Harbor Freight DA Polisher - New

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Eandras said:
It was on BJ's Wholesale Club in September. It is now regular price. Buy it from autogeek.
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Amazon also had it on sale a couple of weeks ago for $80 including shipping. Have to watch the Gold Box Deals.
 
At $60bucks, it's okay deal. There's no major feature gap b/t these and the brand names (flex is an exceptional).

For seasonal/hobbyist detailer, I believe HF rotary and DA sander is more than good enough. BTW, I own Makita rotary and PC DA polisher.

I own a HF air DA sander and it works well on numerous projects.
 
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mullet said:
If you do happen to check and they have them at the Summer Ave. store I may have to pick one up. I just don't usually have the time to stop by there to look around.
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Okay, I got a chance to stop by earlier and YES they do have them. They are on the west wall on the bottom shelf up towards the front of the store below the rotary polishers. They are listed for 59.99. I have no idea how to get the 20% off code?

If you see a polisher that doesn't have a box, don't grab that one. When I picked up the box it was in, the box fell apart, took a tumble and bounced off the concrete
 
Waterford/Pontiac, Michigan HF has the DA in stock. Since I've never held a DA in my hands and curiosity got the best of me, I took it out of the box. It felt heavy. It didn't look "refined". I am looking at purchasing a DA to maintain our daily drivers a little bit, but I'm not convinced this is the machine I want to start with. I was so close to pulling the trigger on last weeks VIP deal but didn't. Now I'm not sure what to buy.
 
I went down to the local Harbor Freight to check out the Dual Action Polisher that is in the store. The Polisher is the same color as the Porter Cable and has an aluminum housing that holds the counter weight which is similar to the Porter Cable. The on/off switch is located on the side of the unit like the Griots but lacks the quick release.
The weight of the unit is comparable between all units. The Griots and the Harbor Freight units come with a 6 inch hook and loop backing plate. The PC will require a backing plate. The PC and Harbor Freight units have a stick handle that can mount on either side of the unit. The Griots has a bale handle.
The PC has a 4.8 amp motor where the Harbor Freight has a 5.7 amp motor with the Griots has the strongest at 7.8 amp. The duty cycle is not known for any of the units. The threads on the unit are all the same so backing plates are interchangeable.
The PC is made in Mexico with the Griots and the Harbor Freight are made in China.
The costs are as follows:
Griots $129.99 plus shipping
Porter Cable 124.99 plus backing plate 6” 19.99= 144.98 plus shipping
Harbor Freight 79.99 – 20.00=59.99 -$6.00 (10% coupon) shipping 6.95 flat rate total $60.94.

This could be a good deal for someone who is starting out. The only thing that would be a concern is the quality. All companies have their share of issues with problem units but in most cases the companies stand behind them.
I may go back tomorrow and get one and try it out. If it works good keep for my sons to use on their cars while I’m working on my truck.

Currently I have the following units:
Flex 3401
Griots 6”
Griots 3”
Porter Cable 7242XP

Ed
 
a quick google shows some 20% off coupons for HF. that's another $6 on top of what you quote above.
 
swanicyouth said:
It may come our of the same Chinese factory as Griots, as the same polisher as the Griots is also sold in Europe under the name Kestrel. That Chinese company also makes a lower power 5 amp version - I wouldn't be surprised if this is the one HF sells.

As for their stuff being junk, I think some of the hand tools like sockets, extensions, and ratchets are fine for weekend warrior auto repair. I don't require a $250.00 Snap On ratchet to change my spark plugs or oil once in a while. I think for the price the performance is more than fine.
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:iagree:

Why do you think Griots can afford to give a lifetime warranty and replace a bunch of machines under this warranty...because they are probably buying them at 35-40.00.
I went to one of the Chinese manufacturers sites and saw one that looked a lot like the griots...and they offered the same machine in about 10 different colors. These were all unbranded machines. so...
 
I was showing my neighbor how to polish his Acura and was using my FLEX 3401 to do so.He asked me how much I paid for mine and I told him.He said he wasn't going to spend that much on a DA.I told him to go on AGO and pick up a PC.
Earlier in the week he said he picked up a DA from HF online.
He said he used an coupon code with 20% off and the total with the coupon code is $47.99.
I told him I wouldn't know how long your $47.99 would last?
But we'll see because he lives right next door and I'm going to check it out when he gets it.Im interested in,if it's as strong running as at least a PC?
I'll ask him to let me know when/if the unit ever fails for him?
 
It will be interesting to see some reviews once they're in some people's hands and get a bit of use. As an avid DIY'er, I have a large selection of power tools and the only HF tool on the shelves is their rotary polisher. It will never replace my 30 year-old USA-built rotary, but for occasional use it's OK once you learn to live with its limitations.
I know it's usually not appropriate to talk at length about a non-AG polisher like the HF DA here on the AG forum, but I think there's some benefit to be had for AG. I no longer care to moonlight doing weekend details, as the time and energy are no longer there. Of all the people I've extolled the benefits of machine polishing to, only one has actually purchased a PC, and that's only because I gave him a backing plate and pad assortment to get him started. Many more spent $29.99 for a useless wax-spreader, despite my objections, which soon went to the garage sale pile. If people get a useable, inexpensive DA in their hands and maintain their interest in machine polishing, the potential long-term revenue for pads and products can far surpass the lost revenue for one polisher.

Bill
 
In case anyone has not seen it, I got a good picture of this beast

uqagavap.jpg


Quite frankly, I saw it in person and thought it was pretty nice, just a bit heavy. Seems to use more metal where other polishers use plastic.
 
I bought one today . Since I didnt have a coupon, I had to pay full price 59.95 plus 2 year warrenty for 10.00. Now were do I get 6 inch pads , and what color pads. I only do my own cars so I dont need a bunch of pads.
 
Its my first DA polisher, I used rotarys and by hand before. I used a DA polisher at the Chicagoland meet and I like it.
 
Larry A said:
I bought one today . Since I didnt have a coupon, I had to pay full price 59.95 plus 2 year warrenty for 10.00. Now were do I get 6 inch pads , and what color pads. I only do my own cars so I dont need a bunch of pads.
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You'd be best off to purchase a 5" backing plate so you can use 5.5" flat pads then you'll need at least 4 compounding pads (perhaps orange), 4 polishing pads (perhaps white or green) and one pad each to dedicate to each LSP you plan to use as a good start--depends allot on your paint and condition. At some point you might want to get a 3.5" or 3" backing plate for 4" or 3" pads for working on tight areas.
 
Larry A said:
I bought one today . Since I didnt have a coupon, I had to pay full price 59.95 plus 2 year warrenty for 10.00. Now were do I get 6 inch pads , and what color pads. I only do my own cars so I dont need a bunch of pads.
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Get the new Lake Country Microfibers. They are the only pad you need. Throw them in your washing machine after use. This is a full range pad from compound to finishing polish. Of course you need a pad or two for each polish. I would recommend at least 4 if you are going to do a 2 step. You will want more pads if you cant clean them on the fly with compressed air.
 
Larry A said:
I bought one today . Since I didnt have a coupon, I had to pay full price 59.95 plus 2 year warrenty for 10.00. Now were do I get 6 inch pads , and what color pads. I only do my own cars so I dont need a bunch of pads.
Click to expand...
Get the new Lake Country Microfibers. They are the only pad you need. Throw them in your washing machine after use. This is a full range pad from compound to finishing polish. Of course you need a pad or two for each polish. I would recommend at least 4 if you are going to do a 2 step. You will want more pads if you cant clean them on the fly with compressed air.
 
for anyone who owns one of these, please post a video of it in action. thanks...
 
ski2 said:
You'd be best off to purchase a 5" backing plate so you can use 5.5" flat pads then you'll need at least 4 compounding pads (perhaps orange), 4 polishing pads (perhaps white or green) and one pad each to dedicate to each LSP you plan to use as a good start--depends allot on your paint and condition. At some point you might want to get a 3.5" or 3" backing plate for 4" or 3" pads for working on tight areas.
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New backing plate, four compounding pads, 4 polishing pads, plus a pad for your LSP? The OP just spent $60 on an orbital, so I think he needs a lower cost option. Lake Country 6.5 Inch CCS Pads 6 Pack - Your Choice!

I keep my cars in pretty good shape, so I use more white pads than anything else. If I had to pick 3, it would be an orange, a white, and a black. If I had to pick six, I would add a yellow, another white, and a red.

You can go smaller, but I have use the 6.5" pads for years without any issues, just a little slower in removing defects.
 
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