Best Dual Action Polisher? Rupes - Griot's - Porter Cable - Meguiar's

[brianch]

It wont fit if you don't grind it.

 

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

Mike! i gotta agree with you on the duetto! perfect size with a good throw to it! saving up my money so i can get it!

And it fits my hands really well like the PC.

p.s. isn't the duetto supposed to be really smooth right? no numb hands?

Yes. Incredibly smooth and vibration free.

MIke, did you experience an improvement with the washer mod?

I think it would be safe to say that I do notice increased pad rotation on the Bigfoot 21 with a 5" backing plate and a 6" pad with the washer mod but I don't think it's like a HUGE improvement.

I've posted this in the past but let me do it again...


Marco D'Inca, the head engineer behind the design and development of this tool told me that the shroud is designed to PREVENT too high of RPM so there's a balance of 50% RPM with 50% Oscillation.

The idea being to have a tool that will remove defects without causing swirls, burn-throughs or any other unwanted risk or results.

By modifying the tool you increase RPMs and decrease oscillations.


Each person can choose for themselves what's right for them. The Bigfoot 21 that I have here at AG was a return. I did not personally make the modification.


Here's something I think everyone should read though and note outside of Roshan, pretty much everyone else is using either a Flex 3401 or a traditional dual action polisher to tackle the body panels on this truck.

1949 Chevy 5-Window Pickup Extreme Makeover - Pictures & Videos

Note the blue tape on the body of the Bigfoot 21? That's my way of separating this Bigfoot 21 from the rest of the Bigfoots in our garage as it is the one with the washer mod.

And even Roshan was using a Flex 3401

I was the guy that dialed in our process and I was the one that did the TEST SPOT before we started on this truck.

I tried to use the modified Rupes Bigfoot on the driver's side front fender and the concave curve of the front fender was so curvy I had a hard time maintaining pad rotation to do the test spot. So I switched over to the Flex 3401.


LOOK at how curvy this truck's body panels are?

Now if you look at any of the threads I created to document my Detailing Boot Camp Classes for the Rupes Polisher segment for each class, take a look at the cars I purposefully chose for training.

Can anyone tell me what they all have in common?

 

[Tresca]

And it fits my hands really well like the PC.

I think it would be safe to say that I do notice increased pad rotation on the Bigfoot 21 with a 5" backing plate and a 6" pad with the washer mod but I don't think it's like a HUGE improvement.

Thanks Mike for your detailed response.

Does the Duetto maintain pad rotation better than the Rupes 15, or the Rupes 21 you have with the 6" pads and the washer mod? I hope I'm not belaboring the point, but I'm trying to decide on the purchase of a Duetto, or to just step up to a Flex, and your extensive personally experience with all of these machines is invaluable.

 

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

Thanks Mike for your detailed response.

We call that customer service, it's what I try to make separate this forum from other forums. That is a reply that helps, not a one-line or telling someone to use the search engine.

Does the Duetto maintain pad rotation better than the Rupes 15, or the Rupes 21 you have with the 6" pads and the washer mod?

I'd say "yes" but not by much.

When I buffed out the sides of the hood on this Audi Q5 the 6" pad on the Duetto would stall out just due to the curves and raised portion of the body line.

The pad on a Flex 3401 would never stop rotating.

But notice... I still chose the Duetto to buff the above car out. I just pay attention to pad rotation and hold the body of the tool as best as I can to get the job done.

I'm teaching a class next week at Mobil Tech Expo on the Flex 3401 I think it's a pro grade tool that anyone detailing cars for money should have in their tool arsenal. Not the ONLY tool, but one of the top tools to own.

I hope I'm not belaboring the point, but I'm trying to decide on the purchase of a Duetto, or to just step up to a Flex, and your extensive personally experience with all of these machines is invaluable.

What type of detailing do you do?

1. Production Detailing?
2. Show Car Detailing?
3. Just your own cars?

 

[Tresca]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Tresca
I hope I'm not belaboring the point, but I'm trying to decide on the purchase of a Duetto, or to just step up to a Flex, and your extensive personally experience with all of these machines is invaluable.

What type of detailing do you do?

1. Production Detailing?
2. Show Car Detailing?
3. Just your own cars?
   
   

Just my own cars, and occasionally for friends. I have the Rupes 15, and I have not stalled the pad on my own cars by watching how I hold it in relationship to the panel and other techniques you've discussed in other threads. Thus far it has done the job with finishing polish. I've only used it on my own cars that are in good condition, but if I need to apply more pressure when compounding it sounds like I will have a problem with the pad stalling. However, compounding will probably only be needed for friends cars.

I know that I probably don't need a Rupes or Flex for what I'm doing, but I enjoy the process and working with quality tools. I want to be limited by my skill not by the tool, as my skill improve with time, but the machine capabilities will remain the same.

Given that the Duetto is not a significant improvement over the Rupes 15 in regards to stalling, perhaps I need to stay with the Rupes 15, and purchase the Flex if and when the need arises.

Once again thank you for your input on this and on the many "How To" threads here on AG, they have been extremely helpful for me.

 

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

Given that the Duetto is not a significant improvement over the Rupes 15 in regards to stalling, perhaps I need to stay with the Rupes 15, and purchase the Flex if and when the need arises.

I think that would be a good direction to go, this way you'll have the option to choose the best tool for the job.

Once again thank you for your input on this and on the many "How To" threads here on AG, they have been extremely helpful for me.

You're welcome and thank you for the kind words. Behind the scenes I incredibly busy creating my Power Point Presentations for my classes at MTE next week but I keep one eye on the forum to as a normal part of good customer service.


:xyxthumbs:

 

[Kitoy22]

Hi Mike! Nice discussion you're having here, interesting topic. I would like to ask you mike if you do percieve any advantages of duetto over the 15 or even 21 in terms of correction speed? thanks!

 

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

Hi Mike! Nice discussion you're having here, interesting topic. I would like to ask you mike if you do perceive any advantages of Duetto over the 15 or even 21 in terms of correction speed? thanks!

Not really. At least not in terms of "correction speed".

I think what I've already posted to this thread is that what I like about the Duetto is the shape and size, it's similar to the PC and I grew up with the PC when it was first introduced to the car detailing world.

I'm positive I posted something like this already to this thread plus my thoughts on correction and speed. I think I also documented what I've stated in the last few months with links to my older comments on topics brought up in this thread.

If you see any blue sentences, these are also clickable links and the context of the text before the link will usually indicate why the link was provided.

Like this one in the first post of this thead,

New Rupes LHR75E Mini in action


:xyxthumbs:

 

[Kitoy22]

Thanks again mike!

 

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

Thanks again mike!

No problemo...

Just to note, the Bigfoot models have larger strokes so theoretically they should be able to correct faster. I just like using/holding the Duetto more...


For everyone attending my upcoming boot camp class, I haven't decided which tools we'll be using on this truck but possibly the Rupes system. I'm still working on confirming the other cars including possibly a 1957 Chevy Bel Air.

Here's the truck though and while it looks pretty good in the pictures you'll just have to take my word for it that the paint is oxidized, filled with holograms and rough like concrete when you do the baggie test. A perfect candidate truck for my class.


1965 Ford F100 Extreme Makeover - Detailing Class Truck



Here's the first confirmed truck for the first Detailing Boot Camp Class for 2014.

These classes always fill up and the class in May and September fill up the fastest, so if you want to attend one of these classes in the future remember, they are only held three times a year and at the same time each year.

1965 Ford F100 3/4 Ton Long Bed Truck

:buffing:

 

[Lex82]

When I whipped this article out today, mostly I wanted to share pictures of the four similar tools so people in the ether land can easily see them side-by-side to get a really good look at them.

For me, I can just walk out to the garage, place them all next to each other, choose and use anyone I like etc.

For the thousands of people that visit this site each day, both members and lurkers, you all don't have that luxury. I think I posted above a few people have asked me to post pictures of these tools altogether so they could get a good look at them together.

Done. icture:


I took multiple pictures from different angles, cropped the pictures down to 800 pixels wide and then uploaded them to the gallery and then inserted them into this thread.

Now people that are logged-in members and Lurkers that by default are NOT logged-in can see full size pictures of all the various tools.

Just to note... if a person "attaches" an image, in most case lurkers to this forum cannot see the pictures.


I know as a like-minded tool guy like the rest of you... if I were on the other side of the monitor when on this forum I would like to see some "good" pictures. I would also be keenly interested in the new guy on the block as "new" tools are not introduced to our market everyday, not even every month and not even every year...

So there's a lot of interest.


How's that?

:urtheman:
I have been that lurker for a couple of months. It's 2015 and this thread is still valuable.Thank you so much for ALL your guides. I'm sure there were countless number of others who benefited from your articles as well. Really, thank you Mike.

 

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

:urtheman:

I have been that lurker for a couple of months. It's 2015 and this thread is still valuable.

Thank you so much for ALL your guides. I'm sure there were countless number of others who benefited from your articles as well.

Really, thank you Mike.

Thank you for the kind words and thank you for joining the AGO forum.

I normally remember all my articles... But I completely forgot about this one.


:xyxthumbs:

 

[Calendyr]

A friend of mine bought the Rupes 21 and the Rupes 15 backing plate. Now they have the benefits of the longer throw and a smaller backing plate.

That is what I did too. The 21 works really well with the 5 inch backing plate. Also I did the washer mod to prevent it from staling too much. With these 2 modifications the 21ES is an amazing machine.

I have not tried the Duetto so I cannot compare them. I love the fact the 21ES is so powerful yet has almost no vibration and is very easy to work with. After a session of buffing using the Meguiars 110V2 I remember having my hands and arms numb from the vibration... doesn't happen with the Rupes.

 

[Calendyr]

Alright .. I went to Home Depot and got the 8mm washer. looking at the video, he grinds it on 2 sides .. is this necessary? Will the washer be okay without grinding it on 2 sides? The reason I am asking is I do not have a Dremel or any similar tool for grinding.

Just use a 5$ file from any hardware store.

 

[custmsprty]

I bought the Rupes 15 first and then the Duetto, I most always reach for my Duetto and my Mini. Like MP, I just like the feel and handling of the Duetto.