Advice on new polisher - Another thread...

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Toro1966

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Hey guys - I know this is an extremely popular topic - I know because I have literally spent hours and hours over the last couple of days because I am in the market for a new one. In fact - the next good sale AG has, I plan to pull the trigger!

That said, I am not as much interested in what each does or what technology it uses - I have read quite a bit over the last couple of days and feel fairly comfortable with that part. What I am looking for is advice given my intended uses and situation. I figure you experts could probably do that better than I could since many of you are much more familiar with the actual products.

So what do I want to do with it? Well for starters, I am not new to detailing, but it has been nearly a decade since I have done any real detailing with a DA. For years I had only black cars. In fact, I recently pulled out my PC7424 that has been in the box since the last time I used it almost a decade ago. Still looks brand new and works perfect (I am retentive). I do not intend to do this as a business but rather on my own vehicles and potentially some family and friends. My cars are now mostly white because they are easier to take care of, with the exception of the new blue Sierra 1500 Denali I just bought. Which is what has led me back to detailing :)

So why do I want a new polisher? As most already know and what my reading has certainly proven, the PC is great, but lacks power. We keep our vehicles for a long time and so do my family members. Additionally, I am a very busy guy who does not have as much time as I would like to detail my vehicles. To top it off, I am not as young as I once was - so time saving and ease of use mean a lot to me!

Finally, though I am not the kind of guy that needs to have the latest and greatest widget, I hate paying twice! What I mean is that I would rather get something better and above what I need - if there is even a chance I would need it later. I hate paying to upgrade - it almost never works out for me - and I end up paying double.

I am leaning towards the new GG Boss - having read ALL 26 pages of the thread, I was pretty intrigued. I have also considered the Flex, but don't know why I would choose that over the Boss. I am pretty comfortable using a DA as far as control and pressure goes. So that's my story - what do you guys think I should get? Thanks as always for the tremendous support everyone on these forums has shown.
Cheers.
 
sema is right around the corner, I'm sure there is going to be a good choice or two... ;)
 
if you're looking for a large throw DA right now, I would definitely go with the G15 and/or G21. besides the polishers themselves, griot's customer service is top notch!
 
The first thing you may want to consider, is want vs need. If you want a new polisher, then by all means - go for it!

That being said, in the past decade there have been advancements in both abrasive, and pad technology that could yield better results from your current machine.
 
dlc95 said:
The first thing you may want to consider, is want vs need. If you want a new polisher, then by all means - go for it!

That being said, in the past decade there have been advancements in both abrasive, and pad technology that could yield better results from your current machine.
Click to expand...

Very true! It's one of the biggest reasons I ordered and received the HD products (Polish, Speed, and Poxy) which I intend to try out this weekend on my PC. I also purchased some 5.5 pads by LC (and backing plate). I'll probably start with the white pad and the HDSpeed first - given that the truck is brand new with very minimal marks. That said, I am not sure if GM paint is hard or soft so I guess I'll have to play it by ear! Will be interesting to see how the combo works.

Still looking to upgrade though!
 
Toro1966 said:
Very true! It's one of the biggest reasons I ordered and received the HD products (Polish, Speed, and Poxy) which I intend to try out this weekend on my PC. I also purchased some 5.5 pads by LC (and backing plate). I'll probably start with the white pad and the HDSpeed first - given that the truck is brand new with very minimal marks. That said, I am not sure if GM paint is hard or soft so I guess I'll have to play it by ear! Will be interesting to see how the combo works.

Still looking to upgrade though!
Click to expand...

That sounds good already!

Another option your machine gives you is the opportunity to use a smaller backing plate and pads to get into smaller areas.

If you end up with the GG15, you can keep the smaller plate on the PC, and rock the GG15 on the larger panels - which I'm sure it will.
 
Toro1966 said:
Still looking to upgrade though!
Click to expand...

if you are only doing your cars and a few on the side then buying a polisher that cost 2-3X more may not be a good idea if you aren't going to use it often. IMO the GG6 is a step up from the PC (more torque/power, better ergonomics, and lifetime warranty) and as mentioned with all the new pads and polishes/compounds available today it can do whatever you need it to. I also have the G100 (rebranded PC7424) and it's been sitting in it's box for who knows how long...
 
OK - have some feedback today from spending a lot of hours detailing my new truck. I learned I am very slow :) And these trucks are big! Stinks having to keep moving the daggum step ladder around...

All of that said, I tried out the LC Flat Pads, HD Polish and HD Speed with my PC. I ended up doing a LOT of work. I had some scratches in the hood from the dealer prep. This clear appears to be VERY hard. Or I am not very talented - probably a mix of the two...

I started with the HD Speed and white pad and quickly determined that it was not going to do the job. Then I used the orange pad and speed and only moderately better results. So I switched to the Polish with the orange pad and the results were much better - but still took a couple of attempts. I didn't have any HD Cut, and I was afraid to use the Yellow pad with the HD Polish - maybe that would have been a better option.

All of that said, The PC seemed to have pretty good power as I had to push down pretty hard before it would stop rotating. That said, it vibrated my damn hand off....And I only finished the hood today! Spent a couple of hours claying. I don't know what kind of overspray or whatever was on this thing but it took forever to clay it off. The car is brand new with only 900 miles on it now (9 miles when I bought it). But this stuff was all over. Still have it on the running boards. Going to hit those tomorrow.

Additionally, this GMC Sierra has a lot of curves. Hood, fenders, tailgate, quarters, etc. So back to this thread topic - I think I need something that doesn't vibrate as much and has some power to help go over the curves if possible.

Any thoughts to help narrow it down. Seriously considering buying one during the sale this weekend!
 
You can use the PC with a 3.5" backing plate and 4" pads for the small bits and get the G15 for you primary polisher. Even with non-Griots pads (still using my B&S pads) the unit is very smooth and vibration free. And, no need for the 15 lbs of pressure to get the job done just lite pressure where needed. I've cut my polishing time almost in half compared to my GG6.
 
Your going to need hd cut as you have to realize that the pc can so what the boss, rupes, or flex can.

It will just take the pc longer.

In example the boss 2 section passes for perfection.

The pc might need 4 or 5.

You wont be disappointed with the boss.

Also if you decide to order the boss kit make sure you go to

Griotsgarage.com they offer a better kit then autogeek.

Griots offers more pads and at a cheaper price.

So let autogeek match or beat them.
 
Thanks for the advice everyone. It literally took me two days to clean, polish, and wax the exterior of this truck but I chock it up to being both a polishing newbie as well as being very retentive. I learned a lot about the process, as well as what I want/need going forward. I am hoping you guys can now jump in again and help me narrow it further.

My first mistake was using way too much compound. I found that by using less, it cut much, much better. Because I didn't have anything stronger than the HD Polish, I went with the yellow pad. I followed up with the HDSpeed with orange pad, followed by hand application of HDPoxy. I am pleased with the results, though I definitely need a wider array of products. That said, here are a few observations about what I need in a new polisher:
1 - It has to have power. I had the PC on 6 as instructed and I am getting too old/broken to keep trying to apply pressure. So I would like something that helps to cut without so much pressure - if that makes sense. The other thing is that this truck is large so there were times where I basically had to go one handed to reach areas and couldn't push down.
2 - Has to be lower vibrations. The PC vibrated like crazy and my wore my hands out!
3 - This truck has a LOT of curves/dips in the body. I was using the 5 .5' pads, but there were several times that it would have been nice to have something smaller (3" maybe). Given that fact, should I be concerned that the Griots (which is what I was thinking of initially) cannot be used that small? Or should I not worry about it because I belive the PC that i already own can be adated for 3" plate.

With all of the curves, however, I am now thinking maybe the flex is the right answer given that it is forced rotation. Or do you guys think the Griots has enough power not to stop as much over the curves? I ask because the PC did slow/stop over the curves if I wasn't paying perfect attention or using the right force.

Thanks as always for the advice!
 
If I'm using Lake Country Hydrotech pads, with Menzerna FG400 to cut, I only need light pressure, and was able to use the 4.5 speed setting. This paint was on Dodge Charger, and was fairly resistant to some of my other less agressive techniques.
 
NextLevelDtail said:
Your going to need hd cut as you have to realize that the pc can so what the boss, rupes, or flex can.

It will just take the pc longer.

In example the boss 2 section passes for perfection.

The pc might need 4 or 5.

You wont be disappointed with the boss.

Also if you decide to order the boss kit make sure you go to

Griotsgarage.com they offer a better kit then autogeek.

Griots offers more pads and at a cheaper price.

So let autogeek match or beat them.
Click to expand...

Nextleveldetail,
Awesome Avatar and love the organized BOSS System! Thanks so much for the good words! If you've got any questions, please feel free to hit me up.

Fast Correcting Cream should cut faster than HDCut and finish as well or better.
HDCUT is a great product though...


All the best to you,
Jeff
 
Although I must agree the boss system is good I still feel I'd take the Flex if I were to choose one. The flex can get the job done when no other polisher can, that forced rotation really make the difference. When I first got mine I was blown away. I love my Rupes 21 and my PC but the flex is always the tool I reach for first.
 
Toro1966 said:
That said, here are a few observations about what I need in a new polisher:

1 - It has to have power. I had the PC on 6 as instructed and I am getting too old/broken to keep trying to apply pressure. So I would like something that helps to cut without so much pressure - if that makes sense. The other thing is that this truck is large so there were times where I basically had to go one handed to reach areas and couldn't push down.
2 - Has to be lower vibrations. The PC vibrated like crazy and my wore my hands out!
3 - This truck has a LOT of curves/dips in the body. I was using the 5 .5' pads, but there were several times that it would have been nice to have something smaller (3" maybe). Given that fact, should I be concerned that the Griots (which is what I was thinking of initially) cannot be used that small? Or should I not worry about it because I belive the PC that i already own can be adated for 3" plate.

With all of the curves, however, I am now thinking maybe the flex is the right answer given that it is forced rotation. Or do you guys think the Griots has enough power not to stop as much over the curves? I ask because the PC did slow/stop over the curves if I wasn't paying perfect attention or using the right force.

Thanks as always for the advice!
Click to expand...

Well I have used the Boss, Rupes 15 and Flex. You have to decide what is most important. I can say the Flex with LC Hybrids will solve all your rotation issues but the cost is vibration. My hands were totally worn out after using the Flex all day but the trade off between worn out hands (as a weekend warrior only) and lack of rotation was worth it. Unfortunately, you will need two polishers (Rupes mini, GG 3 or something like that) and a standard. Based on what you said, if vibration is important, I think Boss Rupes is the way to go for you knowing that you will need to concentrate on the curves.
 
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