DA polisher or rotary

[MaxWax]

Sorry if I'm posting this in the wrong place but since it's for my detailing business and efficiency is a big deal I decided to post here. I'm looking to buy a flex polisher (using a Porter cable now) and trying to decide whether to go for a rotary or a dual action. And if you guys recommend rotary should I go with the lightweight flex or the more powerful one? Any insight would be appreciated.

Regards,

Max

 

[Bigpat]

I would venture to guess the da woukd be a better choice because while it may not be as "fast" at correcting as a rotary im thinking more people finish with a da than a rotary, or have an easier time with it anyway ....so even though a rotary may do the work faster i think you are more likely to have to touch up with the DA anyway.... so i would say the 3401.... but this is a guess based on what i have been reading NOT from my experience .... I myself am waiting for santa to bring my flex DA i will keep reading on here to see others opinions if im right ir not

 

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

Good question, tough choice.

What kind of work do you mostly do?

Production work - One-step to the paint using a cleaner/wax
Show car work - Multiple-step processes using dedicated compounds, polishes and finishing waxes?​

Are you by yourself or do you have other people doing buffing work for you?

 

[BobbyG]

Hi Max,

In the business world time is money and there's no getting around it and efficiency is important if you're to remain profitable.

A rotary polisher should be in every detailers arsenal with the exception of the home hobbyist. I'm not implying that the hobbyist shouldn't have or use one but it's not what I would consider a necessity.

Rotary polishers are a superb tool and with some practice and experience can product some amazing results in a short period of time.

Dual Action

My Flex 3401 does the lions share of the correction and finishing.

The Porter Cable 7424 applies all my sealants and waxes

Rotary

The Makita and Flex will power their way through just about anything quickly producing outstanding results. I generally use a 6" pad on the Makita and a 4" pad on the Flex PE14-2-150.

These are my machines from left to right;

• Porter Cable 7424
• Makita 9227
• Flex 3401
• Flex PE14-2-150

 

[alko]

Hi Max,

In the business world time is money and there's no getting around it and efficiency is important if you're to remain profitable.

A rotary polisher should be in every detailers arsenal with the exception of the home hobbyist. I'm not implying that the hobbyist shouldn't have or use one but it's not what I would consider a necessity.

Rotary polishers are a superb tool and with some practice and experience can product some amazing results in a short period of time.

Dual Action

My Flex 3401 does the lions share of the correction and finishing.

The Porter Cable 7424 applies all my sealants and waxes

Rotary

The Makita and Flex will power their way through just about anything quickly producing outstanding results. I generally use a 6" pad on the Makita and a 4" pad on the Flex PE14-2-150.

These are my machines from left to right;

• Porter Cable 7424
• Makita 9227
• Flex 3401
• Flex PE14-2-150

:goodpost:this guy is great!!!!

I've seen alot of people use rotary's for correction and finishing down-that is applying sealants and waxes with the PC7424XP. My next move is the Flex PE14-2-150, but I'll keep my PC7424XP for said reason.

 

[MaxWax]

Taking that into account I'll definitely get a rotary. For now I work alone and do mostly production stuff, working hard to try and get into show car detailing. Is there any particular reason you have the makita and the flex? Also, when people say that improper use of a rotary can cause swirls, what exactly do you have to do wrong for.that to happen?

Thanks for the responses!

Max

 

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

Taking that into account I'll definitely get a rotary. For now I work alone and do mostly production stuff, working hard to try and get into show car detailing.

Most of the people that make money in the detailing business do it with production detailing, it's the bread and butter of the industry simply because there are more people that want basic car care than there are people that want and will pay for show car detailing.

So you're on a time-proven road to success.

Since you have a DA Polisher, I would recommend getting a rotary next. You can tackle major or serious paint defects faster and do the follow-up polishing with the DA for guaranteed swirl-free results.

I really like my Flex PE14 because it's light but powerful and the compact size makes everything easier. My next favorite is the Makita 9227c or the Bumblebee. All 3 will run at 600 RPM and the highest you ever need to go is around 1500 RPM and they can all do that.

The Flex is really good for doing anything but especially intricate work. I call it Surgical Precision Buffing and this is done using small pads with an extension on the spindle like you see here from page 1 of this thread,

Blown 1934 Ford Pick-up - Show Car Makeover - Modeled by Kristin

Here's Adam using the Flex on a classic Camaro Pace Car...

Meanwhile Adam is using a 3" pad on the Flex PE14 to work out scratches from thinner panels on the Camaro...

Or like this from page 3 of this thread,

Bumblebee - Testing out the NEW DeWALT DWP849X

You can tackle the paint in-between the pinstripes by hand but if the paint is hard then removing swirls is going to be hard and you have to be careful not to leave Fingermarks behind at the same time.


A good best practice with foam pads is to hold the pad flat to the surface whenever you can hold the pad flat to the surface. In situations where you cannot hold the pad flat to the surface then as an option you can hold the pad on edge. You're choice, rub the swirls out by hand, (actually with a couple of fingers pushing against some type of applicator pad), or by machine and the risks that go along with it...

I have some 3" pads that are not actually available. I asked Eric Dunn for these late last year and have been using them with great results. You can also see I'm using an Optimum Optimum Double-Sided Rotary Adapter attached to a 2-3/4 inch Hook & Loop Rotary Backing Plate with these small rotary buffer pads.


The adapter acts as an extension which allows me to better see where the pads touching the paint as I buff and also works sometimes to give you enough clearance to buff into tight areas.

Definitely get flexible backing plates for whichever RB you go with.

Just to add... the Flex 3401 is a super capable machine also and with the new 4" backing plates coming out they make the tool incredibly more effective at working on thin panels and tight areas plus the smaller the pad the easier it is to use the tool.


Like you see here with Purple Foamed Wool pads being used to remove swirls and scratches,

1969 Camaro Pace Car - Show Car Makeover - Modeled by Michelle

While they tackled the hood I knocked out the panel in front of the hood and some of the tops of the fenders...

If you think you would be doing a lot of surgical precision buffing then the compact size and lightweight of the Flex PE14 is the tool to have as full size rotary buffers are too bulky for doing a lot of this type of work plus "tippy" when you have all that mass positioned over the 3" and 4" footprint of smaller pads.

Is there any particular reason you have the Makita and the flex?

That's for Bobby so I'll let him answer...

Also, when people say that improper use of a rotary can cause swirls, what exactly do you have to do wrong for.that to happen?

I use the term "Improper Use" when talking about swirls caused by rotary buffers as a general way of describing a lot of different ways a rotary buffer is used.

Suffice to say, it's the single rotating direction of a pad against the paint that will tend to always impart a circular scratch pattern via the combination of the pad and pressure against the paint.


Check these tools out here,

Flex 3401 Forced Rotation Dual Action Polisher

Flex PE 14

Makita 9227C

DeWALT Bumblebee



Check out backing plates here,

Trend: Flexible Backing Plates for Rotary Buffers





:xyxthumbs:

 

[DARK HORSE]

Seriously Bobby, have those things ever even been used?? LMAO, I don't think any of my polishers ever looked that good, even brand new out of the box. What do you do, polish your polishers?...oke:

 

[CEE DOG]

Woo hoo! Polishing polishers FTW! I usually clean mine after each weekend I use them as well but have been bad lately. One thing they always get before going back in the Flex bag is the power chords wiped down with a baby wipe. Fast and easy.

 

[BobbyG]

Is there any particular reason you have the makita and the flex?

Thanks for the responses!

Max

Hi Max,

Yes there is!

I've been partial to Makita tools for years. There's allot of thought and engineering that went into these tools and the quality of their manufacturing parallels their design....First Rate all the way.

Before coming on board the Autogeek forum I had "heard" the name Flex in passing but never gave it much thought. After digging into these tools a bit deeper and doing quite a bit of investigation I discovered that they were an amazing design and the quality and craftsmanship are rival that of the Makita.

My first Flex was the 3401, thank you Mike for the great demonstration. The power, forced rotation, and ergonomics were truly the next generation and German engineering and quality is legendary so how could I loose.

After trying out the Flex 3401 I was sold on their polishers! :dblthumb2:

I think it was less than a year ago Mike demonstrated the Flex PE14-2-150 rotary polisher. It was truly the next generation of rotary polisher and it's design, weight, and balance, and performance convinced me to add it to my arsenal......and I did! rops:

Not to steal this thread but I've been meaning to share some tools I used to use in my former life...:laughing:

I bought my first machine in 1968, it was a Craftsman Professional 2 speed sander / polisher. It's heavy, rugged, well built, and served me well for many many years. If I remember correctly Low Speed was 1500rpm and High Speed was 3000rpm.

The only breakdown I ever had with this machine was when the armature burshes needed to be replaced....

The bonnets I used to use were wool and compounding and polishing were readily available at Pelletier's Automotive which was also my DuPont Paint supplier.

Now don't laugh, these tools have been around and used longer than many members here have been on the planet!! :laughing:

High Speed

Low Speed

My Color Gun

Note the cobwebs on the spray head or air cap

 

[BobbyG]

Seriously Bobby, have those things ever even been used?? LMAO, I don't think any of my polishers ever looked that good, even brand new out of the box. What do you do, polish your polishers?...oke:

HAHA Tad, great point!!

This photo was taken when the Flex PE14 rotary was new.

Believe it or not that Porter Cable 7424 is about 12 years old now...

I'm sort of anal about keeping my tools clean and my polishers are no exception. I clean them after each use with a brush, cloth, compressed air so they do still look pretty much new....except if you look closely, then you'll find some splatter....:laughing:

Take a look at my first machine.....allot of miles on this baby............rops:

 

[BobbyG]

Woo hoo! Polishing polishers FTW! I usually clean mine after each weekend I use them as well but have been bad lately. One thing they always get before going back in the Flex bag is the power chords wiped down with a baby wipe. Fast and easy.

Same here Corey!!

It doesn't take long providing you keep after them and I think it helps them last longer...rops:

 

[rcomito]

One thing they always get before going back in the Flex bag is the power chords wiped down with a baby wipe. Fast and easy.

Now there's a great tip right there.

Pure Gold.

Rick

 

[dad07]

I guess I'm going to have to get ANOTHER polisher to polish my other polishers.....You guys are killing me.....

Getting a new toy for that has my undivided attention...but can someone please explain to Mrs07 why this is needed?

I have 4 machines now and looking at four more!( oh boy she ain't going to like this!)