's what I've been using since. The results are better, faster and easier than working by hand.

I was a bit reluctant at first, but back then, Meguiar's had many how-to videos and a very helpful forum that I learned from.
 
Originally Posted By: ZZman
I like waxing. I have used a clay bar, compound etc.. I have never owned a polisher before and always did the vehicles by hand. The wife's car has some scratches and paint rub off etc. I want to work on these areas.

Please make your case and tell me what you use for a polisher and polishing materials.


I used to hate waxing by hand then having to remove it by hand also. What a chore. Now with a polisher from Walmart for $25 you can apply a liquid wax/sealant with the foam bonnet. The layer of wax will be thin and uniform. Which will help when you go to remove it. Change the bonnet over to the microfiber one which it comes with for removal. After each panel I use a toothbrush to fluff up the pad. I turn on the machine when I do this. There's also a DA polisher at Walmart for $50 but I didn't like it as much as the $25 wax spreader unit. The $50 unit uses the same sort of pads but is heavier, variable speed, etc.

Plus with this it won't remove any clear coat or paint on the vehicle.
 
Originally Posted By: benjy
i am another satisfied porter cable user after 15 years!!

The more I research/read...the more I've been finding the Porter Cable DA polisher is one of the best...and at a great price.
 
Originally Posted By: SatinSilver
Originally Posted By: ZZman
I like waxing. I have used a clay bar, compound etc.. I have never owned a polisher before and always did the vehicles by hand. The wife's car has some scratches and paint rub off etc. I want to work on these areas.

Please make your case and tell me what you use for a polisher and polishing materials.


I used to hate waxing by hand then having to remove it by hand also. What a chore. Now with a polisher from Walmart for $25 you can apply a liquid wax/sealant with the foam bonnet. The layer of wax will be thin and uniform. Which will help when you go to remove it. Change the bonnet over to the microfiber one which it comes with for removal. After each panel I use a toothbrush to fluff up the pad. I turn on the machine when I do this. There's also a DA polisher at Walmart for $50 but I didn't like it as much as the $25 wax spreader unit. The $50 unit uses the same sort of pads but is heavier, variable speed, etc.

Plus with this it won't remove any clear coat or paint on the vehicle.
*Do you recall the name or brand name of the WM $25 polisher ?
 
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