Worth the upgrade to Griots G9?

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04lss

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Hi all,

I have a pitsburg DA, that ive had for a few years. I typically use it with hex logic or lake country pads. Last year i got my hands on a Griots g8 mini DA and i absolutely love it. It also seems far more effective at polishing than the pitsburgh.
Im wondering if it is worth the money to upgrade to the G9 polisher.

a few months ago I tried to polish my 2019 accord, and didnt seem to make a dent in any of the swirls, in fact i may have introduced some new ones in places. I washed the car, Clayed it, and i used brand new pads along with Meguiars 105 and 205. I was meticulous about making sure the paint and pads were clean before i polished. I also made sure to clean the pads after every panel with blackfire pad cleaner. The few areas that i did with the g8 seemed to come out much better. I have managed to polish and compound older cars with softer clearcoats pretty well with it. But my GTI, accord and Volvo saw no real reduction in swirls.

Should I just go ahead and buy a G9 and eliminate the polisher as a potential source of my difficulties?
 
Go for it! They will last you a lifetime.
 
I don't have any experience with either machine you're talking about but I do know that the G9 has some pretty good reviews. I'd say you can't go wrong if you buy that machine. Griot's lifetime limited warranty is as good as it gets plus they also have a 6-month satisfaction guarantee... If you don't like the tool for any reason you can return it for a full refund within 6 months from date of purchase

That said, if you are introducing new swirls during your polishing, I don't think that can be blamed on any correctly functioning tool. It's something in your process that's causing that, i.e., pads, polish, technique.

As for you being able to do better correction with the G8, that sounds quite normal to me. That's simply the physics of a smaller footprint at work.
 
2black1s said:
I don't have any experience with either machine you're talking about but I do know that the G9 has some pretty good reviews. I'd say you can't go wrong if you buy that machine. Griot's lifetime limited warranty is as good as it gets plus they also have a 6-month satisfaction guarantee... If you don't like the tool for any reason you can return it for a full refund within 6 months from date of purchase

That said, if you are introducing new swirls during your polishing, I don't think that can be blamed on any correctly functioning tool. It's something in your process that's causing that, i.e., pads, polish, technique.

As for you being able to do better correction with the G8, that sounds quite normal to me. That's simply the physics of a smaller footprint at work.
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my best guess for that would be the edge of the backing plate making contact in certain spots.
 
04lss said:
my best guess for that would be the edge of the backing plate making contact in certain spots.
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:wowwow:The backing plate under any circumstances should not be larger than the pad.
 
Rsurfer said:
:wowwow:The backing plate under any circumstances be larger than the pad.
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it isnt, the pads are larger by enough of a margin, but i think on occasion ill lean too far or something and put the DA at a bad angle. I only know of it happening once.
 
Live and learn, but I still can't see how your backing plate can touch your paint and create swirls if the pad has at least a 1/4 to 3/8" overhang.
 
Rsurfer said:
Live and learn, but I still can't see how your backing plate can touch your paint and create swirls if the pad has at least a 1/4 to 3/8" overhang.
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Could be my belt or buttons on my shirt, or the cord. I bought a detailing apron recently so that i dont have to worry about my clothes any more.
 
It could be that GTI, Accord and Volvo paints may be in the middle and over to the hard side. That could explain not making a dent in the swirls.

I would think GTI and Volvo---Middle to Hard side.

Accord--may beat the middle and over towards the soft side.

These are my initial guesses---I would start out and confirm using the Blackfire One step with soft or white pads.

Tom
 
Griots G9 is a good machine. I have the old 6' griots and in many cases it cuts better than my Rupes 15"!!!

With that in mind---you can't go wrong with a Griots. And at 150....damn good price for their cutting power!

Tom
 
Also make sure to mark the back of your pad/backing plate with a sharpie to see that it's spinning. A free spinning DA will stall if not flat on the surface and then the pad isn't doing anything.
 
04lss said:
Could be my belt or buttons on my shirt, or the cord. I bought a detailing apron recently so that i dont have to worry about my clothes any more.[/QUOTE



Not trying to be argumentative, but a cord, backing plate or belt buckle will cause scratches and not swirls. Something else is causing your swirl problem.
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The G9 is a fabulous polisher for the money. I had the opportunity to use it during Mike's detailing boot camp last September. Bang for the buck, there is nothing that will touch it. I would take it over a Rupes or even my beloved Flex polishers at 2-3 times the price.
 
I understand this is a year old+ thread. Just had a polisher quit on me.... after 100+ cars, 8 years. I got my $ worth. The manufacturer shall remain nameless, HF. Anyway, I just spoke with Craig @ Griot's and after asking questions about the G9 I found out it WILL NOT accept smaller than a 5 inch backing plate... wow. Didn't see that coming.

Oh well, I'll put 3 inch backing plate on GG6 and buy a G9 and keep 5 inch plate on it.

Just thought you might want to know.

OP, try test spots with more aggressive compounds and/or pads and you will likely have more success on hard paint. It's almost certainly not the polisher.

Craig
 
Avgguy said:
I understand this is a year old+ thread. Just had a polisher quit on me.... after 100+ cars, 8 years. I got my $ worth. The manufacturer shall remain nameless, HF. Anyway, I just spoke with Craig @ Griot's and after asking questions about the G9 I found out it WILL NOT accept smaller than a 5 inch backing plate... wow. Didn't see that coming.

Oh well, I'll put 3 inch backing plate on GG6 and buy a G9 and keep 5 inch plate on it.

Just thought you might want to know.

OP, try test spots with more aggressive compounds and/or pads and you will likely have more success on hard paint. It's almost certainly not the polisher.

Craig
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I put a 5in plate on my new G9 this week & gave the SB Honda decklid & hood some grief with it this morning. Looking pretty good but forgot to get a pic for my ShitBox Honda thread. Got a G8 for the 3in pads... used that to polish the headlights.
 
ZRX61 said:
I put a 5in plate on my new G9 this week & gave the SB Honda decklid & hood some grief with it this morning. Looking pretty good but forgot to get a pic for my ShitBox Honda thread. Got a G8 for the 3in pads... used that to polish the headlights.
Click to expand...

Just took mine for it's inaugural spin, today. Pun intended.

Wow, this thing's only $170 and comes with a Lifetime Guarantee? Glad I passed on the Rubes.

I ran the 1-minute full-speed "test" from the instructions, however, and It did launch a Rubes 6" microfiber yellow clear across the room. It was a sign :D

I put on a 6" Lake Country orange and it was at least as smooth as my Duetto, with no stall. My Duetto stalls like crazy and I'm now thinking maybe it's defective. Will have to look into it further.
 
while newer to detailing, i'm not new to tools, I've had mine for a couple of years now and I couldn't be happier....as stated above, i mark my pads so i know they are spinning, but over time, you get a feel for it

i went through a lot of trial and error, but the best advice I got when learning to use was not to use too much product....that was my biggest issue, soaked heavy pads tend to fly off of a polisher :(
 
I like my G9(like the G8 more-so) and all things considered it wasn't that pricey. Just waited for the quite common sale to pop-up somewhere. Got mine 20% off I think.
 
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