Bauer 64529 6 in 5.7A "Dual Action" polisher

[HangFire]

"Dual Action" is in quotes for a reason.

I picked one of these up during the Holiday Weekend. Tried it out tonight. The wheel doesn't spin under power, just wobbles. To me, that meets the definition of Random Orbit, not Dual Action.

Is mine broken, does Harbor Freight have their own definition of "Dual Action", or is there some leeway on how the term is used?

It doesn't matter what the answer is, it's going back on my next trip to HF. I always keep the receipt handy, I consider all purchases there as a trial before commitment. I already have a Random Orbit polisher, have no need for another, I need something more aggressive.

 

[RayCJ]

Interesting. I'm glad my old HF unit is in good shape. Go to the 15:25 mark of this video and compare it to the one you have. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DzMB_-egH7A
It looks like you can stall rotation pretty easily.


Ray

 

[HangFire]

Stall it? I can't even get it spinning?!? Yeah, I can grab it at any time with no threat to me. At 15:00 he appears to be working with a 3" polisher, I have a 6".

 

[justintendo]

i just bought on of these actually...used it this past weekend. did a great job working the finish on my old 96. the backer is comes with is kind of lame, but the unit itself works well..

 

[SZR48207]

What exactly is Dual Action supposed to be? I have always assumed that was just another term used to describe Random Orbital.

You could always get a rotary polisher, or some guys would get the Cyclo dual head polisher as an in-between option.

 

[grampi]

DAs aren't supposed to spin...it sounds like it's doing what it's supposed to do...

 

[RooflessVW]

Originally Posted by grampi
DAs aren't supposed to spin...it sounds like it's doing what it's supposed to do...

They spin and orbit.

The orbit is directly driven, the spin isn't. You can stall the spin with too much pressure. It's what makes dual action polishers "safe."

 

[HangFire]

Mobile Firefox decided I'm not allowed to paste links today.

Apparently there are "direct drive" dual actions, and non-direct-drive DA, which to me is just a Random Orbital. That might be OK if it were actually useful.

Well I never tried the speed setting, maybe it's all the way down. I'll try again soon before returning it. Last night, just touching the pad to paint and it would stop dead, except for the wobble.

 

[RTexasF]

Originally Posted by grampi
DAs aren't supposed to spin...it sounds like it's doing what it's supposed to do...


Pick it up off of the surface you are polishing when on speed 5 or 6.......now tell me they don't spin. Enjoy cleaning up the surrounding area.

 

[Touring5]

I bought the Chicago Electric (Harbor Freight) version last year and yes it does spin. Also, I recently saw a teardown video on YT in which a guy compared the new Bauer against the old, discontinued CE version. Fairly minor differences and it seemed the most significant was that the Bauer has a longer, better quality cord.

I think maybe the OP got a defective unit. Also, check to make sure there is a washer/bushing/spacer between the backing plate and the polisher. Finally, I took some advice from online and replaced the original backing plate with a 5" one from Lake Country.

 

[Vikas]

Only the people like TheCritic can afford the direct driven DA Seriously, most of the DAs on the market don't have direct rotation action only very top end one costing multiple hundred dollars have both motorized rotation and motorized orbital motion.

 

[RayCJ]

Originally Posted by HangFire
Stall it? I can't even get it spinning?!? Yeah, I can grab it at any time with no threat to me. At 15:00 he appears to be working with a 3" polisher, I have a 6".

It's the same one as yours. Earlier in the video he removed the 6" plate and put a 3"er on it.

Originally Posted by Touring5
I bought the Chicago Electric (Harbor Freight) version last year and yes it does spin. Also, I recently saw a teardown video on YT in which a guy compared the new Bauer against the old, discontinued CE version. Fairly minor differences and it seemed the most significant was that the Bauer has a longer, better quality cord.
I think maybe the OP got a defective unit. Also, check to make sure there is a washer/bushing/spacer between the backing plate and the polisher. Finally, I took some advice from online and replaced the original backing plate with a 5" one from Lake Country.

I think I saw the same review as your did and posted a link to it above. Longer cord does not make a difference to me... A stub cord is fine because I throw it over my shoulder to keep it from banging into the finish. Agree however, the new one does not seem much improved over the old one.

Lots of folks seem to dislike the HF backing plate but, I don't see the problem with it. Mine was slightly warped because of how it was packed in the box but, it's dense foam and can be re-formed with gradual pressure. Mine works just fine.

Originally Posted by RTexasF
Originally Posted by grampi
DAs aren't supposed to spin...it sounds like it's doing what it's supposed to do...


Pick it up off of the surface you are polishing when on speed 5 or 6.......now tell me they don't spin. Enjoy cleaning up the surrounding area.

Changing the speed setting is mainly done when you switch from fine to medium to coarse pads. For buffing/polishing, I tend to use a speed setting of 4-5 and to keep an eye on how fast it's spinning by watching a heavy marker line on a visible part of the backing-plate. This way, you can adjust pressure and watch how fast it rotates. Without that marker line for reference, you can't really gauge how fast it's spinning. I aim for about 2-10 rotations per second (ballpark) depending on what I'm trying to accomplish. More pressure == slower RPM == Buffing. Less Pressure = faster RPM == Polishing.

 

[HangFire]

OK, the Bauer was on about 1.5, so that was part of the problem. I turned it up to 4 and then 5 and got some rotation enough to be useful, as long as my touch was light. Funny, before I read RayJC I put some Sharpie on the pad so I could see it spin.

This article is the other part of the problem:
https://itsbetterwaxed.com/blogs/de...l-action-random-orbit-and-rotary-buffers

Since it skips from Random Orbit to Dual Action (Direct Drive), it had me expecting that if it was Dual Action it was also Direct Drive, which the Bauer does not have. Apparently that's OK and can still be called Dual Action.

My mental jury is still out on this one. I have 3 vehicles that need a lot of work (uh, "major correction") and then after that only light maintenance. After doing a painted mirror and a very oxidized spot on the trunk on setting 5, I see now I can do the work with this tool, but it will be slower going than I expected. Like, slow as doing it by hand, only without being so tiring and all the rest breaks. Time is precious. On the other hand I don't want to drop big money on the next step up to a true direct drive, I waited until the Bauer went down to 59.99 because I'm only maintaining beaters, not show vehicles.

 

[RayCJ]

Originally Posted by HangFire
OK, the Bauer was on about 1.5, so that was part of the problem. I turned it up to 4 and then 5 and got some rotation enough to be useful, as long as my touch was light. Funny, before I read RayJC I put some Sharpie on the pad so I could see it spin.

This article is the other part of the problem:
https://itsbetterwaxed.com/blogs/de...l-action-random-orbit-and-rotary-buffers

Since it skips from Random Orbit to Dual Action (Direct Drive), it had me expecting that if it was Dual Action it was also Direct Drive, which the Bauer does not have. Apparently that's OK and can still be called Dual Action.

My mental jury is still out on this one. I have 3 vehicles that need a lot of work (uh, "major correction") and then after that only light maintenance. After doing a painted mirror and a very oxidized spot on the trunk on setting 5, I see now I can do the work with this tool, but it will be slower going than I expected. Like, slow as doing it by hand, only without being so tiring and all the rest breaks. Time is precious. On the other hand I don't want to drop big money on the next step up to a true direct drive, I waited until the Bauer went down to 59.99 because I'm only maintaining beaters, not show vehicles.


What compound are you using? For a first cut, this, combined with a medium pad should work: https://www.autogeek.net/meguiars-mirror-glaze-105-ultra-cut-compound.html
For a second/final pass (before wax) a soft pad and this is what I would recommend: https://www.autogeek.net/meguiars-205-polish-8oz.html

Notice the red line on the side of the bottle. It shows the level of abrasion. The numbers run like sandpaper; low number = coarse grit, higher number = fine grit.

Here's an example of pads. The color code is not universal across brands https://www.autogeek.net/cobra-cross-groove-pads.html In this case, you's want Orange and White. Orange for the #105 and White for the #205 compound.

Keep your speed setting at 5. Wear earplugs... Keep the pad flat to the surface or it will stop spinning. Light pressure for higher RPMs.

Watch these 2 videos and I think you'll change your mind about that polisher:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_PFddUJEFTA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-mHKBj31Ig

EDIT: If the finish is in really bad shape, you'll need to cut it down with a wool pad. Newbies beware: https://www.autogeek.net/3d-premium-lambswool-cutting-pad.html
EDIT (again): Here's another excellent how-to video using the HF polisher and Meguires compounds. Enjoy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEQoi4AKfoo

 

[RooflessVW]

My Griot's 6" is not "direct drive" but with a 5" plate and pads it has helped me get some seriously great results.

I'd like a more powerful, long-throw machine, but it wouldn't save me enough time to justify the costs.

I suggest playing around with your pad/polish combo and find something that works for you. There's no one-size-fits-all combo for every job and every car.

 

[HangFire]

RayCJ I used a 5 year old bottle of Meguiar's G18116 "Clear Coat Safe" Polishing Compound for my first test, just to be safe on the first try. You're right, I need something more aggressive for the first correction. I have a bottle of Meguiar's G18016 "Clear Coat Safe" Rubbing Compound that I will try next.

rooflessVW, I have most of the 90 days left to return it, so like you say I'll try different pads and polishes and see what works.

Thanks for everyone's help. I've been polishing and waxing cars for decades by hand, but I find I just don't have the time or inclination any more, so I have to get this polisher working, or something like it.

 

[RooflessVW]

Give this a try.

The smaller plate and microfiber pass help you put more power to the paint and the products included are top notch!

 

[RooflessVW]

the real link

 

[HangFire]

Thanks, that looks affordable. I'll run out of my current supplies after 1 or 2 cars, so that may be next up.

 

[RayCJ]

Originally Posted by HangFire
RayCJ I used a 5 year old bottle of Meguiar's G18116 "Clear Coat Safe" Polishing Compound for my first test, just to be safe on the first try. You're right, I need something more aggressive for the first correction. I have a bottle of Meguiar's G18016 "Clear Coat Safe" Rubbing Compound that I will try next.

rooflessVW, I have most of the 90 days left to return it, so like you say I'll try different pads and polishes and see what works.

Thanks for everyone's help. I've been polishing and waxing cars for decades by hand, but I find I just don't have the time or inclination any more, so I have to get this polisher working, or something like it.


With the products you already have, start with the rubbing compound then move on to the polishing compound. The products I showed you earlier happen to be what I have and am comfortable with. I was just trying to give you a starting point in this process. I'm sure the products that rooflessVW referred you to are Jim Dandy, Peachy Keen, AOK too! The car finish products are so out of control and redundant, it's ridiculously hard to get a starting point.

One other thing... As you use buffing pads, I find it best to scrub them out with water and spin dry them after ever 2-3 panels. Just put them on the machine, turn it on high and spin for 15-20 seconds until dry. Actually, I never start with a dry foam pad. I wet it down, spin it out then, apply the product.

... BTW: I hope you realize.... We're going to need to see pictures when your'e done...