Power Buffer

J

jacko

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Nov 28, 2007
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29042
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290
What are you guys using for polishing / Compounding?

I Need to upgrade this year. I have been using a battery powdered Craftsman. It is just to under powdered and to small at the disk.
 
Harbor Freight's cheapo $40 buffer with variable speed digital readout control. I pair that with flitz and and love the results.

Jim
 
There are 2 schools for buffers. Rotary and Orbital.

In the Rotary camp your best quality/weight factor would be a Makita 9227C. Now it isn't cheap but it will last you longer than you can use it.

In the orbital camp you have the Porter Cable 7424 which is a very good tool, but I upgraded to a Flex orbital XC3401 from Germany this year and won't look back.
 
Flex Orbital? What is a flex orbital. Expensive?
 
Spend the extra money on a Mikita or Milwaukee. The cheap ones (Harbor Freight) do not last, and if they do last, you aren't doing it right. I do suppose it IS the size of the job and how often you want to do it (none of us REALLY like polishing), but to do the job on my 35' trawler, we needed the sturdy and well-built Mikita. My two cents.
 
Other than being $100 more than the Makita, what makes the Flex better?
 
The Milwaukee rotary is a heavy son of a gun, I have used one for 14+ years now and its still going strong. I love the Dewalt rotary and its my favorite to use but I have gone through 2 in 3 years, its a lot lighter than the Milwaukee and I feel it has more torque. The dewalts ability to get in tighter places also is what keeps me going back.

I have seen the Makita and it looks like a nice piece of equipment, its probably my next one if my current dewalt takes a dump.
 
My cheapo Harbor Freight lasted 10 years. not bad for $40.
 
Go around to your Pawn Shops. Those are good places to find bargins of tools like polishers.

George
 
I bought a very expensive Porter Cable unit that most of the pros use for detailing. It is a great tool but since I only put a few hours on it every year, I probably could have gone with the cheap Harbor Freight unit that most people on this site use.
 
I use the Porter Cable for waxing. It's heavy and the pad is a little on the small side but it has a strong and fast (6,000 RPM) Motor. I use a Craftsman polisher for compounding.

You use a polisher (rotary) for compounding but you need to know what you are doing and keep it moving and an orbital for waxing.
 
The Harbor Freight rotary polisher works well--Mine is over 7 years old and still performs great! As for buffing compound, I use Buff Magic--vessel is 1986 vintage and shines like new.
 
Your favorite brand of quality 9 inch buffer and 3M automotive buffing compounds. Mikata is a good brand and you will never be sorry. I have a B&D professional model 35 years old. Buy your buffing pads from an automotive paint supplier.

This is an area where you pay more up front and benifit the rest of your life.
 
Milwaukee variable speed rotary, heavy but bulletproof, it`s done a couple two and a gainers with a full twist off the bow to the parking lot with no damage whatsoever.
 
I'm with those who will spend the $$$ & buy it once. I have the Makita. One tough machine. Don't know how many times I have dropped it. It is heavy & will give your arms a workout. Tried a craftsman...twice, thinking oh well, it is only going to be used a few days a year. Junk. Should have have bought a quality machine the first time around.
 
quote:
Originally posted by jmeirhofer

Other than being $100 more than the Makita, what makes the Flex better?

Click to expand...


Makita is rotary Flex is Orbital.
 
quote:
Originally posted by Veebyes

I'm with those who will spend the $$$ & buy it once. I have the Makita. One tough machine. Don't know how many times I have dropped it. It is heavy & will give your arms a workout. Tried a craftsman...twice, thinking oh well, it is only going to be used a few days a year. Junk. Should have have bought a quality machine the first time around.

Click to expand...


Exactly.

Milwaukee is too heavy IMHO. I also don't like slow start up speed on it. The Makita is a much quieter machine than the cheapo models and when you are using it close to your head all day it does make a difference. The cheapo models are just nasty sounding.
 
$800 for the FEIN, and I thought the Flex was expensive!

I have the Fein Multimaster, it is a serious well built tool.
 
You can buy just the Fien polisher for just under $500 but at more than twice the price of the Makita kit, why?

I will ask that same thing as I did about the Flex. What does it do that the Makita doesn't to warrant the extra cost?
 
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