Griot's Garage NEW BOSS Paint Polishing System

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Griot's Garage NEW BOSS Paint Polishing System



I'm a machine guy, that is I know the best results when it comes to creating a true show car finish or even doing production detailing are achieved by machine, not by hand.

I used to be there were only two machines available for detailing cars, they were the rotary buffer or an old school orbital polisher. These tools looked like this,

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Since the 1980's a lot of new types of tools have been introduced to the detailing industry and most of them have offered more capabilities than the basic rotary buffer and traditional orbital buffer. There has also been a HUGE improvement in pad options as well as compound, polish and wax options in the detail industry that makes it easy for anyone to get professional results even their first time.

So when Meghan asked me to test out a new tool and a new paint polishing system of course I was interested and excited!

The new tool and paint polishing system is from Griot's Garage and it's called,


THE BOSS

BOSS = Best of Show System


She also volunteered her BLACK 2014 Silverado to be the Guinea Pig. Everyone knows black is the best color for testing out any type of compound, polish or even cleaner/wax as black shows everything.



A system approach
Anyone that's read any of my posts or articles since I started posting to the Internet in 1994 knows two words I continually use in my posts when answering questions about polishing paint and those two words are,

abrasive technology



While some guys will say,

Technique is number #1


I always politely disagree. The most important factor as it relates to getting high quality, swirl-free and haze-free results when machine polishing or even hand polishing modern, scratch-sensitive clearcoat paints is the abrasive technology being used in the paint care products. This would include the compounds, polishes and cleaner/waxes or cleaner/sealants if the protection ingredients in the product are synthetic and not an actually natural wax, because it is these categories of products that contain abrasives to correct and polish paint.

It is the abrasives that touch the paint first. Not the pad, not the tool and not the technique.

A person may be the best detailer that has ever lived on earth with the highest level of skill, experience and technique but if the compounds and polishes they are using are antiquated then despite their best efforts they cannot create a perfect, defect free finish and that's all due to the abrasive technology in the products they are using.

The standard I use for compounds and polishes is a swirl and haze free finish on black paint. There are many good brands on the market today that are capable of removing defects out of clearcoat paints without leaving their own defects behind. It is these products that I use as benchmarks to test other compounds and polishes. Simply put... now days... a company either has good abrasive technology or they don't and a little testing on black paint will tell the story.

Seeing Griot's was introducing a system and not just a tool is exciting because it's not very often major players in this industry introduce all three components as a system,

  1. Tool
  2. Products
  3. Pads
My guess is with my old friend and co-worker from my Meguiar's days, Jeff Brown now on staff at Griot's Garage, that Jeff has done his homework and Griot's would not be launching such an ambitious new system unless they were already certain how the system performs.

So "yeah" having Meghan bring two huge boxes into Autogeek's Show Car Garage and ask me to sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement before I can even open the boxes gets me excited because while I'm all about detailing cars inside and out anyone that really knows me knows I'm mostly a paint polisher and I don't make any excuses or apologies for this because it's the paint that makes or breaks a great looking car. And as everyone reading this review knows, there are good detailers and their are hack detailers and it's the good detailers that can take a diamond in the rough and turn it into a glistening gemstone and that's what I've always been all about. I even use this phrase in the introduction of my how-to book.



Credibility
So after signing the disclaimer form I opened the boxes and while I was excited to see and test out the new tools, pads and products I tempered my excitement with real-world experience because I know my standards are high and other new tools, pads and products that have tried to enter the market place have fallen short in the past.

One thing Griot's has going for it though that keeps me optimistic is the man behind the name, Richard Griot. I've known Richard professionally for about 10+ years now having first met him at the annual Mecca of all car shows the SEMA show that takes place the first week of November where tens of thousands of hard-core car enthusiast make the trek to see what's new in the automotive world.

Richard Griot is a leader in the car detailing industry because he's driven by his passion for perfection not a passion for making money. Nothing wrong with money as it's just a tool we all use conduct our lives. But I've met people that have wanted to get into the car appearance industry in some fashion or another where their primary goal was to make money, not help others with their car detailing projects. These people never last. Richard on the other hand endures the test of time because he's true to his passion and that results in high quality products that benefit the car hobby and the professional detailing industry and that would also induce you and me.

Richard Griot models his business strategy after this famous quote,
"Strive for perfection in everything. Take the best that exists and make it better, if it doesn't exist created it. Accept nothing nearly right or good enough"

- Sir Henry Royce
While some of you may not recognized the name Sir Henry Royce, most of you will recognize the names and brand behind Sir Henry Royce,

Rolls-Royce

Sir Frederick Henry Royce was an English Engineer and car designer who, with Charles Rolls, founded the Rolls-Royce company. Richard Griot uses this quote to run his business by as well as inspire and challenge his employees throughout his company.

So now that I've introduced the man behind the company, let's take a look at the tools and products he sent me in the two large boxes. First the key components... the tools!



Long Orbit Stroke Polishers
Griot's new long throw orbital polishers are Griot's versions of the long throw orbital polishers made popular by Rupes. Griot's states they have taken the best ideas from Rupes proven long orbit throw polishers and then designed their own version from the ground up.

Griot's long orbit stroke Boss polishers were developed from in-house drawings and specifications. They were then drafted using CAD or Computer Assisted Design to maintain maximum precision tolerances and quality. These new Griot's long stroke orbital polishers have undergone extensive field testing and currently there is a patent pending for their design.


Each tool comes in a box which contains the tool and all of its accessories.

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Here's a beauty shot of the entire BOSS system.

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This is the G21 - A long orbit stroke polisher with a 21mm stroke length

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This is the G15 - A long orbit stroke polisher with a 15mm stroke length.

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Technical Specs

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Currently there are two models to choose from, the G15 with a 15mm orbit stroke length and the G21 with a 21mm orbit stroke length. While the orbit stroke length is different as well as the counterweights, besides these two primary characteristics these two tools share many of the same design features.

Both tools use a 7.5 amp 900 watt motor that uses high quality NSK premium ball bearings for support and longevity.

The counter balances are precision machined from steel not stamped or cast.

The variable speed dial offers a range from a minimum speed of 0 OPM to a max speed of 5000 OPM.

Power is controlled using a plunger style trigger which offers the user the full range of available power and speed after the variable speed dial has been set by simply feathering the trigger. This is a feature that a lot of both pro detailers and weekend warriors appreciate.

Convenient side mounted trigger lock to lock trigger in place during extended buffing cycles.

Power cord is a heavy duty 16 AWG Rubber Cord, not vinyl. It also incorporates a gusseted cord support to relieve cord strain where the cord enters the body.

The forward grip station uses a Griot's designed Platypus Grip of double-shot rubber.

The rear grip station uses a Pistol Grip design using double-shot rubber.

The mid-grip stations in the middle of the tool body also use double-shot rubber.

The backing plates are drilled for better cooling via air flow, strength and to reduce weight.

On each side of the tool are quick access ports to replace brushes.




Backing Plates - Washer Mod - Silicone Lubricant
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Backing Plates
There are two backing plate options for the Griot's BOSS long stroke orbit polishers. The stock configuration for the G15 includes a 5" backing plate for use with the Griot's 5.5" pads. The stock configuration for the G21 includes a 6" backing plate for use with Griot's 6.5" pads.

For those that would like to use the smaller 5" backing plate and 6" pads with the longer orbit stroke length of the G21 Griot's states that is perfectly acceptable and with their design and the 5" and 6" backing plates are both compatible for use with either machine. This lets you the user determine which size pad to use with either machine.

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Washer Mod
The rubber shroud surrounding the counterweight serves three purposes.
1. Prevents injury by preventing the user from getting their fingers close to the spinning counterweight assembly during operation.

2. Prevents over revving of the backing plate and thus over-revving of the buffing pads when the tool is held in the air in the on position at high speed.

3. Prevents dirt and other foreign matter from getting to the counterweight, bearings and other rotating assemblies.
It's thought by some that the rubber shroud will also interfere or hinder maximum pad rotation/oscillation due to contact between the rubber shroud and the baking plate. To overcome this possibility, Griot's pre-lubricates the rubber shroud using a heat resistant silicone lubricant. Griot's also includes a washer or shim that is pre-cut and ready to install on the top face of the spindle. The stainless steel washer will increase the distance between the backing plate and the edge of the shroud to ensure there is no interference with pad rotation and oscillation.

Note this modification is user preference, you don't have to install the washer but should you so choose to make this modification the washer is included and the pictures below show how to install the washer correctly.

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Align the backing plate
Be sure when replacing the backing plate to align the two straight sides of the recessed slot on the backing plate with the two sides of the washer and the spindle as this is important for proper tool function.

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Tighten the hex head bolt.

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BOSS Buffing Pads
The pad system for the BOSS long orbit stroke orbital polishers is simple and straightforward and the color coding is instinctive relative to the majority of color codes used in the buffing pad market.

The pads come in both 5.5" for use with the 5" backing plate and 6.5" pads for use with the 6" backing plates.

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The Buffing Pad Color Codes
In order from the most aggressive to the least aggressive

Black Micro Fiber Pad - The fastest and most aggressive pad option for use with the BOSS correcting and perfecting creams for removing serious paint defects while still finishing out to an acceptable finish.


White Foam Fast Correcting Pad - This is a firm euro-foam cutting pad that offers fast defect removal using either other the correction creams to remove moderate to severe paint defects.

Orange Foam Correcting Pad - This is a firm euro-foam cutting pad for use with the correcting creams to remove light to moderate paint defects.

Yellow Foam Perfecting Pad - This is a multi-purpose foam polishing pad to use with the perfecting cream to remove light defects and impart a flawless finish.

Black Foam Finishing Pad - This is an ultra soft foam finishing pad for use with the BOSS Finishing Sealant to finish and protect all paint systems.


Micro Fiber Pad Technical Specs







Plush-nap micro fiber -10mm
  • Dynamic amplifies polishes & compounds correcting capabilities = Improves productivity.
  • Adaptive to vehicle contours = Smooth operation.
  • Finishes extremely well = Reduced subsequent steps.


Foam free
  • High pad rotation for increase paint correction = Improved productivity.
  • Extremely durable = Saves money.


Premium Velcro™ Loop
  • Long-lasting engagement = Extended pad life.
  • Optimized for backing plate hook = Saves money.

Thermo-set bonding
  • Extremely durable = Extended pad life.
Foam Pad Technical Specs







8mm or 5/8" pad thickness
  • Increased transfer of energy = Increased defect removal ability.
  • Lower center of gravity = Improved stability under speed.
  • Reduced weight with an average of 19 grams = Smooth operation.
  • Reduced liquid capacity = Increased durability

Reticulated open cell foam
  • Open cell for better heat dissipation = Cooler operating temperatures.
  • Increased durability = Less pads for each job and pads last longer.
  • Sustained correcting power = Longer effectiveness throughout the buffing cycle.

Chamfered edge
  • Maximizes pad face contact during operation = Improves productivity
  • Safety perimeter between paint and backing plate - Eliminates potential damage from backing plate.

Center hole
  • Significant reduction in heat build-up = Eliminates common pad dishing issues.

Premium loop attachment
  • Long-lasting engagement = Economical
  • Optimized for backing plate micro-hooks - Increased durability.

Thermo-set bond
  • Impervious to heat and/or chemicals = Machine washable & extremely durable.

Color coded
  • Intuitively communicates aggressiveness or non-aggressiveness = Eliminates guesswork.
Optional Innerflex pads
The Griot's BOSS Innerflex pad is a foam cushion interface pad with micro-hooks on one side and matching loop material on the other side so you can attach it between the backing plate and your choice of BOSS buffing pad.


This flexible foam Innerflex pad provides the following benefits,

  • Reduces the aggressiveness of any pad.
  • Helps the buffing pad to conform and contour to curved body panels helping to keep the entire face of the pad in contact with the surface of the panel being buffed.
  • Doubles the BOSS pad offering of 11 pads to 22 pad options.
Technical Specs







9.53mm or 3/8" thick reticulated soft foam core
  • Reduces energy transfer = Detunes pad to diminish cutting ability.
  • Conforms to panel contours = Ideal for less experienced users.


Smart heat management-lightening holds
  • Reduces pad temperature build-up - Extends pad life and improves paint finishing.
  • Maintains optimum system weight - Ensures smooth operation.

Premium hook & loop attachment
  • Lon-lasting engagement = economical.
  • Loop material optimized for backing plate hook design.


Thermo-set bonding
  • Extremely durable = Extends Innerflex life = Economical
Boss Creams

Like the buffing pad system, the creams, i.e. compounds, polishes and sealants are simple and straightforward.


Two compounds
There are what I would call two compounds, a heavy or fast cutting compound and standard cutting compound. Because the most important step when correcting paint is the actual removal of the defects, Griot's offers the user two choices in compounds. This enables the user to choose and use the appropriate compound determined by,

  • The user's need for speed.
  • The user's preference to use the least aggressive product to get the job done.
One polish
There's a fine cut polish which can be used after either of the compounds to refine and perfect the results created by either of the compounds.

Sealing the paint
To seal the paint Griot's offers a finishing sealant which also contains very fine abrasives so that it can be used as a final sealant after polishing or it can be used like a fine cut cleaner/wax (cleaner/sealant for those that are AR about word usage on forums like AGO) to remove fine or shallow swirls and scratches when the user chooses not to use a multiple-step approach.

For what it's worth, a fine cutting cleaner/sealant like this one provided in the BOSS system is actually a perfect product for performing regular maintenance on daily drivers. The key word in the last sentence being regular maintenance. If you're machine sealing the paint with a product like this on a regular basis then any defects you're trying to remove are likely very shallow thus you don't need or want a heavy cutting cleaner/sealant.

Daily drivers are prone to a build-up of road grime when driven in rainy weather. The oily dirty film that is sprayed onto your car by the cars in front of you is easily removed with a light cutting cleaner/sealant. This restores optical clarity to the clearcoat finish which has the effect of brightening the colors as well as restoring a smooth, slick feel and appearance. At the end of my write-up I'll include a few links that share more on the importance of using cleaner/waxes and cleaner/sealants on daily drivers as well as a part of a profitable detail business.


From left to right are most aggressive to least aggressive...

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Color Coding
If you look at the labels on the bottles pictures above you can see a colored buffing pad and this indicates the color of the pad the creams are generally recommended for use with. Of course there's room for other combinations of pads to product inside the Boss system.

The one-gallon containers are made using a translucent plastic and you can see that each of the products is colored to match the pad they are best intended to be used with.

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Color coding the pads and the chemicals makes it easy for you or any of your employees to match the right pad and product combination. It takes all of the guesswork out of product selection and in a production detailing shop reduces the chance for error.



Handle options
The BOSS comes with two handle option the user can choose from completely up to personal preference. Me? I don't like or use handles on most of the tools I own and use. That said, some people like handles and there are some applications where a handle is a huge help. The BOSS comes with your choice of,

  • Using only the forward grip station.
  • Using the stick handle.
  • Using the hoop handle - Bolts are included.
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Accessories





Each BOSS tool comes with,
  • Hex head wrench
  • Replacement brushes
  • Heat resistant silicone lubricant
  • Stainless steel washer (pictured above being installed)
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These accessory items come in their own sealable pouch.

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Detailer's Bag
This rugged 600 denier nylon bag has ample room to hold your BOSS long stroke orbital polisher and plenty of pads, products and accessories.

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Work Flow Chart
Each polisher comes with a work flow chart that you can hang on the wall for quick reference for any of the tool, pads and product combinations for tackling any condition paint.

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:)
 
Now that we've taken a look at what's in the box and the story behind the BOSS system approach, lets see some action!


Black is not a color it's a full time job
I have an article by this same title and it's true. Black is not a color it's a full time job. If you ever consider purchasing a vehicle with black paint remember these words as they will come back to haunt you. Sure black looks great when it's properly polished but it also shows each and every flaw reminding you to never take your vehicle through a car wash and also reminding you it's time again for a weekly detail session. :D

Here's a shot of the swirl level in the paint on Meghan's black Silverado. Not the worst I've seen in my life but there's definitely room for improvement.

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I prefer foam pads
I generally don't like to use microfiber pads on orbital polishers, I know a lot of guys do and that's what's so great about the detailing industry is there's enough tools/pads/product combinations that everyone can find way that works best for them. I grew up using rotary buffers before all these orbital polisher options were around so If I need to do some heavy cutting fast I simply use a wool pad on a rotary buffer and get the heavy lifting over quickly.

For the above reason I chose to test out the most aggressive foam pad, the White Foam Fast Correcting pad with the Fast Correcting Cream.


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No pad priming
Long throw orbital polishers don't like to have the entire face of the pad primed with product when first starting out as they will tend to throw or sling the product outward and this wastes product as well as makes a mess. So I'm simply placing three nickel sized drops of product around the edge of the face of the pad to get started.

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Test Spot
I coined the term and the practice of doing a test spot decades ago here in the Interweb world. The concept and the practice is straightforward, that is before you buff out an entire car first do some testing to make sure the pads, products, tools and your technique will work to a small section of paint.

The idea being to dial-in your process to one small area before you invest the time and energy to buff out the entire vehicle. If your approach, that is your system works to make one small area look GREAT then chance are in your favor that by simply repeating the process over the entire vehicle you'll get the same results over the entire vehicle. Thus no wasted time, energy or product. Plus the confidence to continue buffing out the car after dialing-in your test spot.

If your approach doesn't work... then you'll be glad you only tested to a small section. Now all you have to do is find an approach that does work to both fix the small section and then buff out the entire vehicle. Sometimes it takes a couple of test spots to dial in just the right pad and product combination plus using the right tool and technique to get the results you've been hoping for and even dreaming about.

A test spot will also show you if the abrasive technology is any good because the results will speak for themselves.

To do a test spot you want to buff just one section of a horizontal panel that you can look down on when inspecting the results. You don't have to use a tape-line but it does help to create a very dramatic demarcation line between before and after. Just don't buff directly on top of the tape line as it's possible to leave a physical line in the paint. See my article below for more information.


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The Boss G21 at full speed is smooth and powerful.

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Wiping off the compound residue....

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Removing the tape-line....

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Inspecting the results....

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BEFORE
Here you can see the swirl scratches surrounding the point of light. The same thing will happen if you inspect or even just look at your car's paint using overhead bright sun light.

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AFTER
On the after side there are zero swirls and zero micro-marring surrounding the inspection light. This is a sign of good abrasive technology.

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My comments...To me this was a very good indicator of the research and development Jeff Brown and his team at Griot's did when creating their new compounds and polishes.

It used to be compounds would remove one set of defects but leave behind their own set of defects and then this is where you would follow up with 1 to 2 more steps, each step using a less aggressive pad and product to finally remove the defects your abrasives were leaving behind to get to the paint where after slapping some wax on the paint you could call the results acceptable.

That was back in the old days and that's when using any kind of mediocre compounds and polishes.

This is the new days! And if a company commits to offering abrasive technology that will compete head-to-head with the best of what's currently available, then you can get results like you see in the picture above from an AGGRESSIVE COMPOUND and an AGGRESSIVE PAD.

The results on this black paint were so good some people would be happy enough to go ahead and apply some wax then stick a fork in it and call the detail project done.

Not me. I like to go the extra mile and squeeze out even a little more perfection plus... this is Meghan's daily driver. So later I'll come back and re-polish using the Perfecting Cream and the Yellow Foam Perfecting Pad.

Now that I trust the compound, the pads and the tools after seeing what they can do on black paint it's time to get up top and start buffing this truck out by tackling the roof first an then working our way down. If you're new to machine polishing this is the normal approach for most detailers and the approach I outline in all my how-to books for automotive detailing.


Time to move up top....


:)
 
Griot's BOSS Micro Fiber Pads
While I don't normally like to buff with microfiber pads I know a lot of you do, so I chose to test out the BOSS microfiber pads on the next available horizontal surface which on a truck would be the roof.

Since I used the G21 for the test spot on the hood I chose to use the G15 for the roof since the 5.5" pads will fit in-between the ridges in the roof better with room to overlap my passes than the larger 6.5" pads.

I also chose to use the less aggressive Correcting Cream, (not the FAST Correcting Cream that I used on the hood), to see how it performed both for defect removal speed and how it played with the microfiber pads.


Adding fresh product to the 5.5" microfiber pad on a G15

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The G15 is smooth but powerful and easy to control. As you can see all I had to do was lightly control the path of travel as I made section passes in-between the raised roof ridges.

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The furthest point from me was the center portion of the roof just ahead of the sunroof and just behind the windshield and even with a single hand it was easy to guide the G15 over the paint using a crosshatch pattern.

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Machine polishing
After compounding I swapped out to the Yellow Foam Perfection Pad and the Perfection Cream and re-polished the roof with the same experience. A smooth operating tool with plenty of power.


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After knocking out the roof it was time to move downward, as in finish correcting the hood and then polishing the rest of the truck's vertical panels.
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Very smooth and easy to control... with little to no vibration.

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The Perfecting Cream wiped off easy and revealed a deeper, darker nicer looking finish which is what I would expect from a quality polish after the compounding step.

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To give me a hand and to get a second opinion I asked Bryan from our Customer Care department to lend a hand with the vertical panels. For these panels we only polished using the Yellow Foam Perfection Pad and the Perfecting Cream because they were not as damaged as the horizontal panels and because this is a daily driver truck, not a show car.

One of the things I teach detailers that attend our detailing boot camp classes is the importance of matching your services to your customer and this means you don't always put a show car finish on ever car you buff out. So this is an example of walking the talk.

Here's Bryan using the G15 with the 5.5" pads which work great for buffing out thinner body panels like you find in the front bumper covers.

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Machine waxing
Like I said at the beginning of this write-up, I'm a machine kind of guy, I don't do anything by hand that I know can be done better by machine and this includes machine waxing.

To seal the paint we used the Black Foam Finishing Pad with the Finishing Sealant and reduced our speed to the 2-3 range since at this stage of the game all we're trying to do is spread out a thin, uniform layer of sealant.

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Wipe-off
After machine applying the sealant to the entire truck we then carefully removed the sealant to reveal a super high gloss finish. You could even call it a show car finish.

Wipe off was easy and the paint felt smooth and slippery to the touch.

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The results!

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The BOSS System

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:)
 
Closing thoughts....

The BOSS paint polishing system, and that's exactly what it is, a system approach to machine polishing paint, is a solid performer for anyone at any level of detailing experience.

Newbies
If you're an absolute newbie to car detailing and specifically machine polishing paint you'll love the easy to use system approach with colored coded pads and chemicals. The tools are smooth to operate so they're easy on your hands and powerful yet safe as long as you follow the system approach and of course use a little common sense.


Weekend Warriors
If you're a weekend warrior you'll also like the well thought out system approach that includes everything you need to tackle anything and everything that pulls into your garage.


Seasoned Professionals
If you're a seasoned professional then Griot's is a new contender in the realm of trusted brands for doing both show car detailing and production detailing.

I knew if Jeff Brown was on Team Griot's and ready to send me the entire system for testing that he was already confident the new BOSS system would perform to his expectations and my standards and he did not let me down.

With the new BOSS system Griot's has put their money where their mouth is and is letting the detailing world know.... they're here to stay and their here to help you be successful. And that to me is a sign of a company you can trust.


On Autogeek.com


Tools
THE BOSS G15 - Long Throw Orbital - 15mm
THE BOSS G15 - Long Throw Orbital - 21mm


Compounds
BOSS Fast Correcting Cream-Pint
BOSS Fast Correcting Cream-Gallon

BOSS Correcting Cream-Pint
BOSS Correcting Cream-Gallon


Polishes
BOSS Perfecting Cream-Pint
BOSS Perfecting Cream-Gallon


Waxes
BOSS Finishing Sealant-Pint
BOSS Finishing Sealant-Gallon


Foam Pads - 2 packs
5.5 Inch BOSS Pads

6.5 Inch BOSS Pads

Accessories
Detailer's Bag
D-Handle
Right Angle Handle
5" Backing Plate
6" Backing Plate


Autogeek.com - Your car wax superstore!


:)
 
Thank you for this amazing write up! Looking forward to others gaining experience with this line...Was this their big announcement?
 
Thank you for this amazing write up! Looking forward to others gaining experience with this line...Was this their big announcement?

Yes it was the announcement :buffing:
 
All products have prices listed on their pages
 
I hate to to a downer, but this is exactly what I expected...a Chinese Rupes. Relabeled Maxshine that has been on eBay for ever. Just shop on Alibaba for the next great polisher. AG just needs to drop Rupes. I feel for their company. Everyone here railed against Maxshine, now we can buy a Maxshine competitor? Duplication. Now I don't trust ant Griots products. I apologize if I upset AG or any potential buyers, but this is a forum and this is my opinion.
 
As I was only expecting A polisher, all I can say is WOW. They weren't kidding when they were hinting at a major announcement.
 
I hate to to a downer, but this is exactly what I expected...a Chinese Rupes. Relabeled Maxshine that has been on eBay for ever. Just shop on Alibaba for the next great polisher. AG just needs to drop Rupes. I feel for their company. Everyone here railed against Maxshine, now we can buy a Maxshine competitor? Duplication. Now I don't trust ant Griots products. I apologize if I upset AG or any potential buyers, but this is a forum and this is my opinion.

Everyone has opinions that is why we never having a boring day here but unless you have actually used the machine I think its a bit hard for you to comment on it.
 
I hate to to a downer, but this is exactly what I expected...a Chinese Rupes.

The difference is though that just like GG's original (which is also made in China), I assume they will be sold with a lifetime guarantee.
 
Great review and write up as usual, Mike!

We're so excited to finally be able to show this tool and system to you all!
 
I hate to to a downer, but this is exactly what I expected...a Chinese Rupes. Relabeled Maxshine that has been on eBay for ever. Just shop on Alibaba for the next great polisher. AG just needs to drop Rupes. I feel for their company. Everyone here railed against Maxshine, now we can buy a Maxshine competitor? Duplication. Now I don't trust ant Griots products. I apologize if I upset AG or any potential buyers, but this is a forum and this is my opinion.

It's no secret Griot's looked at RUPES for inspiration on the new BOSS system. Ask Jeff Brown and he'll tell you the same.

Griot's Garage isn't a tool manufacturer, so of course they have to outsource the manufacturing aspect of the machine. The tool was, however, designed and engineered in-house in Tacoma Washington. This goes for the pads and polishes that go with the system as well.

As the old saying goes "don't knock it till you try it." It's a fantastic system, and I'm glad it's finally available to the public.

I would encourage you to have an open mind about it. Richard Griot takes his company's reputation very seriously, so you can bet he wouldn't slap his name on a product that isn't up to par.
 
Just watching this video shows the quality that went into making these polishers :props:

[video=youtube_share;FtpgZV9vL1A"]BOSS - Best of Show System: THE BOSS Long-Throw Orbital Overview - YouTube[/video]
 
Already being a Rupes owner there is actually no reason to buy or try. Lifetime warranty...great, I don't have to send it to China, even though I have had good success with the Chinese suppliers, they too, back their products. I have already seen enough of forum members sending their GG polishers back for replacement. I loved the article where AG went to Italy and saw the manufacturing process, I expect the next time AG will be going to China to see the 10 year olds putting together polishers. I'm just trying to figure out why someone would buy one. It is only a few dollars cheaper than a real Rupes. What is the difference that would make me throw my Rupes away and buy a Griots? Hey folks, I'm searching here and I can't figure it out. Give me a solid reason to buy a knockoff and I will think about it. I skipped the Harbor Freight aisle and bought the PC. People here were killing CGs Torx. Is there a Chinese copy of the Flex, which seems to be the go to polisher or are the patent licenses just tougher? With the dollar Euro difference dropping and the dollar yen difference rising it should not be very long until you can buy the Italian Rupes cheaper than the Chinese version. Don't get me wrong, the Chinese build a lot of great stuff, but human rights violations and under age workers don't hold a great appeal to me. I am not one of those jingoistic guys that say "buy American" then don't realize that this is a world economy and there are very few things built that are 100 percent American content whether it is made in the U.S. or not. Maybe I am just disappointed AG did not just make a deal with Maxshine and sell it to us at a huge discount. I do expect most AGers to skip the GG and buy a Rupes, we are the ones paying $100 for wax, what is $10 bucks to get the original?
 
Already being a Rupes owner there is actually no reason to buy or try. Lifetime warranty...great, I don't have to send it to China, even though I have had good success with the Chinese suppliers, they too, back their products. I have already seen enough of forum members sending their GG polishers back for replacement. I loved the article where AG went to Italy and saw the manufacturing process, I expect the next time AG will be going to China to see the 10 year olds putting together polishers. I'm just trying to figure out why someone would buy one. It is only a few dollars cheaper than a real Rupes. What is the difference that would make me throw my Rupes away and buy a Griots? Hey folks, I'm searching here and I can't figure it out. Give me a solid reason to buy a knockoff and I will think about it. I skipped the Harbor Freight aisle and bought the PC. People here were killing CGs Torx. Is there a Chinese copy of the Flex, which seems to be the go to polisher or are the patent licenses just tougher? With the dollar Euro difference dropping and the dollar yen difference rising it should not be very long until you can buy the Italian Rupes cheaper than the Chinese version. Don't get me wrong, the Chinese build a lot of great stuff, but human rights violations and under age workers don't hold a great appeal to me. I am not one of those jingoistic guys that say "buy American" then don't realize that this is a world economy and there are very few things built that are 100 percent American content whether it is made in the U.S. or not. Maybe I am just disappointed AG did not just make a deal with Maxshine and sell it to us at a huge discount. I do expect most AGers to skip the GG and buy a Rupes, we are the ones paying $100 for wax, what is $10 bucks to get the original?

I'm trying to dig deep to find an answer that will satisfy you, but I'm having a difficult time. It's obvious that you cannot be sold on the new system, and I completely respect that because you're entitled to your opinion. Different strokes for different folks.

I can only hope that at some point you're able to get your hands on the new machines and take them for a spin. With the (thoughtful) design and exceptional engineering of each machine and the accompanying pads and polishes that complete the BOSS system, I have a feeling you'll get that chance sooner rather than later because I'm already seeing the orders come through for these machines. A lot of people are going to buy them, and each and every person that does will be very satisfied.

With all due respect.
 
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